Up in lights.... the dazzling world of MGM musical spectaculars and the work of the matte painter

There's no two ways about it - when it came to the musical, MGM were king of the jungle.  The sheer size of the studio and the talent pool under contract made sure of that fact.  Today I'm going to present a few examples of the work of MGM's matte and photographic effects unit from the Golden Era of big Hollywood musicals and for those already familiar with some of these films a trip down memory lane and for those of you new to this genre some wonderful samples of matte movie magic as only Metro Goldwyn Mayer could do.

For decades the matte department was under the control of the eccentric and ultra protective yet admittedly shrewd Warren Newcombe who arguably ran the tightest ship in town when it came to producing high class matte painted effects shots.  Newcombe ran the MGM matte dept from the late 1920's up until his early and misguided retirement in the late 1950's.  Key to Newcombes' success were matte cameraman Mark Davis and his operator Bob Roberts who created many an ingenious method to present what otherwise might have been a run-of-the-mill locked off composite with animated gags and camera moves.  

The MGM stable of talented matte painters included Norman O. Dawn in several 40's pictures such as "GREEN DOLPHIN STREET" and others. Dawn himself was a titan in the world of matte photography and painting and by all accounts the pioneer of the process. Other painters in the Newcombe studio were Rufus Harrington, Joe Duncan Gleason, Oscar Medlock, the father and son team of Anton and Edgar Kiechle, Stanley Poray, Jack Robson, Candelario Rivas, Ted Withers, Emil Kosa snr, Lee LeBlanc and later on Matthew Yuricich and Louis Litchtenfield to name but a few. The Metro matte and overall effects department was a force to be reckoned with and produced so many wonderful special effects for many great films and garnered many Oscars in the process.More detailed biographical info on many of these artists and cameraman may be found on my friend, Domingo Lizcano's site:
http://galeon.com/traditionalfx/mgm/MGMmattedept.html

This wonderful group photograph, probably fromthe late 40's is from the essential Craig Barron-Mark Kotta Vaz treatise The Invisible Art - The Legends of Movie Matte Painting.....an absolute must for anyone reading this blog!

While Newcombe oversaw the matte department as his very own fiefdom other effects masters looked after their own respective areas of special effects.  The great A.Arnold (Buddy) Gillespie (who had the rare distinction of having worked on both 1926 and 1959 versions of "BEN HUR") was in charge of all mechanical effects, miniatures and process work while Irving G.Ries looked after the optical effects department and handled all of the travelling matte photography and compositing - some example of which I will demonstrate here today.

An aspect of the old time musical visual effects that has always appealed to me and is particularly evident  in the MGM shows were the utterly magnificent neon billboards and huge animated sign photographic effects shots that graced many a Metro extravaganza.    These of course were for the large part elaborate matte painted shots with complex animation effects to produce the rythmic neon announcements... pure magic, especially on the big cinemascope screen.  The animations themselves were sometimes produced as backlit slot gags behind the matte glass, sometimes with overlays or rotoscoped superimpositions.  In an interview with Matthew Yuricich in Starlog magazine in 1977  Yuricich spoke of his early days in visual effects at 20th Century Fox in the fifties as being primarily the rotoscope artist who with an equally 'green' Jim Fetherolf spent inordinate amounts of time meticulously hand animating theatre neon lights on marquees on matte paintings and producing the numerous gags therein.  Yuricich spoke of the amount of concentration and patience required for such a job.  Some studios such as Paramount had whole rotoscope units within the photographic effects department employing, usually, young women to carry out the work as it was believed at the time that this was 'fiddly work' akin to knitting or similar domestic chores more "suited to the temperament of a woman".

Anyway, on with the journey - a journey of rediscovery of the ancient art of matte painted grandeur and subtle effects animation...

