BS: Have you been in a Movie?

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: RangerSteve
Date: 07 Jan 05 - 08:09 PM

I played a black-face musician in a movie that only had a working title at the time, and I forget what it was. As far as I know, it never got released. It wouldn't have been a major film anyway.
I had to wear a green satin jacket with tails, and huge yellow satin bow tie and a derby. The scene took two nights to film, and I got paid fifty dollars, which in 1976 was a big deal.

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: freda underhill
Date: 07 Jan 05 - 08:55 PM

I have a couple of starring spots similar to brucie ("I had my middle finger in the air while looking at the camera")

one was a few years back when our government was trying to break the unions.
the waterside workers union dispute with Patrick's There were big strikes on at the waterfronts in Sydney, and i went with the solidarity choir to sing at the waterfront, first thing in the morning, to support the striking workers.

As the bus came past (tinted windows so you couldnt see inside) full of the non union "scabs" i and lots of others followed it in, yelling, shaking fists and waving the finger etc. the next morning at work several colleagues told me they saw me on the news the night before, someone had been in the back of the bus filming and there was a big shot of me waving my finger blasted across three tv channels.

another such experience was in 1974 when i got married (the first time!) it was a hippie wedding in the botanic gardens in sydney - with some musicians called the White Company (rainbow hats, pipes, fiddles and a sitar). no one had had a wedding in the gardens before, and it was filmed for the news that evening. someone else was there filming as well.

sixteen years later an old family friend was head of a government department in Canberra. he was taken on his first day in the job to check out the local security headquarters. he told my father there were photos of my wedding in the gardens amongst others on the notice board. apparently there were "people of interest" there and they used it as an opportunity to photograph them all. My father's friend was a little unnerved when he saw them - he was one of the guests at the wedding!

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: Cluin
Date: 08 Jan 05 - 01:59 AM

Do high school amateur porn videos count?

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: kytrad (Jean Ritchie)
Date: 08 Jan 05 - 03:21 PM

The next time you see, "Next of Kin" (come on- admit you've watched it!) look for the old lady (me) sitting in the Kentucky porch-swing, with her handsome nephew (Patrick Swazy) standing behind her with hand on her shoulder...Helen Hunt is playing the fiddle (violin here) for us.

Just wanted to see what being in a Hollywood movie is like, and boy did I learn...never did so much waitin-around in my life. Endless stories here, but I won't subject you to them. Maybe I'll 'write it up' sometime.

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: Linda Kelly
Date: 08 Jan 05 - 05:55 PM

My knees appeared in Young Scientist of the Year, my friend John played a tree in a Doctor Who episode; I was in the cage on TISWAS and my brother was in an episode of Dallas when Pammy and Sue Ellen went looking for Mark in Hong Kong and they used the British Military Hospital in Victoria -oh and an aunt (by marraige) had a cousin called Hazel Court who was a B film actress in the 1950's -I can tell your all impressed.

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: Cluin
Date: 10 Jan 05 - 09:03 PM

Do police stakeout "sting" operations count?

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: Fred Maslan
Date: 10 Jan 05 - 09:53 PM

I was poking at the desert table in the wedding scene in the movie "Georgia" one of the more boring experiences in my life. The movie wasn't all that good either.

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: harpgirl
Date: 10 Jan 05 - 10:14 PM

So garg...how about a few more clues?

Interesting variety of experiences...I figured Cluin would say something like that! those limey bastards! (He is a limey bastard isn't he?)

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: Rapparee
Date: 10 Jan 05 - 10:28 PM

I was supposed to be in a US Army training film once. It was to be on refueling tanks from the air: a tanker would drop a hose to the ground, and the tanks would be refueled as the plane circled above -- picture a cone standing on its point.

I wasn't among those who went out to try this, but the film was never made. Seems like they dumped a couple hundred gallons of gasoline (petrol) all over the Wisconsin woods, so the Army dumped not only the film but the whole idea.

I found out later that the Army also tried the aerial refueling idea by dumping fuel bladders off the rear loading ramp of a C-130. Picture a large water ballon dropped from a couple hundred feet up and you get the picture about why this, too, wasn't a Good Idea.

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 10 Jan 05 - 10:30 PM

I was including Cluin's cats.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

http://www.imdb.com is too easy to trace - unless the base is debased and less than credible....on more than one account.

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: Cluin
Date: 10 Jan 05 - 11:34 PM

???


