An important point about Robbie the Robot is that he wasnt just in forbidden planet... For a decade he was the go-to robot-man prop for Hollywood Dozens of iconic appearances, but my favorite was his role on the Twilight Zone
I think "Play it again, Sam" was the mangled shorthand for Rick's "You played it for her, you can play it for me...if she can stand it, I can, play it!". Saw it in my 20s and just watched a clip to get it right: apparently I was too young and callow to cry back then.
There were actually multiple R2-D2 units. Some were hollow and had Kenny Baker inside, some were remotely controlled. IMO, the one that was hollow was more like a costume for Kenny and less a prop in and of itself.
Let me ask you something if you wear something is it a costume or is it a prop exactly the costume is something you put on a prop is something you use no it does not get to be both just ask every single one of the old timers in the film industry Yes what you're saying is right they made multiple R2D2 units for different applications of course I mean you'd have to be a idiot who doesn't know Star Wars to not know that but the fact remains the same You get in it it's a costume You use it it's a prop
@@mikewazowski7830- generally that's true, but I'd bet that all of these R2D2 units were made and maintained by the props department and not wardrobe. Which, if that was the case, would mean it's in sort of a grey area.
@@masterofallgoons Oh by all means I do not disagree with that at all but yes it is in that gray area no doubt about it because it was a functional item that would be used but it was a functional manned item when it wasn't being controlled by remote in the instances they actually just used a robot for the random moving shots they needed it for ... To be clear the main reason it was maintained by props was because wardrobe didn't necessarily have the ability easily to tweak different things that might have arisen with the different electronics of it
@@mikewazowski7830 - yeah, I think we are on the same page here. I think you're right that usually this would be considered wardrobe, but since identical looking units needed to be made for both functions it makes more sense for one department to make them both regardless. Although, I don't know if that would still work today. Those rules of delineation might be a bit more strict now.
Many props are worn. Tactical Vests, hard hats, watches, wedding rings, glasses, tool belts. R2D2 was definitely not in the care of the costumes dept. It was a prop that was puppeteered from the inside. The prop master of BIG built the Zoltar Machine and he got inside it to operate it. It was a prop.
maybe general value or time intensity to set up? Like explosions/fire, glass breaks, examples of prop stand-ins for a creature before it’s redone with computer graphics
The most expensive prop ever constructed was the full scale Neptune galleon replica from Roman Polanski’s film “Pirates.” Which flopped. The ship is estimated to have cost around $8 million, 1/5 of the $40 million budget. It’s actually in the Tunisian Naval registry, because they used their shipyards adjacent to the studios to build it. You can go on tours in Genoa, Italy today. It was also used as the Jolly Roger set in the mini series “Neverland.”
Years ago I saw the piano from _Casablanca_ as part of a traveling exhibit. It’s a child’s piano and Humphrey Bogart leans on it you see how the small size prop was used to make him look much taller. Humphrey Bogart was the ultimate tough guy in the noir movies.
I'd love to see Scott do a video on how he got to where he is. When did he know he wanted to be a part of the film/tv industry, what did he do before hand, what was his first few jobs, how long before he felt like he had some job security within the business? These are all some things I've wondered while watching his content.
If I was making a movie I'd ask every prop maker to sign his work in some hidden place so years later people would know it was authentic and who did it.
Scott, as a guy who loves movies, props and puns, I just wanted to get serious for a second and say thank you for making your videos and shorts. The entertaining and informative mix has got me through some otherwise very difficult days lately. Long time watcher, but felt the need to say thanks today 🙂
Hey man I love your videos and always find them so fascinating. I always wanted to become a Prop designer, would you be able to make a video on why u wanted to become one/how u got ur job. Thanks and keep up the good work 👍👍
My favorite Robby Cameo, is in the movie Earth Girls are Easy. Geena Davis is having some strange mental break down, or when I was a kid I said some woman problem, but has now become my normal day, lol, anyway, he's in the background for one quick scene and shot, giving chase a sliw chase, still it made for a huanting feeling that's stayed with my memory all these years.
Cant even comprehend how nice it would be to have 2-5 million dollars let alone to have so much that that amount would be considered disposable income to buy movie props or whatever the purchase would be.