Enjoy

left - matte cinematographer Mark Davis and right matte dept. head Warren Newcombe

MGM's matte camera room in 1949 with the new motion control mechanism named the Dupy Duplicator so named after inventor Olin Dupy (left) from MGM's sound department. Around this period a number of studios were coming up with motion repeater devices to aid in placing camera moves such as pans and tilts into otherwise static matte shots.  The painting being photographed is from "EASTER PARADE" (see below for final shot)..  From right; Bob Roberts matte cameraman, Warren Newcombe head of the matte dept, Mark Davis visual effects director of photography and Warren Spencer assistant head of MGM.

An excellent and extremely rare original MGM painting dating possibly from the 1946 Richard Whorf directed film "TILL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY".  These two photos beautifully demonstrate the coloured gel 'gags' employed behind cut out areas of board to produce the numerous flickering light bulb effects and neons seen so frequently in the films of the golden era.  No better is this effect illustrated than right here in this lower in verso photo.

A rare glimpse of a Golden Era MGM matte painting on masonite (hardboard) - this being from the 1946 Jimmy Durante-June Allyson picture "TWO SISTERS FROM BOSTON"

Close up detail from "TWO SISTERS FROM BOSTON" showing the small areas of the painting that have been purposely chipped away to allow backlit interfearence devices to simulate crowd movement among the painted audience, in this case the clapping of hands.  As crude as it may sound this gag was a tried and true device that was in use from the 1930's up until the final days of traditional painted mattes in the early 90's.

A wonderful Newcombe shot (as they were known at the studio) from the Esther Williams picture "MILLION DOLLAR MERMAID"

Beautiful full matte painting complete with animated flickering lights from "EASTER PARADE"

Extensive matte painted shot from the film "ANCHORS AWEIGH" where practically the entire scene is painted with just a small foreground area of live action.  Unusually for MGM no attempt was made to simulate water ripples, thus the shot remains static.

Another matte from "ANCHORS AWEIGH" with all of the scenery and a number of the 'people' painted in by one of  Newcombes' matte artists.

The show stopping number with Gene Kelly dancing with Jerry the Mouse.  Now commonplace in films this was a trend setting tour de force sequence that even rival studio head Walt Disney was blown away by.  Incredibly good animation by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera's cartoon unit and meticulous roto work by studio optical effects maestro Irving G.Ries.  Star Kelly himself felt that this was one of his most difficult and exhausting dance numbers ever due to the 'shadow dancing' against an invisible partner that was required.  Note even Jerry's reflection is in perfect registration.  A few years ago the popular television series "FAMILY GUY" paid homage to this great sequence by integrating it into an episode with a newly animated character 'Stewie' flawlessly rotoscoped over the top of the Jerry character though still retaining Jerry's reflection which no one ever noticed.

Another gorgeous matte painted marquee and building facades from "THE BAND WAGON".  If one examines some of these big marquee shots from various MGM films it seems that the same painting may have been reused more than once though with new names on the billboards, perhaps as a separate glass plane with new lettering?

The opening shot from "TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME" starring Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly.  This is a three part composite with real seafront split screened with studio mock up road and building frontage and this in turn composited with a matte painted upper architecture, sky and palm trees.  The palm on the left is given simulated movement in the breeze via some sort of gag device, most likely thin streaks of paint scraped away between some of the palm fronds and this area in turn given the effect of movement with a rotating wheel or similar device positioned behind the glass painting.

Another example from the same film - this being an invisible matte shot which extends the neighbourhood around the ball park via a matte painting.  Everything beyond the grass, including the roof and buildings in the distance is painted in later.

A truly wonderful example of the powers of a well designed and executed matte shot - also from "TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME" this is a terrific demonstration of a simulated crowd and bleachers of a baseball pavillion.  We are fortunate here in that the original painting still survives and may be examined in detail.  The orientation is slightly different suggesting that the plate was flopped in the optical printer to aid the narrative.

The grand, highly entertaining hit "SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS" with a number of painted mattes, some by Matthew Yuricich in one of his earliest painting jobs.

A spectacular matte composite from a Judy Garland musical - the title of which escapes me for the moment.

