--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Frank Capra was a prop man, I think. John…" description: "\"Frank Capra was a prop man, I think. John Ford was a prop man. It was a little bit of a father and son thing, and you kind of worked your way up.\" — Fr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4c/francis-ford-coppola-2337_father_frank-capra-was-a-prop-man-i-think-john_142693.jpg" --- # Frank Capra was a prop man, I think. John Ford was a prop… ![“Frank Capra was a prop man, I think. John Ford was a prop man. It was a little bit of a father and son thing, and you kind of worked your way up.” quote by Francis Ford Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4c/francis-ford-coppola-2337_father_frank-capra-was-a-prop-man-i-think-john_142693.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4c/francis-ford-coppola-2337_father_frank-capra-was-a-prop-man-i-think-john_142693.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4c/francis-ford-coppola-2337_father_frank-capra-was-a-prop-man-i-think-john_142693.jpg) > “Frank Capra was a prop man, I think. John Ford was a prop man. It was a little bit of a father and son thing, and you kind of worked your way up.” [Francis Ford Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ford-coppola/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Film careers start with humble roles; mentorship and lineage matter. **In simple terms:** Film starts humble; mentorship matters. Key Takeaway Learn from every role. Themes career mentorship film industry Mood ambitious practical Type practical motivational When to use this quote - internship - assistant work - directing Key Concepts history networking Questions to Reflect On - What steps will you take to grow? - How can you find mentors? A Different Perspective Advancement isn’t guaranteed despite connections. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Father and son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father-and-son/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son/) ## Related quotes > [June Cleaver didn't keep her house in perfect order, the prop man did it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-billingsley/june-cleaver-didn-t-keep-her-house-in-perfect-order-the-prop-man-did/) [Barbara Billingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-billingsley/) > [Tim Conway was a little different from the rest. He was always in the back of the studio building something with the prop man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-lawrence/tim-conway-was-a-little-different-from-the-rest-he-was-always-in-the/) [Vicki Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-lawrence/) > [I think Frank Capra was a much craftier filmmaker, a wonderful filmmaker. He had enormous technique, and he knew how to manipulate the public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-think-frank-capra-was-a-much-craftier-filmmaker-a-wonderful/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [One does not have to make Frank Capra movies to like people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/one-does-not-have-to-make-frank-capra-movies-to-like-people/) [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) > [Think of Frank Capra and Preston Sturges. They used the same actors over and over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-modine/think-of-frank-capra-and-preston-sturges-they-used-the-same-actors/) [Matthew Modine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-modine/) > [My favorite filmmaker is Frank Capra. He talked about the redemption of the human spirit - not the superhero, but the common man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-duke/my-favorite-filmmaker-is-frank-capra-he-talked-about-the-redemption/) [Bill Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-duke/) > [Frank Capra made a series of films during World War II called 'Why We Fight' that explored America's reasons for entering the war. Today,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-jarecki/frank-capra-made-a-series-of-films-during-world-war-ii-called-why-we/) [Eugene Jarecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-jarecki/) > [“A 1945 film called Japan: Know Your Enemy, directed by Frank Capra (who directed several popular motion pictures during the 1930s and ’40s, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-livingstone-smith/a-1945-film-called-japan-know-your-enemy-directed-by-frank-capra-who/) [David Livingstone Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-livingstone-smith/) > [You have that Frank Capra kind of side to it and the characters are really well drawn, so I think everybody tried their best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bridges/you-have-that-frank-capra-kind-of-side-to-it-and-the-characters-are/) [Jeff Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bridges/) > [I was fishing with director Frank Capra once and we talked about retirement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-macmurray/i-was-fishing-with-director-frank-capra-once-and-we-talked-about/) [Fred MacMurray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-macmurray/) > [The Hollywood of Frank Capra's era, when Reagan became a minor star, sold the world an image of American pith and patriotism in many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/the-hollywood-of-frank-capra-s-era-when-reagan-became-a-minor-star/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [I got to watch Frank Capra, in his eighties, in action. You read all the stories about Frank Capra fighting with the head of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/i-got-to-watch-frank-capra-in-his-eighties-in-action-you-read-all-the/) [David Copperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-copperfield/) > [I love Frank Capra. He believed in the goodness of people and one man's ability to fight and often triumph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shadyac/i-love-frank-capra-he-believed-in-the-goodness-of-people-and-one-man/) [Tom Shadyac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shadyac/) > [I don't know that I'll ever get to make my ideal film, because Frank Capra is dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haley-bennett/i-don-t-know-that-i-ll-ever-get-to-make-my-ideal-film-because-frank/) [Haley Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haley-bennett/) > [I went to visit Frank Capra, one of my idols, and did a kind of Judd Apatow interview with him. I said, "I'd like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/i-went-to-visit-frank-capra-one-of-my-idols-and-did-a-kind-of-judd/) [David Copperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-copperfield/) ## More by Francis Ford Coppola > [I wrote the script of Patton. I had this very bizarre opening where he stands up in front of an American flag and gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ford-coppola/i-wrote-the-script-of-patton-i-had-this-very-bizarre-opening-where-he/) [Francis Ford Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ford-coppola/) > [The only TV I would be interested in exploring would be live television. There's no substitute for a team of artists performing at their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ford-coppola/the-only-tv-i-would-be-interested-in-exploring-would-be-live/) [Francis Ford Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ford-coppola/) > [I have more of a vivid imagination than I have talent. I cook up ideas. It's just a characteristic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ford-coppola/i-have-more-of-a-vivid-imagination-than-i-have-talent-i-cook-up-ideas/) [Francis Ford Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ford-coppola/) > [I associate my motion picture career more with being unhappy and scared, or being under the gun, than with anything pleasant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ford-coppola/i-associate-my-motion-picture-career-more-with-being-unhappy-and/) [Francis Ford Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ford-coppola/) > [Collaboration is like the sex of creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ford-coppola/collaboration-is-like-the-sex-of-creativity/) [Francis Ford Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ford-coppola/) > [Death is what makes life an event.