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Mr. Drexler’s Neighborhood

Baron Hats Smackdown

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(Above) Watch Master Hatter, Mark Mejia shoot a hat from the hip.

I’m a New York City guy. I’m used to everything being right out there. Neon signs and big stores. No secret what’s going on. But the San Fernando Valley is like the desert with it’s life underground. It’s here, it’s dynamic, it’s bursting at the seams. Within a couple of miles from my front door are hundreds of shops and garages serving the motion picture industry, and some have been doing so 75 years.

And so it was that I discovered Baron Hats, a mere mile from my house. I went in because I wanted a “Have Gun Will Travel”  Richard Boone “Paladin”, and through the Internet discovered that Baron made the original.  To make a long story short, I had my mind blown by the depth and texture of the Hollywood Hatters world. I also came to realize that through my makeup background I shared a certain blood line with the Hollywood Hatter. A carefully designed hat will define a character for an actor, the same way a good character makeup will. Where would Indiana Jones, Marshall Dillon or even Bob Dylan be without their Baron Hats?

Baron Hats has made hats for many of entertainment work’s top names, television shows, and movies, Film epics such as “How the West Was Won”, Paul Newman’s “The Sting”, and “Exodus”, “The Man from Snowy River”, “1941″, “Crocodile Dundee”, “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”, “The Whole Ten Yards”, “Back to the Future”, “Dick Tracy”, “Tombstone”, “The Mask”, “Bowfinger”, “Wild, Wild West”, ” 3:10 To Yuma”and  “Hidalgo”.  TV’s popular mini-series, “Centennial”, “The Thorn birds”, “North and South”, and the Emmy award-winning, “Winds of War”, as well as the long-running weekly series “Gunsmoke”, “Bonanza”, “Star Trek” and “Little House on the Prairie”. Baron has created hats for many of John Wayne’s immortal classics like “The Alamo”, “The Searchers”, and the film that earned Duke his academy award for best actor, “The Grit”, in fact Baron made the hats for the recent Cohen Brothers remake of True Grit

So now that I know where they are, they aren’t safe. Jack and I went over to their shop the other day with HD cam in tow, while master hatter Mark Mejia made a hat right before our eyes… the same way hats have been made by hand for centuries. Not just made a hat, but imbued it with a sense of character. You’ll be amazed at the physical effort it takes. You will be seeing more of Baron on the files.

And be sure to tour the Baron website -

http://www.baronhats.com/#

Bing Crosby – San Fernando Valley

The Have Gun Will Travel – Star Trek Connection

If you know much about Gene Roddenberry, you know that before Star Trek he was a leading writer on the phenomenally popular and quintessential western, “Have Gun – Will Travel”. Not so ironically perhaps, HGWT was one of my earliest favorite shows as a child. I had the toy gunbelt and hat, and I can even be seen wearing a “Have Gun” bolo tie in my first grade class picture.

It’s easy to see why this Western series was an overnight success. Making its debut on September 14, 1957, the half-hour show ranked at the top of the ratings charts during all six years of its run. Richard Boone was perfectly cast in the lead role of Paladin, a cultured gunslinger. A polyglot, whose West Point education, impeccable style, literate sophistication, and distinguished Civil War service made him unique among Western heroes, and the prototype for many dashing figures to follow. Based in San Francisco’s ritzy Carlton Hotel, he scans newspapers to locate trouble throughout the wild west, then cagily markets his services (via his legendary calling card, “Have Gun–Will Travel”) as a hired gun, moral arbiter, voice of reason, and reluctant killer of badmen. Understanding the complexities of frontier justice, Paladin (whose full name is never revealed) could turn on those who hired him if he suspected dubious motivations. He wore black, but he traveled in an ethical gray zone. It doesn’t take long to see that if you you squeezed KIrk, Spock and McCoy into one guy, they would be Paladin… the leader, the polyglot, the human being.

With the release of all six seasons of HGWT, we have been given an amazing opportunity to understand the roots of Star Trek, and watch Gene Roddenberry’s evolution as a television writer as never before. Gene wrote a prolific 24 episodes of “Have Gun”. It’s interesting to note that there are only a handfull of Trek episodes with Gene’s name on them, but when you realize that Roddenberry rewrote nearly every episode of the first season of TOS without credit, you understand why. If you want a real education in writing teleplays, and wish to add another brick to your understanding of Gene Roddenberry, and the genesis of Star Trek, watching Gene’s 24 episodes of this classic show is a must. At the end of the entry I’ll run a list of GR’s “Have Gun – Will Travel” writing credits.

In the meantime I have a real treat for you Roddenberry lovers out there.  Here are five selected clips from the episode “Maggie O’Bannon” that are pure Roddenberry. You could drop Kirk into everyone of these clips, and the fit would be perfect.

The setup – When crossing over open country, Paladin is bushwacked by a bad gang of cattlemen. Knocking him out, they steal his horse, gun, gear and clothing. When Paladin comes to, he finds that he has been left with a flithy and stinking set of clothing worn by the man who stole his own trademarked black oufit. He makes his way to a ranch house and discovers that it is the origin of the bushwackers,  gone on a cattle drive, and will not be back for a week. There Paladin makes the acquaintance of two woman, Maggie O’Bannon and her housekeeper. O’Bannon decides she doesn’t like Paladin, but needs an extra hand and hires him against her better judgement. Over the next week, Paladin wins the affection of the two women even more deftly than Kirk ever could, while waiting for the return of the men who left him for dead.