Another great illuminated marquee as only MGM seem to be able to pull off with such panache - from "EASTER PARADE"

The spectacular 5th Avenue closing shot from Irving Berlins' "EASTER PARADE" - the first application of the studio's custom built Dupy Duplicator which simulated a tilt upward from foreground crowd to this beautiful matte painted street.

Optical trickery -  a show stopping dance number with the great Fred Astaire performing with a room filled with 'dancing shoes' courtesy of travelling matte wizard Irving Ries - from the terrific "THE BARKLEYS OF BROADWAY" whereby a number of dancers clad in black leotards performed on a black draped set minus Astaire with Ries pulling mattes and compositing against Astaire dancing on the same set with black drape removed.  Additional hand animated cels were employed to patch up portions of the shoe performance where the black clad performers accidentally passed in front of one another, thus obscuring the shoes momentarily, and these are visible in the circle dance portion shown above.

Richard Whorf's "TILL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY" (1944) featuring the usual brilliant marquee painting and animation.

Fred Astaire at it again!  Complicated blue screen Astaire composited with two live action set ups and a matte painting to tie all together beautifully.  From "THE BELLE OF NEW YORK"

Gene Kelly's "AN AMERICAN IN PARIS" with the requisite Parisian architecture provided by the matte department to fill out a basic backlot set.

A Louis Litchtenfield matte painting with all above the first floor added in later, even Kelly himself who is represented by a still photograph. Again the motion repeater device was utilised to allow the tilt upwards.   Also from "AN AMERICAN IN PARIS"

The end of "AN AMERICAN IN PARIS" with a Louis Litchtenfield view of Paris painted on a curved piece of masonite to allow for camera tilt matted into a very basic set on the MGM lot consisting of nothing more than a set of stairs and some fake tree trunks.  The entire city view and even the tops of the trees were painted in.  The Dupy Duplicator camera tilt finished the shot and a remarkably convincing scene it is.

Marlon Brando's "GUYS AND DOLLS" with much animation of lights and such happening under the main titles

From "GUYS AND DOLLS" - a split screen with all scenery added by the Newcombe department.

The same view as seen in the daytime - all painted above the actors heads.

I love the old time movie main title cards almost as much as I love the old time matte shots - they just can't do it like this today.... an who could resist 'a thousand and one delights in Cinemascope'?

A sprawling Newcombe matte shot from the 1955 version of "KISMET" directed by Vincent Minnelli

One of my favourite 'neon light' effects shows from MGM.

Beautiful Newcombe shots from "LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME"

Some more lovely effects with magnificent simulated neon lights from the same film.

Two frames which demonstrate the 'flashing light' animation effect from the same film.

A movie studio created by the matte artist, also from "LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME"

The grand daddy of all MGM musicals and a wonderfully entertaining and hilarious film at that, the Gene Kelly-Stanley Donen hit "SINGIN' IN THE RAIN".  The film has a number of elaborate optical effects during the last third but this is the only matte shot as such - and this one I am fairly sure was lifted straight out of Selznick's 1937 " STAR IS BORN"

One of numerous mattes from the 1952 remake of "THE MERRY WIDOW"

A spectacular interior painted ceiling from "THE MERRY WIDOW"

The Esther Williams water pageants of the late 40's and early 50's also had their share of elaborate visual effects and this example showing sequences from "PAGAN LOVE SONG" is notable.  Stunning art direction and awesome travelling matted Williams cavorting amongst the painted clouds and Newcombe scenery.  As with several of these shows it appears as though the actress was in fact under water presumably with a blue backing in the pool (?) and somehow Irving Ries and his team managed to pull clean mattes off of the performer and deliver lovely composites!!!

Another fine example of astonishing blue screen work - again the actress is underwater and somehow clean mattes are achieved from which she is dropped into a beautifully animated William Hanna-Joseph Barbera sequence.  I imagine the process to be fraught with hazards such as inescapable blue spill due to the refractive index of water not to mention the optical diffusion and distortion of said water.  It may have been shot 'dry for wet' but I doubt it due to Esthers' free flowing movement and action - it's just too good to be a wire rig job.  Optical effects man Spencer Gill suspects that these sequences may have been shot against a black backing as one way of avoiding some of the blue spill issues.

