A Rare Two Headed Monster…MGM’s Over/Under Studio Crane

A Rare Two Headed Monster…MGM’s Over/Under Studio Crane

With motion picture studios all cranking at full tilt in the late 1930s, innovation at every level was part of the game. With so many Berkley and Ziegfeld type production numbers in vogue, this is actually a pretty clever approach to getting twin perspectives on a single tracking shot. Thought you may enjoy seeing this curiosity. -Bobby Ellerbee

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6 Comments

  1. Jesse Arnold July 2, 2016

    Was there an option for an AC on either level or was it only used for deep focus shots? I don’t see 2nd seats.

  2. Marc Wielage June 30, 2016

    Wow, I had seen this bizarre crane before in films like THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, but never knew it had a name!

  3. Gary Baum June 29, 2016

    Oh, my! The camera operator and assistant
    on the second floor had to have some guts!
    I know exactly where this shot was taken.
    Stage 4 & 5 on the right are now office spaces.
    I spent many hours at the building on left loading film and taking care of equipment in the Lorimar camera dept.

  4. Jeff Kreines June 29, 2016

    Not a Technicolor camera, James — just a Mitchell in an MGM studio blimp. Back before the Mitchell BNC took over, most studios built their own blimps (except for Fox who built their own cameras).

  5. James Snyder June 29, 2016

    Looks like a later-model Technicolor camera.

  6. Jay Beckman June 29, 2016

    NFL coverage uses two-headed sideline carts nowadays.