3-D Review - The Online Magazine of Stereoscopic Product Reviews and Information December 2006 Issue

The View-Master®. The portable hair dryer. The riding lawn mower. The see-through measuring cup. The first garbage can that didn't dent, break or go clang in the night.

These and countless other icons of Americana unobtrusively yet radically reshaped the contours of 20th Century life, millions can say they have one of these or fondly remember one of those. Yet few if any can say that they knew that the genius behind these and those originated from one prolific source: a dyslexic kid from rural Louisiana.

Industrial designer Charles "Chuck" Harrison is most famous for his work on the team that updated the View-Master®, but examples of his innovations can be seen virtually everywhere. Harrison rarely visits a home that does not contain something he designed. Harrison was born on Sept. 23, 1931, in Shreveport, Louisiana. His mother, Cora Lee Smith Hamilton, was a housewife and his father, Charles, an industrial arts professor. Harrison grew up on the campuses of Southern University and Texas A&M. He spent his summers wandering through the campuses' experimental farms, chemistry laboratories and woodshops.

In 1954, Harrison graduated with a B.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. One of his early design jobs was with the small firm of Robert Podall Associates. It was here that, in 1958, Harrison joined the team that streamlined the legendary View-Master® toy. In 1961, he was hired by Sears Roebuck & Company, where Harrison designed trash cans made out of heavy plastic with snap-lock lids and hundreds of other consumer products, including hair dryers, toasters, stereos, lawn mowers and sewing machines. Harrison worked at Sears for 32 years, rising to the position of design department manager. He received his M.F.A. from the Illinois Institute of Technology Graduate School in 1963.

Harrison has served as an adjunct professor of design at the University of Illinois at Chicago since 1993. In 2000, his design work was featured in an exhibit: The World of a Product Designer: Charles Harrison at his former high school, Phoenix Union Colored High School, now the Carver Museum and Cultural Center.

Having retired from both professional design and teaching, Chuck Harrison has been making public appearances to speak about his life’s work and passion, as captured in his insightful memoir, A Life’s Design (Ibis 2006, 125 pp).

Designs by Chuck Harrison not only reflected our changing lives, they often drove the transformation itself that took place in the American home and workplace during the era following World War II through the mid-1980s.

A Life's Design chronicles the life, career and the emergent philosophy of Charles "Chuck" Harrison, one the most prolific and respected industrial designers of his time, an influencer on style and design today, and a pioneer as the first African American executive ever hired by Sears Roebuck & Company.

"The range of design projects that Harrison completed in his career was quite remarkable," writes Professor Noel Mayo, Department of Design at Ohio State University. "This book will be very helpful to designers, historians, design educators and students around the world."

Harrison's inspirational life, his timeless approach to design and his passion for inspiring others with humor, insight and humility provide a story worth hearing.

"In this inspiring story of adversity and achievement, Harrison blends heart-warming personal detail with a straightforward description of his work as an industrial designer," comments Victoria Matranga, Design Programs coordinator for the International Housewares Association.

On Oct. 10, 2006, FocusOnDESIGN™ celebrated the accomplishments of industrial designer Charles “Chuck” Harrison, one of the most prolific and respected industrial designers of his time and a pioneer and influencer on style and design today, with its Fourth Annual Lifetime Achievement Design Award. This prestigious award recognizes his commitment to design excellence and to advancing the careers of young designers.

A celebratory retrospective of Chuck Harrison’s work, followed by a conversation with him and his fellow honorees, were among the event highlight along with the FocusOnDESIGN™ 2006 Scholarship presentation to a design student selected from a Historically Black College and University (HBCU).

FocusOnDESIGN™ is a non-profit, charitable organization that provides designers of diverse backgrounds a forum for professional development, economic empowerment and social accountability.

Marilyn Monroe 3-D Filmstrip sells for $5,500
3-D FILMSTRIP DEPICTING NUDE NORMA JEAN BAKER DOUGHERTY (LATER KNOWN AS MARILYN MONROE) WAS AUCTIONED ON NOVEMBER 11

Is this the first nude photo of Marilyn Monroe? Photo courtesy of Sloans and Kenyon.

Could this 3-D slide be the first nude photo of Marilyn Monroe as well as one of her first photographs as a professional model?
Photo courtesy of Sloans and Kenyon.

