1970
THE
LAST VALLEY
Director:
James Clavell
Writers:
James Clavell (writer)
J.B. Pick (novel)
Cast
Michael Caine ... The
Captain
Omar Sharif ... Vogel
Florinda Bolkan ... Erica
Nigel Davenport ...
Gruber
Per Oscarsson ... Father
Sebastian
Arthur O'Connell ...
Hoffman
Madeleine Hinde ... Inge
(as Madeline Hinde)
Yorgo Voyagis ... Pirelli
Miguel Alejandro ...
Julio
Christian Roberts ...
Andreas
Brian Blessed ... Korski
Ian Hogg ... Graf
Michael Gothard ...
Hansen
George Innes ... Vornez
A couple
of hundred extras and
stuntmen spent a week of
nights filming at a
Castle in Surrey.. We
were going to storm it.
Stuntmen in the front
lines with extras
bringing up the rear..
Plenty of swordFighting,
raping and pillaging.
(Im not too bad at
the pillaging)
Now when I say it was
cold I mean cold. You
could have left sides of
beef outside The fridge.
Were all geared up
and we hear that famous
shout
"ACTION"
We all charge
towards the castle and a
few of the stuntmen are
going to be thrown off of
the drawbridge into the
moat.. All of a sudden we
hear "HOLD
IT"
Its now
even colder and it comes
to bear that the lake
around the castle has
frozen Over solid.
(Now it doesnt take
the brains of Einstien to
work out that cold &
water = freeze.)
I enjoyed sitting in the
huge tents for the next
few nights keeping warm
and Drinking hot soup. I
made friends with some of
the guys while we whiled
away the hours playing
cards.. Ill mention
a couple of them. Alan
(spiv) Bennett, Charlie
(cut price) Price and
Lenny Piper. (Lenny died
quite young)
By the end of the week we
had caught up with the
film schedule and
everyone were as happy as
bunnies...
THE
REVOLUTIONARY
Jon Voight
I only had one days work
on this film but it was a
day (and night) to
remember.
We filmed in a pub in
west London and all I had
to do was drink a few
beers as a customer.
(After ten years of
singing and drinking in
pubs it was no problem)
There were about thirty
of us as customers in
there and Jon was a
really friendly guy and
in between takes he would
come over and chat to us
and ask about England. We
would ask about the
U.S.A..
The day went well and at
the end of it the
Director had got his
hundred shots in the can.
It seems that when this
happens the Director
pushes the boat out and
buys everyone a drink.
Its film tradition.
(I like this tradition)
Well we all end up nice
and nice and after we
finished shooting the
scenes the landlord of
the pub brings down a
guitar so its a
sing, song for the last
couple of hours and I
managed to catch the last
train home. (What a
night)
I met Jon years later on
Mission Impossible 1. I
dont think he
remembered that night but
we still found time to
chat.
Dont change Jon,
youre alright in my
book.
MURPHYS
WAR

Directed
by
Peter Yates
Writing credits
Max Catto novel
Stirling Silliphant
screenplay
Cast
Peter O'Toole ... Murphy
Siān Phillips ... Dr.
Hayden
Philippe Noiret ... Louis
Brezon
Horst Janson ... Cmdr.
Lauchs, German Submarine
Captain
John Hallam ... Lt.
Ellis, Seaplane Pilot
from RNMS Mount Kyle
Ingo Mogendorf ... Lt.
Voght, Submarine
Executive Officer
Harry Fielder ... German
sub crewman (uncredited)
George Roubicek ...
U-Boat crewman
(uncredited)
Central
Casting sent Jerry Floyd,
Nick (the bubble) and
myself down to Portsmouth
or Southampton (cant
remember which) to play
German U Boat crew.
Wed be there for a
couple of days and stay
in a local B/B over
night.
When we get called onto
the set we go below decks
on a British submarine
that is decked out like a
second world war German U
Boat.
Now it seems in the film
the U Boat has run
aground on a sand bank on
an inlet river in South
America and is waiting
for the tide to turn so
it can refloat.
Meanwhile Peter
OToole is trying to
chop a very large tree
down and put it across
our Sub. (Thus, causing
us some discomfort.)
(Got the plot so far,
hes dropping trees,
and Im in the
basement..)
A cute make up girl asks
me to strip to the waist
(and I think, from the
shoes up, what no
flowers? Weve only
just met) but she has to
put make up on my face
and body to make me look
tanned as if I was in
South America.
Bert Batt the 1st A.D.
took us all to see the
Director Peter Yates (of
Bullitt fame) and I was
chosen to be the blue
eyed German working the
controls of the Sub..
After a few different
angles the make up girl
applies sweat to my hair
and face.
The camera is stuck an
inch from my nose. (Now
we are talking about
close ups here. My face
plastered sixty foot by
eighty foot at the Odeon
Marble Arch.
She could have saved on
the sweat, I was sweating
for England.)
Peter was guiding me
through the shots.
Imagine you
can hear a noise above
you.
Now imagine theres
a noise to your left, now
to your right. Dont
move your head
Back too far, were
close on your
eyes. Then it
was CUT, see
you in the morning
Eight O clock.. Thanks
Harry that was
good.
Well that was good for me
too. It took me hours to
come down.
Me, Jerry and Nick went
out on the town and got
very pissed. (Well it
makes a change)?
The next day Im
back at the controls of
the Sub and Im
thinking is it to be
another starring role.
Peter tells us
todays the day the
Sub gets hit and there
could be a drop of water
splashing around.
First scene control
room
Im
standing at the controls
and Peter talks me
through it.
Now
concentrate on the
controls Harry and keep
looking about. It seems
the tide is coming in and
youre going to be
all right. Now give a
huge sigh of relief.
Its very quiet now
but suddenly, !!!!!
CRASH !!!!.
Thats the cue for
the Prop men to sling big
buckets of freezing cold
water over me.
Youre
panicking now Harry
(Hes got good
eyesight) More water on
him and CUT.
I spent most of the rest
of the day sitting on the
Sub deck enjoying the
warm sun while the
Stuntmen got their share
of the water.
We shot some other stuff
in one of the cabins
drinking beers then it
was time to head off back
to London. Thanks Mr.
Yates.
(You must remember in the
film game that all the
shots dont make it
to the big screen, a lot
end up on the cutting
room floor)
THE MUSIC LOVERS
Ken
Russell
Richard
Chamberlain
Glenda
Jackson
(Ken loves his musical
films)
NO BLADE OF GRASS
Director
Cornel
Wilde
MGM
STUDIOS
Cast Inc
Nigel
Davenport
Lynne
Frederick
Riding around on the back
of a motorbike on the lot
at MGM
MARTY
ATV
STUDIOS BOREHAMWOOD
Cast Inc
Marty
Feldman
Playing Spanish guitar on
one sketch with
Marty
NEXT
- 1971
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