Another deleted post, garg?



No. Not a Limey bastard. A bastard from this side of the ditch.

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: 42
Date: 11 Jan 05 - 06:00 PM

I was an extra in a really bad movie shot in Toronto about 20 years ago with Bob Dylan as a washed up old musician.

Listened to the same tune a hundred times and have never felt the same about Dylan since.

Also co-"starred" last year in a short indie production called "The Folk In Me" by up and coming filmmaker Olivia Duck.

jen

does that qualify?

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: sixtieschick
Date: 12 Jan 05 - 01:50 AM

After being disappointed about not appearing in the film, "Monterey Pop," Pennebaker finally decided to make it up to me. Just to get me in, he did an entire film featuring the complete footage of Jimi Hendrix's performance. And there I am, in an audience shot.

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: Shanghaiceltic
Date: 12 Jan 05 - 03:24 AM

Not exaclty a movie but I was asked about 12 years ago to choreagraph a fight sequence for a French medical dressing advert.

This was filmed in a studio on the south side of the Thames across from Chelsea London and the fight sequence had to be between a man and a woman dressed in soemething resembling Japanese armour.

Rosie and myself used bokken, wooden practice swords which are similar in shape (but not weight)to a Japanese katana.

For armour a standard kendo armour had been taken and adapted and covered with the said product, we also found out later that some French french letter boxes had also been added.

As our faces were covered with masks the cameras had no face shot. It was a knackering day as so many cuts were taken. I saw the end result and right at the end off came the helmets to reveal two beautifull people which were not Rosie or I, we were far too ugly for the French sticking plaster & letter people. But we did get a nice fee for the day.

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: Crystal
Date: 12 Jan 05 - 12:16 PM

I've been on tv!
First time was "Webwise" I was pretending to be terribly interested in our school website (HAH!) and was hit on the head with a giant spoon by Kate Humble.
The second time has me staring vacantly at the camera talking in a very flat, terrified voice about how interesting the Globe theatre is!

Not very inspiring I'll admit!

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: Cats
Date: 12 Jan 05 - 12:47 PM

I haven't, but Jon has been filming this week for a Docu - drama called 10 days to Victory, about the last 10 days of WW2 seen through the eyes of a series of different people. It'll be on the Nat Geograhic channel in May. He's a POW and had to spend most of the afternoon in stripey pyjamas on the floor of a barn, dying. There's a good close up of his hand and foot!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 12 Jan 05 - 02:55 PM

I've been on BBC Radio 4, the pictures are much better. I was interveiwed by Leslie Thomas (Stand up, Virgin soldiers) for a piece about the artworks created by officers of the Raj, and what happened to Kitchener's Aide de Camp, his (?)grand nephew who had his head cut off and stuck on a pole at the gates of Khartoum.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: Coyote Breath
Date: 13 Jan 05 - 12:15 AM

I wasn't in a movie but two of my serigraphs were! In the George C. Scott movie; "Hard Core" when he goes into the hippie free paper's offices, my posters are up on the wall, 1.5 seconds of fame!

I actually got paid!

CB

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: GUEST,harp
Date: 13 Jan 05 - 07:51 AM

comeon garg...I need more clues than just the IMDB.

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: GUEST,Rapaire
Date: 13 Jan 05 - 09:00 AM

Actually, I can be on TV any time I want to be. The Library here has a show on the local public access channel (it's even fairly well watched!) and as the Director of the Library, well....

The only time I ever starred in a movie was a very low budget production and I kept my socks on....

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 13 Jan 05 - 12:04 PM

Thanks to a tip from anonymous "Guest" above, I just put "Undercover Blues" in my Netflix queue.

If you're located in the continental US, you might be interested in the simple and painless Netflix DVD rental concept. (This is an unsolicited endorsement.)

http://www.netflix.com/Default

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: GUEST,Branden Zandstra
Date: 30 Jan 05 - 09:31 PM

I am seriously Branden Zandstra! Me! Yes ME! If you want to contact me then e-mail me at [e-mail]. And don't try any funny stuff I have the state of the art vet antivirus, firewall 5.0 and mailwasher pro!

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: kendall
Date: 31 Jan 05 - 03:31 PM

Ok, so, who are you?

