Hiya folks, I spent 32 years of my life 1966-1998 working as a bit player in British films and tv.
I got to work on over 800 productions with the best actors and directors in the biz from both sides of the pond.
Over the years I worked with Alfred Hitchcock, James Cagney, Tom Cruise, John Wayne, Tony Curtis, Roger Moore,and all in the confines of the UK.
Next time you watch a film or tv show have...

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Hiya folks, I spent 32 years of my life 1966-1998 working as a bit player in British films and tv.
I got to work on over 800 productions with the best actors and directors in the biz from both sides of the pond.
Over the years I worked with Alfred Hitchcock, James Cagney, Tom Cruise, John Wayne, Tony Curtis, Roger Moore,and all in the confines of the UK.
Next time you watch a film or tv show have a look at the guys in the background. (Someone's got to do it)...lol
I'm still learning how to publish a lens (but with us old boys it takes me time)...lol
I have my own web page ( www.harryfielder.co.uk) or you can find me on google harry fielder .

I am not sure if this is right but here goes....
Aitch (H)
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.Director Steven Spielberg Elstree Studios
Cast Inc Harrison Ford Karen Allen
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

Aitch,
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1996

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE Director Brian De Palma
Cast Inc Tom Cruise Jon Voight
A night shoot at Liverpool Street Train Station in London.
They want to use my car (Orion) in the first shot and have a London bus give it a near miss. After about six takes and the bus getting nearer with every take the director gets his shot. (I'm a bit pleased with that)
They had rain machines on us all night which made the driving more difficult.
Tom Cruise was very good to the onlooking crowd and every so often would go over to them and sign autographs for them.
Mind you there was half a dozen big guys (Ben, Spiv,) doing their best public liaison work.
I was speaking to Robin the caterer when Jon Voight came over and joined us.
He shook hands with me and asked me how I was doing.
I said I had worked with him before on The Revolutionary many years before.
He remembered the film and I didn't remind him of the good drink we had at the end of that day. It's not in his memory but it will certainly stay in mine.

Aitch,
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Great to work with this guy.
RAGTIME Director Milos Forman
Cast Inc JAMES CAGNEY Pat O'Brien Donald O'Connor
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.

Aitch,

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Being in the biz sounds like an easy job but sometimes there is some danger..
1971

THE DEVILS Director Ken Russell
Oliver Reed Vanessa Redgrave Dudley Sutton
I worked for about sixteen weeks on this film standing/in for Dudley and doing every crowd scene possible.
From the first day on set I could not believe what I was seeing.
A bevy of young girls dressed as Nuns walking around the set topless.
Reg Prince, who was Oliver Reeds stand/in said to me ''Stop looking Aitch, or you'll go blind''
I said ''I'll risk one eye''.
After the first couple of days it was back to looking at the Racing Post.
I thought this film was Dudley's finest performance. How he could remember all those very long speeches was beyond me. (That's the difference between an actor and a supporting artist)
As I said, I got involved in many of the crowd scenes. Some days we had six Crowd Artists and another time six hundred.
After a couple of months Ted Morley the 1st A.D. said ''Come in at six in the morning Aitch, Ken's got a little job for you'' (Be wary of Ken's little jobs)
I'm in the make up room bright and early the next day standing in just my underpants. (Not a pretty sight at six in the morning)
I'm painted off/white and grey and have rags tied about certain parts of my body.
One of the make up girls pours some rice crispies into a bowl. (I'm thinking it must be breakfast time.)
Then glue is applied one side of my face, shoulders and body and the rice is stuck on.
After that they're painted yellow, red and a few other colours and it looks like I've got the plague. (That was the plan in the first place)
It's nearly eight o clock now and I'm told I can go over to the Pinewood canteen and have a quick breakfast then go straight onto the set which was on the back lot.
The canteen was packed when I entered but within seconds I had a table to myself. (I wonder why?)
Later on at the back lot they've dug a huge crater and filled it up with raggedly dressed dummies and I'm going to lay on the top.. This is the plague pit and I'm starring. Murrey Melvin was blessing our poor disfigured bodies.
I had a smoke while they were lighting the set and it reminded me of that cigar advert Where the man is all at peace with his lot. I thought to myself ''Is this it Aitch, on the scrap heap at thirty one years old''
Another of Ken's little jobs was to dress me up as a giant crow and to get drowned in the Pinewood pond. (Under the supervision of Peter Braham, Stunt Director)
Now in theory it's quite easy to do. You float in the pond then sink into three foot of water whilst holding a plastic bottle of air in one hand and another one of blood in the other hand%u2026(Simple)
As you sink you squeeze the bottles and the air and blood rise to the surface.
(Now here's the rub)
The giant crows feathers wont let me sink.
After about ten minutes the brains on the film come up with plan B.
They will drop a huge weight with a steel ring in it to the bottom of the pond, then tie a rope around my waist under the feathers then through the steel ring.
Pass the rope To the three prop men standing on the other side of the pond and they will pull me under the water. (It gets worse)
By now I've been in the water for nearly an hour and I'm getting cold. The fish in the pond have got the hump with me and have started nibbling at the feathers and certain other parts of my anatomy. A couple of large brandies help with the cold and we're Ready for a take. (Let's do it) (now here's the plot.)
I'm floating on the top and on a cue the prop men will pull me down to the bottom
As I'm releasing air and blood.. (Big thought) What about my own air supply.???
How will the prop men know when I've run out of air to breathe so that they can release the rope. Another large brandy and it's decided that when I pull on the rope they will release it their end.
Well to cut an even longer story short the idea worked and after about six takes (And Six more brandies) Ken got what he wanted.

The moral of this story is, don't mix brandy and water. (Oh happy days)

The Devils was a great film to work on and I'd like to thank all the cast and crew for making it such a fun time.
I'd like to say a very special thanks to the wonderful 2nd A.D. Mr. Vincent Winters.
Vincent was a child actor and his great claim to fame was the film ''THE KIDNAPPERS'' Made in the fifties. He played the younger of the two brothers who find a baby on the Scottish Moors and want to call it Rover... (A wonderful film)
I had a row with him twenty years later and never got to say sorry.
Vincent has since died and I'm still sorry. (God bless)

Aitch,
____________________________________________________

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).

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.
Aitch,