Words: Pete Vilmur
Photos: Bonnie Burton
Last Friday, as the new Clone Wars series made its long-awaited debut, a new bronze was quietly installed without ceremony at Lucasfilm’s Presidio campus, sculpted by long-time Star Wars fan Lawrence Noble. Noble of course had previously sculpted the now-famous bronze Yoda that sits atop the fountain at Lucasfilm’s Presidio entrance, cinematic innovators Eadweard Muybridge and Willis O’Brien found elsewhere on campus, and finally the recent bronze Darth Vader greeting guests of Building A (this statue is also currently available at StarWarsShop!).
The subject of the latest bronze is Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of television. While it seems fitting that the inventor of television should be commemorated on the same day Clone Wars made its television debut, the timing was purely coincidental.
Visitors to Lucasfilm’s Presidio campus who happen by the Farnsworth statue should make a point of scrutinizing the back of the television set sculpted in bronze — Noble whimsically included a couple Lucasfilm-specific shout-outs to the filmmaker’s first movie, THX 1138.
You can check out more photos of the Farnsworth statue here.
UPDATE! Philo’s son Kent has chimed in with a response (click the entry title above if you can’t see responses) and encourages those interested in the contributions of Philo Farnsworth to check out The Farnsworth Archives.
Well, I don’t understand why something like this slips under my radar, it can not be from hidden identity, I am known at many major newspapers, not the least of which is the SFChronical, and have a website kmfarnsworth@philotfarnsworth.com
and am known or cross-linked to other sites like
farnovision.com
I published my mother’s book DISTANT VISION in May of 1990.
I am delighted to be associated with the rarified group who are somehow associated with the number 1138 … what a pleasure that is.
My grandchildren, self and friends are all followers of STAR WARS and the technical underpinnings used to generate these motion pictures; on one occasion, episode 1 I believe, one of my sons-in-law hired people in other cities than his own to stand in line and buy tickets.
I am certain that my father, had he been alive, would have been simply delighted with all this breakthrough technology, and the art of telling a story such as these. He and I are both science fiction devotees.
Visit the philotfarnsworth.com website
Sincerely,
Kent M Farnsworth (son)
Just wondering… who posted this?
Kent M Farnsworth, isn’t the message signed? Try sending email to steward@philotfarnsworth.com.
Kent
Sorry, didn’t mean to be confusing… I meant, which member of LucasOnline posted this?
Congratulations on the honor, Mr. Farnsworth — your father deserved it, and much more!