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00:00:09,076 --> 00:00:14,246
NARRATOR: Remnants of a lost
city, buried in the sand.
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00:00:15,583 --> 00:00:19,284
KELVIN: Finding anything
in that environment,
3
00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:22,187
it's like looking for a
needle in a haystack.
4
00:00:22,223 --> 00:00:25,791
MARY: This is the front
paw of the sphinx.
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00:00:25,826 --> 00:00:29,194
What's surprising
is the size of it.
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00:00:29,230 --> 00:00:33,632
NARRATOR: Giant
statues and the ruins
of a Pharaoh's palace.
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00:00:36,437 --> 00:00:41,907
But this is not the
Egyptian Desert,
it's California.
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00:00:42,510 --> 00:00:45,644
JONATHAN: The sets
were the biggest that
had ever been built.
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00:00:45,679 --> 00:00:47,980
NARRATOR: When you
drain Hollywood.
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00:00:48,015 --> 00:00:49,882
KELVIN: This is
Hollywood history.
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00:00:49,917 --> 00:00:51,984
NARRATOR: Nothing
is what it seems.
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00:00:52,019 --> 00:00:53,952
DOUG: This is in
phenomenal shape.
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00:00:53,988 --> 00:00:58,424
You'll never see anything
like this anywhere else.
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00:00:58,459 --> 00:00:59,691
MARY: It was beautiful.
15
00:01:02,179 --> 00:01:03,896
KELVIN: But, could
we save it?
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00:01:18,979 --> 00:01:22,314
This is a story that
beggar's belief.
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00:01:22,349 --> 00:01:28,787
It's bizarre, it's huge
and, once I'd heard
it, I got so excited.
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00:01:28,823 --> 00:01:31,623
There was no question, I
really wanted to be involved.
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00:01:37,598 --> 00:01:40,666
I've always loved
old Hollywood movies.
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00:01:40,701 --> 00:01:44,136
As a photographer, I've
always really loved
black and white.
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00:01:44,171 --> 00:01:46,171
It can be so expressive.
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00:01:48,375 --> 00:01:53,145
But I never thought I'd
get drawn into a search
for a lost film set.
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00:01:53,180 --> 00:01:56,648
The film was, The Ten
Commandments, by
Cecil B. DeMille.
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00:01:57,618 --> 00:02:01,987
The classic silent
movie made in 1923.
25
00:02:02,022 --> 00:02:04,723
Everything about the
film was gigantic.
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00:02:04,758 --> 00:02:07,392
The budget was an
unheard-of amount,
27
00:02:07,428 --> 00:02:12,297
the set for the master
shot of the Exodus of
the Children of Israel,
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00:02:12,333 --> 00:02:16,568
was huge, nothing like
it had been done before.
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00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:21,573
But then, according
to local legend,
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00:02:21,609 --> 00:02:24,877
DeMille blew up the
set after he'd
finished filming
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00:02:24,912 --> 00:02:27,846
and all trace of it
mysteriously disappeared.
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00:02:30,151 --> 00:02:35,187
Until, one night in
1982, two film students
come across
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00:02:35,222 --> 00:02:39,825
an intriguing clue;
Bruce Cardozo,
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00:02:39,860 --> 00:02:47,032
and Peter Brosnan were
having a drink and talking
about the old movies.
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00:02:47,067 --> 00:02:51,470
Bruce had been reading
the auto biography of
Cecil B DeMille
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00:02:51,505 --> 00:02:54,439
and he'd found a line which
really intrigued him,
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00:02:54,475 --> 00:02:56,275
"If a thousand
years from now,
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00:02:56,310 --> 00:02:59,878
archaeologists dig beneath
the sands of Guadalupe,
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00:02:59,914 --> 00:03:02,214
the sphinxes they will
find there were buried
40
00:03:02,249 --> 00:03:04,349
when we had dismantled
our huge set
41
00:03:04,385 --> 00:03:07,052
of the gates of the
Pharaoh's City."
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00:03:08,055 --> 00:03:09,788
Peter got really excited.
43
00:03:11,192 --> 00:03:14,259
This built in his mind
to become an obsession.
44
00:03:18,032 --> 00:03:20,399
Was the lost film
set still there?
45
00:03:28,342 --> 00:03:31,643
Fired up by the idea
of finding the set,
46
00:03:31,679 --> 00:03:35,347
Peter and Bruce set off
to the Guadalupe Dunes,
47
00:03:35,382 --> 00:03:38,584
which is a 160 mi north
west of Hollywood,
48
00:03:38,619 --> 00:03:40,786
up on the central
coast of California.
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00:03:43,657 --> 00:03:46,458
Their hearts must have
dropped because those
dunes stretched
50
00:03:46,493 --> 00:03:51,230
for 18, 20 mi up
the coast.
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00:03:51,265 --> 00:03:56,268
Finding any semblance
of a film set in that
environment,
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00:03:56,303 --> 00:03:58,870
it's like looking for a
needle in a haystack.
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00:04:04,912 --> 00:04:09,648
NARRATOR: Refusing to give
up, they decide to try
again, two years later.
54
00:04:10,951 --> 00:04:13,518
KELVIN: And that's
when I got involved.
55
00:04:13,554 --> 00:04:17,756
Peter and Bruce invited
me to be the official
photographer
56
00:04:17,791 --> 00:04:22,961
and, in February 1985, we
went back up to the site.
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00:04:22,997 --> 00:04:25,230
I was so excited.
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00:04:25,266 --> 00:04:28,567
It was going to be a
really exciting ride.
59
00:04:29,737 --> 00:04:33,238
Peter located a
local rancher and he
told us he used
60
00:04:33,274 --> 00:04:36,675
to drive cattle across the
dunes from time to time,
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00:04:36,710 --> 00:04:40,512
and the winds are relentless
coming in off the ocean,
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00:04:40,547 --> 00:04:49,054
and he told us
all of those dunes move,
except one, the big one.
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00:04:50,024 --> 00:04:53,225
Because the big one
is full of stuff.
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00:04:54,528 --> 00:04:58,797
There was something
buried in the sand there.
65
00:04:58,832 --> 00:05:02,534
But was this DeMille's set
or was it something else?
66
00:05:03,237 --> 00:05:06,938
So we walked up to the
crest of the big one.
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00:05:08,709 --> 00:05:11,543
I couldn't believe my eyes.
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00:05:11,578 --> 00:05:19,418
Spread out before us was this
field of; pottery shards,
white and orange plaster,
69
00:05:19,453 --> 00:05:28,393
pieces of heavy lumber, coils
of rusting steel wire, bottle
tops, bits of glassware,
70
00:05:28,429 --> 00:05:33,065
and it spread for miles.