(Below) In a scene reminiscent of “The City on the Edge of Forever”, Maggie, who has made up her mind that Paladin is nothing but a down and out saddle tramp, begins to suspect there is something more to this guy. She is moved by his charm, making her most uncomfortable.

The First Reading

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(Below) In a scene that foreshadows “The Cage”, Paladin charms Maggie like she has never been charmed in her life. This is distilled Roddenberry wine, served at the peak of perfection. The male-female dynamic seen so often on Star Trek can be seen here in spades.

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(Below) And where would TOS be without a good old fashioned fist fight? The bad men return, amazed to find that Paladin has won over their boss and is practically running the ranch. This culminates in the classic Roddenberry TOS knock down drag out mano-a-mano rumble.

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(Below) And here is the genesis of that classic wrap up where the goo goo eyed gals say goodbye to Jim Kirk. I will watch the the lights in the sky, James Kirk… and I will remember. It’s actually done better here than I’ve ever seen it done on Trek. What a sweet scene.

Goodbye Edith

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(Below) Had to post this as well. It is the title sequence of HGWT, which every week used a different quote from the upcoming episode. The music for the sequence was composed by the immortal Bernard Hermann, who scored so many classic films… Citizen Kane, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Psycho, North by Northwest, The Twilight Zone… the list goes on and on.

Opening Sequence

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“Have Gun – Will Travel” 24 episodes By Gene Roddenberry

1. The Great Mojave Chase (28 September 1957) – Writer (written by)
2. The Yuma Treasure (14 December 1957) – Writer (written by)
3. The Hanging Cross (21 December 1957) – Writer (written by)
4. Helen of Abajinian (28 December 1957) – Writer (written by)
5. Ella West (4 January 1958) – Writer (written by)
6. The Hanging of Roy Carter (4 October 1958) – Writer (written by)
7. The Road to Wickenberg (25 October 1958) – Writer (written by)
8. Juliet (31 January 1959) – Writer (written by)
9. The Monster of Moon Ridge (28 February 1959) – Writer (written by)
10. Maggie O’Bannion (4 April 1959) – Writer (written by)
11. Return of Roy Carter (2 May 1959) – Writer (written by)
12. Episode in Laredo (19 September 1959) – Writer (written by)
13. Les Girls (26 September 1959) – Writer (written by)
14. The Posse (3 October 1959) – Writer (written by)
15. The Golden Toad (21 November 1959) – Writer (written by)
16. Tiger (28 November 1959) – Writer (written by)
17. Charley Red Dog (12 December 1959) – Writer (written by)
18. El Paso Stage (15 April 1961) – Writer (writer)
19. Alice (17 March 1962) – Writer (written by)
20. Taylor’s Woman (22 September 1962) – Writer (writer)
21. Marshal of Sweetwater (24 November 1962) – Writer (writer)
22. Trial at Tablerock (15 December 1962) – Writer (writer)
23. Cage at McNaab (16 February 1963) – Writer (writer)
24. The Savages (16 March 1963) – Writer (writer)

The episodes are available from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_20?url=search-alias%3Ddvd&field-keywords=have+gun+will+travel&sprefix=have+gun+will+travel and can also be streamed to your computer on Netflix at http://movies.netflix.com

Have fun. You’re in for a great ride!

There’s The Signpost Up Ahead…

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.10150167522071104.302995.570346103&l=354b2e4366

Anybody still want to fight with me about how many decks the Defiant has?

DREXTV-04 Temporal Sonar

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Here is the latest and fourth D-TV, a time machine if you will, a window looking back to our old school Star Trek roots… the roots which begat new school Galactica. Working on Trek those 17 years was some of the best fun I’ve had. Picture it: A starship right downstairs… calls from Gary Hutzel at Image G to come down and see the D lit up and on the stick, or building a space station out of junk… all as if your life depended on it.

Old school, new school… in show business it pays to be both. At this very moment, a couple of old school guys and a team of CG madmen (who I will be profiling here soon) are pushing that upper right hand corner of the TV VFX envelope. Some of you know we’re working with Gary Hutzel on the upcoming Blood And Chrome, the decidedly new school spinoff of Battlestar Galactica. B&C, except for the actors, has been built in V-World. The leash is off, and if you think BSG was big before… well, let’s just say that we’ve shifted into huge. Gary and I are old school guys who are having a new school blast, and the roots to our metamorphosis are firmly embedded in the firmament of old school Star Trek.

We are in tough economic times. Even the motion picture industry is feeling the pinch. Today, shows with sprawling sets, like BSG and TNG, are a hard sell. The studio doesn’t want to invest millions of dollars in sets for a show that may or may not hit. If you know that you are going to go seven years, then you can amortize the cost over the run of the series. That kind of guarantee rarely happens. Ultimately you get less science fiction happening on television. The fantastic thing is that television science fiction is being saved by a creation that in itself is the very stuff of science fiction: computer generated environments. It is now cost effective to build virtual soundstages, in fact it’s even desirable. No upkeep or storage, infinitely malleable, and no limits.

First up is some lost handycam footage shot at Image G. It was Gary’s task to uncrate the Reliant\Saratoga and see if it still worked since the last time the teamsters tossed it on the back of a truck and bounced it along bumpy roads to the storage facility up north. Naturally, work it doesn’t. In a classic example of roll with the punches, Gary invents another class of ship. Whenever I see old footage like this, I kick myself for not shooting more.