A 3-D filmstrip featuring a model believed to be Norma Jean Baker, aka Marilyn Monroe, sold for $5,500 ($6,490 after the auction house buyers premium) during an online and live floor bidding combination style auction held on November 11. The pre-auction estimate for the value of the stereo slide was between $3,000 and $5,000. The winning bid went to pantheon1957, an online bidder, with a total of 20 bids placed for the item in the auction.

Norma Jean Baker appeared nude on a very famous 1950s calendar as well as being the first Playboy Playmate. She is, of course, better known as the iconic movie star Marilyn Monroe. However, that calendar image photographed by Tom Kelley in 1949 might not be the first time Norma Jean appeared in a mass produced nude image.

A Virginia roofer, who wishes to remain anonymous, discovered a naked picture of Marilyn Monroe, or someone who looks just like her, in a hidden stash of photos, and now the rare image will be auctioned on November 11, along with other Americana.

In 1997, the roofer was working on a Falls Church home when construction workers rehabbing an old house next door discovered a secret cache of photos in the rec room ceiling. Everything was dumped on the curb as trash, but the roofer took home the interesting bits. One of them was a set of 3-D slides mounted in a plastic holder.

The slides, on Anscocolor film, had turned magenta from age, but upon closer inspection, he decided that one of the six nude models on the 35mm filmstrips looked just like Norma Jean Baker, Monroe's early professional name.

After years of exhaustive research, the roofer is convinced that the historic image is not only the very first nude photo published of Monroe, but the image is amazingly taken in the 3-D format. He took the picture to Sloans & Kenyon auction house in Chevy Chase, Maryland, where it ended up on the auction block on November 11.

"We believe it might be her first nude," says Sloans and Kenyon Auctioneers and Appraisers President Stephanie Kenyon. "A leg scar matches one from other authenticated pictures of Monroe at the time."

The photo may have been made by W.O. Schwartz in May 1945, when the 19-year-old model was just beginning her career. The image is totally nude but not full-frontal. Photographer Douglas Kirkland, who photographed the actress in 1961 for Look magazine said, "Entirely possible." Kirkland said Monroe survived by modeling at that time, although he had never seen anything like the filmstrip.

The filmstrip, mounted in a plastic filmstrip holder, contains images of six models. A Hollywood company distributed 3-D slides in a similar plastic holder under the names Modelscope or Treasurescope. This might be one of the Modelscope 3-D slides. The filmstrip, made to insert in a hand-held viewfinder, also includes other models from L.A.'s Blue Book agency, all posing for cheerful girlie shots in a style typical of the period and popular with World War II GIs. The plastic filmstrip holder is a reddish color and has tiny molded pins that allow the viewer to "lock" the slides into position when inserted into the viewer. To view the 3-D slides the user moved the plastic filmstrip holder either left or right until it locked into position. It is not known if the Modelscope plastic filmstrip holder came in color variations.

The Modelscope brand is a likely candidate as to the original format. Several photographs provided by the owner of the slide holder and the images on the slides show the slides in the same type plastic slide holder as the Modelscope and the images contain a similar numbering system as Modelscope slides. Research by the owner also confirmed that other models from the agency are the same as those appearing on the other images of the filmstrip.

Sale 25 Lot 1488 RARE 3-D FILMSTRIP DEPICTING NUDE NORMA JEANE BAKER DOUGHERTY (LATER KNOWN AS MARILYN MONROE), Circa May 1945. One of six images on two strips depicting six individual nude models photographed in Hollywood area outdoor landscape settings; on 35mm Anscocolor film, in 3-D format with plastic casing devised for use in Modelscope Viewer produced in Hollywood, CA. Photo attributed to W. O. Schwartz, located in 1945, at 426 S. Spring Street, Los Angeles, six blocks from the Ambassador Hotel which housed the Blue Book Modeling agency, employer of Norma Jeane. This image is thought to be Norma Jeane's first nude (significantly pre-dating Tom Kelley's famous image of 1949), and one of her first photographs as a professional model.
Estimate $3,000-5,000

PROVENANCE: Full details of discovery of filmstrip in Falls Church, VA, and subsequent authentication research available. PLEASE NOTE: To preserve the value of this never-before-published image for the successful bidder, only a portion of the entire photograph is illustrated here. However, the full nude image can be viewed at the Sloans & Kenyon gallery prior to auction.

