THE
THIRTY NINE STEPS…Director
Don Sharp…
Cast Inc…Robert
Powell…Sir John
Mills…David
Warner…George
Baker…
Aitch and Jerry Judge at
Pinewood for inside shots
of a train station.
We just had to help a
vicar that had his
clothes stolen by Richard
Hanney.
We were dressed as
policemen…
In the picture are Jerry
Judge and Ron Conrad....
Dustin Hoffman ... Wally
Stanton
Vanessa Redgrave ...
Agatha Christie
Timothy Dalton ... Col.
Archibald Christie
Helen Morse ... Evelyn
Crawley
Celia Gregory ... Nancy
Neele
Paul Brooke ... John
Foster
Carolyn Pickles ...
Charlotte Fisher
Timothy West ... Kenward
Tony Britton ... William
Collins
Alan Badel ... Lord
Brackenbury
Robert Longden ...
Pettelson
Donald Nithsdale ...
Uncle Jones
Yvonne Gilan ... Mrs.
Braithwaite
Sandra Voe ... Therapist
Barry Hart ... Supt.
MacDonald
About a
dozen Supporting
Artists,(Mossy, Ronnie
Woods, Lizard,
Cornflakes) were called
to a big pond in Surrey
early on a Sunday morning
and it was freezing cold.
(Ice on the pond).
We were dressed as 1926
coppers and were about to
search the pond for the
missing Agatha
Christie…
Five of us were issued
with waders and had to
get in the pond and
pretend to search The
dark murky water. (now
here’s the rub)
One of the five pairs of
waders leaked
(you’re in front of
me again) YES, MINE.
I was told to put another
pair of thick socks on.
You have to admit that
the wardrobe Dept. have
got all the answers.
I came up with the
solution of putting my
feet in a couple of
plastic carrier bags
first,then put the waders
over them. It worked for
a while and we finished
the job.
I was known as
‘’One Take
Aitch’’ for
many years in the film
and TV business because I
would look at the scene
we were about to do.
Understand it and go for
it. (It worked Nearly all
the time) As I’ve
told you before I’ve
fallen over the furniture
a couple of times.
SUPERMAN…Christopher
Reeve…Director
Richard Donner…
A great film to work on
but I only had a couple
of days driving a big
American car around the
sets. I didn’t get
to see Marlon Brando and
that was a shame because
I’d worked with two
of the actors from ON THE
WATERFRONT (Rod Stieger
and Karl Malden) (Billion
Dollar Brain) but Brando
was never to be.
FORCE
TEN FROM NAVARONE
Director:
Guy Hamilton
Writers:
Robin Chapman
(screenplay)
Carl Foreman (screen
story)
Cast
Robert Shaw ... Maj.
Keith Mallory
Harrison Ford ...
Lieutenant Colonel Mike
Barnsby
Barbara Bach ... Maritza
Petrovich
Edward Fox ... SSgt.
Dusty Miller
Franco Nero ... Capt.
Nikolai Leskovar (as
Lescovar)
Carl Weathers ... Sgt.
Weaver
Richard Kiel ... Capt.
Drazak
Alan Badel ... Maj.
Petrovitch
Michael Byrne ... Maj.
Schroeder
Philip Latham ... Cmdr.
Jensen
Angus MacInnes ... 1st
Lt. Doug Reynolds
Michael Sheard ... Sgt.
Bauer
Petar Buntic ... Marko
Leslie Schofield ...
Interrogation Officer 1
Anthony Langdon ...
Interrogation Officer 2
(as Antony Langdon)
I had a
few days on this playing
a German soldier and met
up with Chris Malcolm
again. (The man I was
teaching cockney on
Diamonds on Wheels)
We went on to work
together a few times over
the years. Hello Chris.
1978 is a
busy year so I’ve
got to crack on…
PENNIES
FROM HEAVEN…Director
Piers
Haggard…Producer Ken
Trodd…
Cast Inc…Bob
Hoskins…Ken
Colley…Gemma
Craven…Dave
King…
I was on speaking terms
with Bob Hoskins as we
both lived in Islington.
He once shouted out to me
in Calidonian Road,
‘’Ere Aitch,
your getting more work
than me’’
(Laughing) ‘’
but I’m not getting
as much money as you
Bob’’, I
shouted back.
