Wrap Party
The Marvelous Production Design of Mr. Groom | Production Design with Bill Groom
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Episode notes
This week, multiple Emmy winner Bill Groom joins Rhianna and Michael to take us on a tour of the world of production design. Having created diners, comedy clubs, gin joints and recording studios for the likes of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Boardwalk Empire and Vinyl, his sets are extraordinary feats of period detail. But discover why he’s more intent on making the scenery forgettable… This is Wrap Party, the podcast that toasts the excellence of the creatives and craftspeople working behind-the-scenes on some of your favourite films and TV shows. SHOW NOTES WATCHING - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (TV series) Beneath the pink and frothy frosting of this 50s set comedy about a woman cracking the world of stand-up is a show with serious bite. Watch on Prime Video. - Milk (film) Gus Van Sant's Harvey Milk biopic - set in 1970s San Francisco - features full drawers (at Sean Penn's request) and production design to take pride in. Watch on Prime Video, - Awakenings (film) Penny Marshall's adaptation of Oliver Sacks' memoir saw the beginning of a fruitful working relationship for Bill. Watch on Prime Video. - A League of their Own (film) Bill Groom got his first hit in the major leagues with Penny Marshall's baseball comedy starring Geena Davis and Tom Hanks. Rent via Prime Video. - The Preacher's Wife (film) Whitney Houston and Denzel Washington star in an angelic dramedy from Penny Marshall. Rent via Prime Video. - It Could Happen To You (film). Nicolas Cage and Bridget Fonda star in a romantic drama that captures New York City's hustle and charm. Rent via Prime Video. - Boardwalk Empire (TV series). The Martin Scorsese exec-produced series set in 1920s Atlantic City features a parade of period-perfect distilleries, supper clubs and strip joints. Buy via Prime Video. - Star Wars (film) The sci-fi classic features sets that are out of this world, but were mostly created at Elstree Studios. Rent via Prime Video. - The Fifth Element (film) Luc Besson's genre-defying adventure. Rent via Prime Video. - Darkest Hour (film) Hair & Make-Up might have scooped the Oscar for moulding Gary Oldman into Winston Churchill for this rousing WWII drama, but the production designers certainly didn't 'bugger it up'. Rent via Prime Video. - Mad Men (TV series) The exquisite drama exploring the world of advertising in 60s New York is a cornucopia of slick design and fastidious period styling. Watch on Prime Video. - Clockwork Orange (film) The milk bar, the metallic wallpaper, the Pop-Art styled furniture and sculptures; the design of Stanley Kubrick's dystopian crime classic is as splendid as it is strange. Rent via Prime Video. - Batman (film) Tim Burton's highly-stylised take on Gotham City's vigilante. Rent via Prime Video. - The Shape of Water (film) Guillermo del Toro's phantasmagorical love story plunges us into a watery world of hidden depths. Rent via Prime Video. - Pan's Labyrinth (film) Guillermo del Toro's twisted fairytale (think malice in wonderland) rightly won an Oscar for Art Direction. Rent via Prime Video. - Emma (film) Music video director Autumn de Wilde brings rock'n'roll panache to Jane Austen's classic tale of a match-making meddler. Rent via Prime Video, - Parasite (film) Bong Joon-ho's relentless, peerless black comedy showcases meticulous and multi-layered production design. Rent via Prime Video. READING / LISTENING - The Secret Lives of Colour by Kassia St Clair. A deep dive into the history of colour and the theories behind it that Bill discusses. Listen via Audible - Celluloid Skyline by James Sanders. This is the book about New York on screen that Bill was flicking...