# Interior Set Decorating In The Black & White Era **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 13, 2016, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interior-set-decorating-in-the-black-white-era/743048 "2016-01-13T18:30:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interior-set-decorating-in-the-black-white-era/743048/1 "2016-01-13T18:30:23Z")
I came across this [interesting picture](http://f.fastcompany.net/multisite_files/fastcompany/imagecache/inline-large/inline/2013/11/3021327-inline-675-colors.jpg) of the interior of the Addams Family house, in color. The guadiness of the set was lost on the audience, of course, because they only saw it in black & white. I figure that interior set designers in the B & W era could look at their job one of three ways: 1. Not give color a moment’s thought, since the audience wouldn’t see it. 2. Decorate as you would if the scene were in color, so the actors (at least) get a sense of place. 3. Look for colors combinations that look convincing on B & W film, regardless of how they look in real life. Any TV/film industry historians in the house? ---
**Author:** ![Rain\_Soaked](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@Rain\_Soaked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rain_Soaked)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interior-set-decorating-in-the-black-white-era/743048/2 "2016-01-13T19:03:53Z")
I believe it was mostly option 3. They wanted it to look real for the film. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interior-set-decorating-in-the-black-white-era/743048/3 "2016-01-13T19:09:06Z")
> [@Rain\_Soaked](#): > > I believe it was mostly option 3. They wanted it to look real for the film. I agree. Some of the “colors” you see in black and white film were actually quite garish in real life but were chosen because they worked well in black and white. The same was true for make-up. Some of the actors and actresses you see in black and white films had the faces done up in strange shades of blue and green because those colors happened to look natural when filmed in black and white. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interior-set-decorating-in-the-black-white-era/743048/4 "2016-01-13T19:13:14Z")
I believe so, too. In the black and white Superman serials and the black and white episodes of the George Reeves series, Superman’s costume was gray and brown so the contrast between his normally red trunks and cape and his blue bodysuit showed up better on camera. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interior-set-decorating-in-the-black-white-era/743048/5 "2016-01-13T19:55:03Z")
They initially had problems making the Orion slave girl [green](http://www.startrek.com/article/trouble-keeping-her-green). The film technician was trying to color-correct her back to pink. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interior-set-decorating-in-the-black-white-era/743048/6 "2016-01-13T20:11:07Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I agree. Some of the “colors” you see in black and white film were actually quite garish in real life but were chosen because they worked well in black and white. > > The same was true for make-up. Some of the actors and actresses you see in black and white films had the faces done up in strange shades of blue and green because those colors happened to look natural when filmed in black and white. This was why _ **Some Like It Hot** _ was filmed in B&W: the Daphne and Josephine makeup looked fake when they photographed it in color. Not sure about the earliest days of TV, but when color TVs started to take off and sets were painted in more-or-less “natural” colors, the art directors would look at them through special glasses that showed how they’d appear in B&W. This was necessary at least until the late '60s, since the vast majority of TVs in the United States were still only B&W. (This was noted in _ **The Making of Star Trek** _.) ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interior-set-decorating-in-the-black-white-era/743048/7 "2016-01-13T21:08:11Z")
Another example: in Doctor Who, the original TARDIS is supposed to be all white inside. But white produces too much glare in monochrome. So the set was actually green. It looked white onscreen. Here’s some information. There’s a couple of colour photos that show its real colour. > **[Doctor Who A History of the TARDIS Console and its Changes](http://www.themindrobber.co.uk/tardis-console-history-details.html)** > > 3D Daleks and TARDIS artwork and animations from Doctor Who, along with trivia, guides, games and lists of stuff ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interior-set-decorating-in-the-black-white-era/743048/8 "2016-01-13T21:54:16Z")
Until they switched to color in season three the old 50s _Superman_ series had George Reeves in a grey and brown suit to look better in B&W. [Here’s the two side by side.](http://media.virbcdn.com/cdn_images/resize_1024x1365/e3/b7409c19204117b2-originalsupermancostumesindianastatemuseumflickr.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interior-set-decorating-in-the-black-white-era/743048/9 "2016-01-13T23:08:39Z")
Some people remember Bette Davis’ shocking red gown in ‘Jezebel’. The color red was never shown in that black and white movie. I believe the real thing was a brownish color for filming purposes. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interior-set-decorating-in-the-black-white-era/743048/10 "2016-01-14T05:59:58Z")
The sets of _I Love Lucy_ were shades of gray and brown to look more realistic on a black and white television. [The house in Connecticut](https://ak-hdl.buzzfed.com/static/enhanced/webdr06/2013/4/14/21/enhanced-buzz-32147-1365990939-7.jpg) [The first New York apartment](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OxsiItd1iN8/hqdefault.jpg) [The Tropicana](http://img.rp.vhd.me/4521392_l4.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![quiltguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e47774/32.png) [@quiltguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interior-set-decorating-in-the-black-white-era/743048/11 "2016-01-14T16:17:46Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > Some people remember Bette Davis’ shocking red gown in ‘Jezebel’. The color red was never shown in that black and white movie. I believe the real thing was a brownish color for filming purposes. As was her iconic off-the-shoulder “black” dress in “All About Eve.” ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interior-set-decorating-in-the-black-white-era/743048/12 "2016-01-14T19:14:55Z")