I only filmed for one
night on
‘’Pennies’’
in the East End of London
but I did work for Ken
Trodd and writer Dennis
Potter a few more
times…
One of the outstanding
actors on
‘’Pennies’’
was Ken Colley…
1990...BBC
series starring Edward
Woodward.. Did a few
episodes of this normally
playing a goverment
heavy..(not Mr Nice Guy.)
THE
PHOENIX AND THE CARPET…BBCTV…
An agent sent me to
Ealing film studios to
start work on a seven day
contract.
Well that’s good
news to me. Better a
seven day contract than a
day here and there.
It’s 7:30 in the
morning and the 2nd A.D.
says ‘’ Go to
dressing room five, get
into your costume and
come back down to
make/up’’
In dressing room five
there’s no costume.
(has he got the number
wrong?)
I’m back down again.
‘’Excuse me,
there’s nothing in
room five for me to
wear’’
‘’It’s
hanging on the rail, I
put it there
myself’’
‘’Ok’’
(I’ll have another
look)
As I start to go
upstairs, I bump into
Terry Greenham a prop man
for the BBC.
Terry used to get up and
sing a good song in some
of the pubs I was
compering in.
A Tony Bennett style
songster…‘’What
are you doing here
Aitch?’’
‘’I’m here
for seven days on The
Phoenix’’
‘’Oh
you’re one of
them’’
‘’Them?’’
‘’Yea, a South
Sea Islander. You’re
on your own today but
tomorrow there’s a
dozen of you. Plenty of
Hula dancing and
frightening kids.(Wait
till I get hold of the
agent that sent me here.
(Alf Costa)
I find the costume (Grass
skirt) and head for the
make/up room.
Two nice young ladies are
covering my face and body
with dark brown make/up.
Then the hairdresser
finds me a big black wig
and some earrings and
there’s talk of
putting a bone through my
nose. (Art for art’s
sake etc).
AITCH AND TERRY
GREENHAM NOT ON HAWAII
FIVE O…
Now it
seems the director wanted
a tribe of blue eyed
South Sea Islanders.
On the first take that
I’m involved in a
small white child is
crawling through the
jungle undergrowth and
lands at my feet.
The director pans the
camera over my feet and
up the length of my body
to my face. This is the
child’s eye line.
‘’Now say
something and frighten
her’’ He barks.
(Now I’m not to up
on South Sea talk. We
don’t get many
Islanders in Islington)
I’m lost for a
second then it comes to
me…TARZAN…
‘’UMM GOW
AHH’’ I roar.
(It works as she bursts
into tears)
It took Terry Greenham
and co ten minutes to
stop laughing. It was a
good week.
KEAN… ANTHONY
HOPKINS…Director…JAMES
CELLAN JONES…BBCTV
Patsy and
I are cast as a couple of
ruffians and have a bit
of a sword play with
Anthony Hopkins. (No
guesses on who won the
fight)
THE
VOYAGE OF CHARLES DARWIN…Director
MARTYN
FRIEND…BBCTV…
I’m in the cast
again as the
Quartermaster of HMS
Beagle…
This time I intend to go
all the way to the other
side of the world. (Not).
I have quite a few lines
to say with the Captain
of the ship and to the
crew below decks. I think
we got it in one take
(Which pleases me) and as
I finish my lines I go to
follow the Captain up the
stairs to the top deck.
‘’Hold on Aitch
you can’t go up
there’’ Martyn
says ‘’ When
the Captain reaches the
top deck we’re in
the South
Seas’’
After a closer inspection
of my BBC contract it
does say One day’s
work at Ealing studio.
(It was worth a try).
I watched the episode (2)
on TV and thought I had a
touch of the Long John
Silver in my speech.
RUMPOLE
OF THE BAILEY…Thames
TV…
Episode: Rumpole and the
Course of True Love
Director: Brian Farnham
Writer:
John Mortimer (written
by)
Cast
Leo McKern ... Horace
Rumpole
Peggy Thorpe-Bates ...
Hilda Rumpole
Peter Bowles ... Guthrie
Featherstone, QC MP
Moray Watson ... Judge
George Frobisher
Patricia Hodge ...
