On Location with Leslie Nielsen by Tony Piazza
Mr. Nielsen and my father, from “The Streets of San Francisco.”
In 1976 I worked on a Quinn Martin T.V. movie entitled “Brinks: The Great Robbery.” In it I was as a stand-in for STEPHEN COLLINS (“Star Trek-The Motion Picture”) . “Brinks” also starred LESLIE NIELSEN during his pre-“Airplane” days. I had worked with him before on “The Streets of San Francisco” (first season episode) and so knew that we were in for some fun… the prankster that he was… and he didn’t disappoint. I really liked Mr. Nielsen, both personally and professionally. He was a fun, friendly individual that always brought a smile to your face.
Forbidden Planet
He was quite different from the earlier characters that he played in such films as “Tammy and the Bachelor” (1957) and Forbidden Planet (1956)”- just an aside, but I worked with his co-star ANNE FRANCIS, a real lovely lady. Leslie was more like his “Airplane” (1980) character Dr. Rumack and “Naked Gun’s” (1988) Frank Drebin than his previous incarnations. To illustrate this point, he once told a story about being on a talk show. He had injured his wrist a week earlier and his doctor gave him a rubber ball to squeeze as part of his recovery. This ball made a rude sound when depressed, and seeing the comedic possibilities he brought it on the show hidden in his hand. Occasionally, when the host asked a question he squeezed it…the host became embarrassed and didn’t know what to make of it, except that Mr. Nielsen may have had cabbage for lunch!
The lovely Anne Francis and myself
The Naked Gun
The attached picture was taken in the Hall of Justice in San Francisco one Saturday during the summer of 1976. The story was set in 1950 and we had to dress accordingly. The lady in the middle was my mother. She had worked as an “extra” that day. The cinematographer on this show was a good friend of mine, MICHEL HUGO. We had not only worked together on this movie, but “The Streets of San Francisco”, “Bert D’Angelo, Superstar,” “The Avenger’s USA”, and the motion picture “Manitou.” Michel was the director of photography on the original “Mission Impossible” series (‘60s) and such feature films as “Bless the Beasts and Children” (1971) and “The April Fools” (1969).
Michel Hugo
Mr. Nielsen, Michel Hugo, and my mother are gone… and I’m sure to a much better place. They will be missed. Still, I wonder if Mr. Nielsen brought along his rubber ball?
R.I.P. Mr. Nielsen…it was a pleasure.
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Tony Piazza (Courtesy of Charlotte Alexander)
Tony Piazza is author of the 1930s Hollywood murder mystery novel, “Anything Short of Murder,” which had its roots on the TCM fan website. His second novel, “The Curse of the Crimson Dragon” was published next in early 2012, and in November of 2013 his second Tom Logan Mystery, “A Murder Amongst Angels was released.” In July of 2015 his latest Logan mystery, “Murder Is Such Sweet Revenge” was made available for purchase, and has since been an instant bestseller. All are available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites. He was an actor/extra during the 1970s and worked with such legends as Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, and Karl Malden. His non-fiction e-book “Bullitt Points” is an in depth look at the making of “Bullitt” from a person who was there. Look for it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble websites, or at the link posted below. All profits go to the Boys Republic charity: www.bullittpoints.com.
Tony Piazza is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and SLO NightWriters.
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Thanks for posting this! Loved hearing about Leslie Nielsen. The gent is a legend. Would love to hear much more about Escapade – Avengers USA! This is a true rarity for many fans of the Brit classic. Any info you could share would be warmly welcomed by the fan community. Kind regards Ty
Avengers USA was a pilot produced by Quinn Martin. I was a stand-in for the Steed-like character. The pilot flopped. American audiences wasn’t buying into an Americanized version of the British classic. Eventually it ended up as a TV movie entitled “Escapade.” Granville Van Dusen was who I stood in for, and Morgan Fairchild played the Peel-like role. The characters names were Joshua and Suzy. They took their orders from a computer. My friend, Director of Photography, Michel Hugo worked on the show, and we shot at various locations around San Francisco. It was not a great screenplay. This is one instance where a very British show could not be translated to America. Besides, who could ever beat Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg!
We filmed it in 1977 and I believe the TV movie was released a year later. Jerry London directed, and believe it or not, Brian Clemens was a writer, but as I said it didn’t translate well. Hope that answers your question, Ty? Thanks for reading and commenting.
Nielsen was so known for drama that it was a refreshing surprise to see how funny he could be (though the characters in Airplane and Naked Gun worked because he was so good at deadpan). I bet it was a lot of fun to hang with him.
They show Honey West (speaking of Anne Francis) on a local TV station in Chicago. I’d never seen it before (was born in 1964 and didn’t come across it in reruns like so many other shows). It’s a really good show. And kind of neat for the time cause it shows a tough, savvy female private eye.
Hi Laura. Thank you for commenting. The big turning point for him was “Airplane”. He started a whole new career on that film. Funny guy! Anne Francis…I can’t say enough about her. I was photo-doubling the actor who was supposed to be driving a car in a scene where she was a passenger. She passed up a double and actually rode with me. We had a great deal of time to talk, and she was so nice. I have fond memories of her.
for Leslie Nielsen, who was young enough to move full-speed into the comdey roles he wanted to do all along.It says something about Hollywood typecasting that it took Jerry Lewis and Jackie Gleason to demonstrate that their comedic timing made them effective as serious actors. I wonder how many serious actor Leslie Nielsens are out there who still haven’t gotten a chance to show their comedic chops, and how many serious actors of the past who never got the chance at all?
Wonderful pictures, and loved your ending thoughts about your Mom and Leslie…
Hi Madeline,
Yes, she was thrilled to meet him. Miss her much. She had a wonderful sense of humor. People loved her jokes. Thank you again for commenting.