The Capitol Dome

The Capitol Dome 55.2

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A good early example of sound location shooting came with the hit comedy Born Yesterday (1950). e filmmakers, headed by director George Cukor, went out of their way to use imagery from the city. Extended and didactic sequences inside the Capitol and at the Library of Congress underscored the film's theme of gaining civic consciousness, exemplified by the character of Billie Dawn, winningly played by Judy Holliday, a per- formance that won her an Academy Award. Holliday was shown being edified about our demo- cratic tenets by journalist Paul Verrall (the smooth Wil- liam Holden) as they toured the Capitol (fig. 2). It shows the two of them walking on the East Front steps of the Capitol, then standing in the Rotunda, where the cam- era pulls up to view Constantino Brumidi's "Apotheosis of Washington" on the Dome's ceiling—surely the first time it was seen by millions of Americans. Another good example of ample access in this more benign period was Washington Story (1952), a narra- tive that offered a basically affirmative view of a decent congressman. e Architect of the Capitol at the time, David Lynn, liked the script by director Robert Pirosh and said that it was the best one ever written about the seat of government, remarking that it might do a "lot of good" by showing people "just how Congress operates." 1 e production received final approval for shoot- ing inside the Capitol itself from legendary Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn. e company was allowed to shoot extensively in the Capitol, including scenes in the Rotunda and Statuary Hall, as well as in the Old House Office Building (now the Cannon Building) and its under- ground tunnel and subway (fig. 3). Most importantly, a version of the House chamber is featured in the film, but, with no access to the floor allowed, the production Fig. 3. Seen walking through the actual underground passage between the Capitol and a House Office Building are Rep. Joseph Gresham (Van Johnson, le) and journalist Alice Kingsley (Patricia Neal) in Washington Story (1952). THE CAPITOL DOME 4

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