They may not have had any lines like their human costars, but these notable props didn’t need a pulse to make their mark on screen. Something about their very presence, look and/or purpose has lofted them above the thousands if not millions of other inanimate objects we have seen on film and given them an uncanny life of their own. Here in no particular order (though we may have saved the very best for last) are 9 scene-stealing movie props.
So many props hurled at, held, excavated or worn by Indiana Jones are iconic. We could do a whole anthology series on his whip’s greatest hits alone. But it’s the object that is traded for a bag of sand that sets one of the greatest movie franchises ever in motion.
For everything that goes Indy’s way, there’s always a delightfully terrifying example of something gone wrong. First and foremost is his attempt to recover the infamous gold statue in the opening minutes of “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Officially remembered as the Chachapoyan Fertility Idol by fanboys and trivia night hawks alike, Indy’s poor ability at guessing the weight of this 6-inch-tall relic gives the audience a memorable preview to one of the archaeologist’s greatest skills … running like hell. In this instance, from the darts, boulders, and collapsing surroundings triggered by his removal of this enchanting treasure.
Moviegoers were never able to forget the majesty of the Chachapoyan Fertility Idol and its place in filmdom has been copied, parodied, and heralded since “Raiders” premiered in 1981. (Photo credit: Paramount Pictures)
Tee up your “Citizen Kane” or “The Godfather” counter arguments all you want, but “The Goonies” might be one of the greatest movies ever made. And along with this distinction, it only makes sense that it would feature one of the greatest movie props ever imagined. With our pint- and liter-sized heroes and heroines facing mass eviction, what in the world could lead to enough immediate riches to save their town? A glass-framed treasure map, of course.
But as their adventure unfurls, we are soon aware that this no ordinary treasure map. As if a Spanish language, riddle-laden, booby trap-warning guide wasn’t enough of a showpiece, this scrap of parchment also not only doubles as a Mad magazine-style fold-in but triples as life-saving sheet music. As Mikey and the gang hold this inscribed fortune-finder in their various hands, we, the audience, do the same with our own childhood, letting each mapped twist and turn rekindle our earliest thrills, fears and fantasies like the most wonderfully wild waterslide emptying into a pirate’s cove. (Photo credit: Amblin Entertainment/Warner Bros./Photofest)
In a movie filled with a dwarf, an albino, high speed-loving Asians, Chevy Chase’s leading man debut, and Goldie Hawn in her very early 30s, it takes an awful lot to stand out. But the troublesome pack of Marlboros in “Foul Play” does just that. Unknown to contain a roll of incriminating film, this box of cigarettes is what ignites the movie’s uproarious action. And while the pack of smokes succumbs to an unpredictably fiery fate, its preceding presence lights up the screen with an undeniable tension not all actors can pull off themselves. (Photo credit: Paramount Pictures/Photofest)
“Pulp Fiction” is another masterwork with lots of interesting props: bag o’heroin, a bequeathed wristwatch and one badass adrenaline shot. But the 1994 classic’s most intriguing prop and maybe perhaps, all of filmdom’s, is Marcellus Wallace’s recovered briefcase. First of all, aesthetically, it just looks cool: silver, hard metal; it quite convincingly portrays the container of an item (or items) that could stir up so much death and mayhem.
But mostly this accessory steals scenes because of what we don’t know about it and never do. So much has been written and speculated as to what is inside. We do know Tim Roth’s Pumpkin, upon looking there, states, “It’s beautiful.” We also know that it generates light. And perhaps irrelevant, perhaps not, the case’s combination is 666. That detail has led to the most popular theory: It contain Marcellus Wallace’s soul. That may or may not be true, but when placed amongst a cast including Rhames’ Wallace, Bruce Willis’ Butch or even director Quentin Tarantino’s coffee snob Jimmie, the “Pulp Fiction” briefcase holds it own admirably. One might even say this silver, cool, hard metal object has a soul of its own. (Photo credit: Miramax Films)
HAL gets all the credit as the most ominous figure in “2001: A Space Odyssey.” But don’t underestimate the monolith. Actually there are three: TMA-0, TMA-1 and TMA-2 – or their full name (known by fanboys and trivia night hawks) Tycho Magnetic Anomaly. But moviegoers know it as the monolith, so let’s keep referring to it as such here.
