A Los Angeles movie location scout has warned that Ron Howard’s donated “kissing chair” at a Burbank park can literally scald visitors who try to sit on it.
Nick Carr, a Los Angeles-based movie location scout, shared on social media Friday that the bronze Victorian-style love seat at Johnny Carson Park becomes dangerously hot under direct sunlight. The statue, donated last year by Howard, 71, and his wife Cheryl to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary, has an estimated value of $88,440 according to the City of Burbank.
“Someone made the really, really poor decision to situate the chair in nonstop direct sunlight, and the bronze doesn’t just get hot. It becomes literally scalding,” wrote Carr in his social media post.
Carr said that even in 80-degree weather, he could not keep his hand on the statue for more than a second. Behind the seats, a warning sign cautions visitors in bold black letters, “Surface may be hot.”
“It’s now a pretty common occurrence to see visitors ignore the sign and plunk into the chair, only to scream and leap off in pain,” Carr claimed in his post. He pleaded for the city of Burbank to address the scalding issue, noting that the purpose of the chairs was for couples to use.
Howard donated the chairs as an expression of his love for his wife Cheryl. The director met her in high school, and the young couple “hung out and dated and necked” at the park, he said.
“I got the idea of an old-fashioned sort of love seat where couples could sit and talk and smooch a little bit,” he said on celebrating 50 years of marriage.
Howard has four children with his wife. Since they met, the director has had an illustrious career, directing films like “A Beautiful Mind” and “Apollo 13.” His brother is the actor Clint Howard and his daughter Bryce Dallas Howard has also appeared in films.
When the seats are not hot, it appears couples are using Howard’s gift. “My brother drove by not long ago, snapped a picture with his iPhone. It was a couple kissing in the kissing chair. He said, ‘Hey, it’s working,'” the director said.
In the viral moment that drew fresh attention to the statue, Carr’s social media post highlighted a design flaw that park officials apparently overlooked: the bronze material absorbs and retains intense heat when placed in nonstop direct sunlight without any shade nearby. The warning sign has not prevented visitors from attempting to sit on the love seat, only to jump up in pain. Carr’s plea for the city to take action has circulated widely online, with many commenters expressing surprise that a material known for heat retention would be placed in an unshaded location in sunny Southern California.
The “Apollo 13” director celebrated his anniversary in June, sharing a photo on Instagram of the two of them embracing for a selfie in front of a beach sunset, writing, “Grateful for 50 amazing years and the family and experiences it has yielded. What an adventure down river through calm soothing waters and some tricky rapids as well. Our key….love and respect each other enough to just keep paddling. Thank God for you, Cheryl.”
Howard said that he and Cheryl had a “small, very modest wedding” on June 7, 1975, when he was 21 years old. “I was just so sure,” he said looking back.