It just kept going.
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00:05:34,868 --> 00:05:38,070
I was getting
goosebumps.
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00:05:38,105 --> 00:05:41,373
The size, the scale
it was huge.
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00:05:41,408 --> 00:05:47,279
This was the biggest
set, of the biggest film,
by the biggest filmmaker,
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00:05:47,314 --> 00:05:52,150
this was Hollywood
history, but how much
of the set was left?
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00:06:07,968 --> 00:06:09,534
JONATHAN: The
movies are my life.
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00:06:09,570 --> 00:06:13,105
I've lived life with
the movies and through
the movies.
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00:06:13,140 --> 00:06:16,775
I got into movies
first when I was in
elementary school.
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00:06:16,810 --> 00:06:21,329
After school, I'd
watch the classics of
the Hollywood cinema.
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00:06:21,382 --> 00:06:26,284
The films, of course, were
in black and white in those
days; wonderful dialogue,
80
00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:29,221
glamorous stars,
fabulous stories.
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00:06:29,256 --> 00:06:35,961
Cecil B DeMille's, The Ten
Commandments, was a real
landmark in cinema history.
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00:06:35,996 --> 00:06:39,598
By the mid 1920's,
Cecil B DeMille was
the most powerful
83
00:06:39,633 --> 00:06:43,835
director at the biggest of
all studios, Paramount.
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00:06:43,871 --> 00:06:48,306
DeMille starts as an
actor, is interested
in writing plays,
85
00:06:48,342 --> 00:06:49,841
when he reached Hollywood,
86
00:06:49,877 --> 00:06:53,545
really, kind of, reinvented
himself as a film director.
87
00:06:53,580 --> 00:06:57,883
He would carry a riding
crop and wear riding boots,
88
00:06:57,918 --> 00:07:00,852
and a beret, and would
bark out orders.
89
00:07:02,990 --> 00:07:06,725
In many ways, the stereotype
we now have of the old-time
movie director,
90
00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:08,894
comes from Cecil B DeMille.
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00:07:12,399 --> 00:07:16,134
KELVIN: We were only
looking at tiny parts
of the film set.
92
00:07:16,170 --> 00:07:18,703
We needed to know
how much was left.
93
00:07:19,640 --> 00:07:22,507
So, Peter managed to
get a radar specialist,
94
00:07:22,543 --> 00:07:27,579
who had been involved in
the development of ground
penetrating radar.
95
00:07:27,614 --> 00:07:30,182
The results were
just phenomenal.
96
00:07:32,453 --> 00:07:34,636
23 anomalies;
97
00:07:37,608 --> 00:07:39,458
things buried in the dune
98
00:07:43,797 --> 00:07:46,598
and, on the
very last day,
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00:07:46,633 --> 00:07:49,034
we found something
really magical.
100
00:07:49,937 --> 00:07:54,806
Very close to the surface,
where the wind had blown
away a lot of sand,
101
00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:03,515
we found eye, nose, lips,
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00:08:03,550 --> 00:08:10,255
a face from one of the 20
ft high statues guarding
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00:08:10,290 --> 00:08:13,191
the sides of the gates
of the Pharaoh's city.
104
00:08:15,295 --> 00:08:17,262
We had found
DeMille's film set,
105
00:08:20,033 --> 00:08:23,101
but this was just the
start, could we save it?
106
00:08:26,940 --> 00:08:29,274
And that's when the
challenges really began.
107
00:08:29,943 --> 00:08:32,511
The Dunes are a
very protected area.
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00:08:32,546 --> 00:08:34,713
We weren't allowed
to dig anything.
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00:08:34,748 --> 00:08:37,682
Two species of bird that
used it as a nesting area;
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00:08:37,718 --> 00:08:40,619
the snowy plover it
lays its eggs on the
ground, the permits,
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00:08:40,654 --> 00:08:42,320
you can't disturb the
nesting sites.
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00:08:42,356 --> 00:08:44,856
No vehicles on the
dunes, there was a
minefield of red tape.
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00:08:44,892 --> 00:08:46,191
It's very difficult to.
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00:08:46,226 --> 00:08:48,126
There are no mechanical
devices are allowed.
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00:08:49,897 --> 00:08:52,731
We got close to giving
up several times.
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00:08:54,034 --> 00:08:58,270
NARRATOR: For more than
two decades the team
wrestles with setbacks.
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00:08:59,239 --> 00:09:05,277
Finally, in 2012, a generous
donor funds a group of
skilled archaeologists
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00:09:05,312 --> 00:09:08,647
with the expertise to work
around the fragile dunes
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00:09:09,716 --> 00:09:14,219
and the excavation
of DeMille's, lost
city, begins.
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00:09:14,254 --> 00:09:17,022
MARY: I have been
working as an historical
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00:09:17,057 --> 00:09:21,626
archaeologist for a lot
of years when it was
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00:09:21,662 --> 00:09:27,032
suggested that I might
be able to work on
the lost city project.
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00:09:27,067 --> 00:09:30,018
I said, "Absolutely,
let's go for it."
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00:09:33,140 --> 00:09:38,076
The primary goal was to
locate one of the sphinxes
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00:09:38,111 --> 00:09:43,315
and to preserve it as
a legacy of Hollywood.
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00:09:46,119 --> 00:09:51,356
When we started, we found
very small pieces, as
if it had been blown up.
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00:09:52,693 --> 00:09:54,392
JONATHAN: DeMille was very
conscious of the idea
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00:09:54,428 --> 00:09:56,227
that he didn't want
to leave those sets
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00:09:56,263 --> 00:09:59,064
standing around, so other
film makers could dash
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00:09:59,099 --> 00:10:01,666
in there and make
little quickie films,
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00:10:01,702 --> 00:10:05,537
and he supposedly paid to
have the sets blown up
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00:10:05,572 --> 00:10:08,740
and they were lost in
the mists of time.
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00:10:09,810 --> 00:10:12,644
MARY: We could only
find bits and pieces.
134
00:10:12,679 --> 00:10:17,816
The question was, "Could we
find anything of DeMille's
set still intact?"
135
00:10:29,563 --> 00:10:33,865
for the remains of a
massive 1920's movie set.
136
00:10:38,071 --> 00:10:43,675
MARY: There is Cecil
B DeMille's set for the
film, The Ten Commandments.
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00:10:46,713 --> 00:10:53,184
Nearing the end of the first
season we made a series
of fascinating discoveries.
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00:10:56,690 --> 00:11:07,232
Various facial elements
of a sphinx; an eye, nose,
lips and one of the paws,
139
00:11:07,267 --> 00:11:09,668
but it was badly damaged.
