Bullitt Points Archives - Page 8 of 10

On the Location with Freebie, the Bean, and Me!

July 5, 2012 By tonypiazza 2 Comments

On the Location with Freebie, the Bean, and Me!

James Caan, myself, and Alan Arkin

This photograph was taken during the summer of 1974 in front of a trailer dressing room in San Francisco. The photograph was taken by the make-up artist on the feature, Donald Schoenfeld ( 1st Season Hawaii Five-O) . He and his wife Trudy were friends, and co-workers on The Streets of San Francisco. They have both retired and are now living in Hawaii. The exact location of the shoot was the Embarcadero. We had been filming the chase scene for the movie Freebie, and the Bean (1974), and many of the “extras” including myself had brought our cars. One scene called for a car to leap over a guard rail of the Embarcadero Freeway (which is no longer there, it was demolished after the 1989 earthquake), crash through the roof of a building, and end up in a person’s apartment. This was done in three steps. I watched as the automobile, stripped and with dummies was launched by a gas driven catapult over the actual freeway railing and into empty space where it crashed into a dirt lot below. A matte shot was then created by the FX boys to fill this space with a building, and then an interior set was built at the studio where a car slides down a ramp entering into an apartment through the ceiling. Such is the magic of Hollywood! Both JAMES CAAN and ALAN ARKIN were great to work with. Real cut-ups on the set and you can tell that they enjoyed their work. Actually comedies always brought out the funny bone of most actors even behind the scenes. There was just as much fun on the “High Anxiety” set (another comedy I worked on) as there was in front of the camera, but that’s another story for another day.

On the city streets we shot a scene where a stuntman drove a motorcycle on top of automobiles stopped in a jam, and another at Embarcadero Plaza where outside diners at a restaurant were scattered by the partcipants in the chase. As you can tell, it was chaos as one would find in a Keystone Cop scenario.

I also got to meet VALERIE HARPER ( TV’s sit-com, Rhoda). Extremely friendly lady, and she signed an autograph for my girlfriend who was a big fan and asked that I get it, when she heard I would be working with her.

Valerie Harper

It’s Funny, but it seems like only yesterday that I’d been on location with this fun group. However as I sit here typing I’ve calculated that this all took place 38 years ago! Where has time flown.

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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 next released early 2012, and in July of this year, his latest Tom Logan Mystery, “A Murder Amongst Angels” was published and is now 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.

Also: The new Tom Logan mystery thriller, A Murder Amongst Angels is now available!

Find it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever fine books are sold. Also available for $2.99 on Kindle.

Some "Happy Days" Memories by Tony Piazza

July 3, 2012 By tonypiazza Leave a Comment

Some “Happy Days” Memories by Tony Piazza

The Cunningham’s (Bosley and Ross)

I got to work with the Cunningham’s, Mr. and Mrs., on “The Streets of San Francisco.” They were not together however, but on separate episodes. Of course the Cunningham’s were not their real names, but the characters they played on “Happy Days” (1974-1984). I am of course talking about TOM BOSLEY and MARION ROSS. Tom worked on two episodes, and we became friends in spite of the fact that I spilt coffee on his suit- we won’t go into that! The first show we worked together on was an episode that took place on Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay. This was just after the Indian occupation, and we were the first group after the incident to be allowed on the grounds- shortly afterwards this historic former federal prison would be cleaned up and opened by the Park Department for public tours. The place then was a mess, and both Tom and I were sitting out in the rubble strewn exercise yard watching a scene where a stuntman was to take a high fall from one of the walls. I helped him (he had asked my assistance) with his new camera -he was having trouble unlocking some feature on it. He was planning to take pictures of the stunt, and as I said elsewhere, actors are no different than the fans. This acting assignment was prior to his “Happy Days” fame (Season 2: Going Home (1973) with young Brad Savage as his son). The next time he returned (Season 5: Dead or Alive (1976), the crew was really razzing him about his role on “Happy Days”, calling him Mr. Cunningham, etc. He was great about it. In fact I think he enjoyed it!

Tom Bosley

Marion Ross (Season 5: The Thrill Killers (1976)) was a sweetheart. She was Mrs. Cunningham; so kind, thoughtful, and caring. I was sitting next to her on a couch located in the interior of a home we were filming at in the Potrero District of San Francisco. My father had passed out on the set a week earlier due to heart problems and had been in the hospital. That particular day he had been released and came down on the set with my mother. There was a great deal of excitement by the crew at his return, and Marion, not privy to the circumstances, was curious what the fuss was all about. I told her the details and could see the compassion in her eyes as I related the story. She spent some time talking to me as a mother to her son. I can’t say enough kind words about Marion.

Marion Ross

Just as an aside- recently in watching “The Best of the DEAN MARTIN Show” I was reminded at one point in the series that Tom Bosley was a regular in the comedy sketches.

Tom Bosley on The Dean Martin Show

Tom passed away in October of 2010 at the age of 83. Thanks Tom and Marion for such great memories…you certainly were two memorable people!

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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 next released early 2012, and in July of 2013, his latest Tom Logan Mystery, “A Murder Amongst Angels” was published and is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites. A new Tom Logan novel has been completed and is scheduled to be released in 2015. 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 three prestigious writer’s organizations: Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and the SLO NightWriters.

