1981
REDS
Director:
Warren Beatty
Writers:
Warren Beatty (written
by) &
Trevor Griffiths (written
by)
Cast
Warren Beatty ... John
Reed
Diane Keaton ... Louise
Bryant
Edward Herrmann ... Max
Eastman
Jerzy Kosinski ...
Grigory Zinoviev
Jack Nicholson ... Eugene
O'Neill
Paul Sorvino ... Louis
Fraina
Maureen Stapleton ...
Emma Goldman
Nicolas Coster ... Paul
Trullinger
M. Emmet Walsh ...
Speaker - Liberal Club
Ian Wolfe ... Mr. Partlow
Bessie Love ... Mrs.
Partlow
MacIntyre Dixon ... Carl
Walters
Pat Starr ... Helen
Walters
Eleanor D. Wilson ...
Mrs. Reed
Max Wright ... Floyd Dell
A few days
here and there dressed in
different costumes.
Plenty of work for all
the Supporting Artists
and 81 is going to be a
busy year.
PATSY, AITCH AND
JIMMY ON
‘’REDS. (A FINE
TRIO OF MEN)
BOBBIE AND AITCH
IN A SOMBRE MOOD ON
‘’REDS’’
After
about a week we all went
our separate ways only to
end up back together
again on…
AN
AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN
LONDON…
Director:
John Landis
Writer:
John Landis
Cast
David Naughton ... David
Kessler
Jenny Agutter ... Nurse
Alex Price
Griffin Dunne ... Jack
Goodman
John Woodvine ... Dr. J.
S. Hirsch
Lila Kaye ... Barmaid
Joe Belcher ... Truck
Driver
David Schofield ... Dart
Player
Brian Glover ... Chess
Player
Rik Mayall ... 2nd Chess
Player
Sean Baker ... 2nd Dart
Player
Paddy Ryan ... First
Werewolf
Anne-Marie Davies ...
Nurse Susan Gallagher
Frank Oz ... Mr. Collins
/ Miss Piggy
Don McKillop ...
Inspector Villiers
Paul Kember ... Sergeant
McManus
Central
Casting must have sent
200-300 people down to
Piccadilly for a night
shoot on this production.
None of us knew anything
about the scenes we were
going to be involved in
so we just hung around
coffee bars (Or other
bars) chatting and having
a night out in The West
End.
About 1 o'clock in the
morning the production
team gathered us all
together and told us the
scenes they were about to
do. (You ain’t gonna
believe this).
A WEREWOLF is going to be
running out of a cinema
in Piccadilly Circus
straight across Eros
causing cars to crash and
have people falling out
of bus windows.
(I’m thinking this
will do the tourist trade
the world of good)
On a cue from the 1st
A.D. the real police
clear the roads of all
late night Joe Public.
The Central Casting crowd
are all given places to
stand and out of the
woodwork comes our buses
and cars and stunt
people. We’ve got
permission to hold up
traffic for half an hour
and John Landis had multi
camera crews covering
every angle.
It was over as quickly as
it began and as soon as
the camera’s stopped
rolling the wrecking
crews were in there
clearing the wrecked cars
and sweeping the streets
clean again. An hour
later it was like
we’d never been.
(See the film just to see
this sequence)
Well done, John
Landis…
As I said
earlier all Central
Casting work is on a
daily basis unless
otherwise
Stated. So sometimes that
can work against you.
OUTLAND…Sean
Connery…Director
Peter
Hyams…Pinewood…
I’m down for a day
on this and working with
my old pal
‘’Tricky’’Tringham
1st A.D.
‘’Sit next to
Sean Aitch, I’ve got
some business for you to
do.’’
(Me next to Sean Connery,
now there’s a first)
While the lighting is
being set I’m
chatting to Sean’s
stand/in Roy.(We go back
some time) and he tells
me we could be on this
scene for three or four
days.
(I can’t be,
I’m booked at the
BBC tomorrow for a weeks
contract work)
Now I don’t want to
get into continuity
problems so I go and tell
‘’Tricky’’.