140
00:11:12,205 --> 00:11:16,675
Then we found elements of a
second sphinx still intact,
141
00:11:21,281 --> 00:11:23,448
primarily the haunches.
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00:11:29,256 --> 00:11:32,323
DOUG: One of the exciting
finds was this make-up tin
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00:11:32,359 --> 00:11:35,960
showing that people
did use make-up pigment.
144
00:11:35,996 --> 00:11:39,230
It would have closed
something like this
and opened like this,
145
00:11:39,266 --> 00:11:43,201
it looks like there's still
remnants of some of the
grease on the interior.
146
00:11:43,236 --> 00:11:45,804
This is an Eastman
Kodak film canister.
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00:11:45,839 --> 00:11:49,240
The EAS here is an
identifying marker
that let us
148
00:11:49,276 --> 00:11:52,410
know it is a film
canister from 1923.
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00:11:57,517 --> 00:12:01,252
JONATHAN: In the Ten
Commandments, in the great
sequence of the Exodus,
150
00:12:01,288 --> 00:12:07,192
we have shots that
are done in Technicolor,
with two primary colors.
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00:12:07,227 --> 00:12:10,762
DeMille is one of the
very, very first major
film makers to put
152
00:12:10,797 --> 00:12:14,733
Technicolor sequences
into his film,
153
00:12:14,768 --> 00:12:16,601
and they're really
quite striking.
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00:12:20,707 --> 00:12:24,275
MARY: As exciting as
these discoveries were,
155
00:12:24,311 --> 00:12:29,080
nothing really prepared us
for what we found next.
156
00:12:31,752 --> 00:12:35,920
DOUG: One morning, I
was walking around
the movie set site,
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00:12:35,956 --> 00:12:40,592
and there was a piece
of statuary sticking
out of the sand
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00:12:40,627 --> 00:12:42,794
and it appeared
to be a hind paw.
159
00:12:42,829 --> 00:12:45,864
We decided to focus on
excavating that sphinx.
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00:12:49,436 --> 00:12:52,971
RYAN: So far, we've got an
ear, hopefully a cheek,
161
00:12:53,006 --> 00:12:56,574
and we think there's
a forehead seam
somewhere in there
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00:12:56,610 --> 00:13:00,245
and we're really hoping
the face is intact.
163
00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:01,613
It's insanely exciting.
164
00:13:06,486 --> 00:13:09,654
JONATHAN: This set was
an amazing undertaking.
165
00:13:09,689 --> 00:13:13,391
DeMille had to create
everything from
scratch, in somewhat,
166
00:13:13,426 --> 00:13:19,531
kind of, harsh
circumstances, on sand
dunes, in bad weather.
167
00:13:19,566 --> 00:13:23,568
MARY: It looks like we have
virtually the whole thing.
168
00:13:23,603 --> 00:13:28,473
DOUG: It's incredible.
MARY: More than I expected.
169
00:13:28,508 --> 00:13:31,676
DOUG: You'll never see
anything like this again,
ever, anywhere else.
170
00:13:36,249 --> 00:13:39,317
KELVIN: The set was 800
ft long, it had 20 five
171
00:13:39,352 --> 00:13:42,487
tonne sphinxes laid out
in a double phalanx
172
00:13:42,522 --> 00:13:47,559
out from the gates of the
Pharaoh's City, and this one
seemed much more intact.
173
00:13:49,029 --> 00:13:55,366
MARY: The next challenge
became how to remove
it and preserve it.
174
00:13:59,072 --> 00:14:06,244
DeMille's set was created
of plaster, framed
around wooden framework,
175
00:14:06,279 --> 00:14:14,485
and as soon as you exposed
it to the air, the
chemistry began to change,
176
00:14:14,521 --> 00:14:17,989
and it began to crumble,
and to fall apart.
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00:14:23,129 --> 00:14:26,631
AMY: I never would have
thought I'd be digging
up Egyptian statuary
178
00:14:26,666 --> 00:14:28,833
in the dunes of
southern California.
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00:14:28,852 --> 00:14:33,238
I'm a building restoration
artist in Hollywood, working
on historic buildings,
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00:14:33,273 --> 00:14:36,207
movie palaces for 20 years.
181
00:14:36,243 --> 00:14:40,445
I was brought into the
project because of my plaster
restoration experience.
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00:14:42,816 --> 00:14:45,316
This is the scary
party 'cause I don't
want to go too deep.
183
00:14:45,352 --> 00:14:49,053
We tried various different
ways to stabilize
the plaster in the field.
184
00:14:49,089 --> 00:14:54,559
We used B-72, acrylic
resin, we brushed this
on and used gauze.
185
00:14:54,594 --> 00:14:56,327
It wasn't working
out very well.
186
00:14:59,633 --> 00:15:03,668
The plaster is so soft.
This is to try to stop it.
187
00:15:03,703 --> 00:15:07,272
It can be damaged just by
a brush, or your hand,
188
00:15:07,307 --> 00:15:11,509
and the gauze wouldn't
actually hold the
piece together.
189
00:15:11,544 --> 00:15:12,677
So, we improvised.
190
00:15:19,920 --> 00:15:22,754
We found that using
expandable insulation foam,
191
00:15:22,789 --> 00:15:25,256
commonly used to
insulate houses,
192
00:15:25,292 --> 00:15:27,292
was a great tool
in the field,
193
00:15:27,327 --> 00:15:32,530
a support to get larger
pieces out of the sand.
194
00:15:38,238 --> 00:15:42,674
MARY: After having worked
the last few years with
just pieces here and there,
195
00:15:42,709 --> 00:15:47,745
to see the whole reveal
is just incredible.
196
00:16:03,563 --> 00:16:10,201
When we rolled it over,
it was probably the most
incredible experience
197
00:16:10,236 --> 00:16:12,804
I've ever had on any site.
198
00:16:15,508 --> 00:16:23,047
We exposed the other side
of the face and the paint
on it was just fresh,
199
00:16:23,083 --> 00:16:26,718
it had just seconds
been exposed,
200
00:16:32,625 --> 00:16:34,492
just incredible.
201
00:16:35,095 --> 00:16:36,561
It was beautiful.
202
00:16:42,335 --> 00:16:46,904
KELVIN: The enormity
of this project gives
me goosebumps today.
203
00:16:49,976 --> 00:16:54,112
DOUG: The local museum
in Guadalupe now has a
dedicated display
204
00:16:54,147 --> 00:16:57,715
and the sphinx that we
excavated is now a
centerpiece
205
00:16:57,751 --> 00:16:59,884
of the Dune
Centre's exhibits.
206
00:17:12,198 --> 00:17:16,734
But we still had a big
question, "What would
it have been like
207
00:17:16,770 --> 00:17:20,638
to be on DeMille's
movie set in 1923?"