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ford-coppola/death-is-what-makes-life-an-event/) [Francis Ford Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ford-coppola/) > [I have much to learn from my daughter Sofia. Her minimalism exposes my limitations: I'm too instinctive and operatic, I put too much heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ford-coppola/i-have-much-to-learn-from-my-daughter-sofia-her-minimalism-exposes-my/) [Francis Ford Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ford-coppola/) > [It's ironic that at age 32, at probably the greatest moment of my career, with The Godfather having such an enormous success, I wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ford-coppola/it-s-ironic-that-at-age-32-at-probably-the-greatest-moment-of-my/) [Francis Ford Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ford-coppola/) > [Without a doubt, I was born to want to make cinema, but the kind of cinema I want to make is not like commercial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ford-coppola/without-a-doubt-i-was-born-to-want-to-make-cinema-but-the-kind-of/) [Francis Ford Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ford-coppola/) > [I had been a kid that moved so much, I didn’t have a lot of friends. Theater really represented that kind of camaraderie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ford-coppola/i-had-been-a-kid-that-moved-so-much-i-didn-t-have-a-lot-of-friends/) [Francis Ford Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ford-coppola/) > [Wine is so much more than a beverage. It's a romance, a story, a drama-all of those things that are basically putting on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ford-coppola/wine-is-so-much-more-than-a-beverage-it-s-a-romance-a-story-a-drama/) [Francis Ford Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ford-coppola/) > [When I do a novel, I don't really use the script, I use the book; when I did Apocalypse Now, I used Heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ford-coppola/when-i-do-a-novel-i-don-t-really-use-the-script-i-use-the-book-when-i/) [Francis Ford Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ford-coppola/) > [Listen, if there's one sure-fire rule that I have learned in this business, it's that I don't know anything about human nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ford-coppola/listen-if-there-s-one-sure-fire-rule-that-i-have-learned-in-this/) [Francis Ford Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ford-coppola/) > [There can't be art without risk. It's like saying No Sex, and then expecting there to be children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ford-coppola/there-can-t-be-art-without-risk-it-s-like-saying-no-sex-and-then/) [Francis Ford Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ford-coppola/) > [I have always credited the writer of the original material above the title: Mario Puzo's The Godfather, Bram Stoker's Dracula, or John Grisham's The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ford-coppola/i-have-always-credited-the-writer-of-the-original-material-above-the/) [Francis Ford Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ford-coppola/) [Explore all 171 Francis Ford Coppola quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ford-coppola/) ## More Father quotes > [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/) [John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/) > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [(knitting while on a motorcycle) "For several years she knitted in secret (my father would not approve; she was to concentrate on motorcycling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-zimmermann/knitting-while-on-a-motorcycle-for-several-years-she-knitted-in/) [Elizabeth Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-zimmermann/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [My parents were not musical, and they were not effervescent people; everything was very quiet. The music that I played was loud; it used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-mclean/my-parents-were-not-musical-and-they-were-not-effervescent-people/) [Don McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-mclean/) > [“My father called twice and left a voicemail—who does that?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-erickson/my-father-called-twice-and-left-a-voicemail-who-does-that/) [Megan Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-erickson/) > [My father longed for a better life for us, and when I was nine he got a job as a heart surgeon in Belfast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-melua/my-father-longed-for-a-better-life-for-us-and-when-i-was-nine-he-got/) [Katie Melua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-melua/) > [I guess, it's a father's dream for his daughter to be known around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-soberano/i-guess-it-s-a-father-s-dream-for-his-daughter-to-be-known-around-the/) [Liza Soberano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-soberano/) > [The old men of the village of Mahotière say that the Mistress of the Water is a mulatto woman. At midnight she comes out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-roumain/the-old-men-of-the-village-of-mahoti-re-say-that-the-mistress-of-the/) [Jacques Roumain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-roumain/) > [“I don’t know. We all have to bear things, Ari. All of us. Your father has to bear the war and what it did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-know-we-all-have-to-bear-things-ari-all-of-us-your-father-has/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“This was, I sometimes thought, the last gift my father gave me. And the best: His death stood out as the supreme-o excuse for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/this-was-i-sometimes-thought-the-last-gift-my-father-gave-me-and-the/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [My father was very encouraging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-nutini/my-father-was-very-encouraging/) [Paolo Nutini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-nutini/) > [I'm a strange mixture of my mother's curiosity; my father, who grew up the son of the manse in a Presbyterian family, who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/i-m-a-strange-mixture-of-my-mother-s-curiosity-my-father-who-grew-up/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [It is a sweet thing that we serve a dissatisfied God who has destinations in mind for us that we would never choose for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-david-tripp/it-is-a-sweet-thing-that-we-serve-a-dissatisfied-god-who-has/) [Paul David Tripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-david-tripp/) > [Liesel observed the strangeness of her foster father's eyes. They were made of kindness, and silver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/liesel-observed-the-strangeness-of-her-foster-father-s-eyes-they-were/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) [Browse all 19,784 Father quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Frank Capra was a prop man, I think. John Ford was a prop man. 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