PARTY ON THE SET CAN ALSO JAZZ UP YOUR HOME; SAME PROPS THAT STUDIOS USE ALSO CAN JAZZ UP YOUR HOME.

Byline: Carol Bidwell Staff Writer

You yearn for a home that looks like a movie set, but a working person's budget and a tract home make your dream house only a daydream.

Well, you don't have to be Aaron Spelling or Steven Speilberg to bring a bit of the movies' pizzaz and style into your own home for that special party, courtesy of a handful of Valley entertainment prop houses that provide furniture, accessories and decidedly weird items for movies and TV.

And if you check them out now, you can do a modest makeover just in time for your upcoming Halloween party or, on a classier note, for Thanksgiving and other upcoming holidays.

Shopping for home decorating and party accents in a prop house isn't like strolling through Macy's, though. Most serve only the entertainment industry and aren't open to the public, so it's smart to call ahead to make sure you'll be welcome.

Once you've gotten the go-ahead, don't show up ``just looking,'' and don't plan to wander through ``just to get some ideas'' at most prop shops.

``We don't mean to be elitist, but we're not set up to do a lot of hand-holding,'' said Jim Elyea, who with wife Pam owns History for Hire in North Hollywood, an outgrowth of an antique store that's grown to provide props for movies ranging from ``Titanic'' to ``Forrest Gump.''

Most prop houses won't rent firearms - or even nonworking look-alikes - to anybody but legitimate studio prop masters. Ditto for costumes - such as a police officer, a priest, a soldier - that might give unwarranted authority to some unscrupulous person bent on evildoing.

Oh, and another thing. Rented props don't come cheap. Rental fees can range from a few dollars into the thousands of dollars, depending on the item. And renters who aren't prop masters from established studios, with a track record of returning rented gear in good shape, can also expect to plunk down a security deposit (usually via credit-card imprint) at least equal to the value of the item rented.

If your budget can stand it, what you can get from local prop houses is enough gear to provide an overall ``look'' - a World War II battle motif, a hospital touch, or a beach party theme - to dress up your party or your home for an event.

Jackson Shrub Supply Inc. of North Hollywood, which provides greenery in pots for movies, TV and even the Academy Awards ceremonies, can help you create a forest or an oasis in your back yard for a party, a wedding or other event. The firm will rent anything from a 6-inch pot of ivy ($3.25) to a 5-1/2-foot-tall topiary elephant ($100).

But know what you want before you come, advised a worker who identified herself only as Maggie.

``We can't be set designers,'' she said.

It's also a good idea to have a theme in mind before visiting History for Hire, which specializes in providing a ``look.'' Sales manager Chris Marshall says with a little notice, he can assemble, say, enough tents, authentic Army stretchers, helmets and medical gear to make your friends think they've stepped right into ``MASH.''

``You're not redecorating a room,'' he said. ``You're just giving a feel for what Army life back then was like. Dress up a corner with the real stuff, then put some ammo boxes here and there - they take up a lot of room - and some helmets around the place, and you've got it.''

Or you can rent what Harvey Schwartz, owner of 20th Century Props in North Hollywood, calls a ``hero piece'' - one ``Wow, where did you get that?'' item from a TV show or a movie - to be the center of attention for your guests.

One of Schwartz's favorites is the monkey-adorned bar from the Jim Carrey movie ``Mask,'' which could provide a centerpiece for a party for $500. Or you could plunk down $1,200 and give your guests a ``ride'' in a fighter plane cockpit from ``Space: Above and Beyond,'' or let them climb inside a giant, egg-shaped cryogenic chamber from ``Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery,'' for $350.

While History for Hire prefers to deal with party planners who know what they want, 20th Century Props is more willing to let would-be renters wander through its 1-1/2-acre warehouse in search of inspiration.

``Generally, people will come in with an idea, a theme, for their party,'' said manager Brack Burriss. ``But they'll walk around and see great things they never thought about and change their minds.''

The prop house most welcoming to the nonprofessional is Hollywood Central Props in Sun Valley, where a party-thrower without a clue is provided not only with a tour of the 100,000-square-foot warehouse but a personal shopper to help them come up with ideas and pick out just the right pieces to carry out a theme. Unlike most other prop houses, Hollywood Central also sells some pieces in a collection that includes everything from fittings for an Old West saloon to tombstones and electric chairs.

General manager Rick Caprarelli, who's dressed sets ranging from ``Lewis & Clark,'' to ``Home Improvement,'' said he'll also help come up with ideas for party backgrounds.

``I know what it's like to be out there looking for something,'' he said. ``I want to help in any way I can. It's pretty short-sighted if you don't treat everybody well.''

After all, he said, today's party planner may be set-dressing tomorrow's TV pilot.

Right about now, though, most requests are for gore-related props.

