Living in the “Heart of Screenland,” we often take “the Industry” for granted, although it continues to be a source of jobs and a local revenue stream. This month marks the 65th anniversary of the release of a favorite holiday movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life!” Philip Van Doren Stern wrote the story as “The Greatest Gift,” and sent it out at Christmas to friends. Its warm reception moved Stern to publish it in a Christmas card. Although RKO purchased the movie rights, it was not until Frank Capra and his Liberty Films bought the story that it became a viable movie project.
Longtime Culver City resident George Zermeño worked on the movie. It was made by RKO, which was located on the site of The Culver Studios today. Most of the interior shots were filmed there, as well as the opening scene on the lake. Zermeño, a “standby greensman,” remembers it taking two months to build the fictional town of Bedford Falls, which covered four acres in Encino. Although some claim there were “20 full-grown oaks,” he remembers otherwise. As a greensman, he used platforms for the trees made from 2-by-12-by-6-inch planks. The oaks were naked pepper tree trunks from a supplier, to which he nailed and wired oak branches. To insure safety, axle rods were driven through the platforms to anchor them.
Zermeño remembers during the shooting in Encino, leaving the RKO Gower studio at 7 p.m. to film from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m., when the shadows on the snow could be controlled. In this movie, special effects employed “foamite,” a chemical compound used in fire extinguishers, mixed with soap and water to simulate falling snow.
In talking about his work, Zermeño alluded to a hierarchy and a strictly adherence to union rules. For example, as a greensman, he had to work within hearing distance of the cameraman, who might say, “Give me a little shadow on the windowsill.” This required that he fashion a branch-wired to a stand. Then, the electrical department would bring a light, setting it to cast only a shadow.
On sets, there might only be 10 feet from the painted backdrop to the actual set. To create the illusion of depth, a lot of carpet “grass” and “bushes” were used to cover the cables, he recalled. He could make “clouds” by spraying Bon-Ami on glass. The electricians then set the lights to shine through the glass onto the “sky.” And because of the lights, he had to change out plants up to five times.
For period films, Zermeño referred to vintage Sears catalogues in the studio library as a resource to insure accuracy. A gander through the year’s ads illustrated the clothes, toys, tools or kitchen utensils of the day.
“It’s a Wonderful Life” is often aired on television in December. If you see it, remember those are Zermeño’s hollyhocks, too.