The MGM version of "SHOWBOAT" with one of several mattes shown above.  Most of the river, all the sky and distant scenery is added by the matte artist.

Another delightful matte painted scene extension from "SHOWBOAT" with dramatic sky and distant river added.

The MGM musical enters a new era - the 1960's.  Warren Newcombe had retired in the late 50's and the painting was overseen by Lee LeBlanc for a few years until the studio started decomissioning all departments and out sourcing all such work.  "THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN" starring Debbie Reynolds was a big production and contained alot of effects shots.  The overall effects supervision was under the control of long time designer Joseph MacMillan Johnson with Robert Hoag handling opticals and Clarence Slifer on matte camera duties.  Long time Paramount matte painter Jan Domela was brought on board for around 12 months to work on this film and several others for the studio. The significant number of mattes probably were split between Domela and Matthew Yuricich, with Domela painting all of the 'dancing through the landmarks of the world' matte shots and a few others.  For this segment all that actually existed was a bit of dirt road on the MGM lot with Domela adding everything else in the matte department.

Some more of the many mattes from "THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN"

MARY POPPINS - the supercalifragulous visual effects of a Disney favourite

Time for another of my all time favourite films, both in visual effects technique and in sheer timeless entertainment value.  "MARY POPPINS" as everyone in the known world will be aware was the sensational box office super hit that Walt Disney always knew it was going to be.  Everything falls into place with this ageless film - wonderful casting especially of a pretty much unknown Julie Andrews and the multi talented Dick Van Dyke (if we look past his 'Cockney dialect' which even he chuckles about to this day).  The pitch perfect score by Disney music maestros the Sherman brothers stands alone as one of the best of it's type and contributed so much to the films success over the decades with millions of people both young and old, it's hard to picture the film having half the popularity without the Sherman score.

I've always had fond memories of this picture, even from when I first saw it in the mid 60's when my dear old Grandad took me to see it (at the Starlight theatre in Papatoetoe) - though there was just one hinderence.  My Grandad had only one failing in his entire being, and sadly that was his propensity to walk out of movies before they had finished!!  It's not that he didn't like them, but he always felt that once he'd seen enough of the film, whatever it happened to be, he had gotten the general 'gist' of it, so why bother staying around!!  So MARY POPPINS was an unfinished symphony to this small boy I'm afraid.  It took years to catch the full movie for this writer, though it was worth the wait.

The large painting that starts the film - by matte artist Jim Fetherolf

This of course is a special effects blog and as such I am delighted to present the multitude of extraordinary photographic effects that won a well deserved Oscar in 1964.  From Peter Ellenshaws' dazzling mattes, Eustace Lycetts sodium travelling mattes, Hamilton Luskes' beautiful and extensive animation, Lee Dyers' jaw dropping effects animation and Bob Mattey's mechanical gags the film's a winner for me.  So lets take a journey back to 1964 and the soundstages in Burbank to one of the last centurys' most enduring classics.

Special photographic effects  Peter Ellenshaw and Eustace Lycett

Matte artists  Peter Ellenshaw, Jim Fetherolf, Constantine 'Deno' Ganakes and Alan Maley(?)

Optical cinematography Eustace Lycett, Art Cruickshank and Bob Broughton

Optical effects consultant  Ub Iwerks

Animation supervisor  Hamilton Luske

Key animators  Milt Kahl, Ollie Johnson, John Lounsberg, Hal Ambro, Frank Thomas, Ward Kimball, Eric Larsen, Cliff Nordberg, Jack Boyd and Joe Hale

Effects animation  Lee Dyer

Special mechanical effects  Robert A. Mattey, Danny Lee and Walter Stone

Special effects props Marcel Delgado

*Click on the pictures to see a large version.  Two clicks will produce an even bigger image.

