Harrison Ford Handbuilt Wooden Pedestal "Captain" Style Bed and Nightstand (ca. 1973)....

Description

Harrison Ford Handbuilt Wooden Pedestal "Captain" Style Bed and Nightstand (ca. 1973). Before he became the world's biggest box-office draw -- known for roles like Han Solo, Indiana Jones, Rick Deckard, Jack Ryan, and Dr. Richard Kimble, Harrison Ford was a struggling actor. Working as a day player at Columbia and Universal, he earned extra rates for small roles and turned to carpentry, a skill he taught himself, to make ends meet. One of his projects was this custom-made bed and nightstand for producer and casting director Fred Roos, who developed a close friendship with Ford over the project, valued him highly both as a craftsman and performer, and championed him for key roles in American Graffiti, The Conversation, Star Wars, and Raiders of the Lost Ark-films whose handwritten casting materials appear in other lots throughout this section. Roos so believed in Ford's ability that Roos championed him for the role of Han Solo, writing "we agree on what he is and what he can do," to George Lucas in a casting note. Roos recognized Ford's charisma, skill, and star power at a time when few others did and this furniture is testament to the esteem he held for the former carpenter. This lot of Harrison Ford-built, handcrafted furniture includes: (1) Hardwood captain's-style bed frame stained red, with 2-drawers at the base and 1-drawer on each side (4 total), measuring 80" x 57" x 18", (1) red-stained hardwood nightstand/side table, featuring a Gerard-style swivel door with knob, measuring 27" x 18" x 17", (1) handmade headboard with leather-covered cushion, measuring 58" x 20.5" x 5". Ford would later showcase his real-life carpentry skills in a fictional setting in Peter Weir's Witness, playing John Book, a police officer hiding among the Amish and further connecting his off-screen craft with his on-screen character. Items exhibit wear and age, including light scuffing to the surfaces and finish and staining to the headboard. Bed exhibits significant cracking to the bottom of the wood frame, including 1-crack measuring 2.5" x 1." Special shipping arrangements via a third-party shipper will apply. Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions. From the Estate of Fred Roos.

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