Statements of condition are provided as a service to potential bidders; such statements are educated opinions and should not be regarded as facts. Sloans & Kenyon Auctioneers and Appraisers has no responsibility for any errors or omissions. Absence of statements of condition are not indications that lots are flawless or without normal signs of wear consistent with age.

Attack of the Monster House 3-D book cover art

In order to destroy the Monster House, DJ and his friends need some questions answered. So, they set off to talk to an expert on ghosts, demons, and the paranormal, the wisest pizza-delivery guy on earth, known to all as Skull. The wise Skull tells them that the only way to kill the Monster House is to strike it at the source of life: its heart. But can the kids strike the beast's heart and still manage to get out of the house alive? Find out in this spooky 3-D story with 3-D poster and glasses!

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 24 pages
Publisher: Simon Spotlight; Bk&Acces edition (June 23, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN: 1416918213
Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 8.3 x 0.1 inches

The Art and Making of Monster House book cover art

As much a testament to the art of the book as the art of animation, The Art and Making of Monster House is presented in lavish four-color throughout, with highlights of some of the film’s most astonishing features including 3-D art, gatefolds and die-cut overlays of the five stages of computer generated “motion capture” technology. It also includes envelopes, cards and a movie poster.

Monster House is the first film from director Gil Kenan, who is living every young director’s dream, hand-picked by the film’s executive producer, Steven Spielberg, to create this groundbreaking film. This latest release from Sony Pictures Imageworks and ImageMovers, features the innovative, cutting-edge technology of " performance capture” animation, first introduced in The Polar Express.

Monster House tells the story of a trio of friends who discover the secret that a scary, creepy house in their neighborhood is actually a living, breathing monster and it’s up to the kids to stop the evil house before it’s too late. Standouts in the cast include animation veterans Steve Buscemi, Kathleen Turner, Catherine O’Hara and Jason Lee, as well as Fred Willard, Kevin James, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jon Heder.

Hardcover: 160 pages
Publisher: Insight Editions; Slipcase edition (August 1, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN: 1933784008
Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 10.4 x 1.1 inches

In July 2006, Empire Magazine, printed in the United Kingdom, released a special collector's 3-D issue of the magazine. The cover art featured Brandon Routh as Superman from the film Superman Returns.

In-Three Inc. announced that it has been granted three additional patents covering its proprietary 2-D to 3-D conversion technology. In-Three's unique 2-D to 3-D conversion process, called Dimensionalization®, can convert any full-length motion picture into high-quality 3-D regardless of the age or origination of the image source.

Using its Dimensionalization® process, In-Three can convert any 2-D image content into fully authentic and believable 3-D, whether it was derived from live photographic action, cell animation, CGI animation, computer effects, in color or black & white, and is fully resolution independent.

Dimensionalization® is the world's first process for the creation of compelling 3-D motion pictures from original 2-D entirely in post-production. 3-D content producers now have full control over every aspect of their 3-D project regardless of how their images were initially captured.

Rock, Pixel, Scissors, an exhibition of sculptures, digital images and collages by Galesburg artists Rob and Lori Reed, were on display Feb. 20 through March 24, 2006, in Monmouth College’s Len G. Everett Gallery in the Hewes Library. One of the displays features a View-Master® stereoscope and related images.

A reception for the artists will be held on Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. in the gallery. Both the exhibit and the reception are free and open to the public.

The diverse exhibit included nine sculpture pieces by Rob, crafted from stone and all done by hand using no power tools. Lori displayed a number of collage pieces in fabric and ceramic. Two large digital pieces, six feet wide by two feet high, as well as five smaller pieces were displayed, accompanied by a computer running a slide show of their digital imagery. Reed Studios, a full-service graphic design and marketing agency, was founded by Lori in 1985.

Lori received a B.F.A. degree from the University of Illinois in 1981 and has served as an adjunct faculty member in the art and journalism departments at Knox College. She is the author of “Technical editing of QuarkXPress 6: Creating Digital Documents,” the official book for Quark-endorsed training programs. It was published in 2003 by Against the Clock, Inc.

