C47 - Hollywood Lore

Jason Adams

Jason Adams

Section Moderator
Just out of curiosity can some of you guys tell me the story you were told as to the history of the term c47 in Hollywood. I have recently ran into 3 other industry guys, all very experienced, that all had contradictory stories as to the history of this industry term.


This thing has become somewhat of a Hollywood legend, just wondering how many different adaptations are out there?
 
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I've always heard it was the patent #, just now googling though I also came up with that its the label of the bin where they are kept in the military.
 
Zak Forsman said:
i heard it was the (Acme?) catalogue number.
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I've heard this from several sources in the studio system and production houses.

Basically the studios were trying to cut items that they didn't want to pay for. Clothes pins being targeted for the cut, the production staff renamed them to C-47's ( the invoice serial/catalog number) in order to make them sound less ordinary.

I don't think it has anything to do with bins. I would assume the bins where labled after the change or just to reflect the catalog number.
 
Every time someone asks me about C-47's, I always tell them the Army/Military story of "Bin" or drawer labeled: C-47- clothes pins. I was told that years and years ago.
Also the name "GAFFER"... I have been told 3 stories about this title..I am just repeating these stories as I was told...
British film studios, I'm told, at one time were near the docks. When it came time to work on another production, they would send someone to the ship yards for the biggest guys to move the big lights. Often they were the guys that "Gaffed" fish into the boats... They were also asked to bring along their "Best Boys" to help.
Gaffers were the guys that lighted the gas torches around the city , before electricity.
Gaffers were the people that used "Gaffing hooks" to open up the shades in studios with big windows used to cover or open up for natural light...
 
Extension cords????? Man - I would never utter that on a film set. THe looks it would generate alone would be enough punishment!
 
What's an "extension cord"?


We even have our own word here in humble Finnish for it: "Suko" (Not "Jatko-johto" which is "Extension cable").

- Mikko
 
the aussies call them extension leads.....

i still call em stingers..... its just faster.
 
taormina said:
Extension cords????? Man - I would never utter that on a film set. THe looks it would generate alone would be enough punishment!
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Yeah, as dumb as it is, it is an instant Noob label if you're caught dumbstruck by a term or if you call a c-47 a clothespin and likewise a stinger an extension cord. If you want to be a cool cat you got to know the jargon. Stingers, inkies, c-47's, redheads, glass, sticks, Abbey Singer, the martini, etc.

You can pretty much just blame the camera and electrical departments for about 90% of the crazy names.
 
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