Zee For Yourself!

Thank you, Mike! I still treasure it!

Beer ye! Beer ye!

Nice one, Matt!

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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.

Buddy in Space

One from the stage 9 (TNG era) bulletin board.

I crack up every time I look at this. Sometimes Buddy just likes to get out and crawl around the hull of the ship.

Conan The Musical

I was always disappointed with John Milius Conan film. After this I feel better.

Decker Lives!

We actually shot William Windom’s scenes for the New Voyages episode “In Harm’s way in our living room.

I loved the whole idea that Decker never died in the Doomsday Machine incident, and that he ended up alive, happy, and living with Captain’s woman BarBara Luna. When Dorothy was a kid, she had a crushed on Windom from watching him in a television show called “The Farmer’s Daughter”. When Bill arrived in his well worn jeep at our house in North Hollywood, I snitched, telling him my wife had a crush on him from the 60′s. He replied, “WELL, we’ll fix THAT!” Everyone agrees that William Windom stole the show in “The Doomsday Machine”, and Windom knows it, too…. “That was MY show” he chortles with devilish satisfaction.

We also had a huge ginormous amount of fun with all-time great Malachi Throne. The man was a bundle of high spirited humor. I had some of my most favorite moments watching episodes of  “Lancelot Link” with him. It was Malachi who taught me that there were “Actors, and then there were performers” , and that “the best all around attitude, was gratitude.”

To Boldly Wear What No Dog Wants to Wear

The Bud Light cans are a nice touch… also an explanation.

Thanks Maria, for sending this one! http://www.wagreflex.com/2009/08/to-boldy-wear-what-no-dog-wants-to-wear.html

Read the comments column- worth the price of admission.

Lucky Pierre

Note I saved from John telling me that Pierre Drolet had called.

Jayne – The Hero of Canton.

Dea kept on me until I finally watched Joss Wedon’s “Firefly”. I admit, I kicked and screamed, and squirmed all the way! Cowboys and horses! Bah! Now I am hopelessly hooked. One of the funnest episodes is “Jaynestown”.  Here, Adam Baldwin (Jayne) sings the Ballad of “A Man Called Jayne”. Note the “cunning” hat.

Lunacy

 

BarBara Luna is one of my most favorite beloved nuts! Here is a joke she just E-mailed me -

The love story of Ralph and Edna…

 Ralph and Edna were both patients in a mental hospital.  One day while they were walking past the hospital swimming pool  Ralph suddenly jumped into the deep end.

He sank to the bottom of the pool and stayed there.

Edna promptly jumped in to save him.  She swam to the bottom and pulled him out.  When the Head Nurse Director became aware of Edna’s heroic act she immediately ordered her to be discharged from the hospital, as she now considered her to be mentally stable.

When she went to tell Edna the news she said, ‘Edna, I have good news and bad news.  The good news is you’re being discharged, since you were able to rationally respond to a crisis by jumping in and saving the life of the person you love.  I have concluded that your act displays sound mindedness.

The bad news is, Ralph hung himself in the bathroom with his bathrobe belt right after you saved him.  I am so sorry, but he’s dead.’

Edna replied, ‘He didn’t hang himself, I put him there to dry.  How soon can I go home?’

Today is Mental Health Day!  You can do your bit by remembering to send an email to an unstable friend…

Done my part!!!

Sway Over The Captain’s Table

Give it a second to load

When Dominic discovered Dorothy’s cooking he went wild. Usually stage food is barely passable, and there’s only two ways  Dorth makes “barely passable” food… that’s no way, and no how! So whenever Dominic knew Dorth would be cookin’, he’d be rubbin’ his hands together in gleeful anticipation. Well we used to get the dailies up in the art department, and one day I come across this blooper that shows it better than I can ever describe it. Watch Dom blow his lines and not care, cause he’s lovin’ it so much. Anthony Montgomery cracks up!

More galley tales -

http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2009/01/16/sway-over-the-captains-table/

http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2009/02/09/the-captains-table-redux/

http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2009/02/27/report-from-the-galley-menu-two/

If you want to get in on the goodness, here is what had Dom over the moon, recipe courtesy of the Enterprise “Kitchen Goddess” Dorothy-

You are getting sleeeeeeepy…

Hey! Working in television is exhausting! You’ve all heard about that meat grinder called Hollywood? That’s right! You grab some Z’s when you can!

Here are some Trek art department snaps of baby Fritz, little Jimmy, Anfonee, yittle Tony… among others… and they’re doin’ some champion log sawin’! Look at these very carefully, and let them serve as inspiration over the long holiday weekend!

Hush-a-bye don’t you cry, Go to sleep-y, little baby. When you wake you shall have All the pretty little horses. Blacks and bays, dapple grays, Coach and six white horses…

Psycho Doug

Some of the gang in the Dick Tracy thread were talking about how the “Sawdust” house looks like the Psycho house. That prompted me to post this. I wonder who I’ve got in the trunk?

