Can Someone Explain Lou's Office?

[LittleRickyII]

This is something that's been bugging me for a long time: that wall that extends from the doorway to Lou's office, the one that separates Lou from Mary and Murray. Specifically, from inside the office, the wall bends towards the right with respect to the doorway. But from outside the office, it appears to bend left. How can this be? It's the same wall, supposedly. To illustrate, look first at these photos from inside the office showing the wall bending towards the right:

[LittleRickyII]

Now look at the wall in these pics from outside the office. Here, the wall does not bend right, but actually appears to bend left. Notice also that file cabinet which, in the pictures below, is right next to the door. But in the picture above where Mary is crying, you can see the shadow of the file cabinet, and it's not right next to the door, but there are two window panels separating it from the door. Has anybody ever seen a long shot view of the set showing the office from the perspective of the studio audience?

[catlover79]

I can't explain it, but I will say that was one tiny office. That would be every claustrophobic's nightmare!!

[PGood97041]

That's very interesting!
I agree, the wall seems to go in different directions!
Maybe they were able to move it from one side to the other depending on which side a scene was to be shot on, giving themselves more room to operate.

[TV Knowledge Fan]

...on a soundstage that could only accomodate several basic settings; Mary's apartment, the WJM newsroom, and another set built specificially for that week's episode. Obviously, real TV newsrooms are bigger than the one depicted on the show- and Lou's office. Of course, if WJM-TV was as "dinky" as depcicted, Lou's office could very well have been that cramped!

Keep in mind there was a studio audience in attendance as well, sitting on bleachers behind the three cameras grinding at the action out front. In order for them to see the episode unfold- and react to it properly- the way the newsroom set and Lou's office were designed, they could be "reconfigured" at a moment's notice. Certainly, the "wall" separating Lou and the newsroom could be moved a little to allow the camera (and audience) a better look...

[McGillicuddy]

Theres a scene in the 7th season, which offers another perspective of Lou's office. In the closing scene of the episode where Ted has a mild heart attack, Mary, Lou and Murray, feel inclined to drop everything, and watch the sun come up, (or maybe go down?) looking out the window of the office. I never knew there was a window in Lou's office!

[catlover79]

Originally Posted by markway895

Theres a scene in the 7th season, which offers another perspective of Lou's office. In the closing scene of the episode where Ted has a mild heart attack, Mary, Lou and Murray, feel inclined to drop everything, and watch the sun come up, (or maybe go down?) looking out the window of the office. I never knew there was a window in Lou's office!

I never knew there was a window, either?

[PGood97041]

I'll have to check, but I always thought that scene was in a back room somewhere, the path to which went BEHIND Lou's office.
You know, the route Mary and Murray often went to deliver film, or check with another department or something.

[McGillicuddy]

Originally Posted by PGood97041

I'll have to check, but I always thought that scene was in a back room somewhere, the path to which went BEHIND Lou's office.
You know, the route Mary and Murray often went to deliver film, or check with another department or something.

I haven't seen this last season episode in a while, so you maybe right, but for some reason, the last time I saw it, I remember being under the impression they were in Lou's office.

[LittleRickyII]

Originally Posted by TV Knowledge Fan

Keep in mind there was a studio audience in attendance as well, sitting on bleachers behind the three cameras grinding at the action out front. In order for them to see the episode unfold- and react to it properly- the way the newsroom set and Lou's office were designed, they could be "reconfigured" at a moment's notice. Certainly, the "wall" separating Lou and the newsroom could be moved a little to allow the camera (and audience) a better look...

I was thinking exactly that: that they had to do this in order for the studio audience to see the action going on inside Mr. Grant's office, and perhaps that wall could swing back and forth, depending on whether they were filming from inside or outside. I remember Ed Asner in one of his interviews talking about how the set for Mr. Grant's office was at the far end of the stage. So it makes sense there might have been viewing issues for the studio audience. I met him a couple years ago; I wish I had thought to ask him about this then.

Given how often Mary was going in and out of that office, it seems like they would have come up with a better stage set so they wouldn't have to deal with this. Imagine how tedious it would have been, and how it would have always interrupted the flow of the storyline during filming: Mary knocks on Mr. Grant's office door. Stop the cameras. Stage hands, shift the wall to the right. Now start the cameras rolling again, from within Mr. Grant's office only, as Mary enters. Mary and Mr. Grant have a conversation, then Mary exits. Stop the cameras again. Stagehands, shift the wall back to the left. Start the cameras rolling again from outside Mr. Grants office as Mary exits.

[Larry Surrell]

PGood is correct about the heart attack episode. They watched the Sun go down at the end of the show from the film room.

However, Lou's office did have a window in the first episode; maybe the entire first season (I'll have to check). It was behind his chair. The curtains were always closed, though. Later on it was replaced with a paneled wall.

I never noticed the outside wall angles before. Good catch, Little Ricky II. The office and the newsroom may not have even been connected on the set. A lot of times in a movie or on TV the actors will walk through a door, filming is stopped, and later when they pick up the scene from the other side of the door they're on a completely different set. That may explain why the walls looked different.

Was anybody on this board ever in the audience for a MTM show filming? I'd be interested to know what the set looked like for real. I was at a filming of one of her later sitcoms "Mary" which was really enjoyable to watch. The whole episode that I was in the audience for took place in the newsroom. I can just barely remember Mary and John Astin doing their scenes together, but they had a live band playing before the show and I still remember them playing her "Mary" theme.

Sorry to go off on a tangent in this thread.

[LittleRickyII]

Originally Posted by Larry Surrell

PGood is correct about the heart attack episode. They watched the Sun go down at the end of the show from the film room.

However, Lou's office did have a window in the first episode; maybe the entire first season (I'll have to check). It was behind his chair. The curtains were always closed, though. Later on it was replaced with a paneled wall.

That's an interesting, I never noticed a window behind his chair.

Originally Posted by Larry Surrell

I never noticed the outside wall angles before. Good catch, Little Ricky II. The office and the newsroom may not have even been connected on the set. A lot of times in a movie or on TV the actors will walk through a door, filming is stopped, and later when they pick up the scene from the other side of the door they're on a completely different set. That may explain why the walls looked different.

I tend to think it's not a completely different set because 1) the desks, props, people (like that blond guy), etc. you can see through that window at the back of Lou's office are also visible from the newsroom; and 2) the walls of Lou's office are low, so above them you can see the top part of the newsroom set like those world clocks on the wall.

[PGood97041]

I agree; my guess is that it was just those front couple of panels that could be moved probably fairly easily to help out with space.

Also, one one of the older threads, there was a fellow who claimed he was at the episode when Murray buys the piano from the woman he's debating having an affair with. I think he even described the setup of the stands.

When I get some time I'll try to find it.

[LittleRickyII]

Originally Posted by PGood97041

I agree; my guess is that it was just those front couple of panels that could be moved probably fairly easily to help out with space.

Also, one one of the older threads, there was a fellow who claimed he was at the episode when Murray buys the piano from the woman he's debating having an affair with. I think he even described the setup of the stands.

When I get some time I'll try to find it.

That would be cool. Thanks!

[Larry Surrell]

You're right, Little Rickey II. Come to think of it, there's a lot of times when someone's standing in Lou's doorway when the camera is shooting from Lou's office and you can see the newsroom in the background.