If someone on the staff of WHBF-TV needs a pair of men's sleeve garters, a quarter-pound of butter or a white sailor hat, for a television show, he immediately rushes up to the prop and film department located at the rear of the station's newly-constructed massive studio. There, amid countless reels of films and props of all sizes and descriptions, he finds Joe Grear busily working to fulfill usual and unusual requests for the things that are essential to a video program.

During the recent state basketball tournament, Joe was called upon to furnish such items as three dozen oranges, a broken milk bottle complete with spilled milk, a dictionary and car keys. He has canvassed the Quad-Cities many times in a determined effort to collect old-style steel-rimmed spectacles, a girl's wristwatch, a green grass mat and numerous other articles that must be bought or borrowed.

To date, however, Joe reports he has encountered no serious difficulty in obtaining the needed materials. "I've been living in this area for 30 years and most people know me around here. I can go to a lot of places and ask for things that perhaps a stranger might not get."

The unending search for props can end most anywhere - an appliance store, an antique shop, an optometrist's office or a friend's house. "It's up to me to use my head in finding the right props," Joe projected.

Supplying an odd assortment of props comes naturally to Joe, who has been doing it for little theater groups for several years. His initial interest in the art of providing the necessary items which make for a coordinated production was sparked in 1930 when he joined Playcrafters, Rock Island's drama group.

Commenting on some of the out-of-the-ordinary requests he has received, at WHBF-TV, during his year-long job as prop manager, Joe declares: "Mine is not to question. Mine is just to do."

Joe has complete charge of the station's props, their storage and disposition. If certain commodities, essential to a WHBF-TV program are unavailable, Joe Grear, whose hobby is woodworking, will build them. For instance, when the "Scoreboard" show required a gadget in which major league score posters could be inserted and removed with ease, Joe after a fruitless exploration into numerous places for an appropriate score box, decided to assemble one himself. He began the task in the afternoon and late that evening it was ready to go on camera.

"The eye and the ear have to work together in this business," he said. "you have to have a sense of imagination. You must be able to picture how the particular article will look on TV because there's not enough time to build it, knock it down, and build it over again. I also must watch out for any undue noise in operating many props because excess noise is disturbing to the viewer."

In addition to his duties as prop manager, Joe Grear oversees the recording and disposition of all incoming and outgoing films which are in the form of movie strips, music fillers, short subjects, packaged features and spot commercials. He checks and screens incoming films for what he calls "audio and video imperfections."

Joe estimates he views from 4 to 10 half-hour films a day. To those who accuse him of having the "softest" job in TV, Joe retorts;"Not all of the films I see are interesting. Some of them are very dull. Besides, I have a lot of other things to do while the films are running. I sort of have to watch them with one eye as I get the rest of my work done with the other."

The stepped-up pace at which television producers have been filming shows and commercials lately is evidenced by the steadily increasing amount of reels received at WHBF-TV, all of which pass through Joe Grear's hands and the station's sound projector before they are aired. "Why our film department has grown almost 200 per cent," Joe asserted.

TV Guide, Week of May 8 - 14, 1953

If you have any memories, film or pictures from live programming on WHBF, WOC or WQAD, please email me!

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