Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/765720
The Founder is the story of how a traveling salesman, Ray Kroc, happened upon a unique burger-and-fries restaurant, created by brothers Dick and Mac McDonald, persuaded them to franchise it, and ultimately wrested it from their control. Unlike my previous experiences re-creating historic events, for this film the McDonald's Corporation granted no approval or support whatsoever. In order to meet the standards of fair use and avoid litigation, the accuracy of my designs would be held to a scrutiny greater than any I'd known before. Director John Lee Hancock framed this issue by saying, "If it's a biopic of anything, it's of the McDonald's brand and restaurants rather than Ray." What caught the imagination of Kroc when first seeing the McDonald brothers' restaurant in San Bernardino, was that they had re-imagined a typical short-order kitchen into a precise, purpose-built assembly line, that has been likened in its effect on the industry to the automotive work of Henry Ford. Previous pages: A production still of Ray Kroc visiting his future wife, Joan, at her husband's franchise in Minneapolis. Above: Set Designer Yolande Thame's SketchUp ® model of the San Bernardino Octagon set, based on archival research, but modulated in size to accommodate a universal kitchen system.