Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1500189
M OT I O N P I CTU R E S O U N D E D I TO R S 53 JR: They had decided they were going to sell Warner Hollywood, which they did, and I believe it was a consortium called The Lot. I believe they purchased everything and then used it for more rentals. Then, at one point, what was the Foley stage was transmuted into a dub stage. In fact, I think today it is still just a dub stage. SSS: That's too bad because that was a great Foley stage. How long did you work at Warner Bros. Burbank? JR: It was a great Foley stage, and there again, gosh, I just don't know, Solange, just a long time. SSS: But then you went through another change. You got opportunities at Skywalker. Tell us about that. JR: Well, I was lucky enough to feel questions about my availability during the course of the years from time to time, and of course, I was under contract so I couldn't really discuss any of those possibilities. But Warner Bros. in their infinite wisdom, decided to let contracts lapse. Which by the way, I believe it was like Animal Farm, where all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. I think there are a couple people still on contracts, but mine was not renewed, which frankly, I really resented, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Why? When Skywalker called, I said, "Oh yeah, I can come up and see you guys." And that's where I ended up. And thank goodness, it was the greatest chapter of my career. Not that the others weren't, not that Warner Bros. wasn't, not that Warner Hollywood wasn't, not that TAJ Soundworks wasn't, not that Goldwyn wasn't, etc., they were all great. But to finish up at Skywalker Sound, with some of the best of the best was amazing. Amazing! In fact, they just had a little retirement party for me about two weeks ago and it was really something. I'll still go back from time to time. I don't think George will kick me out, at least not yet. I really love the people there, especially my partner, Shelley Roden, and Scott Curtis the mixer who are just fabulous, and they are very lucky to have Heikki Kossi as a Foley artist with their team. SSS: Weren't Shelley and Scott from Los Angeles? JR: Yes, they were. SSS: Isn't that funny? Did you take them with you? How did that happen? JR: No. I assumed that I was going to use the people from the ranch. But the ranch had their own thing going, a great thing, why 'break up the Beatles'? Well, I thought, maybe another mixer or whatever, well, gosh, everybody was so busy, there really wasn't anybody available. So I did have one person come up, and it was great, but they were based in LA, how's that really going to work? So Scott Curtis had worked with me on a film where he was a supervising Foley editor, and from time to time he'd come up with ideas. For instance, "Why don't you take the sword and clatter it a little bit when you're pulling it out up from underneath where it was hidden? So that we give it a way, a little bit, of