You know that crack about having a starship right downstairs? Second up is a classic illustration of that. Mike Okuda knocked on my door, “…They’ve lit the Voyager sets one last time before they strike ‘em! Grab the cam, and meet me on the bridge!” It’s funny the quiet reverence you experience when saying goodbye to a make believe spaceship. The show over seven years becomes a family, and the starship sets are where that family lives. Sure, it’s the family you see on the screen every week, but even more so the collection of quirky, talented and lovely human beings behind the scenes that you fall in love with, too. Enjoy!

TIME TUNNEL COMPUTERS aka ANSF-Q7 of Air Force SAGE Radar Systems Today

Probably the most beloved bank of TV computers ever, the Time Tunnel’s are alive and well after 44 years of almost constant Hollywood duty. Not only that, they reside at a Hollywood electronic  prop house one quarter mile from my home. Have Camera – Will Travel – Wire Palladin – Hotel Carlton.

Consistancy

(Above) That’s the secret! Just do what I do! First find girls who like to kiss you, That’s a good start! On the left is at our shop in Van Nuys during “Dick Tracy”. Caglione and I were “the things from the basement”. That’s where all East Coast makeup labs were, in the basement! Now we were in sunny L.A.! In New York if you put out ads for help, grungy guys would show up. In L.A. beautiful women! Clockwise – The blond with her hand in my shirt is the lovely Dorth, our lab manager and my future wife xoxoxo,  next is distracting Jill Rockow – ace makup gal, multi-Emmy winning talent and character, and in red is adorable Melanie Kassen, our PA. No surprise that this is one of my favorite pictures! On the right, thirteen years later at our wedding the girls recreate the scene.

(Below) I’m plumb goo-goo eyed with hero worship! That’s Matt and Mary Ann Jefferies at our wedding. Someone throw out the time anchor!

DREXTV-03 “Hangin’ With Mr. Wezmo”

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I’m hip deep in prep with legendary Trek VXF supervisior Gary Hutzel. Galactica returns to basics, and “Blood And Chrome” is fully upon us. Would anyone like some toast?

So just because I’m intensely busy,  that doesn’t mean I forget you guys! No way! Not a chance! The phone rings… and it’s my friends from  startrek.com calling to reminded me that another DrexTV is due on the tarmac. I needed a show, I needed it now, and I needed making it to be like falling off a log. I checked the Drex Files Operations Manual and it plainly stated: Step 1 – Grab camera. Step 2 – Grab Jack Marshall to work it. Step 3 – Visit with one of the most interesting men in the world. Step 4 – Tadaaa!

So in this edition of DrexTV we hang out with Mike Westmore. This isn’t an interview, it’s a conversation between two friends.

First some history - This kid – that’d me me – was in heaven. I was working TNG for Michael Westmore. I was working thoroughbred Star Trek. I was working Gene and Bob Star Trek. I’m working STAR TREK- STAR TREK. I had just headed makeup on one of the biggest shows in Hollywood with John Caglione, that being Dick Tracy. The TNG cast and crew was pleased that I was there. “But shouldn’t you be off doing features? ” They would ask. ”Are you kidding?” Came my answer. “This is it! Ground zero! Challenge Central – and no place I’d rather be!”  I meant it. I loved that cast and crew, and it was without a doubt some of the most fun set time I’d ever spent. We worked hard, we had some ungodly late nights, and the later it went, the funnier and sillier it got.

Aside from the best cast I ever worked with, Mike Westmore made working on TNG sheer fun.  He always wears a smile, and is just a delight. He is a dear, dear man. If you know anything about the Westmores of Hollywood, you know that the family practically invented the movie makeup game. At one time there was a Westmore as head of makeup at every major studio in town. During the golden age, most big stars would not do a film without a Westmore. It’s a fascinating story, and if you are interested find a book called “The Westmores of Hollywood”. Mike told me a funny anecdote about his uncle Bud.  Bud was apprenticing on a very early Tarzan movie, and on that particular film Cheetah the chimp was played by a male ape. Bud’s job was to take a wet sponge and burnt cork, and use it to black out the chimps “water works” so that they would not show up on the big screen. After about a week of that, whenever Bud walked on stage, Cheetah would scamper over excitedly, take the cork and sponge out of Bud’s pocket and hand it to him.

The early Next Generation makeup lab was a hole in the wall. It wasn’t even in the wall. It was a shack cobbled together on the stage behind 8 and 9. You know that footage of Persis Khambatta getting her raven locks shorn by Fred Phillips for TMP? That’s the shack… and I loved it. Who would ever guess? Big TV production… the makeup lab would have to be in a flashy setup on the Paramount lot… wouldn’t it? Nope… makeup artists are an interesting breed. Life is a cross between the army, and the circus. You go where the job is, and you set up your camp… wherever that may be.  I’ve made people up using the toilet as a makeup chair and with light coming from a single unshaded bulb. I’ve made actors up in the middle of the woods, in a speeding car, in an airplane, a swamp, and a kitchen… so making molds, sculpting, and running foam latex in a shack could be seen as a step up in some cases. You got out, and you got under, and if there are no amenities… like electricity… you made electricity… no water? You brought it with you. You learned to be self contained and self sufficient. You thought ahead and you thought on your feet. A Shack? I love it!