0:29 Sorry, the piano was not made by Steinway, and is not a Model D, which is their biggest (longest) horizontal concert model (not an upright / vertical piano). The piano in Casablanca is simply a run of the mill mid-grade piano, that was sold for less than a few hundred dollars brand new, back in the day when it was made. It just goes to show the price that people are willing to place on Hollywood nostalgia, at auction.
I'm curious how you might handle props that are very valuable - I was watching a Bond movie last night that featured a Rolex watch. Do you use fakes for action scenes, etc?
Absolutely. Anytime there is a prop (something that is interacted with by an actor) there is usually many versions ranging from close up shot "hero" props to rubber versions for fight scenes or whatever.
@@TheMrPeteChannel The original was a realistic replica of a gun, then modified by adding other stuff to it. Most of the Star Wars weaponry used realistic replicas of actual firearms as a base, then modified them to look more futuristic.
Um, in one shot they're whole sticks and in the next they're two pieces each and a sound effect is added to make you think they're breaking? If it's the fight on the bridge you're talking about.
Does anybody know if the Roby the Robot prop is also the one that was used in Gremlins, the scene in which the protagonists dad is at the inventor con and calls his wife and in the phonebooth beside him stands that robot?
Depends on what it is, most film props are made on a fairly tight schedule so they aren't usually made all that well to be honest. This was especially true with some of the older films. Tons of hot melt glue, spray paint, and hopes and prayers got them through filming haha. Since 3d printing has become accessible, a lot of prop shops have started relying on it for custom manufactured fast turnaround parts inhouse rather than outsourcing or having to find something in "the wild" that fits the bill
It’s very difficult to track the cost on a single item, especially when a studio fabrication department is working on several items at the same time. You can’t track how many people were working on that specific piece. Plus it passes through several departments. Paint Dapt., FX, Props, Costumes. You also have to factor in the parts that were subbed out to outside companies. Studios usually don’t track individual items so if you ask them, they typically won’t have any idea.
@@ScottPropandRoll truth! It takes an army to pull off even the simplest of props or gags. Especially when you take into account the volume in which they'll need to be made. I know for example even something as simple as the spiked nail bat used in SAW II required 14 of them to be made ranging from real bat with real nails, foam bat with rubber nails, real bat with rubber nails, balsa wood with rubber nails, etc etc... It's truly fascinating to see the amount of work and communication that goes into a prop that only receives 7 seconds of screen time 😂
@@Robert.2927 yup! There are plenty of props that have sold for several hundred thousand dollars that are literally thrown together. Even iconic props like the hero Jumanji board games are covered in everything from JB weld to hot glue lol. That boards hinges were a nightmare for the props department. They'd have to repair them in between takes with whatever they had available just to get through filming haha
The ruby slippers and Rosebud the sled would both sell for more than these top amounts were they to ever go up for public auction. Steven Spielberg owns Rosebud the sled that he bought privately decades ago and he will never sell it. I believe there are multiple pairs of the ruby slippers at least one of which is in a museum and they too are like unlikely to come up for sale
There's a story about Grogu, in the episode where he's in a bag and two storm troopers are whacking the bag to harass him. Jon Favreau is watching from his office on a monitor and sees the actors going at it, and he walks out onto set and says, "Don't get me wrong, I do want you to hit it, but just so you know, that's the hero prop, and it cost five million dollars," and goes back into his office. So that's kind of a baseline for this question.
And sadly, the prop shops in charge of building these things hired the local talent to come in and put in their blood sweat and tears to get it done the day before they started and with a smaller budget than quoted but regardless, they made minimum wage and no one knows theirs names...
I thought you would talk about props that were expensive to be made, not that are valuable now. Because the are expensive nowadays because of the movie they were in.
Fun Fact - Kenny Baker would routinely poop inside the R2D2 costume. Some say you can still find pieces of feces in the crotch of the bot to this very day.
Never know. They may have considered it a bargain to fill that desire they've had since they were twelve and staring up from the front row. The person who bailed at 4.9 million may be the one who was going to turn it into a planter.
Does she play poker? (See, this joke turns on understanding that in a place that runs a poker table they may hire people to fill out games to make it interesting for patrons, and there are two kinds of roles they might hire for: a shill, who plays with the house's money, or a prop, who plays with their own money. This has been Poker-Room Facts. Please like and subscribe.)
