Press Release

Magnum Products Light Tower Makes Cameo in Blockbuster

Unit prominenetly displayed in mega-hit The Dark Knight

By Jason J. Fox,

When area film buffs line up in droves to see Johnny Depp reincarnate the infamous gangster John Dillinger in Public Enemies this summer, many will be doing so in the hopes of also seeing the familiar faces of area residents lucky enough to have landed roles as extras. The local 'cinemaniacs' who were among the millions to shell out their hard-earned cash to make last year's The Dark Knight one of the five highest-grossing films in history may or may not have noticed that another area resident of sorts had made its way onto the silver screen ahead of the Dillinger gang.

Although limited to just a few seconds of footage, a 4000-Series portable light tower manufactured at Magnum Products, LLC in Berlin plays second fiddle only to accomplished actor Gary Oldman during what's considered by many one of The Dark Knight's most thrilling sequences. While not the first time one of the former Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year's wares had made its way onto the screen, even owner Tom Joseph had to allow that such prominent placement within the frame - accidental or otherwise - was a pleasant surprise for both him and his staff.

"It's always fun to see our products on movies and television," said Joseph, whose equipment has appeared in backdrops in productions ranging from the Nicolas Cage vehicle National Treasure to the popular weekly program Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. "The ones I'm really happy for are the employees. I mean, how many people get the chance to see something that they made on TV or in the movies?"

It would take a trained eye to pick out a Magnum Products machine on most shows or films, but the company's moment in the spotlight on The Dark Knight would be hard to miss, regardless of how brief. Arriving shortly before the two-hour mark of the 152-minute sequel to 2005's Batman Begins, the scene takes place immediately on the heels of one of the film's most dramatic moments - a series of explosions which levels Gotham General Hospital.

Following the getaway of the Joker - the final role portrayed by the late Heath Ledger - Oldman's character, Gotham Police Lt. James Gordon arrives on the scene to coordinate the search for hospitalized District Attorney Harvey Dent, during which he passes and briefly pauses directly in front of the Magnum Products light tower.

"I'm quite sure it was on accident," admitted Magnum Products marketing coordinator Debbie Hartwig of the scene. "We've been in movie shots before, but this was completely unexpected. We're all very proud and excited to work here in the first place, but to have the chance to have our logo recognized worldwide is just a bigger feather in our cap."

Since Magnum Products currently sells its merchandise in forty-two different countries and The Dark Knight is expected to make a considerable splash at the 2009 Academy Awards, Hartwig's observation could very well be an understatement. In spite of going up against the likes of Nokia, Lamborghini, and Giorgio Armani, Magnum Products is arguably the recipient of the most evident free advertising in the movie. So much so, in fact, that Warner Bros. had to call during post-production to actually ask permission to keep the scene intact, given the highly visible logo alongside Oldman.

Magnum Products has since returned the favor, however, and is currently in the process of requesting clip licensing from the studio in order to use film footage in a corporate video which should be completed by the middle of next year.

Joseph isn't about to dismiss the fortune of having had his company's image portrayed on one of the most successful films in cinema history, but he was quick to point out that the unexpected moment caught on film afforded him an even better opportunity on the personal level. Accustomed to embarrassing his children by boisterously reacting to Magnum Products wares in various backdrops over the years, he saved a particularly dramatic moment of his own for last summer.

During the peak of The Dark Knight's popularity last August, Tom and Carol Joseph traveled to Maryland to visit their son, Anthony, at the United States Naval Academy. With hundreds of Midshipmen in attendance at a screening in a massive downtown theater, Joseph was true to form when he stood up during the hospital scene to proclaim, "Look, Anthony! There's one of our light towers!"

Now available in DVD and Blu-Ray format, The Dark Knight features a wide range of Hollywood notables. Christian Bale, who starred in films such as American Psycho and The Machinist, reprises his dual-role as Batman and Bruce Wayne, while Aaron Eckhardt, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman, and Eric Roberts also play prominent roles.