``Usually about this time of year, we get a lot of calls from fraternities wanting to rent coffins,'' said Pam Elyea. ``They fill them with ice and beer, and the coffins come back wet. They pay extra for that.''

History for Hire built its own low-voltage electric chair, modeled after those in East Coast prisons in the early 1930s and used in several TV movies. Or you could rent a well-used, wooden-bladed guillotine from Paramount Studios, complete with a basket to hold the severed head - and a severed head to put in the basket. Before renting either, you must sign a disclaimer that says if you get hurt trying them, the company's not to blame.

``We recommend that people not actually use these things,'' Jim Elyea said. ``They're not made for wear. And people could get hurt with them. They should just put them in a corner someplace where they can kind of set a mood.''

Skeletons come ``basic'' - just hooked-together bare bones - or ``with meat'' - bearing what looks like shreds of decaying flesh. Skeletons rent from $125 to $200. A simple skull will set you back $17.50. There are also racks of skulls, dismembered legs and arms, severed heads, handcuffs, medieval torture implements, swords and daggers, along with castle-sized brass cauldrons that could be used to hold apples for bobbing.

20th Century Props isn't much into horror - although it does have a few coffins and a bed of nails on hand - but it can help re-create just about any circus, carnival, or futuristic scene you'd like your partygoers to spend time in.

And if money is no object, you can shell out $13,000 for a reproduction of an F-18 fighter jet that appeared in ``Independence Day,'' ``JAG'' and ``The Rock.''

``Arnold Schwarzenegger wanted to put it out on his lawn for a party one time, but it didn't happen,'' Schwartz said regretfully. ``We'll deliver it and set it up for you.''

If that's a little steep for your budget, you could part with a lot less to rent Batgirl's chair (also seen in the 1925 version of ``Cleopatra''); Kramer's cool white leather couch, set into the trunk of a turquoise-and-white 1957 Chevy Bel Air, from ``Seinfeld;'' or billionaire Howard Hughes' original massive, wooden desk from his Long Beach office.

But, after weighing all these options, if all you want is to dress up a party, there are much cheaper ways to do it, said Jim Elyea.

``This'' - he gestured at his warehouse full of items - ``is just not an efficient use of their money,'' he said. ``They should just go to a party store for some crepe paper, or make their own stuff, and it'll be fabulous.''

Real props and backdrops can be yours for a price

When you go shopping for party backgrounds at prop houses, make sure to take your credit card. You might also want to call ahead to ask whether to bring your own truck; some houses deliver and some don't.

Most prop houses rent by the week. If you're in doubt about exactly what you want, they'll tag several items for you, and you can call later to narrow down your choices.

Prop houses get their items from many sources - antique stores, flea markets, leftovers from movies and TV shows, and some are built specially for private or commercial rental. So if you want something special - say, an item featured in ``Titanic'' or ``Independence Day'' - ask.

Here are some off-the-wall items that could add some pizazz to your party, along with the cost of renting them for a week:

A real-looking F-18 fighter plane, $13,000.

The interior of a World War II vintage submarine, complete with operational periscope, torpedoes and control room, used in ``Down Periscope,'' $15,000.

A replica of the Pentagon's conference table, $750.

Kramer's cool couch from ``Seinfeld,'' $300.

A bed of nails (nails are flattened where somebody might try to lie), $100.

Tents, stretchers and enough medical items to give a ``MASH'' feel to a party, $1,500 and up.

An electric chair that can give a very low-voltage shock, 1930s style, $500.

The simple pine coffin from ``Driving Miss Daisy,'' $200.

A motion picture camera, $350 to $1,200.

Enough working instruments to outfit a rock 'n' roll band, $350 per person.

History for Hire, 11200 Sherman Way, Sun Valley; [phone].

Jackson Shrub Supply Inc., 11505 Vanowen St., North Hollywood; [phone].

20th Century Props, 11651 Hart St., North Hollywood; [phone].

Hollywood Central Props, 11822 Wicks St., Sun Valley; [phone].

CAPTION(S):

7 Photos, box

PHOTO (1 -- cover -- color) Brack Burris shows a prop from ``Austin Powers'' that can be rented at 20th Century Props in North Hollywood.

(2 -- color) Tracy Maas rests on a couch made from the back end of a '57 Chevy that was used by Kramer on TV's ``Seinfeld.'' Now, 20th Century Props rents it out.

(3 -- color) Jake Johnson, left, and Jim Elyea demonstate the electric chair at History for Hire in North Hollywood.

(4 -- color) Martha Miyazaki of Hollywood Central Props in Sun Valley can provide a gargoyle for your Halloween party.

(5 -- 6 -- color) Relax - Francisco Garcia can rent you a casket at 20th Century Props. Earl James can help at Hollywood Central Props.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer

(7) Ray Hamby of History for Hire examines some Mardi Gras heads of celebrities.

Box: Real props and backdrops can be yours for a price (see text)