London around the turn of the century as painted by Jim Fetherolf and shown as a long sweeping pan across the city. Bottom frame - Mary is a separate element rear projected into an Ellenshaw painting from which the camera pans downward and rests on a second rear projected element of Dick Van Dyke on a sidewalk.

Ellenshaw with Disney and seen painting the matte for the tilt down shot explained above.

If one can overlook my crude cut and; paste this is an invisible effects shot early on in the show where Bert waves up to the Colonel and we are treated to a tilt shot up an entirely painted building to a separate matted in section with the actor on the roof.

St Pauls dome has never looked as glorious as it does here from the brush of Peter Ellenshaw.  A magnificent matte that also is composited as a tilt down signature shot.  Almost the entire frame here is painted with only a small 'pocket' of live action and one shop window being real.

Before and after - the rooftop of the Colonel is all paint with only the tiniest of area being actual set.  Brilliant and invisible.

Mary drops on in!  Full frame Ellenshaw artwork with matted in Andrews.  The sky and cloud placement here is classic Ellenshaw and is so finely observed and may be found in many, many examples of Peters' matte and his gallery fine art over the decades.  Sublime!

Entering the bank - significant matte art ceiling, walls and tops of columns.

In the bank with father.  All paint except a limited area on the right side of the frame.  The shot cuts just before the actors walk through the matte line.

Our first encounter with 'The Bird Lady' (Jane Darwell) - a multi part composite - again a limited set with nothing much as dressing backed by a yellow screen upon which a matte painted St Pauls is added via Eustace Lycetts' sodium vapour travelling matte, and then a separate sodium matte of Matthew Garber added atop the existing composite.

One of my favourite effects sequences in the film, yet not a broad nor obvious one.  The two Banks' kids on the run through an entirely matte painted landscape of inner city London - simply magic and yet so bold to have so much of the frame(s) oil paint with next to no actual set.  The upper frame is ALL paint with the kids added by sodium matte as is the second frame - all paint.  Beautiful jaw dropping work.

One of two cameos by effects director Peter Ellensahw in this film - that's Peters' hand drawing on the pavement.  The jump into the Jolly Holiday segment is a Eustace Lycett reduction optical travelling matte.

The beauty of the sodium vapour travelling matte system is the ability to matte such fine objects as diaphanous material such as the veil on Marys' hat with perfect results and almost no annoying fringing.  Disney borrowed this technique from Rank Laboratories in England and it was to be a mainstay on almost all Disney features involving travelling mattes up until the late 70's often to exasperating levels where in some shows like "Herbie Rides Again" and "Island at the Top of the World" it is used in virtually hundreds of shots - often when it wasn't even really needed.  The bottom frame is Peter Ellenshaws' second cameo - this time as the voice of one of the penguin waiters.

The sodium vapour screen and set up - with one of the beautiful backgrounds by Al Dempster and Art Riley prior to the addition of Bert and Mary. For further wonderful examples of MARY POPPINS and other animated backgrounds go to http://animationbackgrounds.blogspot.com

A schematic of Rank's sodium vapour process as used by Disney for MARY POPPINS

Another example of the sodium process, with Ellenshaws' loose and impressionistic painted London combined on the optical printer by Bob Broughton.

Peter with his painting of the spires and smokey old London and the final shot.

Multi part composite of the rooftop dancers - a matte painted street view, dancers in front of a sodium screen and the finished combination as seen on screen.

More from the chimney sweep dance routine 'Step in Time' (a definite show stopper in all regards) - minimal set against yellow backing and substantial enhancements by the matte artist.

Another angle from 'Step in Time' - sky backing this time but still supplemented with invisible matte painted chimneys.

A trio of matte shots from the 'Step in Time' set piece with painted chimney stacks, wrought iron handrailings and all of London! 

More matte madness from the 'Step in Time' musical number - painted city block and rooftops, dancers on soundstage against yellow backing and the flawless result.

