Filthiest House on the Block
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bullwinkle64 — 16 years ago(February 25, 2010 12:28 PM)
Ok..let me try and explain the "dirt factor". I work in the Art Dept. as an assistant set decorator for t.v. and movies. The "dirt" you're talking about is actually just paint that the production designer tells the painters to "age the walls down just a bit". Now this is done for several reasons, the main one being..this is supposed to be a house that is lived in, and for a long time, remember, this is the house that Doug grew up in as a child. Since the interiors are obviously shot on a soundstage at ABC Studios in Los Feliz, CA. and not at the exteriors in Pasadena. You have to remember that we put up new wallpaper, and new carpeting, fresh paint, etc..so it looks too NEW.not someplace that a family has livedin short, it's to give it a "lived in look." Alot of times the painters go overboard and apply too much, but it's hard to adjust because when we're working dressing a set, alot of times the lighting used to shoot the set isn't on, and we're working from work lamps, etc. Actually the sets on this show are pretty accurate and very well done, not dirty at all..just gives it a lived in look, and captures the decade of the mid 70's perfectly. Anyway, hope this helps.
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rickhurst3186 — 10 years ago(March 01, 2016 06:05 AM)
Thanks for the insight! I would love to hear more about your career!!! I love "behind the scenes" stuff. Please contact me if you have more to share. rickhurst3186@gmail.com
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astrojet — 15 years ago(November 02, 2010 08:00 PM)
I think a lot of houses in the 70s were like this. Not that it was dirty (see what the set decorator said about "aging the walls.") but it was an old house that was lived in. Back then, people didn't spend tons of money on granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. Yes, the Lawrences were rich and could have, but it just wasn't done then. South Pasadena was/is a very affluent, yet dated, suburb of Los Angeleskind of like the Connecticut of So. Cal.and I believe the interior of the home reflected S. Pasadena at the time quite accurately.
I believe the pilot was shot in the house, and the rest filmed in a soundstage at Fox. If you watch closely, you'll see that the floor plan of the interior matches perfectly the exteriorright down to the window placement and wall juxtoposition in the rare back yard shots. Not many shows bother matching the interior to whatever real home they use as an exteriorthink Brady Bunch and Golden Girls and All in the Family.
As a previous poster said, I too had a surreal moment when I drove past the real house on Milan Avenue in 1982. I could only imagine the cast filming some of the exterior shots, which I imagine they only did a few weeks out of each season. I wonder how many times that home has been sold since then. Any personal information from the current/previous owners or neighbors would be greatly appreciated! -
jefgg — 13 years ago(November 07, 2012 12:59 PM)
I would love to see what the original poster's home looks like.
When I was growing up our home wasn't the cleanest. Why? Both my parents worked long hours at full time jobs. Whatever my mother lacked in cleaning she more than compensated for with her cooking. -
Chiisu61 — 12 years ago(August 02, 2013 01:29 AM)
I just watched the pilot episode on DVD and made the same observation. The painted woodwork, kitchen cabinets and wallpaper were all pretty dingy and showed wear. I also noticed that the painting over the fireplace in the living room was improperly stretched and wavy looking, one of the ones on the wall going up the staircase had a tear in it, and there was dust on the tops of the frames. In one scene, in the hallway outside of Buddy's bedroom, there was a crack in the wall. Most of these things wouldn't have been noticeable in the original broadcast, but large screen HD TVs and the even the just the better clarity of DVD makes these things apparent. It also seems that they shot the pilot in the actual house, which may have been aged with stagecraft or was just as worn/dirty as it looked. In the regular episodes they filmed on soundstage sets, the kitchen is well painted (Kate would never have had kitchen cabinets that looked like the ones in the pilot), with a slightly different floorplan than in the pilot. I always thought the interiors in this show were excellent, and added to the high production values. The linen slipcovered living room furniture is pretty timeless, the kitchen with it's antique stove and butcher block island still make me envious.
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terryshilo — 11 years ago(November 29, 2014 09:40 AM)
Because I read your OP; and 1976 being a bit too far back to remember the state of upkeep in the home, I recently watched the pilot.. YOU ARE CORRECT. I can only think set decorators obviously went overkill with the older home, needs paint and clean up. It certainly seems for the time they were considered upper middle class.. I don't remember seeing this much grime on walls, doors and cabinets being pervasive at the time, and I saw several unkept homes back in the day. Once I looked for it, I couldn't miss it. Thanks.. it was all I was watching for.. heh heh. Still a very good show starting in my mid teens.
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thedavidavin — 11 years ago(March 10, 2015 03:45 PM)
I just went back and watched the first 6 episodes and yes, there is a noticeable difference in the art direction between the pilot and the 2nd episode. The dirt, dust and cobwebs are gone by the 2nd episode, even to the extent where you can see the adjustments, especially on the kitchen cabinets, and it looks like the earlier "dirt" and "grease stains" were actually painted over. The darkened areas around the knobs is a little brighter, "new paint touch-up" looking. It also looks like the stairway was perhaps restructured. I'm not sure how factual the post is that suggests that the pilot was shot using some of the actual interiors of the house, but had I originally watched this in 1976, I would have noticed the crud and asked why. Especially with "Willie the House Boy" on hand.
So I think enough people probably noticed after the pilot (even back then) that it was perhaps a little too realistic for color TV. What I found rather comical were shots that look like they had endless cathedral ceilings. Interesting house, but the interior doesn't really match the exterior frame. The set decore is an essay unto itself, and very realistic for the time. Note the number of antique lamps, even in Buddy's room. The production crew also tweaked the items appearing in the background of every shot and there's some subtle but very poetic symbolism in the technique, much like in The Waltons. And Dame Kate spent a fortune on fresh flower arrangements. Not quite as comical as we see on soaps. I once counted 5 fresh flower arrangements in a college student's studio apartment on an episode of Days of Our Lives.
Great show though. Still holds up.