Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1197255
70 W I N T E R 2 0 2 0 C A S Q U A R T E R L Y Being on set and part of the action suited him perfectly; he joined in, helping everyone in any way he could. This was an era when sound controlled the set. The sound recordist ran the power for the cameras as well as the sound. They ran motor-cable to syn- chronize the cameras and sound equipment to 60 Hz; hence the term "Speed," mean- ing the machines' motors had come up to a unison speed. If the sound recordist didn't like what was being recorded, they would turn off the power to both sound and camera, and wait for the problem to be fixed. Although Jim was great with tech- nology and running cables, he quickly discovered his calling as a boom operator, and would prac- tice cueing when nobody was watching. Eventually, on the movie Giant, the crew all bumped up to do interviews of the local townspeople in Marfa, Texas, on the weekends, and he got a chance to boom for the first time. He quickly adapted, and fell in love with it. He would primarily cable for a few years, occasionally day-playing as a boom operator or second boom operator, whenever he could. His first big break as the primary boom operator was on Lonely Are the Brave in 1962, and he loved every minute of it. He used a Mole- Richardson perambulator mounted to the top of the sound truck, which had an electric engine. Since the engine was quiet, they could follow the actors on horseback with the microphone during tracking shots. The recording equipment was in the back and the mixing panel was mounted in the front passenger-side dashboard. The hood of the truck was reinforced with diamond plate steel, so Jim could stand on top of it to operate the boom. The mics he used were either the RCA 10001 or the ElectroVoice 642, which were standards of the time. This was a major crash course for him, as he was dealing with direct overhead sunlight, and had to align his center post and the sound truck according to where the shadows fell. He also learned what it took to be on the front lines, and was strong in his conviction to get the best sound possible. As he progressed along in the Westerns, he started having fun. A favorite story he would tell was about a game he and the driver would play. Jim would go out to the middle of wherever he wanted to be, then he'd raise his arm. The driver would make sure the coast was clear, then he'd gas it and zoom over to Jim, as if he was going to hit him. Everyone on the set panicked, as the driver would stop on a dime, landing just inches behind him. He would hop up on the hood and "away we'd go!" This was a different time, of course, and they all got a good chuckle out of it. He made his way onto the stages where "some people were still figuring out how to light," or so he says. Occasionally, they would put a big Arclight right behind the camera, blasting huge shadows on the back wall. Jim stood his ground, and put the mic where it needed to be. The DP would say, "Hey Jim, we're ready to go, but there's a big shadow back there!" He'd reply, "Well, I'll be darned, it looks like you'll need a few more minutes to work it out then." They would begrudgingly adjust the lights, and this would command respect for From top: Booming on Lonely Are the Brave; Jim, leaning on the sound truck on which they would mount the perambulator. Right: Booming on location in Jamaica for Father Goose.