The Wizard of MGM: Memoirs of A. Arnold Gillespie

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Many thanks for exploring our new 2021 approach to blogging! Comments are always welcome – and there are numerous TREASURES FROM THE OZ MUSEUM to come! Letter E, Column 157". The electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language (eDIL). Archived from the original on 6 December 2014 . Retrieved 30 November 2014. 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.

Before and after where we can see the soundstage rigging and lighting fixtures prior to the addition of the artwork.

MARIE ANTOINETTE was of course based upon historic fact and, even with some opulent Hollywood flourishes was probably reasonably close to the actual events of the time, being the grass roots people power revolt in late 18th Century Paris which resulted in the downfall of the extremely unpopular Monarchy of King Louis XVI and his consort, the aforementioned Marie Antoinette - Queen of all she surveyed. The groundswell of popular unrest would see both figures not only unceremoniously de-throwned and imprisoned, but ultimately tried and executed by way of that most French of industrial modes of dispatch, the feared guillotine. 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. The two journeys were made in May and October 2017, and the Fine Arts company summarized their assignment in the following words: "Conservation treatment of the two flying monkey props from THE WIZARD OF OZ film, [including] stabilization, repair, aesthetic compensation, and mounting for display in custom-fabricated cases." As can be seen by the images in this month’s video blog, the miniature monkeys are now permanently stored in a case in Wamego that insures both climate control and limited exposure to the elements. As Clint sagely comments, “This is the ideal means of extending their lives, especially as they were not made to last. It’s always important to realize – or to be reminded – that these things were built for a single purpose, more than eighty years ago.” Chief Bill Gillespie, in the novel In the Heat of the Night and its film and television adaptations 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.]

Gillespie ( / ɡ ɪ ˈ l ɛ s p i/ ghil- ESP-ee) is both a masculine given name and a surname in the English language. Variants include Gillaspie and Gillispie. The production is first rate though not as 'glittering' perhaps as MARIE ANTOINETTE, with TALE having a somewhat darker edge to it out of necessity. Far less need here for the gauzy soft focus modelled lighting upon the female lead as was deemed important for the former film. a b MacLysaght, E (1996). More Irish Families: A New Revised and Enlarged Edition of More Irish Families, Incorporating Supplement to Irish Families, with an Essay on Irish Chieftainries. Dublin: Irish Academic Press. p. 109. ISBN 0-7165-2604-2. Accessed via Open Library. Not sure on this one. The ceiling and tops of the flags sure look painted but that foreground suspended fixture has me baffled?

Special Award

Special Effects 1944: Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo – Photographic (with Donald Jahraus and Warren Newcombe) [8] The cost for such reclamation and longevity? In this case: twelve thousand dollars. Yet as Clint comprehendingly and wisely maintains, "The Oz Museum won't be around too long, if the pieces themselves don't last. It’s all-important to tell the story of OZ through these and other artifacts. Of course,” he adds, “the irony of the little rubber monkeys is that, while they’re again intact, they remain so fragile and delicate that we’re still trying to determine the best means of SAFELY exhibiting them. Temporarily, we expect to showcase them during the annual October OZtoberFest -- but one at a time, the better still to extend their lifespan.”

One of the most common types of matte were the 'top up' where a ceiling would be added in later partially as a matter of cost cutting in avoiding needless set construction, and partly to conceal gantries, lighting rigs and studio rigging. 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). I should also add that this month’s video about the flying monkeys contains a happy mash-up of pictures of both the live-actors and the miniatures, regardless of audio narrative. We realize that any Oz fan can tell the difference, but we wanted to show a lot of images -- contrasting both “real and rubber” -- as we celebrated Buddy’s contribution. 😊

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. 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! Beautiful pastel draftsmanship. In my 2012 blog Matthew Yuricich In His Own Words, (which can be found right here) Matt explained that MGM had a highly skilled artist by the name of Bill Myers who's job it was to 'lay out' the proposed matte for the painters to work on. Apparently Myers' draftsman's skills were second to none and according to Yuricich made the matte painters job all that much easier.