What A Trip!

(Greetings from Roswell New Mexico, Here at Mick's !)

While most everyone else was heading 'over the river and through the woods'  we headed over the Plains and into New Mexico for a vacation with friends! One of my mothers friends had a son who goes to school out in Roswell and she did not want to travel alone so my mom, dad, sister, me and Patricia went with her!

 *  *  *

I was SO EXCITED to go to Roswell, (and no not to see "Aliens") I had this image in my mind, When we got there- It would be just like it was in 1945, the architecture would be fascinating, My family would be having Thanksgiving dinner in a little silver boxcar diner, and there would be MORE to this town than "The Saucer Incident" in 1947...

(Nope.)

Upon arrival Wednesday afternoon, I found it was very much 2011,  nearly everything is made of cinder blocks, AND you cannot turn a corner without seeing some sort of Alien shrine. Now, before you start yelling at your computer screens "You want history?! GO TO BOSTON, THIS IS ROSWELL"  the Alien thing is sort of cool... but way over played, by no means am I bashing Roswell or its fine people! (it just wasn't what I had expected.) But with a couple of Antiques stores on its 10 mile long Main Street, we were sure there was fun to be had!

That first evening in town we ate at a restaurant called "Farley's"-

(Home of the Tasty Farley Dough Burger!)

After that it was off to bed for a good nights rest. The Next day was Thanksgiving and because most things were closed the "Alien town" resembled more of a "Ghost town" and that made it PERFECT for Me and Pat to take a nice long walk...

Beneath all the cinder block and Alien awareness posters we found some of that classic Architecture we were looking for.

 (One of the only pluses of Cinder Blocks! Lots and lots of patterned ones!)

(Old gas station turned auto sales office)

(Now is the Neighborhood Watch Center)

 By far one of my favorite buildings down town was the "Minton Building"  I'm usually not a fan of stucco but this was neat! 

It had great detail! its now some sort of office supply building but the original building itself was constructed in 1947.

 (Neat old restored signage!)

(The Courthouse)

It made me really happy to see a monument of the Ten Commandments on the Courthouse lawn. I don't understand why people find it so offensive, but then again I don't understand most things...

Topping the list of places in Roswell that make me smile, nothing was showing but its nice to know there is a live Theatre there! Last but not least on our walk around tour kind of bugged me but what can ya do?!

(The U.F.O. Museum)

What is now the U.F.O. Museum, was once the biggest and finest Movie house in Roswell, The "Plains" Movie theater was one of five of the town's "picture shows" during its heyday.

Built in 1947 it was the place to go in town to see the stars flicker across the screen. It ran movies right up until the late 1980's and for a while showed Spanish films in the 1990's  I couldn't find any good pictures from its heyday, but if you look at the one below you can just imagine how majestic it was.

It even had the same terrazzo tile that we have out front of the Wichita Theatre, in fact it had the same color scheme too!

It even though a total gut was done when the U.F.O's moved in you can still see  few of the original deco features.

This is the underside of the marquee awning, im fairly sure the ticket booth was once where this statue now is.

Oh well, Que Sura-Sura!

 Tune in Wednesday to see all the out of this world things we brought back!

-Mick-

P.S. Today is also my second Blog-a-versary  for two years of "Everyone Goes to Mick's", thanks to all you great friends and readers who keep it going!

And...

The Brothers having won the hearts of their winter captives Brides, now shared in domestic bliss and lived Merrily ever after.

-The End.-

-Mick-

YEE-HAW!!

A Photo Essay.

(Brothers Gideon/me, Daniel/Bryson, and Ephraim/Joe)

(A jaunty tune)

("This picture better not be going where I think it is...")

 

(Ta-da!)

("you must be this tall to be awesome...")

(Brother frank, tables are for eating...not sleeping)

(The entire cast)

(Showtime) 

-Mick-

Ring My Bell

(This is the style button I would like)

Well Readers, with Christmas fast approching i've started to think about what I'd like. Now I know were not past Thanksgiving yet, but my Dad and I have this special thing we do. We like giving eachother unusal gifts, not unusual as in unusual but things most people wouldnt think of as gifts. This year I think i've decied on a doorbell for the Casablanca.

Now I know nothing says "Come on in, Sit right down, and Make yourself at home" like a nebihorly knock on the screen door. But when your sleeping in the bedroom with both doors shut you may never hear the knock.  Also I feel its my duty to the house, as I have put in a telephone line, and three major appliances a door bell would be the epomite of domecsticiy for the place!

My question is, since we will be installing everything including the "Bell" which should I get?!

(None of the sounds clips I found we're just right, but heres the idea)

Im fond of a door "Buzzer" as its what they had on "I Love Lucy" and has made many an appearance in American movie history.
Im also fond of a simple door "Chime" that ushered in an era of Suburban bliss and June Cleaver hospitality.
Have any of you out there purchased, installed, or repaired a vintage door bell? What did you like? The Casablanca was built in 1943 so i'd like to keep it period.

