Exclusive Pictures : Tom Scherman and The Original Time Machine

Here are some exclusive shots showing the great Tom Scherman that no one have ever seen before! Tom, as we know, was the absolute Nautilus specialist - and thanks to him we have a full size Nautilus at Disneyland Paris - but he also found in love with one of the most famous props in films history, i.e the Time Machine from George Pal 1960' Time Machine movie with Rod Taylor. 

As explained on the Time Machine project website the Time Machine prop has been lost for many years and found in an antique store in Orange county. Tom Scherman and a friend of his had found the machine and told Bob Burns about it. The Time Machine was bought at an M.G.M. auction in 1970. Bob Burns was able to buy what was left of a once great movie prop which was in very poor condition. The original barber chair had been sold separately. The rear pods were severely broken as well. The only non original part is the console and the side rails from the surround rail up. These are the parts that Tom Scherman built for the restoration in which participated ten others people. You can see plenty of pictures showing the condition of the Time Machine after the auction as well as pictures of its restoration and the Bob Burns Halloween show "Return of the Time Machine" that happened once it was restored on the Time Machine project website HERE. 

The pictures that you'll see above and below were sent to me by Evelyn Turner - who is the one who provided to me the other pictures of Tom Scherman that you've seen in a previous article posted last year HERE. Evelyn met Tom through mutual friends around 1973 when she was living in Hollywood. Tom gave her a tour of his Nautilus apartment, which was very impressive and they started going together and stayed together a few years, through about 1977 when they grew apart and went their separate ways. You'll see Evelyn in the Time Machine in a few seconds but first, let's have a look at this legendary prop as it looked in the movie.

Many years later, here is Tom standing in front of the Time Machine during its restoration.

And here is Evelyn Turner, that same day, in the Time machine. Evelyn is the one who shot the pictures above and below.

Two pictures of the Time Machine without Tom or Evelyn...

In one of the movie scenes, Rod Taylor, sit in the Time Machine is on its way for another era...

...and many years later, Tom Scherman in the now fully restored Time Machine, a picture probably shot during Bob Burns "return of the Tim Machine" show.

Here is another a picture of Evelyn, probably also shot during the same show.

I can't thank enough Evelyn for this great never-seen-before pictures that i'm sure you've all enjoyed a lot!

Pictures: copyright Evelyn Turner, MGM 

Rare 1993 DLP Official "Les Mystères du Nautilus" Video

Disneyland Paris put on line recently on its Youtube Channel a vintage short video filmed when the Nautilus opened in 1993, and it includes a short appearance of WDI Imagineer Tom Morris, but not Tim Delaney or Tom Scherman, unfortunately. Anyway, it's probably the only official video that still exist showing the Nautilus as it looked on its opening AND the attack by the giant squid, too, so don't miss it!




By the way, the picture on the top, which is a double page in my Disneyland Paris book  is here in wallpaper format!

Picture and video: copyright Disney

Pictorial Memories of Tom Scherman - Photos Courtesy of Evelyn Turner

Here are never-seen-before pictures of the great Tom Sherman that i should have posted since a long time - shame on me! - and we have to thanks Evelyn Turner who was a great friend of Tom, back in the 70's. Evelyn share with us rare pictures of Tom some shot by her, others by a friend, Kathy Sanders - as well as some artwork and she kindly sent me scans of them. Although most of the photos are not in the greatest quality - Evelyn had a cheap old point and shoot camera back in those days - i did my best to enhance the pictures which, again, have never been published anywhere before. 

Tom Scherman, for those of you who still don't know him was the greatest 20000 Leagues Nautilus specialist in the world as well as a genius modeler, a great painter, and a WDI Imagineer. It's thanks to Tom who was the last one to knew the secrets of Harper Goff's Nautilus that we have an almost real size Nautilus at Disneyland Paris' Discoveryland. Not to mention the many Nautilus models that he did and were on display inside DLP Visionarium or Epcot Living Seas. It's also thanks to Tom that Tokyo Disney Sea Mysterious Island has its look, specially the inside of the volcano, as Tom sketches done years before served as inspiration for a big part of it as you can discover on my Tom Scherman website HERE where this article is posted simultaneously.

Here is now an introduction by Evelyn Turner herself: 

"I met Tom through mutual friends around 1973 when I was living in Hollywood.  He gave me a tour of his Nautilus apartment, which was very impressive!  We started going together and stayed together a few years, through about 1977 when we grew apart and went our separate ways. He was working for WED Enterprises at the time, and I loved seeing his drawings and models. I feel very privileged that I was able to contribute in a very minor way to his cutaway Nautilus model by making miniature paintings and gilded frames.

When we were friends in the 70s, I was working for the County of Los Angeles to support myself, but then, as now, I also dabbled in art as a hobby and I was inspired by Tom and his talent.  I also took up belly dance and danced professionally for a few years.  I am now retired and getting back into art by taking some watercolor classes.  I have lots of good memories of Tom and the time we were together and am grateful for your lovely tribute site because it brings back those good old days."

Above, a nice picture of Tom according to Evelyn possibly taken at a science fiction convention. Below, a photo of Tom Scherman with Evelyn Turner at a picnic in 1974 
( the photo was shot by Kathy Sanders ).

As Tom's name is forever linked with the Nautilus, let's have a look now at great pics of Tom standing in 1974 in front of one of his Nautilus model, as well as close-up shots on the model itself.

Thanks to Evelyn we also have very rare pictures of Tom's cutaway Nautilus! Tom gave to Evelyn the 3-dimentional "sketch" - picture below - that he made before he started the full-size model. Evelyn had a small contribution to the model as well. Tom asked her to make some miniature paintings in miniature gilt frames which she did ( she made the frames from pieces cut from gold doilies!) and he used them in the model.  

Below, Tom and Evelyn standing in front of the cutaway Nautilus. Tom eventually sold the model to Disney, but Evelyn don't know what happened to it after that.

As we know Tom Scherman was also a fantastic artist and here are some pictures of artwork - paintings or "napkin" sketches - he gave to Evelyn.

The little monster below is a sketch that Tom did on a piece of CBS memo paper.

I told you that Tom was too a WDI Imagineer and here is a picture of Tom ( on the right ) shot at WDI with Disney Legend Tony Baxter ( second from the right ) and Imagineers John Olson and Jack Terry, charting concepts for what was called at that time "Epcot Oceanography Pavilion". The picture was posted in WED Enterprises ( now WDI ) newsletter called WED-WAY.

Evelyn share a fun memory for this next picture of Tom. She reminds that Tom had to shave his mustache when he took diving lessons... so he put on a false one for this photo!

Another never seen picture of Tom - a Polaroid picture - standing in front of one of his model.

Tom and Evelyn also participated to incredible events as you will see with this next piece showing a newspaper article about a dinner they attended on the Queen Mary to commemorate the Titanic: "Although our table was at the back, all the news people there took our photo because we were the only group who came in costume!"

...the second page of the article - enlarge both pictures to read the article about this memorable evening.

We will end this article with these pictures of Tom and Evelyn standing in front of Tom's incredible giant Iron Man - you can learn more about it in a special article about it with more pictures on Tom's website HERE.

Although we end today with these Iron Man pics there is more photos from Evelyn Turner to come soon in a part two article. And the pictures included in this next article are also amazing as they show Tom with one of the most famous prop in movie history that he bought in an auction and then restored : the original Time Machine from Georges Pal's legendary 1960 famous movie! Don't miss this part two!

Pictures: copyright Evelyn Turner, Kathy Sanders