Willis O'Brien articulated stop-motion armature from War Eagles...

Description

Willis O'Brien articulated stop-motion armature from War Eagles Willis O'Brien articulated stop-motion armature from War Eagles. (RKO, 1933) This fully articulated armature is from the un-produced prehistoric fantasy, War Eagles, and was created by the father of stop-motion special effects, Willis O'Brien. It measures 11 ½ in. tall with a wingspan of 13 in. and is intricately constructed of jointed steel and aluminum using numerous hinges and steel ball-and-socket assemblies. Each vertebra in the highly adjustable neck is screw-fastened and adjustable as are the wings/arms. The toes and talons feature numerous hinges. The head has an aluminum underskull with sculpted skull and beak with glass eyes. Amazingly, it still retains the original latex "skin" on the legs and talons. In 1938-1938, legendary filmmakers Merian C. Cooper and Willis O'Brien teamed with screenwriter Cyril Hume (Forbidden Planet), and under the production banner of MGM Studios, came up with a film project they hoped would rival RKO's King Kong. The screenplay is filled with all the hallmarks of another thrilling epic including a lost volcanic world, Viking warriors astride giant prehistoric eagles, menacing dinosaurs, a damsel in distress and a grand finale that featured an aerial battle between these winged giants and a fleet of enemy warplanes over the skyline of New York City. Includes an archive of modern 8 in. x 10 in. prints of conceptual storyboard artwork showing the natives riding and interacting with the eagles by Duncan Gleason as well as on-set production photographs of the War Eagle battling the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

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