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: GUEST,SKIPY
Date: 31 Jan 05 - 05:32 PM

Made it onto Malteese TV whilst pretending to drive a 1/2 track, dressed in British uniform c/w steel helmet (several people where throwing sand in my face & rocking the vehicle in an attempt to make it look like it was moving!
Sadly the 1/2 track was american but painted in German colours after being left behind by a film crew & given to the Malta War Museun (1975).
That was me that was dressed not the 1/2 track.
Skipy

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: JennyO
Date: 31 Jan 05 - 08:44 PM

Kendall, I mentioned Branden earlier in the thread. He's a boy I know who was in a movie. Haven't seen him now for about a year as he and his mum live several hours' drive away. He's a pretty cool kid - must be nearly 13 now. I'm rather pleased to see he's found his way onto Mudcat.

Jenny

Subject: Hey Coyote Breath
From: GUEST,Cats
Date: 16 Mar 05 - 11:41 AM

Are you by any chance Sandford Mark Barnes? If so I need to talk to you about Caleb ASAP. Please call me or e-mail me at [e-mail]. Thanks.

Cathy R.

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: fat B****rd
Date: 16 Mar 05 - 02:44 PM

I just picked up on this thread. The late Pipemaker Dave Williams and two friends can be clearly seen in the film "Blow Up". In the Yardbirds scene. They allegedly kept grabbing Jeff Beck's broken guitar and annoying the film makers.

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 16 Mar 05 - 03:02 PM

Following up on fB, I can also tell about musical acquaintances who made an appearance in a notable movie.

Three of my favorite fellow streetsingers in New Orleans back in the early 70s were three elderly black gospel singers, one man and two women. One of the women was huge and the other very small; the smaller lady played the guitar. I never learned their names, but saw them almost every day and occasionally sang a song or two with them.

They appear in "Easy Rider," when the main characters are in New Orleans for Mardi Gras. (The filming would have been a year or two before I first met them.) They are seen only briefly, but are heard at great length, as the background music for the entire acid-trip-in-the-cemetery scene.

I always wonder if they got a decent paycheck out of it. Probably not.

****************

PS: A couple of weeks ago, I rented "Undercover Blues" to see my son as a 10-year-old extra once again. (See above.) Thanks to DVD technology, I spotted one additional appearance of his face that I hadn't noticed before: At the very beginning, the opening shot, of the "chapter" or "scene" in which he appears in the French Market crowd, the side of his head fills the entire screen, slightly out of focus, as the background to a close-up shot of Kathleen Turner.

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: Metchosin
Date: 16 Mar 05 - 03:14 PM

Oh I forgot, my daughter and I were in a scene, few years back, on the Wonderful World of Horses, which airs sometimes on Discovery Channel. We were shown fording the Panther River on horseback.

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: CStrong
Date: 16 Mar 05 - 08:03 PM

I'm in a crowd scene in Groundhog Day, shot almost entirely in my town, but I can't find me.

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: jeffp
Date: 17 Mar 05 - 09:43 AM

I had an opportunity to be in Gettysburg, but I couldn't take the time off work. They used Civil War reenactors as extras and put out a massive call.

I did, however, act in a couple of short movies made for Public Access in Loudoun County, VA. I learned from that experience that acting is not what I want to be doing. It's a frightfully boring way to spend a couple of days.

Jeff

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: Terry Allan Hall
Date: 17 Mar 05 - 11:24 AM

I've been in several, in very small roles, but the only two worth mentioning were "Outlaw Blues" w/ Peter Fonda, where I'm the stoned-looking "cow-freak" guitarist in the party scene...I'm on for about 3 seconds...

The other was a truly horrible "dice-and-slicer" called "...And I'll Spit On Your Grave", a horror flick about a bunch of Hell's Angel-types meeting a family of inbred cannibals in the hills of West Virginia...I'm the biker who, in attempting to get some "oral loving" with the wrong cannibal-cutie, gets an important part literally bit off...(the one and only time I actually watched this flick, the special effects were almost too intense!)

The others were even less impressive, hence the Oscar people passing me over yet again!