Keep In Delorean

Click for a better look.

Just Funny

Dorth passed this on to me this morning. Just funny -

http://richards-creations.net/Videos/Are-women-born-like-this.html

Dead and Loving it

It’s the miles…

When Gary’s BSG in house VFX took on it’s first big episode (Scar), there were just a couple of us on staff at the time. Needless to say, we put in some very long days getting the show ready for air. Often the battle behind the scenes is as intense as what ends up on screen. Our gang stays connected thru an instant messanger that allows an avatar. During the course of the production, I gradually switched out my avatar to express how I was feeling.

Red Dwarf – Dave Teaches Kryten to Lie

 

Kryten – Oh sir! Don’t you think I’d love to be deceitful, unpleasant and offensive? Those are the human qualities I admire the most!

On one of the other threads we got into talking about the BBC series Red Dwarf. It came to my attention that many of you have never seen the “Small Rouge One”. I’m a Red Dwarf fanatic. Back when I was on DS9, RD was not available in the U.S., and Greg Jein was my source. They found their way to Greg through the RD underground of fans. Some of the funniest moments in science fiction are Red Dwarf moments. I’ve embedded a clip of one of my favorite routines. Enjoy!

Two To Tango! DS9 Style!

Herman and Nana – Fred and Ginger – on the stage at Quark’s.

 DS9 was a close knit crew. We enjoyed seeing one another everyday. At the end of each season we took a moment to celebrate Us. The wrap parties were always fun, but the one I remember the most is the one we held in Quark’s bar on the promenade. For one night, Quark’s really was a swingin’ club. There was singing, dancing, games, and adult beverages. The writers took the stage and played their own version of “To Tell the Truth”, Avery performed via video (he was headed back east), and Nana and Herman danced the Tango. That’s right! The Tango! You didn’t know that Herman was a song and dance man? Well he was!  Here are a couple of shots taken that night from the upper balcony of Quark’s by the Goddess Dorothy. Ha! Ha! OMG what a night! I did have a bit of a scare though…  Nana had heard that I could light matches with my feet, and tried to strongarm me into doing it on stage in front of the entire crew! I had to hide from her for weeks! Luckily the studio fire marshall said that an open flame would breaking fire codes. Oh! The agony of de-feet!

Yes! Doug lights matches with his feet. Look -

http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2009/04/09/more-art-dept-shenanagins/

Le Wraith di Khan

 

From our friends at “Robot Chicken” - As seen on Adult Swim.

Thanks to Mel Gilden for the heads up!

More Art dept Shennanagins dept!

I’ve been framed! John Eaves demonstrates the way to get into pictures!

I got up a little late for me, 6 am. I didn’t go to the gym. Didn’t skip…  just my sixth day off day. Take a deep breath. A weekend off before it get’s busy. Dorth is getting ready to go out, and Beaky is contentedly knitting a piece of twine into a complicated parrot macrome on top of his house. Me, I have 5 giant plastic bins in front of me filled with two decades worth of Trek memories. As I leaf through them, I find that I’m tossing the funny ones into their own pile without thinking about it. Always listen to your body.

One Day In Mike Okuda’s Office

No, this is not an optical illusion, or a photoshop trick! It’s Mr. Mike’s office! He’s in for some surprise when he get’s in! Margaret Clark of Pocket Books is a regular prankster, and this is what she asked us to do with an over-run of Star Trek Encyclopedia covers! Fritz Zimmerman (above, left) and I gleefully went to town. I’m actually in this picture too, but I’m wearing my Encyclopedia stealth suit. See me? Check the SS Minnow life preserver. Mike is a big “Gilligan’s Island” fan, and Dorth snared this from the G.I. episode of “Rosanne.” Yes, that’s Mike’s desk in the bottom picture. You can jus’ make out the Mr. Coffee! At the end of TNG, Jimmy Mees put Picard’s ready room chair in Mike’s office, see it? Man, I coveted that! I coveted it with book covers! I did! I did!

Probert’s Greatest Hits – One Day at the Burbank Marriot

I thought I would surprise him, but the surprise was on me! Probert went from zero to sixty, punching me in the neck. I dropped to the pavement clutching my throat, unable to even cry out.

You Bet Your Life!

The one! The only! Groucho! Check the look of incredulity on my face.

 The art department was a big nest of Marx Brothers fans, so when this weisenheimer showed up in full Groucho, we were roaring! He was our courier guy, of all things! He had the voice, he had the lines, and he delivered them with unerring accuracy- 

More Art Dept. Shenanagins

Neezee, me, and Anthony can’t resist!

BSG LOL Cats