One item you'll instantly recognize is a small tabletop bell (and an accompanying striker/mallet) used in court martial proceedings. It is used by the officer presiding over the court to call the court to order—usually with a series of three or four double taps to the bell: ("Ding-ding! Ding-ding! Ding-ding!")
How many times did we see this prop? Well, only four times actually.
It first shows up in the episode "Court Martial." The script for "Court Martial" describes a bit what the Courtroom set is supposed to look like:
"...wherever possible the overtone of the room
should be strictly naval... highlighting this effect is the
ancient naval ship's BELL that Stone will ring to call the
court to order."
It’s used again in "The Menagerie, Part 1:"
And, of course, in "The Menagerie, Part 2:"
And the last time it's used is in "Space Seed:"
(It's
not used at the competency hearing for Kirk in "The Deadly Years," and it’s not used at the mutiny trial of Mister Spock in "Turnabout Intruder.")
So, what is this bell, actually? Well, interestingly, it's not an "ancient naval ship's bell." It's a particular style of bell manufactured by the Russell-Hampton Company and used by Rotary Club chapters to call their Interact meetings to order. I guess it looks "naval" enough and certainly has the advantage of beng designed to sit on a tabletop. (A real ship's bell probably would have been mounted on something; things on tabletops on ships tend to slide off in choppy seas.) At any rate, here's a shot of a current one:
Nowadays, the Rotary Club puts the Rotary Club symbol on the top of the bell. But older bells (like from the 1960s during
Star Trek’s production) didn’t have the symbol; it was just the bell.
You can get a current bell (with the symbol on the top) at Russell-Hampton’s website:
http://www.ruh.com/Rotary/prodinfo.asp?number=R89910
For older bells without the symbol on the top, you’ll have to hunt through antique shops or on ebay (or buy a new one and then get a hacksaw).
At any rate, here is my old-style, vintage Russell-Hampton Rotary Interact Club bell and an accompanying wooden striker/mallet:
(I checked using my little electronic guitar tuner: the bell rings at just about a perfect E flat when struck.)
Slideshow is at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10901121@N06/...298726829/show/
Greg Schnitzer
Property Master
Star Trek Phase II