208
00:17:26,913 --> 00:17:29,280
JONATHAN: The scale
of the production on,
The Ten Commandments,
209
00:17:29,315 --> 00:17:35,119
was colossal: 500
carpenters, 500 painters,
400 set decorators,
210
00:17:35,155 --> 00:17:37,388
1,200 electricians
and gardeners.
211
00:17:40,927 --> 00:17:45,296
The set itself was
more than 100 ft tall.
212
00:17:45,331 --> 00:17:50,518
The materials required
were enormous; over half
a million feet of lumber,
213
00:17:50,570 --> 00:17:59,043
25,000 lbs. of nails,
75 mi of cable. 300
tons of plaster.
214
00:17:59,079 --> 00:18:02,513
There were 500 tons of
elaborate sculptures.
215
00:18:04,384 --> 00:18:07,585
Over 20 sphinxes.
216
00:18:10,256 --> 00:18:13,524
There were four
massive statues of
the Pharaoh Rameses,
217
00:18:13,560 --> 00:18:17,361
each 35 ft tall and
weighing, 39 tons.
218
00:18:23,736 --> 00:18:27,839
Cast and crew, numbered
at least 35 hundred
men, women and children.
219
00:18:28,508 --> 00:18:31,242
A, Camp DeMille, was
set up where they lived
under canvas
220
00:18:31,277 --> 00:18:35,346
in 500 tents for
weeks at a time.
221
00:18:38,751 --> 00:18:42,053
A single lunch required
75 hundred sandwiches,
222
00:18:42,088 --> 00:18:46,023
25 hundred apples and
oranges and 400
gallons of coffee.
223
00:18:53,933 --> 00:18:56,801
5000 animals were
used on the set.
224
00:19:03,576 --> 00:19:08,212
Photo Play Magazine called
it, "The greatest theatrical
spectacle in history."
225
00:19:16,890 --> 00:19:20,358
MARY: Of course, there
was one final twist.
226
00:19:20,393 --> 00:19:25,329
What did DeMille do with
the set when he was done?
227
00:19:26,266 --> 00:19:29,567
The local story was that
the set had been blown up,
228
00:19:29,602 --> 00:19:32,970
but the evidence
didn't support it.
229
00:19:33,006 --> 00:19:37,975
DOUG: While walking the
site, we found segments
of wire such as this.
230
00:19:38,011 --> 00:19:41,128
We know it's a very windy
area. Is this a clue?
231
00:19:44,484 --> 00:19:47,485
MARY: Now that we're
up here, you can see
that the wind
232
00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:51,088
is so strong that
when it blows,
233
00:19:51,124 --> 00:19:54,325
it could tear down
virtually anything.
234
00:19:55,128 --> 00:19:59,931
DOUG: And you would
have needed industrial
cable such as this
235
00:19:59,966 --> 00:20:05,086
to stabilize the large
statuary and keep it
standing upright.
236
00:20:07,106 --> 00:20:12,510
MARY: All the film crew
had to do to destroy the
set was to cut the cables.
237
00:20:23,957 --> 00:20:28,960
And the winds did the rest
and blew the set over.
238
00:20:29,996 --> 00:20:35,733
And as time passed,
buried the site, so, it
looks as it does today.
239
00:20:48,348 --> 00:20:50,748
NARRATOR: The Ten
Commandments is a huge hit
240
00:20:50,767 --> 00:20:55,620
and becomes Paramount's
highest grossing film
for the next 25 years.
241
00:20:55,655 --> 00:20:59,757
It was the dawn of a
new era, the profitable
blockbuster
242
00:20:59,792 --> 00:21:03,694
and, throughout the
1920's, Hollywood boomed.
243
00:21:04,397 --> 00:21:06,430
JONATHAN: But of course, we
all know this is gonna end.
244
00:21:06,466 --> 00:21:09,967
In 1929, the Stock
Market is going to crash.
245
00:21:11,304 --> 00:21:15,339
The United States is gonna
go from the Roaring '20s
into the Great Depression.
246
00:21:15,375 --> 00:21:19,777
By 1933, half of the
Hollywood majors
were in bankruptcy
247
00:21:19,812 --> 00:21:23,347
and most of the rest were
approaching bankruptcy.
248
00:21:24,117 --> 00:21:27,418
JOAN: Everyone was terrified.
Would Hollywood make it?
249
00:21:27,453 --> 00:21:29,053
Would the film
industry survive?
250
00:21:38,898 --> 00:21:43,784
one industry in Los
Angeles is finding
new ways to survive,
251
00:21:43,836 --> 00:21:45,936
on land and sea.
252
00:21:47,240 --> 00:21:48,939
DANNY: There are more than
a thousand shipwrecks
253
00:21:48,975 --> 00:21:52,176
that lie off the
coast of California.
254
00:21:52,211 --> 00:21:55,579
It's become kind of a
passion for me to
investigate,
255
00:21:55,615 --> 00:21:58,049
search out, find them.
256
00:21:58,084 --> 00:22:00,651
The ocean has been
my life all my life.
257
00:22:00,687 --> 00:22:04,455
I started diving with my
dad when I was really
young in the early 70's
258
00:22:04,490 --> 00:22:08,959
where I grew up in a
coastal town in California.
259
00:22:08,995 --> 00:22:11,529
I wanted to visit
the deeper wrecks,
260
00:22:11,564 --> 00:22:17,535
so it required me
taking some technical
rebreather training.
261
00:22:17,570 --> 00:22:20,938
During that training, I
came across something
really amazing.
262
00:22:24,043 --> 00:22:25,643
Something I'd never
expected to see.
263
00:22:29,449 --> 00:22:32,116
This wreck is about 10 mi
off the coast of long beach.
264
00:22:37,657 --> 00:22:41,892
It's in 135 to 140 ft,
which is pretty deep.
265
00:22:45,598 --> 00:22:48,966
It's pretty dark and
you don't see anything
for a long time,
266
00:22:52,705 --> 00:22:57,808
and then, out of the gloom
comes this huge shape.
267
00:22:59,979 --> 00:23:03,047
You really feel the
adrenaline rush at
that time.
268
00:23:03,883 --> 00:23:06,617
I was just like
and man it is huge.
269
00:23:07,487 --> 00:23:09,820
Bigger than anything
I had dove on before.
270
00:23:17,730 --> 00:23:20,364
We realized we were
on the stern section.
271
00:23:22,301 --> 00:23:27,505
And then we realized
that there was only
half a ship there.
272
00:23:27,540 --> 00:23:30,174
I was thinking, "Where's
the rest of the ship?
273
00:23:30,209 --> 00:23:35,980
Where's the other
half?" It was
strange. Intriguing.
