Show BEHIND THE HOLLYWOOD STAGE In Old Chicago Typifies the Preparatory Operations Underlying Underlying Under Under- lying This Immense Business of Making faking a Modern Movie l y s I J t r Ii G r Behind an historical movie like In Old Chicago lies Iles months of painstaking planning and Investigation Florence Richardson head of Fox Century research department handled bandied these details for the new picture Other pictures show chow clockwise filming the Chicago fire from an artificial lake built on the set a showIng show show- Ing InZ how Hollywood authentically reproduced the 1871 1811 Chicago even to wheels on the carriages and Daisy the bovine Thespian who plays playa the role of 01 Mrs OLeary O'Leary's cow being led by Tyrone Power rower who Is In costume for another picture By Dy JOSEPH W. W LaBINE Lets Let's make a motion picture not the piker way like Aladdin would do it with his lamp but the way Hollywood might do it Lets Let's make In Old Chicago the super some some- thing-or-other thing production soon to be exhibited in U. U S S. S thea- thea only using In Old Chicago as an example of the movie industry's uncanny skill but what an example it is Two years ago In Old Chi Chicago ngo was just a notion in the mind of Darryl F. F Zanuck Fox Century production chief Today about 60 acres of 1871 Chicago stand in faithful reproduction on the studios studio's Westwood lot The Palmer house Field Leiter and company Adams Express company the City Hall hail and scores of other r build build- buildings ings have been authentically brought back to life An old timer walking I down those streets might be tempted tempt tempt- ed to hum a chorus of Shoo Fly Dont Don't Bother Dother Me or some other catchy tune of the day In Old Chicago a story climaxed ell cli by the lamp-kicking lamp act of Mrs Mrs OLeary O'Leary's cow cost But Dut it wasn't extravagance even though Mr Zanuck did build a gallon artificial lake to simulate Lake Michigan Nor was it extravagance to use 1100 extras in one scene Sure it cost a lot lotof lotof lotof of money but Hollywood producers are ore skinflint as at a building contractor when it comes to planning the cost of a production Research the Research the First Step How lIow is it done Well Nell lets let's make a picture like In Old Chicago When Darryl Zanuck decided to produce this film Alm he Immediately set let the research department at work collecting data on the 1871 1851 pe pl period clod in Chicago which the picture was scheduled to cover lIe He decided that the great holocaust which laid waste buildings at a loss of should be reproduced only as 81 a concluding sequence The picture would really relate an important im portent epoch in the building of Americas America's second city An Impoverished Impoverished American family of the frontier type would be chosen around whom the epic of growth destruction and rebuilding could be constructed The were chosen because because be cause Mrs OLeary O'Leary cow with the kicking high kicking rear legs is supposed to have started this greatest of II con con- It took the research department one year to gather data covering manners costumes and buildings of the lS 1871 1854 era Then Niven Busch Dusch set to work with his original screen story We the This was turned over o to La Lamar Trot Trot- U and Sonya Sony a Levien crack script team C C. imes mes Jrr Properties Music The research department furnished fur Information for the style di director dl di rector Royer foyer who designed costumes cos coso for lor the principals Art Director Di rector William barling supervised construction of 01 sets and properties from eld building prints and maps furnished by the researchers Since modern films dims need music Lew Pollack and Sidney D D. D Mitchell wrote Ill Never Let You Cry Ive lye Taken a Fancy to You and Take a Dip in the Sea Mack Gordon added In Old Chicago as 81 asa asa a fourth tune Amon Among Amon old time old numbers studied by these then crack were Aunt Rhody Ce le Home Father The Dark Girl Dressed in Blue Vie We Never Speak as We Pass By Dy and The Captivating Due Remember any of them Actually two cities were built tar fur the production First came the Chicago Chi cago of 1851 II a sprawling cosmopolis of dirt streets Inhabited by set set- tiers frontiersmen ruffians sharp traders and all an the other sturdy and warped souls who drifted through Chicago on their way to and from the American frontier Against this background was filmed the prologue sequences of In Old Chicago Through its streets rumbled rumbled rumbled rum rum- bled the covered wagons bearing Alice Brady Drady the newly widowed Molly OLeary O'Leary and her three brave youngsters I Sets Seta Are Rebuilt When the prologue had hod been filmed the 1854 sets were rebuilt to match 1871 Chicago Dirt streets were paved tracks for tor the horse cars were ere laid The Patch a tough section of old Chicago