The Fabulous Disney Babe
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Fab: I'm not crazy about, as you know, history ending up in someone's private collection. I think people should be able to see it. Where do you suggest those of us without trophy rooms, (so far) go to see some of this cool stuff?
"There are quite a few places to see displays of movie props, especially in Los Angeles. And not just at places like 'Planet Hollywood' or 'Universal Studios.' The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, the organization that gives away those gold statues called 'Oscars' every year, often hosts special exhibits of costumes and props every so often that are open to the public. At a screening of 'Mary Poppins' there a few years ago, Dave Smith of the Disney Archives brought quite a few items from the film for display there.
"I'm going to try to list exhibits and exhibitions on my site of where to see some of these special collections in the future.
"There are also a few great books on the subject. A friend of mine, Bob Burns, who has one of the biggest collections of movie props, has a great book about his collection which you can get through my site."
Fab: Bob's got one of the Scherman Nautilus models. Exquisite. Anything else you want to add?
SLee: "The site is run completely non-profit and supports itself with the earnings from auctions of movie props and memorabilia, and from recommendations of books and films sold through Amazon.com. If I can sustain the site this way, I won't have to bog it down with a lot of advertising. Hopefully there will be enough support by fans like your readers. One of the items up for auction right now that is not to be missed is for an original Star Tours crew jacket."
Fab: The WDI crew one, not a costume, by the way. You are usually pretty 'tight-lipped' with me about future projects, but what are you working on now that you can talk about?
"'Osmosis Jones' - A lot of fun. Great look to the animation, Tom Sito is a great guy. My pals Elliott Koretz and Curt Schulkey supervised the sound on it, and did a great job. And it was fun getting to work with Randy Thom, who worked on the sound effects design with us. He did 'Iron Giant,' 'Castaway' and one of my favorite recent films, 'Contact.' He normally works up North, so it was great to have a chance to work with him. I hope the film does well.
"'Cats & Dogs' - A huge amount of work, right up to the last minute. Mark Mangini and Elliott Kortez supervised the sound effects, and it was a colossal job. But they're still alive, from what I hear! It's a very cute film. But being a cat lover, I'm a bit distressed that they're supposedly the 'bad guys.'
"'Planet of the Apes' - Well, any chance to work on a Tim Burton film is a thrill. Richard Anderson has done a bunch of his films, starting with 'Beetlejuice.' He's supervising the sound effects on 'Apes' as we speak. It's an exciting film. And Rick Baker's work is amazing, as always. More I cannot say!"
Fab: Next time you see Burton, ask him about NBC for me, willya? I'm dying to know some details about it! You did some theme park stuff, too, right?
SLee: "'Golden Dreams' - I enjoy having a part in any Imagineering or TPP project, because it's something that will probably be around for awhile! 'Golden Dreams' was a very sweet film with a lot of heart. ...Plus I managed to get a 'Wilhelm' into a Disney park! Way cool!"
Fab: Why, yes, there *is* a Wilhelm in Golden Dreams! Hey, the first person to email me and tell me the correct location of the Wilhelm in Golden Dreams will get a DCA Official Album CD (which includes the Golden Dreams song ... but not the Wilhelm)
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-- Michelle Smith
Michelle Smith can be reached using the Talkback form below or by emailing her at [email protected].
The Fabulous Disney Babe's column is posted every Friday and when ever else she has something to say. For more on Michelle's background, see her first column. She also offers The Fabulous Tour: Disneyland Secrets and Stories. Click here for more information.
The opinions expressed by our Michelle Smith, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future plans of the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.
-- Posted June 29. 2001