274
00:23:37,016 --> 00:23:40,251
After that dive, I had a
lot of unanswered questions.
275
00:23:41,754 --> 00:23:45,523
"What kind of ship was
she? Why did she sink?
276
00:23:45,558 --> 00:23:49,326
And what is she doing
here just 10 mi off
of Long Beach?"
277
00:23:50,196 --> 00:23:52,830
KEVIN: I'm a,
Lieutenant Commander,
in the US Navy Reserve.
278
00:23:52,865 --> 00:23:55,766
When I was active duty, I
served aboard two warships.
279
00:23:56,636 --> 00:23:59,570
Now I own a marine
exploration company,
280
00:23:59,589 --> 00:24:04,341
and we go and search
for lost ship and
aircraft wrecks.
281
00:24:06,145 --> 00:24:08,846
MELODIE: I work with Kevin
as a, Spatial Scientist,
282
00:24:08,881 --> 00:24:14,084
we use remote sensing and
photogrammetry to study
coastal environments.
283
00:24:14,120 --> 00:24:18,255
So, I specialize in
meteorology, oceanography
284
00:24:18,291 --> 00:24:20,458
and even things
like shipwrecks.
285
00:24:20,993 --> 00:24:27,231
To create a photogrammetry
model, we take a video using
an ROV, an underwater robot.
286
00:24:33,673 --> 00:24:38,309
And we extract thousands
of photographs,
287
00:24:38,344 --> 00:24:43,414
and put them together to
create a three D model.
288
00:24:43,449 --> 00:24:48,118
We can start to see things
maybe we wouldn't have
seen diving underwater.
289
00:24:48,654 --> 00:24:51,088
The question is,
what will it show us?
290
00:24:59,098 --> 00:25:01,765
The cool thing about
this photogrammetry
model is that
291
00:25:01,801 --> 00:25:04,335
we can manipulate the
wreck and look at it
292
00:25:04,370 --> 00:25:07,238
from a bird's eye view,
or turn it around.
293
00:25:07,273 --> 00:25:08,339
DANNY: That is really cool.
294
00:25:11,043 --> 00:25:15,379
MELODIE: Can see this
wreck has been down
here a long time.
295
00:25:15,414 --> 00:25:20,184
You can see some of
the growth on portions
of the wreck.
296
00:25:20,219 --> 00:25:22,586
DANNY: Can we zoom
in on this little
area right here?
297
00:25:22,622 --> 00:25:28,726
MELODIE: Sure.
DANNY: Right here,
look at that.
298
00:25:28,761 --> 00:25:32,663
There's a really
clear, there's a gun
mount right there.
299
00:25:32,698 --> 00:25:35,666
MELODIE: Oh yeah.
DANNY: Wow. Look at that.
300
00:25:35,701 --> 00:25:39,904
Can we go up to,
like, the bow section?
MELODIE: Yeah.
301
00:25:39,939 --> 00:25:43,807
DANNY: Right there,
that's the torpedo too.
302
00:25:43,843 --> 00:25:46,677
I'm at a loss for
words for that really.
303
00:25:47,847 --> 00:25:51,582
So, this clearly looks like
a warship, but, what kind?
304
00:25:52,184 --> 00:25:54,151
And what is she doing here?
305
00:26:04,881 --> 00:26:09,600
During my next dive, we
started exploring further,
306
00:26:09,635 --> 00:26:11,902
and more than a 100 ft
away, from the bottom,
307
00:26:15,074 --> 00:26:16,840
we find the other
section of the ship,
308
00:26:21,814 --> 00:26:25,015
and I was very confused
as to why the two
sections of the ship
309
00:26:25,051 --> 00:26:26,550
were so far apart.
310
00:26:31,023 --> 00:26:35,092
Then we found something
we never expected to ever
see on a ship like this.
311
00:26:36,062 --> 00:26:39,063
Pieces of wood attached
to the super structure.
312
00:26:40,199 --> 00:26:42,900
Timber on a warship?
It's a metal ship.
313
00:26:42,935 --> 00:26:46,437
There's no reason
or place for timber.
314
00:26:47,406 --> 00:26:48,973
Why was that there?
315
00:26:53,613 --> 00:26:56,947
We started investigating
the mangled wreckage area
316
00:26:56,983 --> 00:27:00,284
and there was a lot
of metal that was
pushed outward.
317
00:27:01,887 --> 00:27:05,089
I'd never seen anything
like that before.
318
00:27:05,124 --> 00:27:08,492
We started diving
back to the back part
of the wreck
319
00:27:08,527 --> 00:27:12,696
and we saw the same
evidence; here's the
massive warship,
320
00:27:12,732 --> 00:27:15,666
blown in two pieces,
on the ocean floor,
321
00:27:15,701 --> 00:27:22,906
indications of a huge
explosion and there
had been no U.S.
322
00:27:22,942 --> 00:27:28,579
destroyers sunk of the coast
of California in either World
War One or World War Two.
323
00:27:29,815 --> 00:27:30,881
So, what caused that?
324
00:27:34,153 --> 00:27:41,425
MELODIE: So, this is
where the break is, let's
get a good angle here.
325
00:27:41,460 --> 00:27:46,063
You can really see
that the metal has been
pushed out and not in.
326
00:27:47,800 --> 00:27:52,102
DANNY: If it was to be hit
by a torpedo, the metal
would have been pushed in.
327
00:27:52,138 --> 00:27:57,041
So, it wasn't the
victim of an attack of
an enemy submarine.
328
00:27:57,076 --> 00:27:58,008
It just didn't
make sense.
329
00:28:11,474 --> 00:28:14,675
just off the coast of,
Long Beach, California.
330
00:28:16,012 --> 00:28:18,946
But how and why did it sink?
331
00:28:20,049 --> 00:28:23,250
DANNY: I needed to go back
and do some more reading.
332
00:28:23,285 --> 00:28:25,085
As I was doing some
more research,
333
00:28:25,121 --> 00:28:28,622
I finally found
something that
answered my questions.
334
00:28:28,657 --> 00:28:33,694
An article in the Los
Angeles Times from
February 22nd, 1933.
335
00:28:33,729 --> 00:28:38,332
It talked about a warship
that had been spotted off
the coast of, Long Beach.
336
00:28:38,367 --> 00:28:42,236
It was a US Naval
vessel, the USS. Moody,
337
00:28:42,271 --> 00:28:46,774
a Clemson Class
Destroyer, a sub hunter,
built in, Squantum,
338
00:28:46,809 --> 00:28:49,810
Massachusetts in 1919.
339
00:28:49,845 --> 00:28:54,048
Everything about
her seemed to match the
ship I'd been diving on,
340
00:28:54,083 --> 00:29:00,154
but she never saw any
wartime action.
