By Melissa Wagoner
Kelly Farrah is a self-taught historian who never does anything halfway. As a child growing up in Southern California, he developed an interest in both the American Civil War and the Revolutionary War. But it was the materials used during those time periods – the flags, guns, clothing and everything that was a part of daily life for the soldiers and civilians – that really captivated him.
“[My parents] thought I was weird,” he laughed. “Because once I get into something, I don’t stop. I can’t get enough knowledge. It’s like I have a file cabinet in my brain.”
A natural artist, Farrah taught himself to paint, recreate maps and do leatherwork.
“I love these lost arts,” he explained. “When I was little, I used to practice writing like George Washington.”
Putting his passions to good use, Farrah worked for a time as a gunslinger at Knotts Berry Farm, where he became bodyguard for a day for John Wayne – his first brush with fame.
“He took me out to lunch,” Farrah recalled. “That was pretty cool.”
Eventually Farrah moved east, to Atlanta, Georgia, to help his brother – Pat Farrah, cofounder of The Home Depot – as he opened his first few stores.
“I did reenacting and then got into flintlock,” Farrah said, using the general term for a firearm with a flint-striking mechanism.
He also learned to work with black powder, the earliest known chemical explosive, which was used in both the American Civil War and, predictably, on the set of Glory, a 1989 movie about the first all-Black volunteer company.
Filming in nearby Savannah, Georgia, the production company needed an expert in both Civil War weaponry and black powder. As luck would have it, a friend of Farrah’s was working with the crew and knew just who to call.
“I got in and advised on Glory,” Farrah confirmed, “and by the end of it…” he was Assistant Prop Master.
He was also on his way to establishing a long career as Prop Master, overseeing all of the necessary props – from drinking glasses and chairs to one-of-a-kind weapons, flags and maps – on the sets of dozens of movies and televisions shows including, Gettysburg (1993), Buffalo Soldiers (1997), The Walking Dead series, and three of the four Pirates of the Caribbean movies – to name just a few.
“I got a reputation,” Farrah said. “They said, this guy knows stuff.”
And Hollywood taught Farrah a few things as well. In fact, working alongside stars like Tom Berenger, Ed Harris, Sam Elliott and Johnny Depp, has given Farrah countless stories that, to him, are simply all in a day’s work.
“People say, it must be glamorous,” he said. “But it’s not. It’s 16 hours a day and it’s hard work.”
It’s also countless hours of travel between his Oregon home and wherever the production he is currently working on is being shot. But for Farrah, it’s been worth it to live in a place he loves.
“We came to visit [Silverton] and it was like Mayberry,” Farrah said, recalling the impression the town first made on him and his wife, Judy, over 30 years ago. “We said, this would be a good place to raise kids.”
And so, they made the move, raising two sons. Over the years, Kelly painted several of Silverton’s murals, including one depicting the town’s historic baseball team, the Red Sox. After almost 30 years as Silverton residents, Kelly and Judy relocated to their current home in Salem from which 70-year-old Kelly continues to commute to production sets and locations.
“As long as there’s an airport, you can go anywhere,” he pointed out. Adding, “I work in Atlanta a lot.”
Or he did – until the recent Hollywood strikes put him largely out of work.
But he’s ready to get started on new projects, which will include Sacajawea: The Windcatcher – an independent feature in development.
“I want to go again…” Farrah said, describing the feeling the recent forced retirement has engendered in him. “I want to get in a couple of good things before my career is over.”
