Special Arm of Burbank Library Fills Hollywood’s Unusual Requests : Research: Warner Collection has 38,000 exhibits to draw from.

Joyse Kneisel remembers one particular question that was pitched to the staff of the Warner Research Collection eight years ago.

If someone dies on an airplane, what happens to the body?

Kneisel, a research assistant, recalled the answer given by an airline official: “They wrap it up and make it look like it’s asleep, and then they take it off after everybody else has left.”

Although the question was a bit more macabre than usual, everyone who works at the collection has come to expect the unusual.

Located on the second floor of the Burbank Central Library, the Warner Research Collection serves as a resource primarily for people working in motion pictures, television, commercials and stage productions. The collection is made up of more than 38,000 books, magazines and newspapers and has clip files with more than 2 million items.

Joan Michaels, a research assistant with the collection since 1985, said the WRC also is used by theme park designers and commercial illustrators. But not every customer wants to design a set or story board. One couple researched their Robin Hood and Maid Marian wedding outfits there.

The staff of five--two researchers, one clerical worker and two volunteers--work in surroundings that are unusual for a library. Ape-like heads (from “Planet of the Apes” and “Quest for Fire”) sit on green filing cabinets. Nearby, a miniature log cabin from the movie “Starman” is encased in a plexiglass box. On the walls are dozens of different cardboard cards printed with the titles of TV series and movies. There’s also a production illustration from “Mommie Dearest,” a photo of the office set in the movie “9 to 5” and a story board from a Cheech and Chong film. The props, models, cards and drawings are gifts from grateful patrons.

According to the 27-year-old Michaels, a Burbank resident, the collection formerly was the art department research library for Warner Brothers Studios until it was donated to the city of Burbank in 1975.

The WRC helped the makers of the Jerry Lee Lewis film biography “Great Balls of Fire” research the interiors of wedding chapels circa 1958 and provided photos of New York police uniforms for “Ghostbusters II.”

John Cleveland, a salesman at Hollywood Cinema Arts, a prop rental and sales store, has used the collection for clients who have worked on “Cagney & Lacey” and the miniseries “Favorite Son.” “They have everything you can possibly think of,” he said. “Joan at one time did a huge order for me . . . and as a joke I turned around and asked her for a photo of an Afghan family in front of their mud hut with a Russian tank behind it.” Within two days, Cleveland said, he got a copy of the photo from Michaels, along with a phony bill for a huge sum.

Production designer Dan Lomino, who prepared for the Jeff Bridges’ movie “Starman” at the WRC, said he was able to quickly establish the look of the hero’s cross-country trek by viewing photographs of vegetation, highway signs, city halls and license plates. “I wouldn’t do a show without researching it at the Warner Research Collection,” he said.

The WRC also is lauded by clients for its up-to-date clip files. Susan Denison Geller, a free-lance costume designer, said she was able to research modern-day Moroccan clothing there for a play, “Morocco,” at Costa Mesa’s South Coast Repertory.

Michaels said in addition to getting requests related to the look of a film, TV show or play, the library does research on story ideas for writers and producers. But the research does not come cheap. The library charges $50 an hour with a $12.50 minimum.

Michaels says people tell her that their time is too valuable to do the research themselves. “Essentially this service is a convenience for them,” she said.

Typically, the collection will receive a phone call from a client requesting material. The WRC staff will check their closed stacks to see if they have anything appropriate, and if so, the client gets a call back, and the staff will put the materials aside. The WRC can also photocopy and mail or fax materials.

“The charge,” Michaels said, “is based on the amount of time it takes the researcher to put” the materials together, adding that there’s no charge for the amount of time the client spends at the library.

Michaels said she gets great satisfaction in seeing a finished product on the movie or TV screen. “I like seeing results. I mean, to me that’s exciting.”

Even with a long list of satisfied clients, that doesn’t mean the WRC can help everyone. Sometimes it’s the easy requests that get by. Someone once asked for a picture of a light bulb. “And, you know, we didn’t have any pictures in the file,” Michaels said. “And we said, ‘Well, . . . go get a lamp.’ ”