American Cinematographer - August 1987 - 37

Opposite page: View
from the topmast of
a

Tripolitan

shows the

war

ship

camera

barge in the
foreground and the
frigate Constitution
lying off the coast of
Tripoli (actually
Catalina). Top: The
Constitution (left)
engages the enemy.
Below: Two battle
scenes

from the

actual film. The

night

scene was

filmed in miniature.

were

converted

to

pirate ships. The clipper Llewellyn J.

Morse, which had been featured in Douglas Fairbanks'
color film The Black Pirate (19x6), became the reincar¬
nation of the Constitution. She looked magnificent
when the ships carpenters and studio property men had
finished with her. The only drawback was that the super¬
structure was now

far

too

danger of overbalancing
into the hold

to

-

tall for the hull
so

sand ballast

-

she

was

was

in

loaded

make her heavier.

She was ready by the end of June,
publicity department seized on that most emo¬
tive of dates July 4th, Independence Day.
"1 was on board, that exciting July
4th," wrote Harry Perry, ASC, one of the cameramen.
"She was really a sight to behold; the decks were
crowded with extra players, stunt men and all the old
seamen who could be found with experience of sailing
ships. They handled the rigging and the sails and maneu¬
vered the ship."
Dorothy Arzner, later Hollywood's
most famous woman director, worked on the picture as
script girl and cutter. As the ship passed the USS Vir¬
ginia, she saw the prop men preparing to fire a salute
with their battery of specially-built muzzle-loading can¬
non. Powder monkeys, young boys who transported the
explosive, took up their historically correct positions
behind the guns. Dorothy Arzner felt this was dan¬
gerous. "I said to Jim Cruze, 'Don't have them so close
to the guns!' He was busy and preoccupied. I tugged at
his coat again and said 'Please move those little boys
back from the guns.' Which he finally did. And then they
fired the salute. All the breeches of all 44 cannon blew
out. There were suitcases piled behind them and they
were blown apart. Those boys would have been killed
instantly. And from then on, of course, anything I said
and the

-

to

Jim

was

August 1987

taken rather seriously."

The Constitution arrived

at

the Isth¬

Catalina. Paramount had

paid the owner as much
$100,000 - for the use of
the area as a base of operations. A tent city, named
Camp Constitution, had been provided, with accom¬
modations for 1 500 extras. Two roads had been blasted
mus at

as a

regular feature film

American

Cinematographer

cost

-

35



American Cinematographer - August 1987

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - August 1987

American Cinematographer - August 1987 - 1
American Cinematographer - August 1987 - 2
American Cinematographer - August 1987 - 3
American Cinematographer - August 1987 - 4
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American Cinematographer - August 1987 - 100
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