Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 14, 1990 TAG: 9004140148
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RON HARRIST ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: JACKSON, MISS. LENGTH: Medium
They are so proficient at it that Jarnagin is sure the uniforms he made for the black Union soldiers in the movie "Glory" could fool any Johnny Reb.
The business, C & D Jarnagin Co. of Corinth, began as a hobby for Jarnagin and his wife, Carolyn, in Boulder, Colo. They decided to turn their hobby into a business in the mid-1970s and moved to Mississippi.
"For 15 years we have been producing items that are historically correct, and I think we're doing that even better now," says Jarnagin, whose workshops aren't far from the bloody Civil War battlefield of Shiloh just across the Tennessee border.
In the company's early years, the demand for uniforms, civilian clothing and such items as tents, lanterns and blankets came mostly from museums and historical parks. Today, much of the demand comes from moviemakers.
"In the case of `Glory', when they decided to make the ultimate authentic Civil War movie, they came to us for the equipment," Jarnagin says.
The movie portrays the exploits of the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers, the first Union infantry regiment made up of free blacks.
"We made very detailed uniforms and equipment for closeups, including four sets of uniforms for stuntmen, and hundreds of less detailed uniforms for background shots," he says. "We were also called on to make canteens, haversacks, leather cartridge boxes and even bandages."
A major demand was for military shoes. "They had one scene where they issued dozens of new shoes to people as they joined the army," Jarnagin says.
The company is now working with an Italian filmmaker on a movie dealing with the Indian wars.
"The movie is being filmed in New Mexico," says Jarnagin, "and we are providing them with complete sets of calvary uniforms."
The firm also is providing uniforms for a television mini-series based on the life of Gen. George Armstrong Custer, who died with his troops at the Battle of Little Big Horn.
For "Glory," producers invited any black person to be an extra, but they had to pay for their own uniforms. Prices ranged from about $600 for a first-class outfit, including weapon, down to about $130 for a less-detailed background set.
"We made an arrangement to provide these individuals with the whole package," says Jarnagin, "and as a result outfitted men from Arizona to Washington, D.C., including doctors and lawyers.
"There is now a high-quality corps of black re-enactors who were not available before."
by CNB