An important point about Robbie the Robot is that he wasnt just in forbidden planet... For a decade he was the go-to robot-man prop for Hollywood
Dozens of iconic appearances, but my favorite was his role on the Twilight Zone
Looney Tunes: Back in Action
A big reason for that is because the prop was extremely expensive to build and the studio really wanted their money's worth.
I just downloaded the original Twilight Zone series. I'll have to keep an eye out for it.
I'm glad it was so popular, it's an iconic work of art
Part of the plot in Columbo, Mind over Mayhem - programmed by "Stephen Spelberg"!
I find it both poetic and hilarious that it's not known if the Maltese Falcon prop is the real thing or a fake. 😂
I agree!!
They're the stuff that dreams are made of.
Came to say this!
(But not so eloquently.)
Life imitates art.
Silly Scott, everybody knows R2 D2 is alive
You must be thinking of Johnny 5 from the movie Short Circuit.
From what I understand, they buried Kenny in one.
I think "Play it again, Sam" was the mangled shorthand for Rick's "You played it for her, you can play it for me...if she can stand it, I can, play it!".
Saw it in my 20s and just watched a clip to get it right: apparently I was too young and callow to cry back then.
Still think it just got changed, like, “Luke, I am your father.” 😂
The bitter bidder was the bread and butter of this punster
That's some bitter bidder butter, brudder.
There were actually multiple R2-D2 units. Some were hollow and had Kenny Baker inside, some were remotely controlled.
IMO, the one that was hollow was more like a costume for Kenny and less a prop in and of itself.
Let me ask you something if you wear something is it a costume or is it a prop exactly the costume is something you put on a prop is something you use no it does not get to be both just ask every single one of the old timers in the film industry Yes what you're saying is right they made multiple R2D2 units for different applications of course I mean you'd have to be a idiot who doesn't know Star Wars to not know that but the fact remains the same You get in it it's a costume You use it it's a prop
@@mikewazowski7830- generally that's true, but I'd bet that all of these R2D2 units were made and maintained by the props department and not wardrobe. Which, if that was the case, would mean it's in sort of a grey area.
@@masterofallgoons Oh by all means I do not disagree with that at all but yes it is in that gray area no doubt about it because it was a functional item that would be used but it was a functional manned item when it wasn't being controlled by remote in the instances they actually just used a robot for the random moving shots they needed it for
... To be clear the main reason it was maintained by props was because wardrobe didn't necessarily have the ability easily to tweak different things that might have arisen with the different electronics of it
@@mikewazowski7830 - yeah, I think we are on the same page here. I think you're right that usually this would be considered wardrobe, but since identical looking units needed to be made for both functions it makes more sense for one department to make them both regardless. Although, I don't know if that would still work today. Those rules of delineation might be a bit more strict now.
Many props are worn. Tactical Vests, hard hats, watches, wedding rings, glasses, tool belts. R2D2 was definitely not in the care of the costumes dept. It was a prop that was puppeteered from the inside. The prop master of BIG built the Zoltar Machine and he got inside it to operate it. It was a prop.
Could you do a video on the most expensive props based on how much they cost to make?
That’s very difficult to calculate especially if they are built in house
maybe general value or time intensity to set up? Like explosions/fire, glass breaks, examples of prop stand-ins for a creature before it’s redone with computer graphics
The most expensive prop ever constructed was the full scale Neptune galleon replica from Roman Polanski’s film “Pirates.” Which flopped. The ship is estimated to have cost around $8 million, 1/5 of the $40 million budget. It’s actually in the Tunisian Naval registry, because they used their shipyards adjacent to the studios to build it. You can go on tours in Genoa, Italy today. It was also used as the Jolly Roger set in the mini series “Neverland.”
@@monkeyshunenugzI feel like James Cameron must have built some things that dwarf that.
Robbie is worth every penny… so jealous! I couldn’t even afford a replica 🤣
Years ago I saw the piano from _Casablanca_ as part of a traveling exhibit. It’s a child’s piano and Humphrey Bogart leans on it you see how the small size prop was used to make him look much taller. Humphrey Bogart was the ultimate tough guy in the noir movies.