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: open mike
Date: 17 Mar 05 - 12:08 PM

http://www.imdb.com

if you go there you will find that it is the
Internet Movie Data Base

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: M.Ted
Date: 17 Mar 05 - 03:01 PM

Yes, on Monday, in fact--I spent the day as an extra in Mel Brooks new film version of "The Producers"--it will be released in December--

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: LadyJean
Date: 18 Mar 05 - 12:16 AM

I went to prep school with Eve Gordon, who has had parts in a number of films. We were even in a play together, though she wasn't very good back then.
The star of our school productions was a classmate of mine who was Molly Picoun's niece. She looked exactly like her famous aunt. But she couldn't act. Someone at some time had told her to face the audience and say her lines nice and loud. That was the beginning and ending of her acting skills. She was painful to watch. But she was cast in school plays and community theater because of her famous aunt.
Of course when she got out into the real world, she wasn't quite so successful. Last I'd heard she'd married an investment banker.

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 18 Mar 05 - 12:25 AM

Yeah. I'm the guy who yells..."I AM SPARTACUS!!!"

The line I really wanted badly, though, was: "I AM NOT AN ANIMAL!!!!!!"

I quit the movie industry in disgust shortly after that. A day later William Shatner arrived. The rest is history.

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 18 Mar 05 - 12:33 AM

Gad! I just read the description of the movie "Lobsteroids"...purportedly the worst film ever made...but it wasn't released!

Too bad William Shatner wasn't cast in that one to rescue it, cos then it would have made it to the silver screen for sure, and probably earned some real notice.

He would have been cool in "Hearts of Fire" too...as Dylan's corrupt manager.

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: GUEST,Anna Benton
Date: 04 Jan 06 - 09:16 PM

Hey JennyO... where are you from?

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: kendall
Date: 04 Jan 06 - 09:36 PM

I was narrator and singer in a documentary titled "Fence in the water" it was about the Maine sardine industry. I sang Gordon Bok's MRS. McDONALDS LAMENT.

Also appeared on Charles Kuralt's ON THE ROAD, and on CBS tv The Today Show.

As Kytrad said, waiting was the biggest part of it. Never been paid for doing nothing before.

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: Susan A-R
Date: 04 Jan 06 - 10:05 PM

I was in a laundry detergent commercial in the 70s. 3 days of filming for a 60 second commercial, and I was definately an extra. Nte even sure they used the spot.

I was recently interviewed at length in an independent film called "Beyond 88 Keys", because the film's about my husbnad, Michael Arnowitt,a pretty amazing concert pianist. It is mighty strange to see your head up there on the screen, looking to be as tall as you are, and not great to have those little mis-spoken phrases coming back every time you see the film. The filming of the doccumentary was pretty painless for me. They just filmed me and interviewed me while I was at work, making wontons and talking about Michael.

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: GUEST,SunnySister
Date: 04 Jan 06 - 11:18 PM

It's great that this old thread was brought back- interesting reading!

I was in a few movies as an extra but never, to my knowledge, did I make it to the screen. Editors had it in for me, I guess. I was in the grocery store as a shopper in the only movie people might remember "My Blue Heaven" with Steve Martin. I was living in San Luis Obispo, California and going to university there and the casting directors came in and took over the place. A lot of fun to do.

I was also in a few commercials when I was a child, one of them pretty famous around the US at least. I was in an Heinz Ketchup "Anticipation" commerical when I was about 6. I was given acting lessons to keep me out of my parents hair while they went to marriage counselors. I had a lot of talent and was doing really well starting out, such as this commercial and then, sadly, my parents decided to divorce and my mother couldn't afford the lessons anymore so I had to stop. Besides, a lot of my charm at that point was how cute I looked with my two front teeth out :) When they grew back, I have a big ole gap that made me not as film-worthy.

I will say that what I remember of filming that particular commercial is one of my best childhood memories. My mom and my brother (who was about 7 1/2 at the time) came with me to Griffith Park (or however it's spelled) in Los Angeles. The shoot was done there in the park and it was set up as a big long picnic table. I thought it was strange that we were told that we could "look" like we were eating the food but that we should not. After about what seemed like a million takes, I could understand why they had that rule! The crew were very nice to me and it seemed very abstract because the music was not there to give the message. It was just me, grabbing for the bottle of ketchup and then pouting until, overhead, the ketchup appears and I am happy. Very simple acting and a beautiful summer day to shoot. Afterwards, my mom, brother and I went to the train museum and played on the old trains. A great day and a great memory.

--SunnySister

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: Celtaddict
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 12:08 AM

My husband and I are the "American tourists" in front of the US embassy at the start of "The Amateur," just before the girl in the red beret goes in and the terrorists take over.
In the unlikely event that you see this movie, you can say to whoever is beside you, "That's funny; I thought this was supposed to be in Munich. The streetcars are supposed to be blue." The story takes place in Munich and Budapest, and they shot it in Vienna because Vienna has parts that look like both, but the streetcars there are red.