Rob joined the business in 1996, and Reed Studios was incorporated that year. He received a B.F.A. degree in studio art from Bradley University in 1966, and an M.F.A. degree in sculpture from Oklahoma University in 1968.

For more than two decades, Rob served as a vice president for advertising for the Dick Blick Co. in Galesburg. He has also served as an adjunct faculty member in graphic design and ceramics in the art and journalism departments at Knox.

Since receiving her degree in graphic design, Lori says she has been working with the design and communication of ideas. “As I’ve moved into creating art for self, rather than for clients, I’m still using those ideas of design and communication, but in ways that are more veiled, loose and playful.”

She recounts that her paternal grandmother was a quilter, so fabric and quilts have been a part of her life and her art. As the daughter of a stamp collector, she became attuned to stamp design at an early age and thus has used stamps of her mother’s in her collages.

Says Rob of his stone carvings, “I like to think of my method of stone carving as a sort of slow-motion version of the Surrealists’ Automatic Writing. In pursuit of a kind of conduit to the subconscious, the surrealist writer would attempt to write down (quickly) whatever presented itself. In trying to analyze what was actually taking place during my stone carving, it seemed that the process was similar to that described above – not in the sense of doing it quickly, but in the sense of trying to tap into a source below (or perhaps outside of) the conscious waking state.”

He added, “The goal is to ‘not over-think’ the process, perhaps even to not ‘think’ at all. It involves releasing control and focusing on process instead of outcome which, it seems, is a good way to conduct one’s life as well.”

The Everett Gallery is open during regular library hours: Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to midnight; Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to midnight.

5th International 3-D Movie-Video Competition Entries Sought by Stereo Club of Southern California

The 3-D Movie/Video Division of the Stereo Club of Southern California is hosting its 5th International 3-D Movie/Video Competition.

The deadline for submissions is April 30, 2007. Judging will take place on May 19, 2007. Exhibition Dates will be announced but should be sometime in June or July 2007. Winners will be notified by June 1, 2007. Awards and Catalog will be sent out by Aug. 1, 2007

The judges for the competition include Phil McNally, Stereographer for Chicken Little 3-D and Lenny Lipton, author of numerous books about 3-D, inventor of field sequential 3-D, CTO of RealD as well as a 3-D filmmaker. Another judge is to be announced.

Send films/videos with entry fee and application to
John Hart,
3-D Video/Movie Competition,
8730 ½ Wyngate Street,
Sunland, California 91040
USA

Conditions of Entry Eligibility: Films/videos must be produced by the entrant. Previous entries are not eligible.

Santa Claus has scheduled a very special holiday stop at the 3-D Center of Art and Photography.

He will be at the Center from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 23. During this time, visitors will be able to take a 3-D photo with Santa.

Souvenir photos will be available for immediate purchase for $6 and the photo comes with a 3-D viewer, too.

Note: Regular admission fees apply. Admission for adults is $4 (over 12) or get the entire family in for only $7.

The 3-D Center of Art and Photography is located at 1928 NW Lovejoy in Portland, Oregon. For more information, visit www.3dcenter.us.

One of the best places to find View-Master® and other 3-D items for sale is Jefferson Stereoptics regularly held View-Master® and stereoview auctions conducted by John Saddy. The latest collection of View-Master® goodies goes on the auction block on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2006, featuring lots 1 through 348. The second part of the auction concludes on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2006, with lots 349 through 671.

Subscribers receive John's catalog several times a year. Cost of the subscription pays for printing the catalog and postage to mail it. Each issue of the printed catalog includes photos of some of the most sought after 3-D items featured in each sale.

The auction items are also listed and all lots are scanned on John's Web site at www.saddyauctions.com. The Web site is easily navigated by topic. Each item is grouped in areas of interest such as View-Master® packets USA and Canada or View-Master® packets Television and Movies and so on. You will need to register on the site in order to place a bid online.

John grades each item and includes elaborate descriptions, too. Unlike eBay, sniping is not part of the equation in John's auctions. Lots are closed with a very liberal waiting period. Beginning at the closing time, after 10 minutes with no bids or inquiries, all lots are closed together.

You can contact John via an e-mail link on his Web site to find out about subscribing to the catalog. Jefferson Stereoptics is located in London Ontario, Canada.