I often wondered what happened to the piano from Casablanca. It was so pretty!
I'd love to see Scott do a video on how he got to where he is. When did he know he wanted to be a part of the film/tv industry, what did he do before hand, what was his first few jobs, how long before he felt like he had some job security within the business? These are all some things I've wondered while watching his content.
I always thought Judy Garland's Ruby slippers who would have been in the top five most expensive movie props or items
I purposely left costumes and cars out of it.
I think the Ruby Slippers were donated to a museum & never sold.
@@TheMrPeteChannelyeah they're in the Smithsonian if memory serves
Thanks Scott always appreciate all the videos, and time you put into it
5.3 million is WILD
Dang I would love to have Sam's piano
I worried for the few milliseconds it took to say "-ano".
R2-D2 ... AKA "The Kenny Baker"
Good for you, Robbie the Robot! Loved you in Forbidden Planet and that Twilight Zone episode. 👍😉
If I was making a movie I'd ask every prop maker to sign his work in some hidden place so years later people would know it was authentic and who did it.
$4.1 million? They're not falcon around with that bird.
Hey, watch your falcon mouth!
Scott, as a guy who loves movies, props and puns, I just wanted to get serious for a second and say thank you for making your videos and shorts. The entertaining and informative mix has got me through some otherwise very difficult days lately. Long time watcher, but felt the need to say thanks today 🙂
Happy New Year Scott!!!
Hey man I love your videos and always find them so fascinating. I always wanted to become a Prop designer, would you be able to make a video on why u wanted to become one/how u got ur job. Thanks and keep up the good work 👍👍
Wow. Ending on a pun and a tongue twister. It's so good I'm tongue tied. 😂
This video had me sold!
Oh man that Steinway piano used in Casablanca would be a true masterpiece to own although Robbie the Robot did bring back childhood memories 😆
“You played it for her now you can play it for me.”
Awesome 👍👍
What about movie props that were expensive to create or borrow? Thank you!
That Maltese falcon looks suspiciously like Sam Eagle from The Muppets...
My favorite Robby Cameo, is in the movie Earth Girls are Easy.
Geena Davis is having some strange mental break down, or when I was a kid I said some woman problem, but has now become my normal day, lol, anyway, he's in the background for one quick scene and shot, giving chase a sliw chase, still it made for a huanting feeling that's stayed with my memory all these years.
Scott, can you do a short on how the end of the movie Pi was done? I am talking about the Drill scene.
I would have guessed the No. 1 spot to be Rosebud. Spielberg has it.
I think Spielberg donated to the Academy museum. He paid only 50K for it I believe.
I wonder if there's a mold to make more Maltese Falcons. You know, a Mother Falcon.
Imagine Samuel L Jackson saying.
I met Kenny Baker back in 2013, he was a nice enough guy - was sad when I heard he died.
From what I heard, he did not get along well with Anthony Daniels (C3PO) in real life.
I was waiting for Dorothy’s red shoes 👠
I don’t consider those props. They are part of her costume
I was JUST going to make a “Play it again, Sam” joke when he said it wasn’t a thing 😅
Cant even comprehend how nice it would be to have 2-5 million dollars let alone to have so much that that amount would be considered disposable income to buy movie props or whatever the purchase would be.
My (new) hope is that whoever bought the 'Star Wars' items donated them to a museum, so the public can enjoy seeing them. "It belongs in a Museum!"
0:29 Sorry, the piano was not made by Steinway, and is not a Model D, which is their biggest (longest) horizontal concert model (not an upright / vertical piano). The piano in Casablanca is simply a run of the mill mid-grade piano, that was sold for less than a few hundred dollars brand new, back in the day when it was made. It just goes to show the price that people are willing to place on Hollywood nostalgia, at auction.
I would love to see you review the most prop heavy show ever
“The Red Green Show”
Hey Prop Guys - Would you do a video on your thoughts of the two 80's movies - FX and FX2? They are in your wheelhouse!
I'd be curious to know what are the most expensive movie props ever made not in term of auction sales but how expensive they were to make/maintain.
Was kind of hoping it was props in movies that for some reason were really expensive; like "they used a real diamond. Not sure why but they did."
I'm curious how you might handle props that are very valuable - I was watching a Bond movie last night that featured a Rolex watch. Do you use fakes for action scenes, etc?