> [@Mudshark](#): > > The sets of _I Love Lucy_ were shades of gray and brown to look more realistic on a black and white television. > > [The house in Connecticut](https://ak-hdl.buzzfed.com/static/enhanced/webdr06/2013/4/14/21/enhanced-buzz-32147-1365990939-7.jpg) > > [The first New York apartment](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OxsiItd1iN8/hqdefault.jpg) > > [The Tropicana](http://img.rp.vhd.me/4521392_l4.jpg) Sooooo dreary. It would take quite a bit of acting prowess to overcome those sets, especially for comedy. I give them massive props. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interior-set-decorating-in-the-black-white-era/743048/13 "2016-01-14T19:58:36Z")
> [@faithfool](#): > > Sooooo dreary. It would take quite a bit of acting prowess to overcome those sets, especially for comedy. I give them massive props. The Addams Family went the other direction: [PINK](http://www.fastcodesign.com/3021327/asides/the-addams-familys-living-room-was-pink)! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interior-set-decorating-in-the-black-white-era/743048/14 "2016-01-14T20:00:46Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > The Addams Family went the other direction: [PINK](http://www.fastcodesign.com/3021327/asides/the-addams-familys-living-room-was-pink)! That’s exactly the photo in the OP. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interior-set-decorating-in-the-black-white-era/743048/15 "2016-01-14T20:03:09Z")
Not a Historian here but I did some set decorating in the 1980’2, we already had color. I was alwaays amazed at how crummy of a job could be done on painting surfaces that looked great on camera. The painters would come in and paint wood grain on the walls that looked like crap if you were standing next to it but on film looked rich and expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interior-set-decorating-in-the-black-white-era/743048/16 "2016-01-14T22:12:08Z")
The police cars on\* Car 54 Where Are You?\* were [painted red](http://www.bearmanormedia.com/image/cache/catalog/Car-54-Front-Cover-500x500.jpg), because the producers wanted to film on the streets of New York, and couldn’t risk them being confused with real NY police cars. OTOH the sets for the\* Dick Van Dyke Show\* looked like they were actually meant to be [shown in color.](http://fanpix.famousfix.com/pictures/the-dick-van-dyke-show/p20363640?view=large) ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interior-set-decorating-in-the-black-white-era/743048/17 "2016-01-14T22:49:08Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > The police cars on\* Car 54 Where Are You?\* were [painted red](http://www.bearmanormedia.com/image/cache/catalog/Car-54-Front-Cover-500x500.jpg), because the producers wanted to film on the streets of New York, and couldn’t risk them being confused with real NY police cars. Hopefully they didn’t need to film any scenes on location in Philadelphia, where the [police cars really were red & white](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/22/45/fd/2245fda3bad578b92a42c85cd1fb0f62.jpg) in the 1960s… Isn’t there now some issue of TV show set designs for the 1950s -\> 1970s (not super detailed close up as HoneyBadgerDC mentioned) that were good enough for the analog era, but now look rather shabby on HD digital TV? ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interior-set-decorating-in-the-black-white-era/743048/18 "2016-01-15T00:14:52Z")
> [@SirRay](#): > > Hopefully they didn’t need to film any scenes on location in Philadelphia, where the [police cars really were red & white](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/22/45/fd/2245fda3bad578b92a42c85cd1fb0f62.jpg) in the 1960s… > > Isn’t there now some issue of TV show set designs for the 1950s -\> 1970s (not super detailed close up as HoneyBadgerDC mentioned) that were good enough for the analog era, but now look rather shabby on HD digital TV? Only if they were shot on videotape, which nothing before 1970 would have been. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interior-set-decorating-in-the-black-white-era/743048/19 "2016-01-15T00:24:56Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > Not a Historian here but I did some set decorating in the 1980’2, we already had color. I was alwaays amazed at how crummy of a job could be done on painting surfaces that looked great on camera. The painters would come in and paint wood grain on the walls that looked like crap if you were standing next to it but on film looked rich and expensive. A while back, some friends and I volunteered to answer phones for a local PBS fund drive, and the set looked like grade-schoolers had decorated it. Looked good on TV, however. “White” objects were usually pink, because white doesn’t photograph correctly in B&W. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interior-set-decorating-in-the-black-white-era/743048/20 "2016-01-15T00:25:58Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I came across this [interesting picture](http://f.fastcompany.net/multisite_files/fastcompany/imagecache/inline-large/inline/2013/11/3021327-inline-675-colors.jpg) of the interior of the Addams Family house, in color. The guadiness of the set was lost on the audience, of course, because they only saw it in black & white. > > I figure that interior set designers in the B & W era could look at their job one of three ways: > > 1. Not give color a moment’s thought, since the audience wouldn’t see it. > 2. Decorate as you would if the scene were in color, so the actors (at least) get a sense of place. > 3. Look for colors combinations that look convincing on B & W film, regardless of how they look in real life. > > Any TV/film industry historians in the house? Looks like a rather typical 1960s living room, except for the noose and a few other things. 😛 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interior-set-decorating-in-the-black-white-era/743048.md?page=2)