Chapter Nine - Death Wish, One Too Many and Ness Returns

About seventy-five extras were gathered in a large party room of a Rosedale mansion. We were being told about the street scene that was going to be shot later that evening. The movie was Death Wish, The Face of Death, with Charles Bronson, Michael Parks and Lesley Anne Down. It was the fifth in the series and the physicality of the vigilante Paul Kersey was bound to be a problem for 70ish Bronson. Indeed he was unable to move quickly and used a stunt double for any activity that even remotely featured action.
Bronson was also very grumpy and we heard that earlier he had admonished an actor who showed up on set to portray a policeman but who also had shaggy hair and a mustache. Bronson spotted the actor and called him over. “You can’t be a police officer looking like that on my set.” He grumbled. “You get to hair and makeup and get that hair cut and that mustache off or you can get off this set.” He grumbled menacingly.
It was no surprise then that the assistant director had this to say.
“All right people. When you are on the set with Mr. Bronson, do not speak to him. Do not ask him for autographs. Do not stare at him. Stay out of his personal space. Do not disturb him in any way. Does everyone understand?”
Everyone looked a little miffed and I took a step forward and said “You tell Mr. Bronson, the same goes for me!” I kept a grim look on my face for moment and then came out with a big smile.
It was quiet for a moment and the assistant director shook his head and laughed and then everyone started to laugh and the mood lightened for the rest of the shoot. Bronson behaved himself while I was on set but he looked very tired, puffy and a little sick of it all.
Because I was used as a street extra, Donna Dupere the casting agent asked if I could come back the next day to work on another scene and that was certainly fine with me.
This scene was done in a chapel at university of Toronto and was a funeral for one of Michael Parks’ evil henchmen who had been killed by vigilante Kersey. I was one of Park’s goons and wore dark sunglasses throughout the service.
The director did not have a clue how to set up this shot. The actor they had to play the priest was completely lost; they did not know how to drape the coffin or how to deal with the various catholic incense burners and crosses and shooting was at a halt. They also wanted an altar boy to accompany the priest, again with no idea what anyone should really do in a proper catholic funeral.
If Donna Dupere (the onsite casting agent) and I weren’t close before, we certainly were after I made a suggestion and then followed through with a great casting choice.
“Donna. I can get you a real priest and an altar boy if you buy half an hour.” I said.
She spoke to the director and said that she thought she could solve the problem and so everyone took a break. I frantically tried to track down my good friend Allan Doucette. Allan was out of work and I thought he would be at home but even more important, he was a catholic deacon and knew everything the director would need to pull off in the scene. Luckily he was home. Even better, his son, Andrew was a real altar boy, and he was home too.
Allan and Andrew rushed down to the set from Brampton and Donna introduced him to the director as an expert and he had the scene set up in no time. We proceeded with the shot with Allan joining me as a bad guy in the pews and Andrew playing front and centre role as the altar boy.
Sadly, Allan died of a heart attack not so long after that event. Every now and then I watch Death Wish 5 and I can see my great friend sitting in front of me and it stands out as one of the most poignant moments of my movie career.

One of those great old television shows that I had watched as a youngster was “The Untouchables” with Robert Stack portraying crime fighter Eliot Ness. I was thrilled to learn that Stack was reprising the role for a Movie of the Week and I had a part as a detective in a scene where we investigate a murder.
We assembled at Casa Loma and the murder scene was in one of the bedrooms of the groundskeeper’s home which is adjacent to the castle and beside the stable. The stable is connected to the castle by an underground passageway.
The castle was closed to the public and we had the absolute run of the place and one of my colleagues and I explored for hours as we waited for our scene to be set up. It was great fun.
On the set, Bobbie, as Mr. Stack insisted that everyone call him, was so nice to work with. He kept us entertained with the greatest stories of the old days in Hollywood. “Did you know that I gave Elizabeth Taylor her first screen kiss?” he asked. He then went on to tell us about the scene and how wonderful Liz was to work with and how all of the stars took singing, dance and acting lessons. Once you were on contract, the studios took over your entire life in those days he told us.
Bobbie, also in his seventies was the exact opposite of Charles Bronson. He was gregarious and charming and once that camera started rolling was intense and charismatic. It was truly a thrill to work with him.
I was using my spare time very creatively as I waited, often with many other extras, for my scenes. I started running little mini classes. Usually if there were lots of women on the set, it would be origami. If it was mostly men, I would teach juggling.
It was always nice when someone would say, “You taught me how to juggle on the set of Top Cops.” Or “I showed my niece how to make nesting cranes for Christmas decorations and you taught me how to do it.”