Many of you have seen behind-the-scenes snippets of DQ on such shows as ET or Access Hollywood, so you have probably seen Gil without even knowing it. For five full seasons, wherever Joe was on the set, Gil was always close at hand, ready to fix what needed fixing, find whatever seemed to be missing, and make sure that Sully was wearing whatever he should be wearing for the next scene. However, Gil didn't only have Sully's costumes to look after; he was also responsible for the costumes worn by Matthew, Brian, the Rev., Cloud Dancing, Robert E. and Daniel. His days were full. We always hear about the long hours an actor puts in on a set but few of us think about the crew whose days are even longer. Gil must have been one of the first to arrive at work in the morning and one of the last to leave at night. Thirteen to fourteen hour days were the norm.

Yet, in spite of his long and often demanding hours, Gil would always find the time to patiently explain what was happening in a scene if we couldn't see or hear what was going on as well as answering the countless other questions which we came up with and which he must have heard from every fan who ever visited the ranch!

So just when he thought he must be finished with questions about DQ forever, along I come with a whole bunch more about working with Joe. And once again he's come through for me and patiently answered them all (well, almost all)!

This interview was done by mail and not in person or over the phone, otherwise it would be twice as long as it is now, as for almost every answer that Gil gave, I have another question. Another time perhaps!

Gil - you've done a fabulous job - thank you !

Question:

What exactly does a costumer do?

On "Dr. Quinn" I was hired to be the men's set costumer. That means I took care of the clothes for the male actors. Pam Havens was the set costumer for the female actors. The most important part of the job is making sure the actors are in the correct costume for each scene shot. In the morning, your call is before the actors, usually eighteen minutes before. The first thing you do is check the call sheet (given out the night before, listing the scenes to be shot that day) for the correct costume and take it to the actor's dressing room. As you work your way down the call sheet, you do that for each scene.


Polaroid shots from "Change of Heart"
Click on thumbnails for larger view

We break the script into scripted days. A typical DQ script had six script days. As each costume change is established, you write down a description in the breakdown and take a Polaroid photo. We never shot a show in continuity. A typical DQ call sheet would have you shooting scenes from most of the script days. You might start in day 3, go to day 5, then day 1, back to day 3 ... and so on.

Why are the Polaroid photos of Sully taken at a 45 degree angle?

The 600 Polaroid film which they used produced square pictures. In order to get as close to the subject as possible and get a full image, the photos were taken at an angle. It's been done that way for a long time!

Did you work on DQ from 'The Pilot' and if not, when did you start?

I started work on DQ on April 5, 1993. It was the first day of the Kenny Rogers show called ‘Portraits'.

Did Joe ever have any input into what he wanted to wear during a particular episode or did you choose all his clothes for each show?

Sometimes Joe would tell me he wanted to wear a certain shirt, but usually it was up to me to pick out his changes. Unless it was something specific in the script, I picked out the changes for the actors from their "closet" in the wardrobe trailer.

Was there anything he really disliked wearing?

If Joe didn't like a shirt, he would tell me about it. Sometimes shirts were made too small or in a color he didn't like.

Why did he only ever wear a hat in 'The Pilot' and it was never seen again? Was that something he wanted to get rid of? Also, what happened to the blue headband? I think the last time we got to see him wear that was in ‘Buffalo Soldiers'.

I didn't know Joe wore a headband, but I did see pictures of him in the hat. I guess you can tell I never saw ‘The Pilot.' My guess about his not wearing a hat is that he hated how he looked in it.

Do you think Sully's clothes were historically accurate for a mountain man of that era? Were they intended to be?

The shirts that Joe wore were very much like the research pictures of the period. Joe's leather pants were actually copied off an old pair of his Levi's that he liked.

Throughout the series he seemed to have about three different colored pairs of buckskins, three or four cream shirts and an assortment of colored shirts. But in actual fact, how big really was Sully's closet? How many pairs of pants and shirts did he really own? How about suits?

There were four sets of leather pants made over the years. After the original set, we made 6 pair at a time, with one pair made larger for a stunt man. Joe had about ten sets of shirts made over the years, besides the shirts from ‘The Pilot'. The latter came from Western Costume Co. For some reason, Joe didn't want to wear the blue shirts, and we had made four sets. The caped leather jackets were made after the Washington show because we needed at least three for stunts. The original jacket, of which there was only one, because the double jacket didn't match, fell apart during the fight scene at the train station. Well, there I was at midnight, in the wardobe trailer, trying to sew it back together so we could get the last shots in Sacramento. I don't think Joe liked the look of the caped jackets so that is why the final set of four leather jackets was made. Joe's original dress clothes came from W.C.C. The black frock coat was bought and modified in our workroom with velvet lapels and edging. The suit he wore in the Washington show was made to order by a showbiz tailor. The original jacket was given to Joe when we wrapped.

Did Joe's weight fluctuate much during the time you worked with him?

Joe actually needed the pants taken in at one point. He lost weight and kept it off.

Is there any truth in the Star story that he came back from a summer hiatus having gained 15 lbs. and Jane told him he was fat and ordered him to lose it?

I never heard the overweight story before.

How come in the final season you always made Sully wear his shirt in bed? We suspect Joe was refusing to do shirtless scenes. Are we right?