What's happened here?
341
00:29:00,189 --> 00:29:06,593
In fact, MGM Studios
bought her for about
$35,000 to use in a
342
00:29:06,629 --> 00:29:09,229
World War I movie,
Hell Below.
343
00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:12,699
The ship that we'd
been swimming on,
344
00:29:12,735 --> 00:29:15,969
all this time, had been
a Hollywood movie set.
345
00:29:17,873 --> 00:29:21,175
JONATHAN: Hell Below is
an MGM picture from 1933,
346
00:29:21,210 --> 00:29:24,278
a pretty big budget film
with a real all-star
347
00:29:24,313 --> 00:29:28,382
cast, Robert Montgomery,
Robert Young, it's a tragic
348
00:29:28,417 --> 00:29:30,818
World War I story but
it's also got crazy
349
00:29:30,853 --> 00:29:35,589
comedy with Jimmy Durante,
it also has romantic scenes
350
00:29:35,624 --> 00:29:39,426
and it contains this
wonderful battle at sea.
351
00:29:45,401 --> 00:29:48,836
DANNY: You know, the wood
I'd found on the wreck
started to make sense.
352
00:29:48,871 --> 00:29:54,308
I knew it wasn't part of the
original vessel, it turns
out it was a set dressing.
353
00:29:55,811 --> 00:30:01,982
MGM producers used timber
to disguise this old US Navy
destroyer so it looked like
354
00:30:02,017 --> 00:30:05,352
a world war one
German warship.
355
00:30:07,289 --> 00:30:11,792
JONATHAN: And then they
blew it up and sunk it
on camera for the film.
356
00:30:17,133 --> 00:30:18,932
(explosion)
357
00:30:20,136 --> 00:30:24,705
DANNY: It's not easy to sink
a real warship like this,
so, how did they do it?
358
00:30:27,409 --> 00:30:32,179
MELODIE: So, if we take this
photogrammetry model and we
cross-reference it to
359
00:30:32,214 --> 00:30:36,150
the blueprints of
this destroyer,
360
00:30:39,088 --> 00:30:44,291
you can see right away
where the vessel would
have broken in half.
361
00:30:47,229 --> 00:30:50,831
DANNY: It broke right
there, between those two
boilers, three and four.
362
00:30:50,866 --> 00:30:52,132
MELODIE: Hmm mm.
363
00:30:53,969 --> 00:30:55,669
KEVIN: So, what the model
makes clear is that
364
00:30:55,704 --> 00:30:57,638
the explosive charges were
set in the boiler room.
365
00:30:57,673 --> 00:31:00,040
(explosion)
366
00:31:00,075 --> 00:31:01,975
This first set of
explosives was designed
367
00:31:02,011 --> 00:31:06,313
to create a massive
explosion to simulate
torpedo hits,
368
00:31:06,348 --> 00:31:09,516
and severed the ship
in two hull sections.
369
00:31:15,090 --> 00:31:18,959
Demolition engineers placed
a second set of charges in
each section of the ship
370
00:31:18,994 --> 00:31:23,964
to destroy the
bulkheads, flooding
them with seawater.
371
00:31:26,635 --> 00:31:28,735
The Moody eventually went
down, giving filmmakers
372
00:31:28,771 --> 00:31:32,406
a rare opportunity to
actually film a
sinking ship.
373
00:31:33,809 --> 00:31:36,276
It was ingenious. It was
a spectacular scene.
374
00:31:39,682 --> 00:31:42,416
DANNY: Turns out the USS
Moody wasn't the only ship
375
00:31:42,451 --> 00:31:47,788
that Hollywood used to
make movies in the
20's and the 30's.
376
00:31:48,457 --> 00:31:51,725
About 25 mi west, there's
the wrecks of at least
377
00:31:51,760 --> 00:31:56,663
nine other ships that
the studios used to make
different movies.
378
00:31:57,967 --> 00:32:01,401
In fact, so many ships
were used as film sets,
379
00:32:01,437 --> 00:32:04,871
that the actors
started calling 'em
the, Hollywood Navy.
380
00:32:05,808 --> 00:32:08,342
JONATHAN: Of course, with
the stock market crash,
381
00:32:08,377 --> 00:32:11,612
in 1929, the Hollywood
majors had to completely
382
00:32:11,647 --> 00:32:14,815
reorganise themselves
to survive.
383
00:32:14,850 --> 00:32:18,952
Buying up an old ship
and then sinking it,
it was worth it.
384
00:32:18,988 --> 00:32:23,957
Getting the most bang for
their buck, putting great
stuff up on the screen
385
00:32:23,993 --> 00:32:25,959
to impress their audience.
386
00:32:25,995 --> 00:32:29,763
This sequence cost MGM
$35,000 but it's another
387
00:32:29,798 --> 00:32:34,801
example of MGM's savvy
management during the
great depression.
388
00:32:36,171 --> 00:32:38,372
NARRATOR: It is creative
gambles like these
389
00:32:38,407 --> 00:32:43,076
that keep audiences flocking
to theatres, despite the
economic depression.
390
00:32:45,547 --> 00:32:49,549
JOAN: Gambling
was the life blood of
Hollywood's movie moguls.
391
00:32:49,585 --> 00:32:52,886
Where there's a lot of
money, there are gonna
be people there
392
00:32:52,921 --> 00:32:55,689
who wanna separate
you from that money;
393
00:32:55,724 --> 00:32:58,525
bookies, racketeers,
gangsters,
394
00:32:58,560 --> 00:33:02,496
they all flooded
into Hollywood like
bees to honey.
395
00:33:02,531 --> 00:33:06,767
They knew that there
was a big pot and they
couldn't wait.
396
00:33:21,033 --> 00:33:23,000
MICHAEL: Back in
the 1920's,
397
00:33:23,035 --> 00:33:26,470
Hollywood wasn't just
the entertainment hub
of the world,
398
00:33:26,505 --> 00:33:28,805
it was California's
crime capital.
399
00:33:29,475 --> 00:33:36,346
Somewhere out there, about
3 mi out on the ocean floor,
is a remnant from LA's past;
400
00:33:36,382 --> 00:33:41,151
a wrecked ship called, The
Monfalcone, she belonged
to my great grandfather.
401
00:33:43,022 --> 00:33:45,155
I'd read a lot about
the Monfalcone,
402
00:33:45,190 --> 00:33:50,093
about how she sank under
mysterious circumstances,
403
00:33:50,129 --> 00:33:53,296
I really just wanna find
out what actually happened.
