These in-depth profiles illuminate the careers of ten motion picture crew members who worked during Hollywood’s Independent Age of film and television production—basically from 1945 to 1980. A celebratory insiders’ look at the Tinseltown machine, the book utilizes individual interviews and rare crew photographs to provide the back story of production challenges and solutions for some of the world’s most recognized movies, including such classics as The Searchers, Chinatown, The Hustler, and Bullitt among many others. It provides not only an educational treatment of the jobs and techniques of filmmaking but also a dose of humorous and memorable experiences from the trenches.

A member of IATSE’s Local 80 Grips since 1993, James C. Udel has held the position of call steward with the Hollywood Union for the past eight years. Besides serving as the Local’s archivist, he also penned a feature column for Below the Line magazine called Footnotes. He lives in Sherman Oaks, California.

James C. Udel

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 256
Bibliographic Info: 81 photos, glossary, index
Copyright Date: 2014
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6484-5
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0226-4
Imprint: McFarland

Preface  1
Introduction  3
1. Dan Striepeke, Makeup Artist  5
2. Carl Manoogian, Key Grip  22
3. Gene LeBell, Stuntman  42
4. William Fraker, Cinematographer  69
5. Earl Gilbert, Gaffer  83
6. Tommy May, Key Grip  118
7. George Barris, Motion Picture Automotive Designer  135
8. Albert Brenner, Production Designer  152
9. Richard Kline, Cinematographer  168
10. Gaylin Schultz, Key Grip  193
Glossary  225
Index  233

• “informative and entertaining almost beyond measure…fascinating…. Not only does Udell’s book flesh out the activity that goes on behind the scenes, where hard working men and women are so much a part of the moviemaking process, it offers fascinating entertaining anecdotes that re a delight for movie buffs…highly recommended”—Examiner.com