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: Kaleea
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 12:19 AM

The only feature length film I was in I was one of a "couple" of hundred extras. It was in the mid 70's, with some falling "stars" like Artie Johnson & I can't remember who else, that did some movie about a car-aka horseless carriage. They filmed some scenes out in a wildlife refuge near Lawton, Oklahoma & invited people with period costumes to show up. Because I was in & had made a costume for a production of Oklahoma, the director of that production let me & everyone else know that extras were needed for the film. As I recall, we got $20 per day-for 2-3 days, & signed some papers that no one read including me. (I think I was about 20 or 21 & never read anything I signed back then)   I don't think any of our faces were recognizable on film. I only saw some of the daylies, and had moved before it was shown at a theatre in Lawton--and not too many other theatres in the world.
The name of the film was something other than we were told. It was a box office flop. I don't know if it was even on tv. Pathetic, huh?

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: Fullerton
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 10:11 AM

I appeared in 51st State ( I believe Samuel Jackson co-starred :) )

I can be seen in THREE FRAMES of the car chase scene (if you use a magnifying glass I am a clear blur)

I appeared in british soap opera Hollyoaks playing tin whistle. Long tracking crane shot!Good money. Fixed a mimeing band of musicians for Hollyoaks too. yes mimeing.

I played an Orange lodge drummer in a TV movie about the Holy Cross school drums and my hands got a close up.

I got a full face close up, with artificial mostache, playing my dear old mandolin, in ukrainian national costume!!! - in a film about poor Stefan Kiscko. Played real music there..... well, we mimed to a track we previously recorded. Great tunes. Great food - the onset catering was terrific - and we ukrainian musos pigged out. When we got on the set we handed platefuls of food to eat during shooting. After each take the food was taken away and we were given ANOTHER plateful of food. I can clearly be seen gesticulating with a gherkin in this movie.

I've played on the soundtrack of a few more films and TV progs.

HOT TIP FOR MUDCAT WANNABES!!!.

Casting and extras agencys frequently need people who play weird instruments- they set a scene very effectively. Lots of THEM here on mudcat!!!!!! Approach an agent and ask to be put on there books. - DO NOT PART WITH MONEY IN ADVANCE not a penny - It should work that the TV company pay your agent, then the agent sends you your percentage. Make sure someone on the set (Director's runner) knows your name and agent. And do not part with one penny/cent/drachma before you get the job. The agent pays YOU. YOU should never, ever, ever pay the agent!! It's good fun.

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: leftydee
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 10:50 AM

Zamboo, who is a occasional contributor here, wrote a science fiction classic called "Moon Trap". It starred the guy that played Chekov (Shatner's sidekick) on Star Trek. I know he still gets a check now and then from it too. Ever seen it?

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: M.Ted
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 12:33 PM

Fortuitous that this thread came up--I just saw the new, musical version of The Producers", and I am in it, in about five different shots--as a member of the theater audience for "Springtime for Hitler" and "Prisoners of Love"--I am wearing Barry Goldwater-like glasses, have a midwestern-type Chipmunk smile, and am tall--admittedly not a big role, but, as my wife pointed out, I am in more shots than Brad Oscar--

Mel Brooks set up a special deal with the non-profit organization Food Change, casting those who gave contributions of a certain amount as extras in the theatre audience scenes.

It was a long, busy day because many of those ten second audience shots were done and redone as many as 15 times("More applause", "Less applause", "Some of you, stand up", "Too many standing, this time, only half of you stand up". "We didn't get that last take, let's do it again")--and I met a lot of people who make a sort of hobby of being extras(they do get paid, but the going rate is about the same as you get as a folksinger), who gave me tips on how to ply the trade--

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 05 Jan 06 - 12:57 PM

wow I wasn't going to bother, I will now

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: JennyO
Date: 09 Jan 06 - 06:01 AM

From: GUEST,Anna Benton - PM
Date: 04 Jan 06 - 09:16 PM

Hey JennyO... where are you from?

I'm from Sydney, Australia. Why do you ask?

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: Paco Rabanne
Date: 09 Jan 06 - 08:22 AM

99 is the new 100.

Subject: RE: BS: Have you been in a Movie?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 09 Jan 06 - 08:42 AM

NO and 100 !!