Spotlight
Propped Up W
HAT POSSESSES SOMEONE TO BECOME A SERI- Fleisher, the voices behind Jessica and Roger Rabbit. ous collector of movie props? There’s no better perProp Culture smartly trades financial valuations, so common son to ask than Dan Lanigan. “Maybe a better person in this genre of show, for emotional payoffs, as Lanigan connects to ask would be a psychologist,” laughs the amiable, energized actors — Christopher Lloyd (Judge Doom in Rabbit), Bruce host of Prop Culture, which recently debuted on the Disney+ Boxleitner (Tron), and Karen Dotrice (Jane in Mary Poppins) streaming service. Over the years, Lanigan, a television produc- with their original costumes. Among the show’s most heartfelt er (MST3K: The Return), has amassed an astounding collection moments is in the Poppins episode, as Lanigan presents choreogof movie memorabilia, and an impressive knowledge of the rapher Dee Dee Wood with a truly rare find: one of the original behind-the-scenes stories that go along with them. You might chimney sweep brooms from the movie’s rooftop dance. call Lanigan the Indy Jones of prop collectors. “A lot of TV shows of this type come down to the financial Over the course of Prop Culture’s eight engaging, informative value of the item,” says Lanigan. “But for me, it's about the emoepisodes, he hunts down items from such House of Mouse clas- tional value. I don't collect these items because the stuff may be sics as Mary Poppins, Tron, The Nightmare Before Christmas, worth money. I collect them because the films are important to The Chronicles of Narnia, The Muppet Movie, me, and the people that worked on these films, Click Here to and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? as you dive into the details, are important.” In each episode, Lanigan connects with the Should a second season of the show get Watch the Trailer designers behind the costumes, sketches, and approved, Lanigan hopes to expand the repphysical props, who, in turn, recount fascinating details about ertoire of movies covered. “We could do seasons forever,” their creations. We learn, for instance, that the skin-tight outfits he says. “My hope is that we would dip into the Fox movies from Tron were so revealing, the actors were told to wear robes and then Lucasfilm and maybe even Marvel [Disney owns all when off-set. We discover how the spectacular moment where three]. But there are also many great movies that are Warner a cartoon Roger Rabbit crashes through a real-world window Brothers and Universal, so yes, I would love to do an episode blind, shattering it in his precise image, was achieved in one on Blade Runner, and I would love to do one on The Matrix. take. (The preserved pane, like its namesake rabbit, is framed in But, honestly, one of the strengths of us doing the show with Disney’s vaults.) He pays a visit to Nightmare’s legendary com- Disney is that we have access, theoretically, to their entire catposer Danny Elfman, as well as Kathleen Turner and Charles alog.” —Randy Shulman Prop Culture is now streaming on Disney+. MAY 14, 2020 • METROWEEKLY.COM
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