Phyllida 'Portia' Trant
Julian Curry ... Claude
Erskine-Brown
Richard Murdoch ... Uncle
Tom
Nigel Havers ... Ronald
Ransom
Kate Dorning ...
Francesca Capstick
John Nettleton ... Mr.
Potter
Peter Cellier ... Mr.
Grayson
Donald Eccles ... Mr.
Justice Vosper
Peter Cartwright ...
Keith
Jonathan Coy ... Henry
Maureen Derbyshire ...
Dianne - Secretary (as
Maureen Darbyshire)
Harry Fielder ... Higgins
Cast as a
shady person I’m in
the dock at the Old
Bailey.
I’ve only got a spit
and a cough to say but I
do it ok and that’s
the whole point.
I find it quite hard
‘’acting’’
with top actors like Leo
and Peter Bowels and
sometimes wonder if
I’ve taken on too
much.
Another time I’ll
whiz through a show but
sometimes I have to stop
and think.
HAZELL…Nicholas
Ball…Thames TV…
A day’s work as a
man who confronts the
main man on the show,
gets duffed up and slung
in a cabin aboard a small
boat. (I can do these all
day long)
THE
SECRET ARMY…BBCTV…
Worked on about six of
these usually playing a
German.
I did get into the cast
on one episode…
Skip
forward to about 8
minutes in!
ENEMY
AT THE DOOR…LWT…
Cast as a German (VOGEL)
this is me back to what I
like doing best.
Now I break into a
farmers barn in the
middle of the night and
try to steal some of his
chickens. (easy)
The farmer (NEIL
McCARTHY) has other
ideas.
He catches me red
(chicken) handed and
doesn’t want any
foul play. (I’m
writing it).
It’s showdown time.
He’s got a pitchfork
and I’ve got a
handgun. (No contest).
The first
scene the next morning is
of the farmer dragging me
by the heels and ready to
dump my lifeless body
down a hole he has dug.
I remember
it was raining at the
time and the director is
telling me not to blink
as I’m being dragged
along. He should have
filmed it on a dry
day…
It was still a nice job
to do…
SOME
MOTHERS DO ‘AVE
‘EM…Michael
Crawford…
Only ever did one episode
of this as a
builder’s labourer.
And as I’m writing
this, that same episode
is being shown downstairs
on TV.
5/1/03…Could that be
a repeat fee me thinks.
Good game this acting
game…
THE
LES DAWSON SHOW…Director
Peter
Whitmore…BBCTV…
Les was one of the nicest
and funniest men I have
ever worked with.
We were filming down in
Ross-on-Wye at one time
and Les took us all for a
pint after we finished
that day.
‘’I’ll get
the first drink
in’’ he said.
The girl behind the hotel
bar looked pleased when
about twenty of us walked
in.
‘’Get everyone
a drink my dear and make
sure you put it in a
glass’’ (A
touch of the W.C.Fields)
She rushes to pour the
drinks and Les hands them
to us as they come up.
(Les is still in his W.C.
Fields mode)
‘’There you are
my boy, a pint of the
black stuff’’
After the girl has poured
the last drink Les asks
her, ‘’Now pray
tell me sweet maiden,
what is the total cost of
this fine
fare’’. She
looks puzzled for a
moment
then says,
‘’£18-40p
please sir’’
Les reacts,’’
£18-40?’’
Les goes stiff.
(He’s now acting) He
looks straight at me and
says ‘’Get me a
chair’’ The
girl looks worried.
Les leans on the counter
and whispers to the girl,
‘’Have you got
a telephone I could
use’’.
‘’Yes sir but
why?’’
Les: (Loud)
‘’To phone my
bloody
accountants’’
The whole pub erupts in
laughter as Les kisses
her hand and tells her to
keep the change out of a
£20 note. (A lot of
money in 78)
Another time on location
Les was playing piano in
a pub one night when the
landlords son brought
down an Electric Guitar
for me to play and we
ended up in the early
hours Entertaining all
the crew. Even the
director Peter joined in
the singing.
(Peter was more like a
country squire than a
film director and we got
to work together many
more times over the
years. I thank you Peter)
Thinking back to that
night many years later I
thought the singing
sounded like the
‘’SYMBOLIC’S’’
Well I sounded like
‘’SYM’’
the others sounded like
???.