404
00:34:01,340 --> 00:34:04,975
This is my great
grandfather, Jack Dragna,
he was born in Corleone,
405
00:34:05,010 --> 00:34:09,312
Sicily and came to
Los Angeles in 1915.
406
00:34:09,948 --> 00:34:13,850
He was the mob boss in
Los Angeles for about
a quarter century.
407
00:34:13,886 --> 00:34:17,604
He did business with,
Al Capone, Benjamin
Bugsy Siegel,
408
00:34:17,656 --> 00:34:20,824
and had a little spat
with Mickey Cohen.
409
00:34:20,859 --> 00:34:23,894
In 1928, he and several
investors purchased
410
00:34:23,929 --> 00:34:28,632
an old fishing barge
and they turned her
into a floating casino,
411
00:34:28,667 --> 00:34:30,500
but less than
two years later,
412
00:34:30,536 --> 00:34:34,104
the Monfalcone sank
after a mysterious fire.
413
00:34:45,017 --> 00:34:49,453
I've always wondered was
this an accident, or did
something shady happen?
414
00:34:54,793 --> 00:34:58,028
DAVID: Ship wrecks, sunken
cities, sunken trains,
415
00:34:58,063 --> 00:35:03,233
sunken aircraft, if
it's sank, I've
probably dove on it.
416
00:35:04,169 --> 00:35:07,904
Now I wanna find out what
happened to J. Michael's
great grand-daddy's ship.
417
00:35:09,274 --> 00:35:12,209
But shipwrecks don't give
up their secrets easily
418
00:35:12,244 --> 00:35:15,112
and certainly the
Monfalcone is no different.
419
00:35:22,788 --> 00:35:27,824
I'm hoping we can
find some signs of what
actually started the fire,
420
00:35:27,860 --> 00:35:30,060
but I don't think
it's gonna be easy.
421
00:35:32,264 --> 00:35:39,269
The wreck is 72 ft down. The
ship itself has collapsed.
422
00:35:39,304 --> 00:35:42,305
More of a massive jumble of
timbers than a ship now,
423
00:35:45,844 --> 00:35:49,045
and it's also
really overgrown.
424
00:35:54,286 --> 00:35:57,370
To try to figure out what
happened to the Monfalcone
425
00:35:57,422 --> 00:35:59,656
we have to get to know
her a little better.
426
00:36:00,325 --> 00:36:06,530
It's tough to see her
underwater, but easier if we
can make a 3D model of her.
427
00:36:06,565 --> 00:36:07,464
MICHAEL: Oh, wow.
428
00:36:10,035 --> 00:36:11,401
This is wonderful.
429
00:36:12,704 --> 00:36:15,438
DAVID: It really is
amazing that there's
this much structural
430
00:36:15,474 --> 00:36:17,507
detail still visible.
431
00:36:18,977 --> 00:36:21,711
Originally, she wasn't
actually a barge at all,
432
00:36:21,747 --> 00:36:23,980
but something much
more impressive.
433
00:36:27,052 --> 00:36:29,953
The Monfalcone was
just a beautiful ship.
434
00:36:34,626 --> 00:36:39,863
Built in Orange, Texas, in
1919, it was a barkentine,
schooner-rigged,
435
00:36:39,898 --> 00:36:45,335
and then the foremasts
and square-rigged.
MICHAEL: Amazing.
436
00:36:46,605 --> 00:36:48,738
DAVID: It had its fair
share of problems.
437
00:36:48,774 --> 00:36:54,177
In 1923, it was coming
out of New Orleans and
hit a hurricane,
438
00:36:54,213 --> 00:36:56,713
it completely
dismasted her.
439
00:36:56,748 --> 00:36:59,749
Then it was towed 3,000
miles to Los Angeles,
440
00:36:59,785 --> 00:37:02,586
and that's when your great
grand-daddy bought it.
441
00:37:02,621 --> 00:37:06,423
For him a demisted ship
was an ingenious
solution to a problem.
442
00:37:09,928 --> 00:37:14,998
NARRATOR: In 1920, a new
law is introduced banning
the sale of alcohol,
443
00:37:15,033 --> 00:37:18,368
but while gambling
and drinking are
illegal on land,
444
00:37:18,403 --> 00:37:20,470
it's a different
story at sea.
445
00:37:22,341 --> 00:37:24,040
JOAN: Racketeers,
they're thinking,
446
00:37:24,076 --> 00:37:26,676
"There's gotta be a
way around this."
447
00:37:26,712 --> 00:37:31,982
Somebody had the bright
idea of a barge, how
about this palace
448
00:37:32,017 --> 00:37:36,152
out in the waters beyond the
reach of law enforcement?
449
00:37:43,295 --> 00:37:46,062
It is a brilliant idea.
450
00:37:46,098 --> 00:37:49,266
You could gamble, you
could have prostitutes.
451
00:37:49,301 --> 00:37:51,134
You can have liquor.
452
00:37:51,169 --> 00:37:54,004
They just didn't see
any downside to it.
453
00:37:55,274 --> 00:37:57,340
The Monfalcone was
one of these ships
454
00:37:57,376 --> 00:38:00,377
and they were, kind of,
like, sin city afloat.
455
00:38:06,885 --> 00:38:09,986
DAVID: By combining all
the scan data, we can
get a pretty good picture
456
00:38:10,022 --> 00:38:14,090
of what the Monfalcone
looks like.
457
00:38:14,126 --> 00:38:18,628
Inside, these casino ships
were total Hollywood glitz.
458
00:38:18,664 --> 00:38:22,232
This is what the
dance pavilion on the
top deck was like.
459
00:38:23,335 --> 00:38:26,236
MICHAEL: I didn't
realize it was that big.
460
00:38:26,271 --> 00:38:33,143
DAVID: They had a 125 ft
dance floors, a seven-piece
orchestra, fine dining.
461
00:38:36,815 --> 00:38:40,383
MICHAEL: It looks
like we're below deck
here, gambling parlor.
462
00:38:40,419 --> 00:38:46,790
DAVID: This is the actual
casino, on the lower deck;
roulette wheels, craps,
463
00:38:46,825 --> 00:38:49,926
poker tables, slot
machines and chuck-a-luck.
464
00:38:51,730 --> 00:38:58,268
MICHAEL: They put a lot of
money into making this thing
well equipped for gamblers.
465
00:38:58,303 --> 00:39:02,706
DAVID: Money was no object,
it's all pretty fancy,
but the gambling tables,
466
00:39:02,741 --> 00:39:05,575
the furnishings,
it's all combustible.
467
00:39:05,610 --> 00:39:10,780
The ship's wooden hull
was made watertight with
ropes soaked in tar.
468
00:39:10,816 --> 00:39:15,251
The Monfalcone was just
a giant tinderbox waiting
to go up in flames.
