Red phone, blue shovels, and other tools of the trade

Many great moments in movie history are made possible by the right prop. Luke Skywalker had a lightsaber, Frodo Baggins had a ring, Citizen Kane had a sled. Philip Hall has a red phone. THE red phone, one might say. Starting with the teaser trailer for “The Groundbreaking,” in which Hall memorably blew a cloud of dust off it, the red phone has become an identifiable symbol of the new facility’s construction.

Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Lisa Saladin debuted the prop by pulling it from her desk drawer; Hall subsequently used it in the trailer and the feature; and during the Topping Out Ceremony, he pulled it out to bring on Dean Emeritus William Golod H’93 to start the crane. Rumors abound that the phone has been attached to the extended Pharmacy Facility Universe (PFU) and will continue to appear in future episodes of the franchise.

“We live in a visual age, so we incorporated distinctive props to help tell the story from a visual perspective,” said Megan Theiling Draper, director of development (and propmaster, as needed).

“A bright red phone is shorthand for importance and urgency. It helps communicate that this facility is vitally important to the college, which in turn is vitally important to MUSC,” explained Roby Hill, director of communications.

The other main props for The Groundbreaking were also symbolic: Antique phone - candlestick variety - for lengthy tradition; commemorative hard hats - currency of events; bright green shovel - ceremonial and ritual.