1977
STAR
WARS…
Director:
George Lucas
Writer:
George Lucas
Cast
Mark Hamill ... Luke
Skywalker
Harrison Ford ... Han
Solo
Carrie Fisher ...
Princess Leia Organa
Peter Cushing ... Grand
Moff Tarkin
Alec Guinness ... Ben
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Anthony Daniels ... C-3PO
Kenny Baker ... R2-D2
Peter Mayhew ...
Chewbacca
David Prowse ... Darth
Vader
James Earl Jones ...
Darth Vader (voice)
Phil Brown ... Uncle Owen
Shelagh Fraser ... Aunt
Beru
Jack Purvis ... Chief
Jawa
Alex McCrindle ...
General Dodonna
Eddie Byrne ... General
Willard
After
finishing a couple of
Doctor Who’s Central
Casting sent me to E.M.I.
Studios to work on
another space film for
seven days.
I did ask them if they
had any other work
because I was fed up with
wearing space outfits and
the like… (Little
did I know about STAR
WARS).
There must have been
about fifty Supporting
Artists gathered on the
first day, some putting
on white space type
suits, some being fitted
out in weird make up and
costumes and the rest of
us waited around to see
what we were going to be.
 We had
plenty of time to sit
around chatting and
playing the odd game of
cards.
When myself and a chap
called Ronnie Conrad got
a call to go to the
wardrobe dept, They
dressed us in black space
type suits but without a
facemask…(Were they
telling us we were ugly
enough to look like
aliens).
When we were dressed we
sat at the back of the
set and waited to do our
bit.
I got talking to a giant
of a man (Dave Prowse)
from the West Country and
he told me he was playing
a character called
‘’Daft
Ada’’.
I found out later that
day he was playing
‘’DARTH
VADER’’ (It
must have been
Dave’s strong
Cornish accent that made
it sound wrong).
Ronnie and I did some odd
bits during the week and
then the 2nd A.D. called
for us to do a bit of
business with our old
mate
‘’DARTH’’.
We were going to arrest
Princess LEIA (Carrie
Fisher)…
Carrie’s parents
were Eddie Fisher
(singer) and Debbie
Reynolds
(singer/actress). Debbie
starred in the film
‘’Singing In
The Rain’’ in
1952 and I, as a twelve
year old, was in love
with her... (It soon
passed).
Anyway lets get back to
‘’DAFT’’.
Darth,
Ronnie and I walk along
some corridors and then
into the cell where The
Princess was being held.
Darth had all the lines
to say while Ronnie and I
stood there looking ugly.
(Typecast)
In between lighting the
set Carrie was very
chatty and asked what
else we had done in
films. (Has she got that
much time to spare?)
I also met Harrison Ford
and was to work with him
again over the next few
years.
Star Wars was the highest
grossing money film that
I ever worked on.
Some say it took a
Billion Dollars at the
box office and video
sales…
I earned £11 per day for
seven days. Total £77.
What’s the % ?…
Twenty five years later I
am held in deep respect
for being one of
"DAFT
ADA’S" men, by
my Grandchildren…
Thanks Mr Lucas…
Harry
("Aitch")
Fielder and Ronnie Conrad
play the elusive Death
Star Troopers in this
eerie scene when Vader
visits Princess Leia in
the Death Star's
detention area.
(June
2009) Had a trip back to
Elstree Studios last week
and looked at the George
Lucas Stage. Back in 1976
(33 years ago we used the
old Stage 5 on the
Elstree back lot...now
gone)
Click on
the piucturte above for a
video clip of Aitch at a
Star Wars Convention in
July 2010
Click this
one for another video
clip from a Star Wars
Charity Event
VALENTINO…Ken
Russell…E.M.I.
Studios…
Stars Inc. Rudolf
Nureyev…Leslie
Caron…Dudley
Sutton…
I’m standing/in for
Dudley again with our old
mate Ken at the helm.
I managed to stay on the
film for a few weeks but
1977 was a very busy year
and I was booked here
there and everywhere.
On films you were booked
on a daily basis (unless
given a contract for a
certain amount of days)
On TV you got a contract
for the days you would be
needed and if you
finished the job in two
days instead of three you
still got paid for the
third.
But you signed for the
three days so you had to
be available.
