That said, I never realized there was so much material on the Internet about mid-century furniture and Star Trek, but Jonathan Goldstein at Planner, Perimeter, Predictor, Paul McCobb put me wise to another topic...this one about the Enterprise captain's chair. Apparently, there is considerable evidence to support the idea that the chair from the original series was built around the Naugahyde cushions and walnut arms of a Model No. 2405 or a Model No. 4449 chair designed by Arthur Umanoff for Madison Furniture Industries of Canton, Mississippi, which was manufactured between 1962 and 1968.
Louis Shomick, president of Madison from 1950 till 1966 insists it was their chair. However, Herbert F. Solow, a former Desilu vice-president and John Jefferies, brother of Star Trek art director Walter "Matt" Jefferies, insist it was built from scratch. Jefferies claims he remembers helping his brother build the frame, base and pedestal from plywood...but he doesn't mention anything about making the cushions and arms.
Here are the two chairs. Again, you decide.
From nytimes.com
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| Enterprise captain's chair designboom.com |
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| Madison Furniture Industries Model No. 2405 gomod.com |
In 2009 Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, paid $305,000 for a Madison chair to be placed on display at the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame in Seattle. Apparently, he had few doubts about what was used to make Kirk's chair.
Now it's off to continue my research about Ren and Stimpy's affinity for the Arne Jacobsen Egg Chair. So far, I've turned up nothing, in spite of the fact that several 30-somethings say they distinctly remember that very thing from the cartoons and have suggested I do a post about it. Happy, happy, joy, joy!
Now it's off to continue my research about Ren and Stimpy's affinity for the Arne Jacobsen Egg Chair. So far, I've turned up nothing, in spite of the fact that several 30-somethings say they distinctly remember that very thing from the cartoons and have suggested I do a post about it. Happy, happy, joy, joy!
