Property Master for a Year

An on-line interview with Sal Vecchio

by Terri Whitman on June 3, 2003

I have always been intrigued with how a TV show was put together. We, the viewer, usually get to see only the end results.  We tend to think the show only lives because of the abilities of the actors and actresses in front of the lens. The truth of the matter is that the sum of the entire team, behind and in front of the camera, is what makes a show work.

When I created this site my intentions weren’t only to list the stars, but, if I could, to also include information about the people and their jobs behind the camera. So when a friend of mine sent me an email address and suggested that I contact this person I jumped at the chance.

The person I was to meet is Sal Vecchio, a retired property master who worked for Hawaii Five-0 in 1974. Needless to say, I was very nervous about sending him that first email.  I was sure he would think I was a crackpot of some sort.

Sal has graciously consented to answer some questions I sent to him. Here are the questions and Sal’s replies.

Thank you Sal for agreeing to do this for us. I’m sure the fans of Hawaii Five-0 will enjoy learning about that went on behind the scenes.

What is a Property Master and what did you do?

A prop master is in charge of all the props the actors touch. The set decorator would set up the sets with all the furniture and I had get everything the actors touched such as newspapers, drinks, guns and badges. I even had to get them everything they have on them such as rings, watches or canes. Once I get the script, I would break it down and then find all of props needed. I could either rent the props or buy them. There was a budget that I had to stay within. But if a prop were expensive, I would go to the producer and tell him I needed more money. Either he would say yes or say forget the prop it wasn’t needed. But with Jack Lord, the producer never said no. Jack Lord loved to work with props if they were right for the scene.

You told me that you worked for the show during the 7th season. How were you chosen for this position and who hired you?

I was working at Universal Studio when my sister-in-law, who was Jacks hairdresser for the show, called me. She told me that the prop master for the show had retired and they were looking for a new one. There were 10 other prop master there when I went for the interview. Jack told the producer that he wanted me to do the show so I did it.

Since I had to be in Hawaii for 9 months, I moved my family to Hawaii where my kids went to school for those 9 months.

Was a college degree required to do your work? If so, where did you obtain your schooling and or experience?

I didn't go to college just high school. I went into the service in 1956 and got out in 1959 at which time my father got me a job in the studios. There I worked my way up to a prop master which took 10 years. While there, I worked with other prop masters as their assistant where I paid attention and learn it all. They taught me how to read the scripts to see what props would be needed and taught me how to get them.

As the property manager, how closely did you have to work with the various actors and actresses?

As the prop master, I worked very close to all the actors because you have to fit them with props and they rely on you to have their props right.

Had you worked for other shows prior to Hawaii Five-0?

I did a lot of shows before 5-0. I did 4 years on Emergency, Sarge with George Kennedy as a priest. I did a lot of movies too like Texas across the river with Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. I also did a lot of commercials.

Why did you leave after the 7th season? Did you move onto another show?

I only did the show 1 year because it was hard on the family so we moved back to L.A. where I went to work doing commercials and other shows.

It sure sounds like you were very busy. In the selection of the required props were there any that were particularly hard to find?  If so, what were they and how did you manage to find them?

Well in 1974 for the show the computer killer I had to find a special computer in Hawaii for the show which was quite hard to find. When I did find it I had to talk the company into letting us use it for free and we wanted it to be brought to the stage instead of using it in their office. First they said no way but then they finally brought it to us.

Regarding the furniture used on the set, several times I noticed a lot of chairs in McGarrett's office, was this done to fill in the room more?

I never knew why there were so many chairs in there but I always had to move them for the next shot they were always in the way of the equipment.

I know you only worked for the show for the one year, but do you happen to know what happened to the furniture in McGarrett's office? I'm asking because a friend of mine for some reason wants to know if the white chairs that were in front of McGarrett's desk are still around. I know I've seen the desk on one episode of Magnum PI.

I have no idea what happened to the furniture.

I know that Jack Lord was a very serious actor but sometimes he'd play jokes or pranks on someone on the set. Would he have you help out by getting or rigging a prop to foul up?

I never heard of Jack playing a gag on anybody it was not his style. He was really serious on the set and stood for no nonsense or noise. We had a party after every show for the crew and actors and the year I was there Jack never came to one. He did not socialize with the crew.

You said that Jack Lord had asked you to continue to work for the show, how did you perceive him to be? Many people say he was a hard taskmaster, yet others say he was a very friendly and warm human being.

Jack was a perfectionist. He wanted everything to be perfect on the set. He wanted all the actors to be prepared and the crew prepared to do their jobs. He said we were professionals and that we should act like it. He didn't like anyone in his eyesight when we were shooting. He wanted the props to be right and all of them to work.

But Jack was also a pretty nice guy. He treated me nice and with respect because I knew what I was doing. He knew it so he left me alone most of the time.

I liked him a lot. He was a good actor nice most of the time but like all actors, they have their bad days when they hated everybody. But it always past and then they come back the next day and say they were sorry.

Was there ever a time in which a prop didn't work as required? If so what was it and how did you correct the problem?

I did every other show in 1974. There was 2 prop masters for the show. I would prep 1 week and shoot one week and the other master did the same. All the props worked on 5-0 because Jack insisted on it or you got fired. He said you had a week to make sure they worked.

Did you ever get to work in front of the camera maybe as an extra? If so, which episode was it?

I never got in front of the camera. Never had the time.

Do you have a particular episode that you remember the most?  If so, why?

My favorite episode I did was Bomb Bomb Who's Got the Bomb. We got to go to the Big Island when the volcano was erupting and got to shoot right next to it. It was very exciting and dangerous but fun. We had to make a run for it a few times when the lava got to close to where we were shooting.

Of all the actors and actresses, who did you find to be the friendliest and who was the hardest to please?

The friendliest actor I ever worked with would have to be George Kennedy. He was just the best and he never said a cross to anyone on the crew. Lana Turner was also a great actress who treated the crew great and never said a cross word to them.

Did you, through all those years, take any pictures of the show? If so, would you be willing to share a copy of them for the site?

I do have on of Jack’s paintings which he gave me. He was very nice to me. I even had lunch with him on our days off. He was a good man at heart and I liked him.