So Valentino saw me
rushing off to do a
couple of days on The
Sweeney or Wings or
Warship and even the odd
Beer Commercial…
This was the last time I
was to work with Dudley
or Ken but I would like
to say to both of you
thank you very much for
keeping me in work…
THE
EAGLE HAS LANDED…Director
John Sturges…
Big cast Inc. Michael
Caine, Donald Sutherland,
Robert Duvall…
Central Casting ask me if
I could ride a motor bike
and as I’d had a
Scooter as a teenager I
said ‘’ Yeah of
course I can’’.
Well after riding a 40s
army bike that weighed a
ton for two days on THE
EAGLE I made sure that
was my last riding job.
I was part of a column
leading Sir Winston
Churchill to a country
house for an important
meeting in 1943…
We were driving down
country lanes that were
full of potholes and
lumps and bumps and were
told ‘’ More
speed ’’
Well I never fell off but
I was talking in a high
voice for a couple of
weeks…
THE
SPY WHO LOVED ME…Pinewood
007 Stage…
Director:
Lewis Gilbert
Writers:
Christopher Wood
(screenplay) and
Richard Maibaum
(screenplay)
Cast
Roger Moore ... James
Bond
Barbara Bach ... Major
Anya Amasova
Curd Jürgens ... Karl
Stromberg (as Curt
Jurgens)
Richard Kiel ... Jaws
Caroline Munro ... Naomi
Walter Gotell ... General
Anatol Gogol
Geoffrey Keen ... Sir
Frederick Gray
Bernard Lee ... 'M'
George Baker ... Captain
Benson
Michael Billington ...
Sergei Barsov
Olga Bisera ... Felicca
Desmond Llewelyn ... Q
Edward de Souza ...
Sheikh Hosein (as Edward
De Souza)
Vernon Dobtcheff ... Max
Kalba
Valerie Leon ... Hotel
Receptionist
This was a
good film for the
Supporting Artists as it
was made just before Xmas
and a few days
after… (We called it
‘’getting our
turkey’’
money…)
This was an all action
film for us with the
stunt team at the front
of it and us
‘’Extras’’
bringing up the rear. (If
you got close to an
explosion you got extra
money)…
Some of the boys on the
film (Jerry Judge, Bill
the body, Jack Ross,
Ronnie Woods, The Lizard,
Cornflakes) and about
twenty others lasted the
distance and all had a
happy Xmas.
I remember seeing
‘’JAWS’’
(Richard Kiel) in the
Pinewood Bar drinking a
pint and his hands were
so big it looked like he
was holding a
thimble… (These were
good days)
I remember
one big scene near the
end of the film when we
had to get off the subs
as fast as as we could
before the whole place
blew up. I knew there was
going to be loud bangs
and plenty of heat so I
suggested to this young
chap that it would look
good in shot if I carried
him over my shoulders
down some iron stairs as
if he was wounded. He
thought it was a great
idea..
What I was really doing
was looking after number
one (me) and if it did
get really hot and bad he
was protecting my face
and neck...
I
CLAUDIUS…BBC
TV…
Director:
Herbert Wise…
Cast
Derek Jacobi ... Claudius
(12 episodes, 1976)
George Baker ... Tiberius
(9 episodes, 1976)
Margaret Tyzack ...
Antonia (9 episodes,
1976)
Siān Phillips ... Livia
(7 episodes, 1976)
James Faulkner ... Herod
Agrippa / ... (7
episodes, 1976)
Brian Blessed ...
Augustus (5 episodes,
1976)
John Hurt ... Caligula
This was
British Actors at their
best…
I worked on quite a few
of the thirteen episodes
and just used to watch in
amazement at the way the
actors could remember the
very long speeches and
the many moves they had
to make during a scene.
Derek and John stole the
show as far as I was
concerned.
It was an education in
acting to watch these
people work.
I was lucky enough to be
on the last day of
shooting and when Derek
finished.
The whole cast and crew
stood up and gave him a
standing ovation.
(I can still hear the
applause to this day)
On one episode I was
playing a guard and at
the end of it I had to
chop off Messalina’s
(Sheila White) head…
After I had done the
dirty deed Sheila cried
her eye’s out and
come to me and sobbed on
my shoulder. (Perhaps
I’m not all bad?)
Herbert Wise held the
show together for many
months and is still
directing today.
