The Wizard of MGM: Memoirs of A. Arnold Gillespie

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The revolution gains momentum though it becomes quite clear fairly soon that the whole gig gets somewhat out of control. Being rather small in dimensions, the MGM mattes were executed on tilt down draftsman's tables rather than on studio easels as elsewhere, with the Metro artists seated close to the piece rather than standing and applying paint with a long handled brush. Almost all were rendered on heavy duty card or in some cases hardboard (or masonite as they call it in America). Before and after where we can see the soundstage rigging and lighting fixtures prior to the addition of the artwork.

Above: "Right profile!" The MGM make-up concepts created for the live monkey actors in THE WIZARD OF OZ were brought into play once again for the same studio's PLANET OF THE APES in 1967, almost thirty years later. Meanwhile, MGM was nothing if not detailed-oriented. As can be seen in this month’s video -- and in the image of the pre-restoration monkey-miniature further down in this blog -- even the tiny rubber monkeys in OZ were sculpted and painted to resemble their live-action counterparts.] The view of the convoy below from the point of view of the aircraft was shot using 8 to 10 inch (200-250 mm) ship models placed in 1inch (25mm) of water with foreground clouds painted on glass. The wakes from the ships were painted on clear celluloid with the tiny waves generated by fans. Another jaw dropping matte shot with superb blend to the live action columns, something that the Newcombe department were experts at. As already mentioned, Newcombe always dictated a soft matte rather than a hard matte line, with the soft join usually just sweeping across the frame with the artist expertly working the join to blend the two as one with fantastic results.All joking towards one side: There are many hundreds of unique or remarkable rarities among Wamego’s holdings, and in some ways, this isn’t really surprising. At last count, it was estimated that the Museum contains some twenty-five thousand individual pieces. Unfortunately, only about twenty-five hundred can be displayed at any given time, and particularly in the case of THIS month’s treasure, the public viewings are, indeed, very few and far between. That’s why these two items were selected to launch our 2021 series.

A. Arnold Gillespie". International Dictionary of Film and Filmmakers . Retrieved 2010-10-28. Special Effects Technician and Art Director. Nationality: American. Born: A. Arnold Gillespie in El Paso, Texas, 14 October 1899. Education: Attended Columbia University, New York; Art Students League, New York. Career: 1922–24 – assistant art director at Paramount; 1924–36 – art director, MGM; 1936–65 – head of MGM's special effects department, working on some 600 films. Awards: Academy Award for Thirty Seconds over Tokyo , 1944; Green Dolphin Street , 1947; Plymouth Adventure , 1952; Ben-Hur 1959; Technical Award, 1963. Died: 3 May 1978. Not sure here...possibly a genuine production shot ... or may have had that wonderfully deliberately distorted columnal perspective added in later? Whatever, it looks cool. Let them eat cake"... The jig is most definitely up. Upper wall, cornices and ceiling painted in. Matt Yuricich said it wasn't unusual for the artist to jokingly draw in weird, rude things like dogs screwing etc into detail such as this. Lee LeBlanc did it apparently and so did Howard Fisher at times! Both films were products of the extremely well resoursed and substantial studio facilities that were MGM, undoubtedly the envy of all of the other studios in Hollywood at the time and for years to come. MGM were theprestige production house for grand, opulent motion pictures where it seemed, money was no object. MARIE ANTOINETTE in particular was a Rolls Royce production all the way, and it looked it - beautifully photographed by William Daniels - with uncredited work by George Folsey and Leonard Smith; stunning vast sets by the legendary Cedric Gibbons and an all star cast to boot. Norma Shearer, the sister of MGM's chief sound department man Douglas Shearer, looked the part as the doomed Marie, and although a little shrill at times she was generally excellent, especially in the second half of the two and three quarter hour epic. Tyrone Power is the dashing though not entirely necessary love interest, with not a lot to do. Reginald Gardiner is sensational and practically oozes venom from every pore of his skin with each scene he's in, though it really is the great Robert Morley, as the fragile and somewhat effete King Louis who absolutely steals the show hands down with a beautifully nuanced, multi layered performance which would earn him (and Norma Shearer) Oscar nominations. O'Laughlin, M (1992). The Book of Irish Families Great & Small. Kansas City: Irish Genealogical Foundation. p. 125. ISBN 0-940134-08-X. Accessed via Open Library.Scores and scores of the figurines were made and used in the film, and given their fragility even then, only a few seem to have survived until today. I know of at least one in a private collection, and -- gratefully and celebratorily! -- two more are in proud residence as TREASURES OF THE OZ MUSEUM in Wamego, KS. Hello friends and fellow aficionados of the lost artform of the traditional matte painter. This issue we will be taking a look at two of my favourite Golden Era Hollywood motion pictures that both fit the bill inasmuch as being top shelf prestige productions as well as each being beautiful examples of the matte painter's skill from an era long since passed. Both of today's films were important Metro Goldwyn Mayer pictures from the 1930's, MARIE ANTOINETTE made in 1938 and A TALE OF TWO CITIES made in 1935. Special Effects 1945: They Were Expendable – Photographic (with Donald Jahraus and R. A. MacDonald) Special Effects 1944: Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo – Photographic (with Donald Jahraus and Warren Newcombe) [8] The given name is an Anglicised form of the Gaelic Gille Easbaig (also rendered Gilleasbaig), meaning "bishop's servant". [1] The surname Gillespie is an Anglicised form of the Scottish Gaelic Mac Gille Easbuig, and the Irish Mac Giolla Easpaig, both of which mean "bishop's servant's son". [2] The given name itself is derived from a word of Latin origin, [3] the Old Irish epscop being derived from the Latin episcopus. [4]