Next time we’ll be concentrating on  behind the scenes lost footage. I’ve got Hutzel showing off the motion control stage at “G”, the very last footage of the Voyager sets just hours before the wrecking ball, and more “Active Duty!”.

Doug Drexler

Hollywood, California

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“…All the stuff that you do… the hundreds and hundreds of hours, and the hundreds and hundreds of things, and then there’s a few oddball items that you end up being remembered the most for…”

In my career working in Hollywood, I’ve known many actors. I’ve worked with them as closely as anyone can during my makeup days. The truth is that most of them are crazy. I think you have to be a little crazy. In “The Producers”, Leo Bloom says actors are human beings, when Max Bialystock looks at him incredulously and shouts, “Have you ever eaten with one?!” I’ve seen them at their worst… throwing the lunch tray against the wall of the Winnebago, ripping off their prosthetics and wrecking the makeup room. I remember on “Dick Tracy” when John Caglione asked Bill Forsythe (Flattop) to cut his shoulder length hair. After all, Bill would have endure having it stuffed under a bald cap 56 times. He looked up at us with puppy dog eyes and asked if it would make things easier for us. Yes, we said, absolutely! “Well then *uck you!” he snarled. Don’t judge Bill harshly. It was hilarious… in retrospect. Let’s just say that actors can oft times be challenging. That’s why, when you are fortunate to know and be friends with an actor like Mike Forest, you keep him… and yes,  I’ve had lunch with him. We’ve flown B-17s together (http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2010/03/28/a-god-apollo-is-my-co-pilot/). He even gave in to my childish begging and watched my favorite Outer Limits episode with me, “It Crawled Out Of The Woodwork” (That was the Twilight Zone for me, and Luna was there too. How do you beat that?) Meet Mike Forest, a one in a million guy. A terrific actor, artist, and wonderful friend.

(Below) Here is my quintessential Michael Forest\Outer Limits moment. It’s a wonderful pantomime of terror masterfully conceived and shot by genius cinematographer Conrad Hall. Some of his later films include Road to Perdition, American Beauty, Marathon Man, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, In Cold Blood. Incidentally, Mike Forest just KILLS here.

I always liked that Gary Hutzel guy.

From the first moment I met him on stage while shooting TNG, I knew he was special. Not only is he a genius visual effects supervisor, but he is FUNNY, and there is nothing better than that. One day during a grueling Galactica work marathon, Gary brought in a dusty box of old video tapes from early TNG. It was like having a time machine, and peering back through the mists of science fiction history. I was blown away. I’d heard the stories of the Thanksgiving battle for the 4 footer at Greg Jein’s place, and now I was there. Now you will be, too. Thank you, Gary Hutzel. How do I know all the one in a million guys?

Everyday we would get Enterprise dailies in the art department.

Everyday there was something funny. One day I realized I was letting some classic stuff evaporate. I decided to put an end to that sort of wastefulness and began saving them. Cutting them together a la Bob Justman was yet another dream come true for me. I wish we could have injected Enterprise with just ten percent of the fun I see here. Have a couple of my favorites, including an alien football game where Trip gets more than his fair share. Good stuff.

I had the strangest thing happen to me when I was cutting together this shuttle pod footage.

I got all emotional. No kidding. I never expected that. We were shooting the Enterprise pilot on the “Planet Hell” stage. It was that enormous Rigel spaceport set. There was pyro, and environmental effects, and the excitement of a new project. Mike Okuda and I were on stage to give the shuttle pod the once over on its maiden voyage and I just happened to bring the video cam along. I’m a very bad citizen, bringing a video cam on stage and all. Bad Doug! So I came across the footage of that day, and thought it might make a nice peek behind the curtains, if I could cut it together in a way that told a story… except that I couldn’t. Try as I might, it was just a string of not so amazing GNDN moments that came to no culmination. As I struggled to make something of it, I kept having to put aside emo rushes while watching in order to concentrate. Hey, waitaminit! It doesn’t need to go anywhere, it’s there! If I’m getting choked up, stick a fork in it! It’s done! I love this piece because of the sensation of being on stage… the sounds, the activity, the voices of a busy crew, the sound of the bell. The images are reference shots of the pod for our records, but the neighboring environment of distinctly Hollywood sounds and activity make it a moment trapped in amber.

Ships Of The Line: Active Duty! – More of what was a hit last time.

You can’t have too many images of starships. Thanks deg, Richter, Rem, Probert, and Boardman. Guys who still play with spaceships. deg is crazy, and works for bananas. Rivard is passionate… rein that in a little, buddy! Richter makes the new Enterprise look like a Goddess. Probert is a fraking genius. Rem lives in a bunker under the Hollywood sign, and Boardman is out of control. Let’s hope that whatever sickness they have never gets better.

By the way, word has it that there are Romulan spies everywhere. I suggest you put on a tie.

Trailer For Trumbull’s 2001 Doc

Can’t wait.

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Full HD! Blow it up full screen!

Finally!

The plan is to make this a monthly thing. Hope you dig! Below is the article that accompanies this V-blog on the relaunched, refitted startrek.com -

Drex Files Video Addendum!
We’ve only explored 2% of the Galaxy!

I was a fan from the first glimmer of black and white cathode ray over forty years ago, and am still hip deep. I’m in the enviable position of having worked on Star Trek for nearly two decades and have probably worked in more capacities than anyone in the history of the show… makeup artist, scenic artist, illustrator, and visual effects artist, and you now what? I’ve never been able to get enough!