He’s disappointed
but tells me to be at the
back of the shot so I
won’t be missed the
next day…(We do work
many more times after
this)
As I’ve already said
81 is a good year for me
RAIDERS
OF THE LOST ARK…Elstree
Studios…
Director:
Steven Spielberg
Writers:
Lawrence Kasdan
(screenplay)
George Lucas (story) ...
Cast
Harrison Ford ... Indiana
Jones
Karen Allen ... Marion
Paul Freeman ... Belloq
Ronald Lacey ... Toht
John Rhys-Davies ...
Sallah
Denholm Elliott ... Brody
Alfred Molina ... Satipo
Wolf Kahler ... Dietrich
Anthony Higgins ...
Gobler
Vic Tablian ... Barranca
/ Monkey Man
Don Fellows ... Col.
Musgrove
William Hootkins ...
Major Eaton
Bill Reimbold ...
Bureaucrat
Fred Sorenson ... Jock
Patrick Durkin ...
Australian Climber
A great
joy to watch Mr Spielberg
at work.. The whole
sequence was set out on
storyboards. A master of
his craft…
There’s about twenty
of the chaps dressed up
as (It’s that word
again) GERMAN’S.
And it’s near the
end of the film where the
bad guys find The Ark and
all us bad guys are going
to get our just desserts.
When The
Ark is opened strange
things start to happen
and strong winds and sand
are blown all over the
set. Steven tells us to
react to strange ghost
like creatures coming out
of the Ark. He’d
point at us and shout
above the noise of the
wind,
‘’It’s
coming for you now react,
now it’s got you
round the face, react to
it.’’
George Lucas was standing
next to Steven at times
and seemed to be enjoying
the action.
Harrison and Karen were
tied to a stake at the
time so I couldn’t
get any help from that
quarter…
Of course all the special
effects are put onto
screen months later as is
most films these
days…
I read Steven
Spielberg’s life
story and he didn’t
always have it easy.
(Read it)
And the last word on this
tale must go to Harrison
Ford’s
stand/in… Jack
(Chalky) Dearlove, who is
still working for
him…Hello Jack…
CITIZEN
SMITH…
Director:
Ray Butt
Writer:
John Sullivan…
Cast
Robert Lindsay ... Wolfie
Smith
Mike Grady ... Ken Mills
Hilda Braid ... Florence
Johnson - Mum
Tony Steedman ... Charlie
Johnson - Dad
Tony Millan ... Tucker
George Sweeney ...
Anthony 'Speed' King
John Tordoff ... Tofkin
Alan Tilvern ... Mr
Grainger
David Rowlands ...
Policeman
Harry Fielder ... Prison
Warder (uncredited)
I worked
on about six episodes of
this and had great fun
doing it.
The writer John Sullivan
went on to greater things
when he wrote the
wonderful ONLY FOOLS AND
HORSES…
RAGTIME…
Director:
Milos Forman
Writers:
E.L. Doctorow (novel) and
Michael Weller (writer)
Cast
James Cagney ... Police
Commissioner Rhinelander
Waldo
Brad Dourif ... Younger
Brother
Moses Gunn ... Booker T.
Washington
Elizabeth McGovern ...
Evelyn Nesbit
Kenneth McMillan ...
Willie Conklin
Pat O'Brien ... Mr.
Delphin Delmas
Donald O'Connor ...
Evelyn's Dance Instructor
James Olson ... Father
Mandy Patinkin ... Tateh
Howard E. Rollins Jr. ...
Coalhouse Walker Jr.
Mary Steenburgen ...
Mother
Debbie Allen ... Sarah
Jeffrey DeMunn ... Harry
Houdini (as Jeff Demunn)
Robert Joy ... Henry
'Harry' Kendall Thaw
Norman Mailer ...
Stanford White
This cast
is a blast from the
past…
We film for a few days at
Oxford and for me it
doesn’t get any
better than this.
The scenes are interior
of a big office and
I’m dressed as a US
cop.
Pat O’Brien came
onto the set first and
shook hands with many of
the Supporting Artists
(Including me)
‘’How are you
son, you look
good’’ he
said..
Well that’s the best
way for me to start the
day because now I felt
good that this man had
taken time to welcome all
of us.
