Most of these pictures were taken by me, some by others, they are spur of the moment shots of everyday studio life in southern California. It is a way of life that is rapidly disappearing from Southern California since the legislators in our state have allowed the business to find greener pastures in other states…sad.

As I collect pictures out of the boxes and off various hard drives they may also start in here until they are sorted out to their proper slot. This is also where you will find my “orphans”, pictures of people and places that  I remember but sadly not the names…let me know if your here or have a name to the face.

This is a picture that any grip from the 70s-80s will know! The old 270 truck at Universal Studios lot. It was the service truck that a “gang” of grips rode in from stage to stage, all over the lot, and helped move the different companies around after hours. That is Tyler Morris walking next to it. You can see GRIPS stenciled on the bumper. Thousands of grips spent at least part of their early careers on this duty. At the time there were something like 20 TV shows and half a dozen Features at some stage of production on the lot!

This guy below is none other than John Lovelace, one of the best Chapman Crane Drivers around! I have gone all over with John!

Back in the “UNIVERSAL” days, Rick Shunke and Tom Ham.

Below is the last time I saw Tony Bendt, I helped him get in the Business (got his 30 days with me) I took his picture outside stage 6 a Raleigh and he passed away only a few years later….miss you Tony.

Another Brother no-longer with us “Mad” Anthony DuShane….we all called him the “Shark” because of his love of diving and the sea.

Tony was a bit of a wild-man, tough, and worked in the studios during a very “wild” time during the 80s when shit you would not believe went on routinely behind the cameras. I was the Best Boy on one of my first shows, when the Key Grip comes to me and says “Hey the STAR is bitching that he can smell someone smoking pot on stage!” “you know who that might be?” Heck yes I knew…. I trot off, find Tony, tell him “dam Tony knock that off” now Tony could could kick my ass in a New York minute but he liked me so he meekly said “Billy I’m Indian, you know Indian needs to be sedated!” “Well ok Tony if you have to go outside and find some place no one will notice” I walk on back to the set and not 15 minutes later the smell of pot again floats through the set, causing the STAR to exclaim “I smell it, who’s smoking pot” They Key shoots me a look and I run off to find Tony…. Out the back of the stage into a corridor filled with props, out a side door,  around a corner, bang there sits Tony behind a bush puffing away on a “fatty”. He looks at me like a child, “What? I did what you said” I looked at him and wanted to laugh, “Tony look up, your sitting under the main air vent that goes directly into the set”

This is Tony on the roof a Universal sometime in the late 80s I think. He was also a woodworker, and artist drawing in sharks in with chalk all over the stage walls and back lots, every once in a while I still run across these. I have one of his carved sharks in my shop….never forget you Tony.

While it looks like a great shot of the moon through the trees its a balloon light. This caught my eye one late night shoot.

Shots taken like it says, here, there, and everywhere! 

This is on a show called “Love and Honor” That’s me with 4×4 solid to disguise our camera shadow on the ground. Hard to tell but next to me is the Great camera assistant George Dye! the Gentile Giant who could one hand a Panaflex! We are up on a Champman Titan Crane at Fort McArthur, San Pedro, California.

Just prior to the last picture I catch a few Zzzzs waiting for the crew to move over to us. Alex Baraza was the Key Grip and the Cameraman was I believe Chuck Wheeler “the Colonel”  Operator was

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my First Key jobs, a second unit of Beethoven II at Universal.

Steve and me in the early days, The propman is holding a lighter that is susposed to light the closed closet scene…Steve looks unconvinced!