Many of you know me from my blog, “The Drex Files”. Man, I poured a lot of stuff into that site. When Ian Spellin of suggested my putting together a column for startrek.com, I was dubious. Would a year and a half on Drex Files leave me anything to explore? Watch this!

Andygram!
We look at one of Trek’s sleekest and sexiest unrealized designs, The sphinx shuttle.

Whenever I think of Andy Probert I think of that scene in “The Right Stuff” where a reporter asks Gordo Cooper who’s the best pilot he’s ever seen. I’m one of Andy Probert’s biggest fans, and for me he is the best look for Star Trek. His sense of logic and aesthetics has never been equaled. One of my favorite Probert designs is the unrealized “Sphinx” shuttle, a cousin of the classic workbee. We’ve rustled you up a heapin’ helpin’ of the man himself, and Douglas “Deg” Graves brings it to life with his newly minted 3D version of the fabled conveyance. A classic Trek design. Why would anyone make Star Trek without Probert attached?

They’re the Juggernaut, bitch!
Ode to the Mararthon Mill Construction  crew.

One of the most thrilling things about working on Star Trek was watching the construction gang in the Marathon Mill take our sketches and blueprints and make them real… and like magic, sets would seemingly coalesce from thin air.

When Mike Westmore piped me aboard the Enterprise D as a a makeup artist, I got my first closeup look at those classiest of starship sets. Buddy, I was like a kid in a candy store, free to wander the 23rd century and marvel at the magnificent designs and incredible craftsmanship that went into even the smallest detail.

There is a saying in the makeup department… first to get there, last to leave. But there were days when I would finish up at 2am, pack my kit, head across the Paramount lot to the parking structure, and be blown away that the construction guys would still be at it full tilt. Later, when I made the jump from the makeup department to art department, I would learn who this amazing powerhouse of a gang was. Not only would I be privy to their world and particular brand of magic, but I would now be working with them hand in hand. I would not only be wowed by their incredible talent and skill, but by the unique characters and personalities that drove the Trek construction juggernaut. Heady days, my friend.

A rough and tumble world of pneumatic nail guns, saber saws and testosterone. The “Marathon Mill” was a wild and woolly pirate ship that demanded a thick skin and a sense of humor to successfully navigate.  Working with construction was one of the funnest, coolest and most satisfying experiences of my widely varied life in Hollywood. Our Star Trek machine was well oiled, and in it’s veins flowed trust, affection, and admiration. I don’t believe that I have ever worked on another show where cooperation between departments was so powerful.

During construction of the NX sets I kept a video record, and this stuff’ll knock your socks off. The first installment makes maximum montage of the construction of the NX warp core and engineering department. Hey you know it, and I know it: A cool engineering department is central to a starship, and we were especially proud of this one. It’s a remarkable document of a very ambitious Star Trek set, and baby you are there!

Le Voyage dans la lune!

When I was thirteen years old, four of the sexiest women on Earth were Raquel Welch, Brigette Bardot, Ursula Andress, and BarBara Luna. When I saw Luna as the Captain’s woman in the classic Trek episode “Mirror, Mirror” she was IT. She still has more of IT than any two women have a right to have of IT. How does she do it? A few weeks back, me, Dorth, Jimmy, and Luna went to see “CHIPs: The Musical” (no, I’m not kidding!) at Gary Marshall’s Eagle Theater in Tolucca Lake (It was hysterical, but that’s another story). I brought my video camera and captured some classic Luna. She’s silly and zany and adorable. Scamp, vixen, brat, comedian, artist, and legend. It’s silly for me to go on and on trying to impart the fun of BarBara Luna. Watch the video already!

Ship’s Of The Line: Active Duty!
This wild idea more than anything else gave me the impetus to create this vid\mag\column for startrek.com

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary… what could I do to make this column special? Then it hit me like a ton of neutronium! Oh you beautiful Galaxy! There were a hundred shots already set up for Ship’s of the Line that were dying to be animated! So I grabbed a bunch of my own pages, talked to Tobias, called Mark, shot up a flare to Rob… and in less than a week we had something special! Check your inertial dampers, fasten your seat belts, and be sure you’ve got your extra heavy reinforced Depends on because this is gold, Jerry! See the launch of the refit NX and Matt Jefferies iconic ringship taking flight! “SOTL: Active Duty” is the kick in the PTC you have been yearning for!

Hey, that was fun! I hope you got a kick out of the Drex Files Video Addendum! Fire a green flare if you’d like to see more, and in the meantime I’ll be fighting killer robots!

In fact I’m working tomorrow, but I’ll be off on Sunday and will be posting! Dugout!

Our Memorable Memorial Day Gathering

(Above) The always impressive Malachi Throne. Don’t you love this guy? My god, what a voice, what a presence!

On Memorial Day, Dorth and I threw a BBQ in the backyard and invited three of our favorite people, who incidentally are three of our favorite actors… and three of yours as well… Malachi Throne, BarBara Luna, and Mike Forest. You know, I always thought I had a pretty decent eye, but when you have faces like these to work with you just can’t take a bad picture. Enjoy a few of my snaps…

(Below) Two of my favorite obsessions, Luna and Dorth shine for the camera.