Absolutely. Anytime there is a prop (something that is interacted with by an actor) there is usually many versions ranging from close up shot "hero" props to rubber versions for fight scenes or whatever.
Rolex watches are overrated, but mostly because Bond wore them, ironically.
I thought the ruby slippers would be the most expensive.
There were multiple sets (I think 6), at least one pair is at the Smithsonian. One set was stolen, and the insurance value was 1 Mil.
My great uncle is Dashiell Hammett the writer of the Maltese Falcon
I'm counting this as a brush with greatness.
Please make video about back to the future
Han Solo's blaster sold at a firearms auction not to long ago for something like $1.7 million
I also think it a working gun too. That or it just needs a firing pin.
@@TheMrPeteChannel The original was a realistic replica of a gun, then modified by adding other stuff to it. Most of the Star Wars weaponry used realistic replicas of actual firearms as a base, then modified them to look more futuristic.
The Maltese Falcon. The stuff dreams are made of…😍
Scott you seem to have forgotten about the ruby red slippers 😂
So Red Leader sold for _more_ than Red 5?
Or did they keep Red 5 for a Star Wars Museum?
Can I see the outside of your dart board.? Hahaha I know, random.😊
My favorite Expensive prop, Bea Arthur t-shirt from 'Deadpool'
I understand that a fragment of the original "Deat Star" can fetch thousands of dollars...but most of the pieces went into the skip after shooting.
Looking to make a name for myself in the prop industry. Any suggestions?
This would make a really interesting video topic!! Hopefully he sees this ❤️🤞
can you do robin hood men in tights, 35 min mark, are they just pulling apart the sticks? how do they break evenly and at the same time
Um, in one shot they're whole sticks and in the next they're two pieces each and a sound effect is added to make you think they're breaking? If it's the fight on the bridge you're talking about.
Remember if you lose the auction, you can be bidder or you can be better; worth the gamble
Better bidder or better bettor?
Does anybody know if the Roby the Robot prop is also the one that was used in Gremlins, the scene in which the protagonists dad is at the inventor con and calls his wife and in the phonebooth beside him stands that robot?
That's not a Steinway model D, it's a small 58 note 'tom thumb' piano, or 'gig' piano. I don't believe that Steinway ever made a gig piano.
What about those Ruby slippers?
First! Thanks Scott!
Just my humble opinion, but I believe prop masters are worth more than their props.
As a prop master, I appreciate the hell out of this comment. Thank you!
As a Propmaker, I’m a little bit peeved.
@@nevertrustatory9412 I understand. I’m a writer and everyone thinks actors make up all that sheet up themselves.
I thought Dorothy's ruby slippers would be on there.
In the Austin power movie goldmember the villain peels off skin and eats it what was that skin I'm curious
Was that? Actually two different robots at the end of the clip one from the Adams family called smiley and the other one from forbidden planet.
Oh sir, that Mandela Effect hitting again
Sci fi fans love their movie props lol
I figured the X-Wing would go for more than Robbie the robot.
👍
Do another one, adjusting for inflation.
I wonder what props cost most to create
I would have guessed Dorothy’s ruby slippers
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍Prop Master, do you know how much each prop cost to make before they were worth a lot of money?
🎬 📽🍿😊
Depends on what it is, most film props are made on a fairly tight schedule so they aren't usually made all that well to be honest. This was especially true with some of the older films. Tons of hot melt glue, spray paint, and hopes and prayers got them through filming haha. Since 3d printing has become accessible, a lot of prop shops have started relying on it for custom manufactured fast turnaround parts inhouse rather than outsourcing or having to find something in "the wild" that fits the bill
It’s very difficult to track the cost on a single item, especially when a studio fabrication department is working on several items at the same time. You can’t track how many people were working on that specific piece. Plus it passes through several departments. Paint Dapt., FX, Props, Costumes. You also have to factor in the parts that were subbed out to outside companies. Studios usually don’t track individual items so if you ask them, they typically won’t have any idea.
