Hello Friends!
About a month ago, I took the beautiful drive from Cleveland OH, to New York City. This was to pick up the Mini-Crab Dolly that Zul Atmosudirdjo, Teaching Soundstage Manager at New York University, so graciously set aside for us.
Not only did I pick up the dolly, but Zul gave me the most awesome tour of NYU Tisch School of the Arts. As I walked through one of the best film schools in the world, I couldn't help but to wonder of all the great filmmakers, past and present, that honed their craft at NYU. Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Oliver Stone, and M. Night Shyamalan, are just some of the greats that came out of NYU. Not to mention the probability that many of them actually used this very same dolly to create their reels. This was during the 40 year period this dolly was used during instruction at NYU.
During my fabulous tour, I observed a classroom in session, a fully functioning sound stage and other special behind-the-scene-areas. Zul even showed me another iconic dolly....the Fearless Panoram. I've heard about these 900+ pound classics but never seen one up close. They are massive and were certainly manufactured way before William Sargent's ingenious design of the portable Mini-Crab Dolly.
After my 8-hour trek back home, the former NYU Mini-Crab Dolly is now tucked away in our garage. Next year, Adam, and I will begin the process of refurbishing it.
The NYU Dolly is finally home!
William Sargent (designer/inventor of this dolly) was informed about this special acquisition. Needless to say, he was very happy to hear about one of his babies!
Lastly, I wish to sincerely thank my good friend, Zul, for not only finding our website, but also reaching out to me and holding this very special gift for us. Thank you Zul! You ARE the BEST!