Friends in the News

(Above) Our friend Jane Lynch burst onto the scene in the hit movie “Best in Show”. Lately she is just a smash on the television phenomenon “Glee”. Dorothy and I first met Jane ten years ago at Becky Bonar’s birthday party (some of you will remember Becky as Dr. MacGregor in the New Voyages episode “In Harm’s Way”). I was official party videographer and was asking everyone what it is that makes the Goddess Becky so special. Check the above clip of me putting the question to Jane, and see the sparkle that has made her a hit. By the way, the fellow Jane is talking to at the head of the clip is Jerry Houser. Some of you may remember Jerry from “The Summer of 42″, and “Slapshot”. Jerry is also the voice of teenaged Bam-Bam from “The Flintstones”.

(Above) It was at Becky’s party that Dorth and I began our friendship with Robert David Hall and his wife Judy. Dave had just gotten the part on CSI, and here he is explaining to me his character does on the show. What a sweet guy. He has no idea what a big hit he is about to become a part of. That’s Becky introducing Dorth and I to Dave and Judy.

(Below) Dave is also a wonderfully talented musician. Here he is performing on “The Late Late Show” with Craig Ferguson”. By the way, Ken on the harp is none other than Ken Deifik of “Ken and Becky”, or as Jane likes to say: “Kecky”.

Universal Studios Streets Of Fire – The Phoenix Project Pt II – Rebirth

Universal studios threw a big Hollywood style bash to celebrate the grand opening of it’s new spectacular New York street sets, and with good reason! Wow!

NBC Universal Production Services put together a world renowned creative team to design the new street, including Steven Spielberg. Spielberg contacted one of his long time production designers, Rick Carter, Academy Award winner for Avatar, to be a part of the design process. Having designed Back to the Future, Carter had a very personal connection and passion for the rebuilding. Headed by art director Beala Neel, this team of award winning production designers and graphic artists would eventually expand to a staff of 25. Carter and Neel collaborated on the initial design concepts and scope of the rebuild. The construction project became known as the Phoenix project.

Please enjoy a cornucopedic assemblage of photographic evidence demonstrating a job done extraordinarily well…

(Above) Embassy Street greets party-goers as they enter the spankin’ new backlot.

(Above) A breathtaking facade recreating Macy’s on Herald Square.

Universal Studios Streets Of Fire – The Phoenix Project Pt I – Destruction\Reconstruction

(Above) Universal New York Street before the fire. I spent a lot of time here during the shooting of Dick Tracy. Our sister production, Back to the Future part I and II, shot right next door simultaneously. Middle left you can see Courthouse Square and the clocktower building. The way upper left of the image is the leading edge of the western town.

(Below) 5am, June 1st 2008. New York Street becomes a blazing inferno. The fire was started by an unattended welders torch, as film history goes up in smoke.

(Above) The burning of Atlanta from “Gone With The Wind”? Nope… the view from Back to the Future Square.

I remember rolling out of bed, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, and drawing the blinds. Less than two miles away a huge column of black smoke bisected the horizon. Holy mackerel! That looks like Universal!

(Above right) That’s pretty much the view from my front yard. (Above left) The other side of the smoke column and the view from just above the War of the Worlds attraction. The blue rectangle is the Universal blue sky backdrop and tank.

Flipping on the TV I yell to Dorth, hey baby! Check it out! Work is on fire! -

(Below) Construction pictorial -  It took months to clear out the charred debris and twisted girders. Miraculously you can see Back to the Future Square is the one untouched section of New York Street. I guess the Gods of Hellfire are BTTF fans.

The fire kicked off one of the largest construction projects in the history of Hollywood. While toiling on Battlestar Galactica, this guy (you’re lookin’at ‘em) who never takes a lunch break, made a point of getting out and snapping a shot every few days or so of the reconstruction.

Last Thursday night, Universal threw a big Hollywood style bash to inaugurate the re-opening of the best New York Street in Hollywood. Gary, me, and Mike Gibson were there. So, while you peruse these shots of the reconstruction, I’ll assemble pictorial evidence that proves Universal’s design team outdid themselves in spades! Back in a few!

Start Spreading the News! Universal’s NYC Roars Back!

“It’s  a hell of a town, the Bronx is up, and the Battery’s down! The people ride in a hole in the ground! New York, New York! It’s a hell of a town!” Universal’s new New York City backlot wows ‘em at last night’s Grand Opening.

Two years ago they burned to the ground in a fire that could be seen for miles.

Last night, Universal studios threw a big Hollywood style bash to celebrate the grand opening of it’s new spectacular New York street sets. Gary, Mike Gibson (our VFX producer), and I were there. The  art director of this fantastic rebirth deserves a hearty round of applause!  Drex Files will cover the festivities this Memorial Day weekend in a pictorial documenting the reconstruction, from level ground to big night!

Tall Tales of a Time-Traveling Tribble – A Tribble Travelogue

Tall tales of a time-traveling Tribble – A Tribble Travelogue

As transcribed by Jörg Hillebrand

Whenever I’m on vacation, my owner accompanies me. He’s been to all parts of Germany, London, Rome, Australia, St. Louis and Los Angeles. When I spent some time in Los Angeles (and some other interesting places all around the Milky Way Galaxy) last month, he kindly offered to take some snapshots of me at some pretty famous locations. First, we went to Santa Monica Pier, where Janeway and her crew beamed down in 1996 to find a way back home to the 24^th Century.(01)

George Brozak – A Trek Writers Journey

(Above) George Brozak, who wrote numerous tales for Star Trek, recounts his experience as a Hollywood scribe, and how he broke into the biz.