Chime In! Let me hear your thoughts and comments, any and all are appreciated!

-Mick-

Seven Brides For Seven Brothers!

(The Pontipee Family Brand, my own design.)

Well Readers, don't skim over this post- lots of eye candy! Another opin' another show! A word from our sponsors...

(Most of our Set Team, Friends: Russ, Terrace, Andrew, Bryson, and Matt!)

  Without a doubt this shows sets are the best that I, The Team, and everyone else involved have ever done.  As usual things were crazy, most of the set was built in a week, I had been collecting and scouting props and things for nearly three months to ensure the look and feel would be perfect. Larry, Bryson, and Matt the set construction KINGS worked endlessly to get this massive log cabin framed and built and outdid themselves! 

Our projects included:

The exterior of a General Store

The interior of a Cafe

The interior of the Pontipee Cabin
Set Dressing the barn

And, Finding Period Props.

(One last look at the Witch's Castle)

(Bixby's General Store)

 (A big thanks to friend Chloe for paint the Signage!)

This side of the stage needed to be three different places in two different Acts. As always I used paint to get the desired affect, in this case I wanted the exterior and interior of the buildings on stage to look like "16 inch wide Quarter sawn" planks of wood. We used Tan as the base color, a medium brown to dry brush over the tan, and finally a red-ish brown accent color for texture. After that I simply found a 16 inch wide board, and used a big gun permanent marker to make the groove lines in the wood.  As you can see it turned out beautifully and really does look like milled wood.

 (Sketch: The Pontipee Cabin)

(The Pontipee Cabin)

The Cabin is the "brain child" of the Director Christian Sanders, Larry Petersen, Dwayne Calhoune, Bryson Petersen and Myself.  Christian told us what he wanted and needed, Larry, Dwayne, and Bryson figured out how to accommodate and build the structure, 

 and I designed the over all look and feel of the cabin (ascetically of course).  Now usually around the theatre I hate it when I hear the phrase "Well in the Movie..." as we should strive to bring our own creations to life... However,  I am terribly biased when we do a show that is also a Movie Musical made during the "Golden Era 1941-1958" and will strive to incorporate details from these technicolor dreams. With this movie coming out in 1954...

(Pontipee Cabin interior of the 1954 set)

This show, my two "I will have these pieces or ain't NOBODY GONNA BE HAPPY"  were the Mission Style china hutch in the Background with the plates on the top shelves. I hunted and hunted and finally  found the PERFECT match (well in my mind anyways) on the 3rd floor of the theatre.

(Ta-Da!)

I also attempted to paint the dishes to match the ones in the movie.

Not quite the same pattern, and they are in a color I special made and named "Pontipee Green". My other "must have" piece on the set is the hanging lamp over the table.

I saw it in a booth at a downtown antique store, I knew I had to have it for the set.

Okay, Okay... I know its more "1960- does Bonanza" than it is 1850's Period.

With its frosted globes, and brass shades its perfect for the cabin. The owner was nice enough to lend it to us for the show, as the price tag on it is a staggering $100.00. Friend Russ (a technical whiz)  wired the lamp for us, and let us use one of his own fixtures on the second story of the set!

The cabin in a mess, before Milly comes. As it is over run by the Seven Pontipee Brothers.This is how the audience first sees the house when the curtain is opened, during a number called "One Man" Milly (the oldest brothers wife) sings and cleans the cabin transforming it from its current state to a well cared for home, all in about two minuets.

  Did I mention that the Petersen's built the Cabin two stories tall, with a working window shutter, staircase, and a full bedroom? Oh, well. They did, and it does.

(Bryson & Larry Hard at work)

We used the same painting technique on the interior of the cabin as we did on the exterior of the store. then we accented the structural planking, but "staining" the wood with the red-ish brown paint and a sponge. 

(Friend Matt, staining away!)

Last but CERTAINLY not least is the Pontipee Barn.

The weathered wood barn, was friend (and co-captain of the set dressing team) Joe's baby. He stripped wood planking off of old fence panels and created the barn as well as painted "new" wood to match. Friend Bryson helped by fitting the front of the barn with planking.

Larry let us borrow some period farming tools, along with a few family heirlooms borrowed from friends (and star of the show) Billy, and Utah lent us his grandmothers milk cans and vintage stove. Friend Andrew built the wagon that the Brothers whisk away the brides in. ( I didn't get a picture, I hate it when I do that!)

Put it all together and here's what you get-

 (I love this picture, as it creates the illusion your being transported from the theatre back in to 1850's Frontier Oregon.)

What All of the set team has been buzzing about, is the fact that although 98% of the stage is either panted wood, or weathered wood its not boring. with all the angles, and levels and hues of color it makes the whole thing very dynamic which works great with this high energy and fast paced show.It is our best work yet!