Pat moved around the room
chatting to cast and crew
alike and we were all
waiting for the main man
to arrive on set..
The noise was quite
deafening until someone
said
‘’He’s
here’’.
You could have heard a
pin drop as the main man
entered the set.
Everyone stood and
applauded and waited for
James Cagney to take his
position on the set
before silence resumed.
There they were in front
of me my two heroes of
the black and white days
of cinema.
I think I’ve seen
every film that James has
made (Some of them many
times)
I feel sorry for the kids
of today that never got
to see he’s early
films and think a good
film today has to be
bombarded with special
effects to make it work.
Let me list some of films
of James Cagney to let
the kids of today and
tomorrow know what they
have missed.
The Public Enemy (1931),
Scarface (1932), Yankee
Doodle Dandy (1942),
White Heat (1949). Then
in the 50s Love Me Or
Leave Me (With Doris
Day), Mr Roberts. (With a
young Jack Lemmon).
I could watch all these
films again and never
tire.
This was to be James
Cagney’s last film
and I would like to say,
thank you Mr Cagney for
entertaining me for so
many years.
McVICAR…Director
Tom Clegg…
Cast Inc…
My good
friend Tom Clegg phoned
me up and ask me to do a
couple of weeks on this
film as a convict (Con)
and could I add lib
throughout as there were
no words written for me..
(No problem)
On the first day I had a
scene with Adam Faith and
Tom ask me to add some
words.
We did a take and Tom
said it wasn’t
STRONG enough and wanted
me to add some swear
words. (Strong language
on film in those days
wasn’t the norm).
Anyway we were supposed
to be violent men and it
sounds better if you say,
‘’Come out of
the f***ing
way’’ rather
than ‘’Excuse
me please’’.
The film was based on the
true story of John
McVicar (Co writer) who
at one time was branded
public enemy No 1.
He was the
only man to escape from
that prison at that time.
My old mate Brian Hall
played Stokes and was
excellent, as were the
rest of the cast.
In 1959 I was playing
guitar with a band called
‘’TERRY YOUNG
AND THE TEENS’’
and we auditioned for a
guy named Jack Good and
at the same venue was a
young blond boy called
Adam Faith. (Say no more)
Roger Daltrey was very
good as the lead actor on
this well directed film.
Thanks everyone it was
fun…
HISTORY
OF THE WORLD (PART ONE)…
Director:
Mel Brooks
Writer:
Mel Brooks
Cast
Mel Brooks ... Moses /
Comicus / Torquemada /
Jacques / King Louis XVI
Dom DeLuise ... Emperor
Nero
Madeline Kahn ... Empress
Nympho
Harvey Korman ... Count
de Monet
Cloris Leachman ...
Madame Defarge
Ron Carey ... Swiftus
Gregory Hines ...
Josephus
Pamela Stephenson ...
Mademoiselle Rimbaud
Shecky Greene ... Marcus
Vindictus
Sid Caesar ... Chief
Caveman
Mary-Margaret Humes ...
Miriam
Orson Welles ... Narrator
(voice)
Rudy De Luca ...
Prehistoric Man / Captain
Mucus - The Roman Empire
(as Rudy DeLuca)
Leigh French ...
Prehistoric Man
Richard Karron ...
Prehistoric Man
A hundred
or more of us worked at
Blenheim Palace for a
week on this with Mel
Brooks at his best and
funniest. His 1st A.D.
was Brian
Cook…(Cookie)
During the week I was
used in different guises
(Servant, Coachman,
peasant etc)
When Mel wanted something
done by cast member or a
member of the crew he
would chuckle and say
‘’It’s
good to be
king’’ (He was
playing King Louis of
France)
After the week at
Blenheim I was booked for
a studio day.
In one
scene, as the prison
guard, I have to take the
lovely Pamela Stephenson
to see one of the inmates
- a certain Mr Spike
Milligan..Very funny
man...and completely
crackers....
I was
given some words to say
and was made to feel
quite welcome.
When this business is
good, it’s very
good.
YES
MINISTER…Director
Peter
Whitmore…BBCTV…
Cast Inc…Nigel
Hawthorne…Paul
Eddington…
This time I’m
playing an assassin
trying to knock off the
prime minister.