occupying occupying occupy occupy- ing an area of 01 over five blocks on I t IS ta r r w t tADi ti i ADi ty r tr a ae e k V r k i t i McLean I one of or the thu few top film rum editors of or the Industry scans some of or the several se hundred thousand fret feet of or film flIm shot for the new spectacle Actually lIy only part put of or this Immense footage I is used the studios studio's north lot was also rebuilt rebuilt re reo re- re i built to conform with the changes of 18 years in Chicago's growth I Costumes prevented presented a problem i Every costume company in the Los i Angeles area had to help clothe the Ule i 1100 extras used in one scene When I confronted with the necessity of housing homing these costumes the studio erected a four pole four pole circus tent next to the women's wardrobe Another tent almost as large was used to house the Ule policemen's firemen's and soldiers' soldiers uniforms Then came two more tents for lor dressing rooms Costumes for the principals principals Ty Ty Tyrone rone tone Power Alice Allee Faye Don Ameche Ameche Ame Arne che Alice Allee Brady Drady Andy Devine Deville Brian Donlevy Tom Brown Dron Phyllis Brooks and others were others were created Inthe in inthe inthe the studio wardrobe department Many buttons buckles and knickknacks knick knick- knacks had to be manufactured Then came the lake problem and Instead ct cf moving C his vast sets to a real lake front Zanuck snapped his fingers and ordered an artificial artificial arti arti- lake built right on the lot loll This wasn't extravagance because it was cheaper than tra transporting hundreds of 01 extras properties crew and equipment to a location many miles away I Filming the Holocaust To To hIm film the lakeside scenes scenes most mostly ly pictures of 01 the fire the fire the studio built the highest parallels ever constructed constructed constructed con con- for a film towers feet tall The complete picture of 01 desolation desolation desolation deso deso- lation and horror could be seen from Irom cameras at such an advantageous advantageous angle A dolly 20 by 30 feet leet was built to run along tracks laid in the lake ed holding three i i more cameras Altogether seven outdoor sets were made for lor the picture Interior In In- terror settings are scattered through five sound stages at Twentieth Cen Cen- tury One illustrating the interior in terror of or Chicago's old Nineteenth Regimental armory used as ns the scene of 01 a n free for el election dance battle among extras extra fills an In entire stage Fifteen fire lire engines of 1871 vin vin- vintage vintage vintage tage were secured for use In the I picture after a search that covered most of the nation Furniture was obtained from second hand shops and antique dealers much of or ii it coming from an old house recently wrecked In Los Angeles But a anum number number num num- ber of pieces had to be built to correspond with prints of 01 the pe pc clad Although In Old Chicago details details de de- de tails the romance of Tyrone Power and Alice Faye plus the adventures of Molly and Jack OLeary O'Leary Alice Allee Brady Drady and Don Ameche the real interest in this unusual spectacle is the great Chicago fire Everyone wants to know how it was done and how much it cost cast Its It's An Expensive Job lob The studios studio's answer is that was appropriated for special effects and and mostly means the tIre fire When you consider that thereal the thereal thereal real Chicago conflagration spread over an area of three and one one ter square miles destroying g up ap approximately proximately a third of or the eit it s assessed valuation y can understand the task i. i ing those who would reproduce u 1 uNo uNo No chances were taken during toe till filming fllming cf et the tire fire sequence Th The studios studio's own fire department wan constantly ready behind scenes lest 1 the flames should get out of hand And Just to make sure that the tire lri to 10 schedule a batter battery of equipment from the Los Angeles I lire tire department was also there Yes ies there was also Daisy OLeary O'Leary the famous Jersey cow I Daisy was discovered on a farm Carm near Stockton Calif Calil With her three Isis sisters as the bovine im Thespian was moved to Hollywood and taught the proper technique o o 0 kit kicking king over a alamp But Dut the Important part put of this and most other Hollywood productions Is that the scenes workmen seldom get the credit they deserve The stars glitter before the cameras cameras cam cam- eras but their glittering would be in vain without the prodigious amount of research construction and planning which lies behind every ev cry ery film Costumes scenery sound photography makeup research and casting these casting these are but a few of the fields I in which Hollywood workers occupy themselves Think that over when ohen you take I in ina a show snow tonight 1 5 Western Onion |