I will have to post a picture of the set team on this blog once one is taken. But I'd like to thank each and everyone of them now for all their hard work and dedication. Joe, Larry, Dwayne, Bryson, Matt, Lara, Spencer, Evelyn, Chloe, Terrace, Russ, Billy, Andrew, and im sure im forgetting someone but I truly could not pull these massive set projects off with out them.

The Show opened to rave reviews and as has become ritual the last couple of shows the sets were mentioned too! (That's always exciting to me!) next week I will try and post a "photo essay" of backstage like I did for Hairspray!

Another Success story.

*As Always if you've found these sets by a Google search looking for ideas for your production, I ask that you Please email me before using anything you see here. -Thanks*

-Mick-

Seeing Red!

 (Myself/Gideon, Joe/Ephraim, Bryson/Daniel, Sheldon/Caleb, Andrew/Benjamin, Spencer/Frank, Lara/Milly.)

As I am running around in total chaos this week, I can say that the 1850's have grown on me. I enjoyed doing the sets of Tom Sawyer earlier this year (set in the 1840's) and with Seven Brides the team has had the opportunity to build and authentic log cabin from the studs up. I thought I could present to you some fun facts about the show! The sets are massive and appealing to the eye as usual, and we're sure to have a hit on our hands!


Fun Facts about the 1954 Technicolor Movie- Courtesy of  IMDB.com and my own research.

Bold & italicised- indicates chraracter names.
Many of the actor's singing voices were dubbed in this movie: Matt Mattox's (Caleb Pontipee) singing was dubbed by Bill Lee, Nancy Kilgas's (Alice Elcott) singing was dubbed by Marie Greene, Julie Newmar's
(Dorcas Gailen) singing was dubbed by Betty Allen, two of the brothers had their singing dubbed by Allan Davies and Charlie Parlato, Ruta Lee (Ruth Jebson) had her singing dubbed by Betty Noyes, and Betty Carr (Sarah Kine) had her singing dubbed by Norma Zimmer. Only four of the brothers were dancers. Russ Tamblyn (Gideon Pontipee) was an acrobat, and Jeff Richards (Benjamin Pontipee) was an actor. Benjamin rarely dances in the movie. Jeff Richards (a former professional baseball player) was one of the two "brothers" not chosen for his dancing ability. The other being Howard Keel (Adam Pontipee), who was an actor/singer.


MGM considered Seven Brides for Seven Brothers a "B movie" - they had higher aspirations for the more expensive Brigadoon. For this reason, they slashed the budget on "Seven Brothers", forcing Stanley Donen to use painted backdrops instead of location filming. The only "on location" scene shot in the film is that of the avalanche and was filmed at Corral Creek Canyon, at Sun Valley, Idaho.

The movie premiered at the Radio City Music Hall in New York in a slot that was originally intended for Brigadoon.


The censors weren't too happy about the line in the song "Lonesome Polecat" where the brothers lament "A man can't sleep when he sleeps with sheep". By not showing any sheep in the same shot as the brothers, the film-makers were able to get away with it.

Stanley Donen was producer Jack Cummings' first choice for director from the outset, thanks to his success with On the Town and Singin' in the Rain.

Michael Kidd the films choreographer initially turned down the project. He had just come off a show on Broadway and wanted a rest. He changed his mind immediately after hearing the score.


Rehearsals for the barn-raising sequence took 3 weeks.

The entire movie was shot in only 48 days.

Jacques d'Amboise had to leave before filming was finished because he was still under contract with the New York City Ballet, so someone filled in for him during the last few days. You can see someone else playing Ephraim in the scene where the brothers are pacing downstairs while Milly is giving birth.

For the brides costumes, designer Walter Plunkett went to the Salvation Army, found old quilts and turned them into dresses.

Because there was no way of distinguishing between them and the Town Suitors, MGM decided to make all the Pontipee Brothers red-headed.
The working titles of this film were "Sobbin' Women" and "A Bride for Seven Brothers".

The story of the Sabine women referred to in the film came directly from Plutarch's "Life of Romulus".

MGM had waited five years to acquire the rights to Stephen Vincent Benet's short story, as Broadway producer Joshua Logan had optioned the story as a potential stage musical. (Which later became a stage show)

Director Stanley Donen said that producer Jack Cummings originally planned to use existing American folk songs for the film's musical numbers. After months spent searching in vain for the right music, Donen recalled, the decision was made to commission an original score.
M-G-M did not have high financial expectations for the film, and chose instead to allocate its resources to Rose Marie and Brigadoon - films that never matched this film's commercial and critical success.

Wish us break a leg, and keep you're fingers crossed! We open Saturday Nov 5. at the Wichita Theatre.
If'n some of you'd blogger would like to surprise me by being in our audience you can find out all the info here at the Wichita Theatre's Homepage.


-Mick-