Breaking into Hollywood always makes for a fascinating story, and George’s adventure is no exception. The odds of “making it” are so stacked up against you, that anyone who actually vaults the wall successfully is a hero to me. Meet George Brozak -

The wonders of Facebook. Though I initially resisted joining a few years ago, it has been a wonderful tool for reconnecting (and in some cases connecting) with friends and colleagues from the Star Trek offices on the Paramount lot. My friendship with Doug Drexler is just such an example. I spent many hours this past weekend pouring-over his wonderful blog, reliving my experience with the incredible production staff, producers and writers.

Understandably, I was very humbled when Doug asked me to recount my experience writing for Star Trek. As I told him, I am merely a small cog in a very large wheel – but I just couldn’t say no to his generous offer. It was another chance to relive those incredible times during Trek’s meteoric rise.

My writing career began with The Next Generation. TNG had created a triumphant presence to the Star Trek universe, taking us places we had never gone before. At the start of its third season, Michael Piller (a producer for shows like Simon and Simon, Cagney & Lacey and Miami Vice) joined the staff in charge of writing. Piller instituted a policy unheard of in episodic television by opening script submissions to un-agented writers. And though we had never met, Michael’s hiring was about to change my life.

Steve Neil – Submarine Building for Dumb Asses

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Another thing for me to be thankful to this blog for is  rehooking me up with my old friend Steve Neil.

Steve has done it all… makeup artist, CG artist, physical model builder, and RC submarine madman. The above clips from Steve are two of the coolest things I have ever seen.  Steve took the Polar lights 1\350 Enterprise-A kit, and converted it to an RC submarine http://www.sneillfx.com/page16. You’ll be mesmerized. Next is Steve’s astonishing Moebius http://www.sneillfx.com/page12 RC Seaview from “Voyage To The Bottom of the Sea” – WOW! The Seaview looks amazingly at home running submerged!

Be sure and check out the entirety of Steve’ site! It’s a great Sunday afternoon, chock full of fascinating stuff from the mind of Steve Neil! Plus a lot of behind the scenes tidbits I know you guys love! Of particular amusement:  the section entitled “Submarine Building For Dumbasses”. www.sneillfx.com

Alexander the Greater Affair

I had often read about this unseen pilot starring a pre-Trek Shatner as Alexander the Great, but never thought it would ever turn up. That’s the miracle of YouTube!  Behold!

Dick Smith Update – 01- We Visit Bob and Cathy Burns

(Above) Dick standing in front of the original George Pal’s Time Machine from the 1960 classic. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Time_Machine_%281960_film%29

Last weekend, Dick and I dropped in to visit Bob and Cathy Burns at their home\museum in the San Fernando Valley.  I was aghast that Dick had never visited the science fiction\horror and fantasy Mecca, and delighted to be the one to introduce him to it.  It goes without saying that Bob and Cathy were thrilled to have the makeup master visit them. We had a wonderful afternoon hob knobbing and reminiscing.

By the way, you may remember an early entry where I recount Mike Okuda’s 40th birthday bash held at Bob and Cathy’s house. If not, check it out – http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2009/03/13/mikes-40th-b-day-spectacular/

Story behind The Time Machine – In the early 1970′s, MGM had an auction of their props. Bob attended with $1000 he’s scraped together, with every intention of going home with the Holy Grail, the Time Machine. The price shot up to $4000, way out of his league. Bob was heartsick, and left before the final bid. He later heard it was sold to a traveling show for between 8-10 thousand dollars. In 1975, a friend of Bob’s was in an Orange County thrift shop looking for interesting items when he caught sight of the familiar big dish in the back of the store. The machine was in rough condition, and was missing the chair. Bob made an offer, and finally had the Time Machine. George Pal had given Bob a set of plans of the machine years earlier, and with the help of Dennis Muren, Tom Scherman, Mike Minor, Dorothy Fontana, TV producer Mark Richards, and Lynn Barker, the machine was restored.

(Below) Kindred spirits,  Dick and Bob,  smile for Doug’s drex files roving eye.

Jörg’s LA Away Mission – Part 4

(Above) Bronson caves… hard to believe that this remote looking cave\canyon combo is just a few minutes from the Paramount main gate.  (Above) Bev and Picard egress the Trek side of the cave.

LA trip – day four

My last day in LA. My plane would leave at 2.30 PM so I had until noon to visit one more shooting location. Originally, I had planned to visit the MTA building and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Monday morning, but as I had squeezed that in on Sunday, I had some spare time for yet another location. But where to go? In comes Larry Nemecek to save the day. He offered to take me to Bronson Canyon to see more than just Batcave. I had always thought Bronson was too far away and that I wouldn’t have enough time to go there, so I never took any screenshots with me. I would have to do this one without any research – this made the experience much more memorable, though.

(Below) This location has literally appeared in hundreds of movies and TV shows.

Jörg’s LA Away Mission – Part 3

The Chronowerx building from “Future’s End.

LA trip – day three

I had a hard time sleeping the second night in LA, I guess I was still suffering from jetlag and a little nervous because of the upcoming day, so I got up really early and changed my plans for the day a little (I’m glad I did in retrospect!). I had originally planned to visit the MTA building (Henry Starling’s Chronowerx building in “Future’s end I+II”) and the square in front of Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (again Future’s end II, the Doctor meets Paris, Tuvok and Rain Robinson here) early Monday morning, before I had to get on the plane at 2.30 PM. I decided to go Sunday morning instead, which left me half a day on Monday to visit another location.

