As a child, Marilyn Wright spent her weekends on movie sets with her father when he worked as a cameraman and lighting director.
Wright, a Glendale native, ventured into the motion picture industry long after her father died, and set out to have a career as a set decorator.
For seven years, she worked in prop studios and learned everything there was to know about the art of set decorating for motion pictures.
Wright, 74, helped with set design for television shows and movies, including “Highway to Heaven,” “Friday the 13th,” “Dead Poets Society” and “Bugsy.”
But the long hours took a toll on Wright, who quit the industry but continued to do design work. She did the interior design of restaurants and even used her skills to decorate her own home.
Glendale News-Press news assistant Ani Amirkhanian sat down with Wright at Sparr Heights Community Center and asked her a few questions.
What was it like growing up with a father who worked in motion pictures?
My father made all Humphrey Bogart movies and John Wayne movies. He was a cameraman and lighting director. He worked late at night, and that’s why I got worn out. The industry was great in those days, in the ’40s and ’50s. He started in the late ’20s, and then on Saturdays I would go to work with my dad and play on the set. In particular, if there were any kids on the set in the movies I would play with them. That was my play yard.
What was a typical day like in a prop studio?
You would start work at about 8. There would be set decorators there starting at 7 in the morning. I was in charge of hand props — anything you pick up, like glass, china or crystal or artifacts. I would work with the set decorator helping him pick out the props. I would have a yellow note pad and see what they needed. We would put stickers on everything to see what was rented out.
I did go shopping. I would go to auctions and preview what was going to be sold that day and buy what we needed.
Do you have a favorite set you worked on?
The ’40s era was fun. I like the furnishings, and they had a lot of tapestries those days — Oriental carpeting. I had to go shopping for “Bugsy” for ’40s furniture. In my dad’s era, you worked for Jack Warner. The studios now are production companies. They go and rent stages. There is no studio you work for, it’s a production company that you work for.
What was the most challenging part of working in a prop studio?
Working with perfectionists as set decorators. They are perfectionists. And trying to keep my mouth shut.