469
00:39:26,281 --> 00:39:28,915
of the fire that sank
a prohibition era
470
00:39:28,950 --> 00:39:33,820
gambling ship that lies
wrecked, 10 mi off the
Californian coast.
471
00:39:37,626 --> 00:39:39,492
MICHAEL: How'd it go?
472
00:39:39,528 --> 00:39:42,629
MAN: I think I saw
a picture of your
great-grandmother.
473
00:39:42,664 --> 00:39:46,199
DAVID: (laughs)
That was terrible.
474
00:39:46,234 --> 00:39:48,935
STEVE: You could still
see all the wood planking.
475
00:39:48,970 --> 00:39:50,837
It looks like a lumber yard.
476
00:39:50,872 --> 00:39:52,872
MICHAEL: Did you guys
find any fire damage?
477
00:39:52,908 --> 00:39:56,476
MAN: We could see a
little bit, but not much.
478
00:39:56,511 --> 00:40:01,481
STEVE: There's nothing there
that identifies the cause
of the fire or the sinking.
479
00:40:05,687 --> 00:40:09,689
MICHAEL: I think I'm as
close to the Monfalcone
as I'm ever going to get,
480
00:40:09,725 --> 00:40:13,960
but I still don't feel
any closer to solving the
mystery of why she sank.
481
00:40:23,238 --> 00:40:25,605
DAVID: If we look carefully
at the wreck again,
482
00:40:25,640 --> 00:40:30,110
we can see that all
that's left is the lower
portion of the hull.
483
00:40:30,145 --> 00:40:36,483
The ship above the waterline
is completely gone, and that
can mean only one thing;
484
00:40:40,088 --> 00:40:44,491
the fire was so intense
that it burnt through
the Monfalcone,
485
00:40:44,526 --> 00:40:46,493
right down to
the waterline.
486
00:40:46,528 --> 00:40:50,497
(explosions)
487
00:40:50,532 --> 00:40:52,899
Most of the ship's timbers
were turned to carbon,
488
00:40:52,934 --> 00:40:55,435
and the ocean just
washed them away.
489
00:40:56,238 --> 00:40:59,672
All the wood on the
ocean floor is from
below the water line,
490
00:40:59,708 --> 00:41:01,508
the fire couldn't reach it.
491
00:41:01,543 --> 00:41:04,277
That's why it shows
no trace of burning.
492
00:41:09,084 --> 00:41:11,351
MICHAEL: I've managed
to unearth a lot,
493
00:41:11,386 --> 00:41:14,521
but there's still the
question of how the
fire got started.
494
00:41:22,631 --> 00:41:25,365
There's a lot of
theories about what
happened the night
495
00:41:25,400 --> 00:41:28,234
about how she caught
fire and one of them
496
00:41:28,270 --> 00:41:29,969
is that it was an
insurance scam,
497
00:41:30,005 --> 00:41:31,638
you know, the owners
were trying to make
a quick buck.
498
00:41:36,711 --> 00:41:40,280
So, I did some
more research.
499
00:41:40,315 --> 00:41:43,616
Monfalcone, Monfalcone.
500
00:41:43,652 --> 00:41:47,053
And I was actually
shocked to learn they
weren't insured.
501
00:41:47,088 --> 00:41:53,126
They lost something, like,
a 115,000 in the ship alone.
502
00:41:53,161 --> 00:41:55,094
Well, there is also
talk about a rivalry
503
00:41:55,130 --> 00:41:59,399
with the owners of the
competing vessel and that
was the, Johanna Smith,
504
00:41:59,434 --> 00:42:01,818
and with The
Monfalcone's investors.
505
00:42:03,705 --> 00:42:09,642
Berkeley Daily Gazette,
May 22nd 1930, "Five men
hijacked a water
506
00:42:09,678 --> 00:42:13,012
taxi and forced it over
to the Monfalcone.
507
00:42:13,048 --> 00:42:18,201
Several shots were fired
and then the raiders took
possession of the vessel."
508
00:42:18,253 --> 00:42:24,591
It would not be outlandish
for someone to set a fire to
take out the competition.
509
00:42:24,626 --> 00:42:27,794
So, was it sabotage?
510
00:42:27,829 --> 00:42:32,332
Well, survivors and
eyewitnesses thought it was
just a simple accident,
511
00:42:32,367 --> 00:42:36,970
a leaky generator,
neglected maintenance, I
mean, even the crew thought
512
00:42:37,005 --> 00:42:40,874
the ship was an accident
just waiting to happen.
513
00:42:40,909 --> 00:42:44,444
Reports say the fire
began below the decks.
514
00:42:44,479 --> 00:42:49,449
Inside the engine room,
there was a leaky oil line,
515
00:42:52,554 --> 00:42:59,192
a spark from the
generator, ignited
unsecured cans of gasoline
516
00:42:59,227 --> 00:43:04,731
and, in no time,
(explosion)
it was all over.
517
00:43:09,704 --> 00:43:13,973
JOAN: The fire on
the Monfalcone, was
it an accident?
518
00:43:14,009 --> 00:43:16,509
Was it deliberately set?
519
00:43:16,544 --> 00:43:18,611
I don't think we'll
ever know for sure.
520
00:43:25,854 --> 00:43:28,187
NARRATOR: The crimewave
of the prohibition years,
521
00:43:28,223 --> 00:43:32,125
sees a whole new
era for Hollywood,
522
00:43:32,160 --> 00:43:35,428
pulp fiction and crime
movies thrived
523
00:43:35,463 --> 00:43:39,432
and gangsters and
femme fatales became
the new stars.
524
00:43:43,705 --> 00:43:46,339
JONATHAN: During
those tumultuous early
decades of Hollywood,
525
00:43:46,374 --> 00:43:50,810
the boom of the 1920s, the
bust of The Great Depression,
526
00:43:50,845 --> 00:43:54,514
Hollywood had to continually
reinvent itself.
527
00:43:55,450 --> 00:43:57,817
It has to continually
come up with new ideas
528
00:43:57,852 --> 00:44:01,120
and new genres which
included the biblical epic,
529
00:44:01,156 --> 00:44:05,191
the film noir and
gangster pictures and,
of course, the war film.
530
00:44:05,226 --> 00:44:07,760
(explosion)
531
00:44:07,796 --> 00:44:10,563
Unlike many other
industries during The
Great Depression,
532
00:44:10,598 --> 00:44:13,132
Hollywood was able
to survive
533
00:44:13,168 --> 00:44:15,068
and continued to
entertain the world
534
00:44:15,103 --> 00:44:19,439
into the second half of the
20th Century, and beyond.
535
00:44:23,878 --> 00:44:24,510
Captioned by
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