Now, as you'll have realised if you've read other pages on my blog not only do I love matte paintings and old style movie title cards but I also love traditional effects animation used to enhance other effects and MARY POPPINS is literally 'poppin' with them.  Absolutely magnificent cell animated effects abound in this film and as with all Disney shows the effects animation is as good as it gets.  The elaborate and thrilling fireworks 'battle' is a sight to behold and is all created in the Disney animation studio supervised by Lee Dyer.

Lots of delicate roto work and painstakingly drawn cells make this sequence a joy for the eyes (and the ears too in the 5.1 remix).  Lee Dyer had a long career with Disney and supervised the visual effects in "SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES" in 1983.  Other notable and recommended Disney films with exceptional, yet subtle in many case cell effects animation are "20'000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA" and "THE GNOME MOBILE".  It's tragic that Disneys' effects animation went stale later on in the 70s' with such abysmal examples as "THE BLACK HOLE" which features some of the poorest effects cell animation in the studio's history.

Some of Ellenshaws' pre-production paintings for the rooftop sequence and a completed matte comp at lower right.

The 'Feed the Birds' centerpiece - and the part of the film that Walt most loved and was personally connected to.  The camera starts at the top of St Pauls Cathedral and slowly travels down the building to settle on and zoom into the Bird Lady Jane Darwell who performs (though vocally dubbed) an emotional and haunting lullaby.  The entire sequence is a series of elaborate photographic effects with each portion seemlessly blended with soft dissolves and interfearence such as matted in pigeons and mist.   St Pauls is a full painting and black pigeons were doubled in white birds by using their negative image.  Darwell is inserted by means of rear projection into the bottom of the painting.

The conclusion of the lullaby with more camera moves back up the front of St Pauls using a different painting and more of the negative 'white' pigeons doubled in flying through the frame - this coupled with optical distortion on Lycetts' optical printer produces a striking storybook effect that remains with the viewer for years .. well, this viewer anyway.

Mr Banks has second thoughts:  Another wonderful tilt down effect using substantial matte painted scenery - a revisit to an earlier identical shot, perhaps with the same painting touched up and printed darker or an entirely new painting.  Coupled with the Sherman brothers solemn, moving score this shot is narratively unforgettable as it is technically magnificent.

Mr Banks reflects...  one of several matte shots showing David Tomlinson on his lonely night time walk across London - all shot on minimal sets and completed using extensive and undetectable matte art.

A seemingly problematic matte line demarcation is in fact very hard to spot by even the most sophisticated viewer.

More from the same sequence - Mr Banks at the bank!

A trio of visual effects shots - top the 'Lets Go Fly a Kite' finale;  Mary departs - her job done; and another view from the earlier Chimney Sweep musical set piece - all featuring matte art and optical work.

The faces behind the visual effects - top left long time Disney matte painter Constantine Ganakes; top right optical cameraman Eustace Lycett; middle left matte artist Alan Maley (*I'm not 100% sure Maley was yet employed at Disney though he did start right around 1964); middle right is matte painter Jim Fetherolf and bottom is Peter Ellenshaw.  Maley died suddenly in 1995, Fetherolf in the early 70's, Lycett 2008 and Ellenshaw in 2007

above - two of Disneys' longest employees who added invaluably to the success of not just this film but practically all Disney productions both animated and live action - at left the colour photo is of Bob Broughton who ran the special optical effects unit under Eustace Lycett and who's tenure goes way back to "FANTASIA".  Bob was effects cameraman, matte cameraman and finally optical effects cameraman right up until "THE BLACK HOLE" in 1979.  The other gentleman seen in the b&w photo talking with Bob is veteran visionary effects man Ub Iwerks who's career with Disney goes back to the silent days. Broughton only passed away last year (2009) and Iwerks in 1971.

Preparing Mary for her grand entrance.

The inevitable and well deserved Academy Award for best special visual effects.  Peter and wife Bobbie at the Oscars;  actor Alain Delon passing the Oscars to Ellenshaw and Lycett; and a quiet moment on the set with Peter and Walt.

"chim chim cheree....a sweep is as lucky as lucky can be"