Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1542039
14 PROP CULTURE I WINTER 2026 PROP CULTURE: With the creation of the Property Masters Guild, the MacGuffin Awards, and even having Prop Culture as our own magazine, do you feel after 125 years of filmmaking, we as Property Masters have finally arrived? DENNIS: It has been a long hard road, and I do think the Property Master has arrived at a point of recognition that didn't exist years ago. I fought for screen credit and finally won my battle thanks to producer Larry Turman who went to bat for me on The Great White Hope. Larry is another individual I owe a lot of my success to. The Property Master credit should be at least just below that of set decorator. The PMG has done a great deal to help this along and the MacGuffin Award is a just reward for that effort. I look back on some of the films I did and I have no screen credit. It is about time we got rewarded for all the hard work we have done. I am extremely proud to be a member of the Property Masters Guild! PROP CULTURE: From a list of films that include The Sand Pebbles with Steve McQueen, The Great White Hope with James Earl Jones, The Sunshine Boys with two of my favorites of all time, George Burns and Walter Matthau, to The Jerk with Steve Martin and Clear and Present Danger with Harrison Ford, not to mention more than 50 other films, do you have a personal favorite that stands out for you? DENNIS: Of the 62 or so films I have done as a Property Master, you have hit on a few of my favorites. Working in Asia on The Sand Pebbles was awesome! The Great White Hope, The Sunshine Boys and the rest of the list remind me how lucky I was to be at the right place at the right time and to have had the mentors I had over the years. The film I am most proud of is Patton. It was so much work and scheduling to have everything needed for a film this epic. We had to shoot and move stuff over five countries. With the time and budget we had, it still amazes me we were able to get it made! And I did not receive screen credit either I might add. Even the dog Willy that I trained for the film got a screen credit. I owe a lot to my friends Micky Moore who started with C.B. DeMille as an actor and went on to Property Master, AD, UPM, and the best second unit director in the world. Also to Chico Day, the brother of Gilbert Roland the actor. He pushed and got me Patton, Hello, Dolly! and a number of other films over the years. Do a good job and be an asset to the team and it will all work out. I was a director's Property Master, and I did all I could to help them get the best performance possible. PROP CULTURE: What was it like working with George Burns? DENNIS: I'll tell you a little story. My dad worked on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show in the early days, so when I worked with George Burns, he remembered me from when I would visit the set. At the read-through of the script, he sat with the script in front of him and knew all the lines from memory at 83 years old. Herb Ross told me to stay close to George in case he had a problem, but he was strong as an ox. Walter Matthau and I had done a few films together, including Hello, Dolly! He is funnier than Don Rickles and such a pleasure to work with. I had a special relationship with Walter. He was a real pro. Walter and George were magical together. PROP CULTURE: Let's focus on Casino for a moment. Directed by Martin Scorsese, arguably one of the most celebrated directors in the history of filmmaking, tell me about the interview for that one. Clearly, they were not looking for just anyone to property master that film. How did that film come to be for you? DENNIS: I first met Dante Ferrette and got an OK, then I met Marty. He is such a film buff and knows everything about the movies. We spent most of the interview talking about the films I did. He was a big fan of mine and the films I worked on. He wanted to know everything. At the end, he asked me to use his daughter Cathy as an assistant and I agreed but I told him she would not get any special treatment because she was the boss's daughter, and he loved that. I loved the script, the era, and the location. Working in Las Vegas was a challenge. We could only work in the casino at night. I also knew most of the cast which made it easier. PROP CULTURE: Working with Martin Scorsese must have been an extraordinary collaboration. What was PATTON HELLO DOLLY!