Believe it or not, Hollywood is in love with clotheslines. Clotheslines have been used for decades as one of the most popular and prolific props that can be seen in most movies. And not just movies that bring us to a past we once knew, but even the present day movies such as the Fast & Furious series which every one featured clotheslines. As one of Hollywoods favorite props, clotheslines are an American Icon!
"There's nothing like the smell and feel of crisp linens right off the line." Musician Shelby Lynne
Clotheslines may not be status quo, but their certainly not taboo, so it's not surprising that many celebrities use clotheslines for their laundry. While there are a lot of things in life you can make easier with money, drying your clothes in the best possible way is not one of them. And lets be honest, no one cares about their clothes more than celebrities. So if they want their clothes to stay in the best shape possible, then they will choose to hang dry their laundry. Their multi million dollar homes aren't complete without a major laundry room which is most often customized to suit their needs including custom built indoor clotheslines or fancy clothes airers.
Let's not forget, Hollywood is in a huge desert that only experiences rain about 37 days a year so it is the perfect climate for hanging your laundry to dry outside most of the year, but in certain places the air quality can be so bad that some don't want to hang their clothes out. So indoor clotheslines and clothes drying racks are very popular as they not only naturally humidify the indoor air, but their also not heating the already hot house with a clothes dryer.
And since California legalized clotheslines in January 2016 which prohibits any bans on clotheslines even in HOA's and apartment communities, we can expect that clotheslines will become ever more popular with Hollywood. I am sure many celebrities have parents or grandparents that passed on this tradition of caring for their laundry.
An older piece from this 2007 New York Times article points out a different story:
"In Hollywood movies, however, clotheslines often appear in scenes depicting dire poverty. Jennifer Williams, a set decorator, says she hung clotheslines to help convey that in the films “Angela’s Ashes,” “Children of Men” and “Pearl Harbor.”
While it's true you couldn't find a cheaper way to dry your clothes which is why clotheslines are the most popular way to dry laundry in the world. Remember for the longest time, clotheslines were the only way to dry laundry, but today people from all walks of life whether their rich, poor, famous, infamous, or whatever status all use clotheslines because clothes dryers will never offer the same immense benefits.
We would love to hear what movies or shows you have seen clotheslines in?
Movies with Clotheslines
Fast & Furious Series - All 8 featured clotheslines
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Angela's Ashes (2000)
Children of Men (2006)
Finian's Rainbow (1968)
Children of Paradise (1946)
The Greatest Showman (2017)
The Highwaymen (2019)
Back to the Future (1985)
Shows with Clotheslines
Stranger Things (2016)
Alias Grace (2017)
The Alienist (2018)