By Jimmy Galt
Serving the Hollywood movie industry, prop houses are one-stop shops for manifesting every director’s wildest dreams. Need a stuffed bobcat? You got it. Looking to transform your set into sixteenth-century India? Look no further. How about enough weaponry to equip a battalion for war? You’ve come to the right place. Prop houses are crucial for supplying the production needs of every film you’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, unless you’re in showbiz, there’s very little reason or opportunity to see firsthand these unusual warehouses filled to the rafters with exotic wares.
As I stepped inside the Hand Prop Room, one of the finest prop houses in LA, I was immediately saturated with the same sense of wide-eyed whimsy I had as a kid when walking into Toys“R”Us. Shelves lined as far as the eye could see with the most bizarre and intricate items engulfed me. I began passing through different worlds simply by wandering from aisle to aisle. As I floated from the Wild West through ancient Greece and into rural Nepal, I couldn’t help but daydream about which props were used in which film. Did I recognize that fertility idol from Indiana Jones? Was that the uniform Private Ryan wore? As these props are rented every day, it’s not difficult to imagine the vast history of each one of these artifacts.
Meandering through this treasure-chest-like warehouse, I can’t help but feel the sensation of being swallowed into the belly of Hollywood and, in some small way, actually living in the fantasies that directors have created for decades. They’re not often considered, but recognition is due to these extraordinary collections. While never in the spotlight, prop houses will continue to be the withdrawn wonderlands of filmmaking.
