Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1544153
PROPERTYMASTERSGUILD.ORG 13 was our on-set prop guy, God bless him, had a plastic box, in which LeVar's visor was kept. He walks out right next to LeVar's chair on the bridge. They open the box. LeVar holds the visor in place over his eyes, and Charlie Russo has the special tool that he screws the side of the visor into LeVar's temple on both sides because an elastic band would mess up his hair. And the image of that over all the years that we did that show, LeVar has told so many great stories. First of all, he said you can sleep. If he didn't have any lines in the scene, he'd close his eyes. Secondly, I didn't know that he had no peripheral vision because the visor cut off the top and the bottom, so he would walk into walls, so we'd have to help him out. But the image of him and Charlie doing this ritual of getting the prop on his face continued until we did Insurrection when they found ocular implants so that LeVar could have his beautiful eyes. I tell you this story because today is LeVar's birthday. PROP CULTURE: Speaking as a Property Master, I can tell you that such a ritual becomes very special and bonding. It's just part of what makes the relationship between us that much more special. And to LeVar… Happy Birthday from all of us at Prop Culture! You did a pilot called Star Patrol, which I really loved. It seemed like a precursor to The Orville. When you're brought on to a show like The Orville or Star Patrol, are they bringing you in strictly as a director or do they feel because of your Star Trek history that you're bringing a certain level of experience and expertise in this world that you could then transfer into their production? JONATHAN: I think that's certainly the hope. I know on The Orville, Seth (MacFarlane), who has become a friend, hired Robbie Duncan McNeill and myself to direct. Brannon Braga was one of the lead writers on his show who wrote Insurrection and First Contact and some of the great episodes. And Marvin Rush, who was our cinematographer, was also hired. So, he had a real passion to recreate as much of the Next Generation vibe as he could. And I think Star Patrol, which I really enjoyed, was the same situation that the line producer was a guy I had worked with, and they talked them into hiring me. They said, well, he knows how to shoot spaceships or some shit like that. So, the answer is yes. PROP CULTURE: You mentioned First Contact, which is truly one of my favorite Star Trek films of any era. When you step into a film like that, where there is deep canon to honor, how involved are you in shaping new props? How much of that vision comes from you or the Property Master, and how much is driven by the studio or franchise mandates? JONATHAN: I think with all things Star Trek, the studio and (executive producer) Rick Berman got there first with (production designer) Herman Zimmerman and the Property Master, and by the time I was brought on as a director on all these projects, a lot of the visual elements like the props and the village that we blew up were all in place. PROP CULTURE: For our last question, you have worked in a world where so many of the props you have touched have become iconic and deeply sought after. Is there a particular prop from any era, from the earliest days of cinema to today, that you would love to own or even just hold in your hands? JONATHAN FRAKES: Oh, boy. That's a great call. Oh God, there's so many props in Raiders. It's great, I love Spielberg. Oh, I would take the ill-fated Jaws shark, because that's easily one of my top five favorite movies if that's available. PROP CULTURE: Before we wrap, I must ask, do you collect props at all? JONATHAN: I've stolen the occasional phaser. And of course, a communicator. I have the Hirschfeld that Brent gave us for Christmas that he commissioned Al Hirschfeld to draw of the cast. That's the only Star Trek reference in my house. PROP CULTURE: Jonathan, thank you so very much. A total joy! JONATHAN: Thank you, brother. NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET LeVAR BURTON as GEORDI LaFORGE JONATHAN FRAKES as COMMANDER WILLIAM RIKER