I fire the gun and hit
the wrong man. (I’m
not too good in the
eyesight dept)
(The BBC still
hasn’t cast me as a
doctor or vicar yet)
(Why?)
STRANGERS
Click on the
picture for a Video clip
WE’LL
MEET AGAIN…
Producer Tony
Wharmby…LWT…
Cast Inc…Susannah
York…Christopher
Malcolm…Ronald
Hines…
AITCH AND DAVE
CHURCH ON WE’LL MEET
AGAIN LWT 1981…
Dave
Church I’ve known
for a long time and as
Supporting Artists
we’re booked as a
couple of wartime
‘’Spiv’s’’..
On location we spent
eight hours sitting on a
bus waiting to do our
bit. (We did have the odd
swift half)
A couple of weeks later
we’re in the studio
to confront another petty
crook, (Stuart Wilson)
and when he asks us what
we want all Dave has to
say is
‘’You’ll
see’’ but it
comes out as
‘’You’ll
shlee’’.
Dave has had a toothache
all day and has just
slipped a painkiller
under his gum to ease the
pain.
Well when we all heard
‘’You’ll
shlee’’ we all
cracked up.
I haven’t seen Dave
for a few years but I
wish him well. It was a
great laugh..
MARY
BLANDY…Director
Brian
Farnham…BBCTV...
I’m off to the West
Country for a couple of
days to say some words
and do some business.
Brian is looking for a
hangman and for some
reason picks on me. (As
if)
I Travel down by train
one evening to the
location to get an early
start the next morning.
At breakfast I’m
introduced to some of the
cast. We all sit together
and have a hearty
breakfast (It’s all
jolly, jolly)..
It now seems I won’t
be used till later in the
day so I sit and watch
them filming other scenes
for a couple of hours
until I hear the village
church clock strike 11
am.
Now, do I sit in the
church or the village pub
opposite?... (No contest)
I decided to sit outside
the pub with a pint of
the black stuff and could
see the crew just across
the fields. After a while
some of the crew that
weren’t involved in
the scenes joined me. It
doesn’t get much
better than this.
After lunch at the
catering wagon I ask what
time will they get to my
scenes..
‘’It’ll be
a few hours
yet’’ So with a
full belly I decide to
have a nap on the grass..
(The sun’s shining,
the belly’s full and
I’m being paid.
It’s a hard life but
someone’s got to do
it.) About six pm after
tea and cakes
they’re ready for me
Victoria Fairbrother has
her hands tied behind her
back and I help her up a
ladder so I can put a
noose around her neck.
This is the same lady
I’ve had breakfast,
lunch and tea with.
Now my lines come
‘’If you would
please Miss to take
another step up the
ladder
Because the rope
can’t reach your
neck’’ She
replies ‘’ For
the sake of decency, Sir,
please do not hang me
high’’
The noose is put in
place, I pull the ladder
away and she swings
through the air.
(WHAT A NICE BASTARD I
AM)
ONLY
FOOLS AND HORSES…Director
Ray Butt…Writer John
Sullivan…BBCTV…
Cast Inc… David
Jason…Nicholas
Lyndhurst…Lennard
Pearce…
I only ever worked on two
episodes of this classic
comedy and what a joy to
watch the Christmas
special in 2002. (It made
the number one spot)
David Jason can do no
wrong in my eyes and has
gone from strength to
strength.
As
I’ve said before
I’m missing some of
the jobs I’ve been
on and some I can’t
remember.
I’ve been on jobs
sometimes for days and
just sat in a dressing
room or a tent (On
location) and at the end
there’s a last
minute rush to get all
the
‘’Extra’s
on the set..
I left home one morning
at four a.m. to get to
the location by six.
After getting changed
into costume I lined up
at the breakfast counter
as part Of a long queue.
I heard the producer say
to an A.D. that we should
have had breakfast before
we left home. (It could
have saved him money with
the caterers)
I told him I’m not
used to having breakfast
at two in the
morning…
‘’If you pay
peanuts you get
monkeys’’
NEXT
- 1982
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