It was Joe's idea to wear the shirts to bed in the last season. Also, the shows were supposed to be in winter. That's why he wore an undershirt for a few episodes.

Which episode did you all have the most fun filming?

I really can't say these episodes were fun, but I liked doing the Boston show and ‘Cattle Drive'. They were completely different from our regular shows. The Boston and Washington shows were like shooting a feature film, but doing it in fifteen days.

We know that Joe's sister was an extra in ‘Runaway Train'. Were any of his relatives in any of the other episodes? Was Kirsten? If so, which episodes were they in?

Joe's sister was the only relative of his in a show.

We are told Joe did many of his own stunts. Can you think of one or two which were particularly impressive?

Joe is a very good athlete so he did a lot of stunt stuff over the years. His flying and falling off a horse or two is amazing because he kept getting back on. One of Joe's best stunts was his running leap to the balcony when the town was on fire in ‘The Abduction'. He went from the street, to the wagon, and then over the railing in one smooth move.

Jane loves to tell the story about the time Joe vaulted on to his horse and went straight over the other side of it. Were you there for that? If so, what's your version?

I was there the day he disappeared off the side of the horse. It was funny at the time and we were all glad he didn't get hurt. That could also be said for the time he galloped into the Indian Reservation Village. The horse stopped suddenly and Joe didn't. The horse was spooked by the smoke and falling teepees. That take didn't make it into the show because they did another take where he stayed on the horse.

You worked with Joe a long time, do you have a memory of when he did something particularly funny that you can share?

Joe is very funny and he is a great mimic. He does mimic crew and other actors and is spot on.

I know there were times that Joe had to film scenes in the rain. How difficult where his buckskin pants and jackets to take care of when soaking wet? Did they take a long time to dry out?

We filmed scenes in rain and in streams with Joe. I am here to tell you that leather is very heavy when it is wet. His pants and jacket would take two days to dry. Wet leather is not fun to work with. Wet clothes in general are not!

How much earlier than Joe did you have to get to the set? And how much later did you have to stay at the end of the day?

My usual call on DQ was 0524, which was eighteen minutes before Joe's call. At night, it would usually take me twenty-five minutes to finish writing up the cleaning and putting away "stuff", after the last actor left.

Was Joe pretty good at picking up after himself or were his costumes just left in a heap on the floor of his trailer?

Joe didn't throw his clothes on the floor. The jacket was usually hung up and the rest was left on the couch.

Question:

There was a time when Sully wore gloves almost constantly. Was there any particular reason for this?

I think Joe wore gloves so he would not have to wear makeup on his hands. The gloves were also nice to have on in winter.

What did you use to make Sully's shirts all look so grimy (until he married Mike of course)?

To make Joe's shirts dirty (or as we say in the movie biz, "age them down"), I would use a towel soaked in mineral oil and covered with Fuller's Earth. Fuller's Earth is a finely ground powder made from stone. It's used also to put color in paint. You use the towel to rub the oil and dirt into the shirt. It would take about fifteen minutes a shirt so that they would all match.

Which is your favorite episode out of all of them?

I don't usually watch shows I have worked on unless it was a special show or there is a screening of it.

Do you have any idea which is Joe's favorite episode?

I don't know which episode Joe liked.

What happened to all Sully's costumes when the series finished?

Except for a few things given to the actors, it all went to the CBS wardrobe dept.

Did Joe keep anything for himself?

I think Joe was given two jackets, a pair of pants, a couple of shirts and a pair of his ropers.

Can you recall a time when a fan was a real nuisance to Joe on the set? Was there ever a time when a fan may have been considered dangerous?

When I first got on the show, I was told of someone they were trying to keep off the set. I don't know anymore than that.

You've met lots of Joe's fans at the set over the years. Can you describe a typical fan?

Carol, most of Joe's fans are just like you! They have families, computers, jobs and they are from around the world.

Who else on the cast of DQ did you look after?

When I first started on DQ, I was responsible for all the male cast members. It was in September of 1994 that John George, who started the show earlier, took half of the cast. That left me with Joe, Chad, Shawn and Geoffrey, Larry, Henry and John. To balance the workload, I would pick-up the odd guest or two.

Have you heard any rumblings about a DQ movie?

I have heard the rumors about a TV movie and maybe 44 episodes. Who knows?

With the exception of four years which he spent in the U.S. Air Force, Gil, like his father before him, has spent his entire working life in the entertainment industry. He briefly spent time as a driver and a set dresser while breaking into the entertainment industry. On December 2, 1965, he got a job at MGM which was supposed to be for a few days and he ended up staying two years as a costumer. That first job involved the movie 'Ice Station Zebra' which was to have starred Gregory Peck but he didn't like the script so it was later made with Rock Hudson in the starring role. Gil has seen many shows come and go over the years, among them the t.v. classic, Quantum Leap which was another old favorite of mine for which Gil did the costumes. But Gil went on to add "of all the shows I have worked on, DQ is the only one I really felt the loss of having it cancelled. It was the people on the crew, the cast, and the location that really made it special. And I have to include the fans in that! There will never be another show like it."

The news of the cancellation of DQ in May hit us all hard but, from what I understand, it hit the crew hardest of all. Gil has obviously put a lot of time and effort into answering these questions for me and I'm proud to have been a fan of such a wonderful show, and having had the opportunity to make friends with some of the people who helped make it so special.