So, I set off at 6.30 AM to visit two locations from “Future’s end” on my own.

Whereas LA had been intimidatingly crowded Friday night at the Walk of Fame, downtown was eerily quiet and deserted Sunday morning shortly after sunrise. I got to see a completely different side of the city that morning. I took the empty Red line subway to Union Station and got off to see my first downtown shooting location: the MTA building. It was funny seeing the building without the Chronowerx signs added in post production but visiting this place before the morning rush was really something. There was nobody except for me on the long plaza, so I took countless photos from all angles. I had forgotten my sheet with screenshots of the building, so I tried to remember the few camera angles that were used. Funny how I expected the Aeon to smash through some upper windows any second! After getting my shots, I went down to Union Station again to cross over (under?) to the other site of the highway. I could have taken the subway to Civic Center to quickly get to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, but I wanted to take the scenic route, past the famous LA City Hall. I had used google Earth to memorize the trip from Union Station past the City Hall to Dorothy Chandler Pavilion so it was easy finding my way around. I passed some interesting sights, especially The Times building seemed really spooky and Hollywood-like.

(Below) The MTA building which doubled as the “Future’s End” landmark.

Arriving at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, I realized that not much had changed since Future’s end was shot in 1996. I was able to recreate many of the shots from my screenshot worksheet and it took several attempts until the fountain on the square was sputtering water in the same formation as it had on my screenshot of the Doctor in front of the fountain (it annoyed me that I had forgotten the screenshots of the MTA building so I had to do this as accurately as possible )

(Below) The good Doctor at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion from “Future’s End”.

(Above) The Chandler pavilion as it appears today, in downtown LA.

After that, I took the still deserted subway back to my hotel and waited for Jeff to pick me up to see the two biggest shooting locations: the Tillman water reclamation plant (actually the Japanese Garden in front of it) and Vasquez Rocks.

Jörg’s LA Away Mission – Part 2

(Above) Otherworldly and wonderfully atmospheric, the “Shangri La-like Vulcan of “The Search For Spock”.

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Jörg, who on “some sort of Star Trek”, knocks one out of the Quadrant with part 2 of his LA Away Mission…

LA trip – day two

On my second Star Trek shooting location day in LA, a Saturday, the real fun began. To prepare myself, I had rewatched the relevant episodes to get a good grasp of the locations and the various camera angles used and compiled dozens of sheets with 9 screenshots each of the various locations I wanted to visit.

Originally, I had thought I could do this trip all on my own, using LA public transportation to get from a to b. In retrospect, I can say I would never have seen as many locations as I ended up seeing that way, and would probably have died of dehydration on that hot and dry weekend if it weren’t for Jeff Zucker who graciously offered to be my companion on this trip and take me from place to place. I had met Jeff through the Star Trek Prop, Costume & Auction Board, a place for collectors of authentic Star Trek costumes and props to talk about their collections, help identify rarely seen items, have a good time and much more. Reading about my plans for the LA weekend, Jeff offered his help and I couldn’t have done most of it without him (and also wouldn’t have all those pics of a grinning me at those shooting locations gracing this article )

I will only briefly report about the current appearance of the shooting locations today in this sequence of articles, as I plan some larger articles with comparison screenshots of the various locations for Ex Astris Scientia.

Jeff picked me up Saturday morning and we headed to our first location: the Lucille Y. Gilman Memorial Fountain at Occidental College, Eagle Rock.

The fountain was originally not on my list, but buddy Ian aka Therin of Andor suggested this location and as it lay conveniently between Huntington Gardens and Griffith Park, we decided to check it out, too.

Jeff parked his car next to a sports field and we slowly approached the Vulcan fountain near the Bird-of-prey landing spot from Star Trek III. Not much had changed since 1983/4. As can be seen, only the first three flights of chairs are actually really there, the rest was added in post production. After taking a number of photos, trying to match the camera angles from Star Trek III as well as possible, we headed off to our next location: Huntington Library and Gardens.

(Below) Jörg at the planet Vulcan location, the Lucille Y. Gilman Memorial Fountain in Eagle Rock.

Jörg’s LA Away Mission – Part 1

Jörg at the gateway to nearly every Star Trek adventure ever filmed.

Having freshly returned from the land of dreams, Drex Files contributor Jörg takes us along on his trip to Hollywood. Part one of four.

LA trip – day one

On Friday the 25th of September I headed off to LA to spend an amazing Star Trek weekend in the city. My plan was to visit as many Star Trek shooting locations as possible and meet fans and people that worked on the shows, some that I had known for years through the internet but had never met in person. I can certainly say that my expectations were exceeded by far!

Now, I’m sitting here back home in Germany in front of my computer, looking at all the homepages of those shooting locations, all the sites still open on my browser three weeks later. Funny looking at the photos and information again, now that I have seen all of it! A piece of advice for people who want to go on a similar trip: Internet research using google maps, google earth and analyzing Star Trek screenshots certainly pays off, it made finding the right spots quickly much easier. If only I had also written down not only the addresses of the places but also the “how to get theres”, it would have made Jeff’s life (and that of his wife at home on the phone) much easier…
Anyway, you wanna hear about the places I visited and people I met? Here we go!

The first place I saw, actually from the plane, was Griffith Observatory, which was featured in “Future’s end I”. Right, it was just a white blotch in the distance, but as it was located to the east of another white blotch, the Hollywood sign, I realized I had come to the right place.