Well done Herbie…
BLAKE’S
7…BBCTV…
Another space epic that
saw the hero’s of
the show trying to save
the planet (and other
planets) from the bad
guys…
I'm coming second
in a fight with Gan..(David
Jackson)
(Click
on the picture for video
clip)
I lost
count of the episodes I
was in but it was all
played a bit tongue in
cheek.
One episode I do remember
well was when we (Bill,
Patsy, Jimmy, and about
ten others were filming
on Box Hill Surrey)
It was a very cold Sunday
and we were dressed as
Cavemen. (Bits of fur and
the like wrapped around
us, teeth blacked out
etc.)
At one o clock the A.D.
shouted ‘’Lunch
one hour’’.
Well I didn’t fancy
joining the queue at the
catering wagon when there
was a warm Pub opposite.
(We were freezing)
I was first in and a
large brandy and a pint
of the black stuff was
soon in front of me.
The landlord didn’t
seem to mind our strange
dress sense as we half
filled the bar. The
locals took it in their
stride.
After a couple of drinks
I had warmed up a bit and
was talking to some of
the locals.
(Some had nipped home to
get a camera to have
their picture taken with
a caveman)
A small dog had been
sniffing around me and
was snarling at my fur
boots. I bent down and
made friends with
it… (I like animals)
As I was talking to
another couple of locals
that same dog I had made
friends with sneaked up
behind me and pissed up
my boots. Patsy and the
others were on the floor
In fits of laughter.
(They had seen it all)
An hour later with a bit
of bread and cheese in
our hands we were back on
the hill to continue
filming. (Cold, what
cold? Except for my feet)
NOT MR. COLGATE
1970s…..
THE
PROFESSIONALS…Martin
Shaw…Lewis
Collins…Gordon
Jackson…
MI5 TYPE DRAMA
SERIES…
I worked on a few
episodes either as a MI5
man or a crook.
Nothing much to shout
about. It was a job…
Saw this
episode on TV the other
day and it's one I'd
forgotten about....
Episode, Need To Know..
I have to drive the
police van to help escort
the prisoner from the
jail to the court house
but the bad guys have
other ideas...
After
getting my orders from
Bodie he gets in his car
to lead the way and after
a while we all end up
getting
gassed by crooks... |
Now
this is nearly
enough for
me to give up
smoking... |
I
need some fresh air... |
Think
I'll just fall down and
sleep it off... |
The
Professionals....Always a
good show to watch.
THE
TWO RONNIES…Ronnie
Barker…Ronnie
Corbett…BBCTV…
Every so often in any
walk of life you get to
do something that you
really like.
Mine was THE TWO
RONNIES…
For a few summers running
Ron and Ron would be
doing a summer show down
in the West Country and
could fit their BBCTV
work in the daytime as
they did their Summer
Show at night.
Ronnie Barker liked to
keep his summer stock
actors and Supporting
Artists on hand as he
knew he could rely on
them.
We would film all the
inserts for his winter
shows at the BBC.
So every year Patsy,
Jimmy, Alf, John (The
Grunter) Cannon myself
and a few others knew we
would be away down the
coast for a couple of
weeks.
One day Ronnie B. said to
me "Harry, we want
you to play a crook on
our Charlie Farley, Piggy
Malone sketch"
"No problems"
said I.
"Might be a small
problem" He laughed
"Small
problem?"
‘’Yes
you’ll be dressed up
as a TART’’
(Now is he out for a
laugh or what. You
can’t have Aitch
dressing up in
women’s gear. What
would the boys in the
local say?)
(He could wake up with a
crowd around him)
NO IT’S NOT
ME MOTHER, IT’S
ME…(MONEY
TALKS)…………..
Now you
can guess the stick I had
to take from the crew and
some other people when we
filmed for a couple of
weeks in Dorset.
But if someone like Tony
Curtis can do it in SOME
LIKE IT HOT then
that’s OK
On the first day of
filming the crew at
lunchtime were off down
the pub for their pint.
"You can’t come
down there dressed like
that Aitch"
"You try and stop
me. Just sit your mother
in a corner and get her a
pint of the black
stuff".
I had many happy days
(and years) working on
THE TWO RONNIES and can
now look Back and
say… Thank you very
much for the good times.
TAKE NO NOTICE OF REPORTS
THAT I WORE THE GEAR WHEN
WE WENT OUT AT NIGHT.
NEXT
- 1978
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