All seen separately throughout different chapters of the film, the first is discovered at 3 million years B.C. by a group of down-on-their-luck ape-men struggling to survive in the African desert. The second by scientists on the Earth’s moon, and its discovery gives them an earful. The third hovering in space near Jupiter, taking our hero astronaut on a psychedelic ride culminating in his rebirth.
Not necessarily a villain, the monolith is just as intimidating as director Stanley Kubrick’s most memorable ones. Kubrick has a habit of creating tantalizing yet static menaces. Men, women or children who are most frightening when they are perfectly still. The monolith is the same: a simple, tall, black, thin rectangle whose towering presence sparks curiosity, excitement, awe and spooky, extradiegetic music. An inert object that can harness the attention of every living being with eyes on it and spur evolutionary development without moving so much as an inch. (Photo credit: MGM/Photofest)
This entry may seem like a stretch, but let us explain. The teddy bear represents so much to one movie for one prop. One: John McClane’s devotion to his family; what better way for an estranged dad to reunite with them by bestowing a big stuffed animal? This also makes his transformation from regular dad to all-out hero even more profound. Two: Christmas. It’s a Christmas present, by gosh, and an onscreen reminder that “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie, maybe the ultimate one. (“Miracle on 34th Street”? Puh-leeze.) Three: It’s another element of comic relief that’s going down in Argyle’s car, right when we need it. Four: Based on its own size, its first appearance suggests that what lies ahead in the coming reels is, again in one word – big. Five: While teddy kicks off the greatest Christmas action movie ever made, he also concludes a worthy successor as the last shot of 1990’s “The Hunt for Red October.” That sure counts for something. (Photo credit: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation)
“And I guess that was your accomplice in the wood chipper.”
This simple, disheartened observation by Frances McDormand’s police chief Marge Gunderson makes reference to one of the most shocking examples of body disposal ever put on film.
“Fargo” is the 1996 gem that displays good vs. evil in bloodily stark relief against the blizzardy backdrop of hometown Midwest America. As audience members we’d already just been jolted by the frightful axe murder of henchman Steve Buscemi by his incompatible partner-in-crime, Peter Stormare. But it’s what happens after that makes our collective jaws and stomachs drop further than we thought possible.
Marge’s tenacious investigation finally leads her to the killers’ hideout where she is greeted by a loud, persistent whir. As she rounds the corner to the backyard the black comedy climaxes in its ultimate horror. The spray of bloody remains has blanketed a swath of white snow red where Stormare’s Geaer is diligently shredding the last piece of Buscemi’s unlucky Carl through the teeth of a hungry, relentless wood chipper.
With very little actual screen time, the wood chipper not only steals its scene, but leaves its ghoulish image forever seared into the public consciousness where it’s now become very difficult to reference the film without the fearsome machine and vice versa. This makes logical sense because, while the words “This is a true story” that begins the movie are untrue (it’s a work of complete fiction), the inspiration that led its filmmakers, the Coen Brothers, to create “Fargo” was the real-life story of a man who was arrested for disposing of his wife’s body using a hungry, relentless wood chipper. (Photo credit: Gramercy Pictures)
Yes, it’s not in the title, but “Big Adventure” is all about the bike. A beautiful one, frankly, with more whistles and bells than one can count. And like our hero, Pee Wee, we are desperate to see it again as soon as possible. Damn you, Francis! (Photo credit: Warner Bros./Photofest)
What is the name of the Lone Ranger’s nephew’s horse?
This trivia contest question begets the most “indescribably beautiful” “major award” ever put to film. The “A Christmas Story” leg lamp has been lighting up smiles since Old Man Parker uncrated it in way back in 1983. No, it’s not Italian, but its fishnet stocking and seductive curves would make anyone want to caress it as slowly and awkwardly as possible. And thanks to TNT, it steals scenes for 24 whole hours every single Christmas, making winners of us all.
The prop’s popularity has definitely reached cult-like status and launched its own cottage industry. You can easily purchase one of your own online and in specialty stores. Just make sure to place it in your home’s front window to bring joy to the whole family (except for Mother, of course). (Photo credit: MGM/UA Entertainment Company)