@@ScottPropandRoll truth! It takes an army to pull off even the simplest of props or gags. Especially when you take into account the volume in which they'll need to be made. I know for example even something as simple as the spiked nail bat used in SAW II required 14 of them to be made ranging from real bat with real nails, foam bat with rubber nails, real bat with rubber nails, balsa wood with rubber nails, etc etc... It's truly fascinating to see the amount of work and communication that goes into a prop that only receives 7 seconds of screen time 😂
@@BroughtToYouByDDeanThat is really interesting from then to now and a prop made from the early years can go for auction top dollar. Thank You.😊
@@Robert.2927 yup! There are plenty of props that have sold for several hundred thousand dollars that are literally thrown together. Even iconic props like the hero Jumanji board games are covered in everything from JB weld to hot glue lol. That boards hinges were a nightmare for the props department. They'd have to repair them in between takes with whatever they had available just to get through filming haha
The ruby slippers and Rosebud the sled would both sell for more than these top amounts were they to ever go up for public auction. Steven Spielberg owns Rosebud the sled that he bought privately decades ago and he will never sell it. I believe there are multiple pairs of the ruby slippers at least one of which is in a museum and they too are like unlikely to come up for sale
I’m surprised Dorothy’s ruby slippers isn’t on this list
I think they were never sold & are in a museum.
I though only paces of Roby the robot still existed. I'm glad I am wrong.
While the props sold for the highest value is interesting itself, I would want to know what props were the most expensive to make!
There's a story about Grogu, in the episode where he's in a bag and two storm troopers are whacking the bag to harass him. Jon Favreau is watching from his office on a monitor and sees the actors going at it, and he walks out onto set and says, "Don't get me wrong, I do want you to hit it, but just so you know, that's the hero prop, and it cost five million dollars," and goes back into his office.
So that's kind of a baseline for this question.
Not knowing if it's the real Maltese falcon would be what really proves it.
It's weird to know one of these props from video games instead of movies
And sadly, the prop shops in charge of building these things hired the local talent to come in and put in their blood sweat and tears to get it done the day before they started and with a smaller budget than quoted but regardless, they made minimum wage and no one knows theirs names...
car diver you also funny 😂😂😂
Can you tell me how Emilia Clarke ate a horse heart in game of thrones
For $2.75m Kenny Baker better be inside when i get it.
Sure, there are bitter bidders but if the better bidders out bid 'em they better abide by the bidding bylaws.
Rosebud sled not on there?
Spielberg only paid 50K for it I believe.
@@ScottPropandRoll wow thats gotta be worth a bit more now though! Still cheap compared to the rest!
I would find it more interesting to list the Top 5 most expensive movie props, expensive in the cost of making the props themselves that is.
If it’s something that’s fabricated in house, it’s almost impossible to track the expense.
Bummer@@ScottPropandRoll
Yooo
Once bidden twice shy.
I thought you would talk about props that were expensive to be made, not that are valuable now. Because the are expensive nowadays because of the movie they were in.
Random but who draws kids pictures in movies is it the actual kids or do art department have to do it
betty bid on a bit of butter, but her bid was beat by a better. Betty was a bit bitter but she bought some better butter and put in he beaten batter.
I wouldn’t call R2D2 a prop. He’s a character. You wouldn’t call the Muppets props.
Fun Fact - Kenny Baker would routinely poop inside the R2D2 costume. Some say you can still find pieces of feces in the crotch of the bot to this very day.
Your idea of fun and mine are in galaxies far far apart...
I thought R2-D2 was more a costume problems than a prop problem
Better not bother a bitter bidder. Brilliant 🤗
Doesn't impress me when rich people flex. They spent $5 million on a movie prop, just to say they spent $5 million on a movie prop.
Never know. They may have considered it a bargain to fill that desire they've had since they were twelve and staring up from the front row. The person who bailed at 4.9 million may be the one who was going to turn it into a planter.
Wasn't R2D2 a costume, and not a prop at all?
More Breaking Bad!
So who got the money? The prop artists? The studios?
Seeing the woman in the thumbnail made me think she was going to be called a prop
Does she play poker?
(See, this joke turns on understanding that in a place that runs a poker table they may hire people to fill out games to make it interesting for patrons, and there are two kinds of roles they might hire for: a shill, who plays with the house's money, or a prop, who plays with their own money. This has been Poker-Room Facts. Please like and subscribe.)
@@blairhoughton7918 Holy shit