My earlier bestselling novels, “The Curse of the Crimson Dragon” and “Anything Short of Murder” now joins “A Murder Amongst Angels” on Amazon’s Kindle at a new, low price of $2.99. Now you can have hours of adventure, thrills, mystery, and romance for the price of a cup of coffee- and just as stimulating! Look for it on Amazon. Print versions have also been reduced.

Also: The new Tom Logan mystery thriller, A Murder Amongst Angels .

Find them all on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever fine books are sold. Also available for $2.99 on Kindle.

I Was in Mayberry! by Tony Piazza

July 3, 2012 By tonypiazza Leave a Comment

I Was in Mayberry! by Tony Piazza

I never met ANDY GRIFFITH, and the closest I came was when I got a call to work on AMERICAN GRAFFITI, but turned it down to work on THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO. If I had, I would have met Opie, so that would make me once removed from him. I was friends with Richie’s (Ron Howard) dad from HAPPY DAYS, actor Tom Bosley (see my blog entitled, “Happy Days Memories”), so perhaps that counts. However, I was in Mayberry.

During the shooting of one episode of THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO (Title: Jury’s Out) they had to use a soundstage at Desilu Studios. They needed a detailed set supposedly inside a cargo ship, and the San Francisco studio was too small to build it. I went down to Culver City while they were filming, and during a break wandered outside to the studio’s small backlot. Talk about deja vu; there was Sheriff’s Andy’s courthouse office, Goober’s gas station, in other words, there was Mayberry! So I was there, standing out on the street of a place I watched as a child on 60s television…a TV icon…it was so unexpected, but here it was in real life! Needless to say, it was quite an experience.

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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 next novel, “The Curse of the Crimson Dragon” was released early 2012 and is now 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 where fine books are sold, or at the link posted below. All profits go to the Boys Republic charity: www.bullittpoints.com.

A Handshake from Raymond Burr by Tony Piazza

July 3, 2012 By tonypiazza 1 Comment

A HANDSHAKE FROM RAYMOND BURR by Tony Piazza

Raymond Burr as Perry Mason.

RAYMOND BURR (Rear Window, Perry Mason, and Ironside). Below is a fun photograph; unfortunately I had to take it off a frame from my parent’s 8mm movie so it is blurred. The home movie was shot one summer afternoon (1969) in the neighborhood of San Francisco’s Pacific Heights. Universal was filming an episode for the second season of “Ironside,” a crime drama on the NBC network. This was the second time I met Raymond Burr, and both times he was a lot of fun, extremely warm, and pleasant to visit with. DON GALLOWAY, his co-star (in the back row), had a real sense of humor. In our home movie he was clowning around throughout the filming, jumping around like a jack-in-the-box. Another co-star seen in the home movie was the attractive actress BARBARA ANDERSEN (she guest starred on the original Star Trek)…needless to say I spent at least a minute (of 3) shooting footage of her towards the end of the home movie!

Frame from home movie- getting a handshake from Raymond Burr

The producer of the show CY CHERMAK took the home movie. When we started shooting all of us were all standing there like we were posing for a still picture. Raymond Burr suddenly spoke up and said, “Hey, this is a moving picture, let’s do something!” He reached over and shook my hand, and then kissed my mother’s friend and my mother on the cheek. He then leaned over to my dad, and whispered, “Your wife is cute, do you mind if I take her to lunch?” Don Galloway, as I mentioned before was very animated behind us jumping up and down like a school kid. Everyone on the cast of that show was terrific.

The Cast of Ironside (Top: Mitchell and Galloway. Bottom: Burr and Andersen)

My first visit to the location of “Ironside” was the summer before, during a scene they were filming for a first season episode. It was at the San Francisco Cable Car Barn Powerhouse on Washington and Mason Streets, and I believe it was a “shoot out” they were filming. On that day I collected a book full of autographs (which I have 45 years later! ). They not only include those mentioned above, but DON MITCHELL (co-star regular, Mark on the show), and guest stars ANTOINETTE BOWER (Star Trek) and JACK KELLY (Maverick).

“Ironside” ran on NBC from September 1967 until January 1975- a total of eight seasons. The story centered on a wheelchair bound chief of detectives, Robert T. Ironside (Burr) and his police force companions (Mitchell, Galloway, and Andersen) who solved murder cases in San Francisco. A bit of trivia; their headquarters was the old Hall of Justice Building near Chinatown that was torn down shortly after the stock footage was taken. Actually stock shots were not uncommon on the show. Most of it was shot on the Universal lot, but occassionally they did come up from the studio to film some scenes with the cast on location.

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Also: The new Tom Logan mystery thriller, A Murder Amongst Angels is now available!

Find it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever fine books are sold. Also available for $2.99 on Kindle.

Hi, Ho Silver! The Lone Ranger Connection by Tony Piazza

July 2, 2012 By tonypiazza 4 Comments

Hi, Ho Silver! The Lone Ranger Connection by Tony Piazza

One of 2013’s most anticipated films is the Lone Ranger. A classic western adventure directed by Gore Verbinski and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The film stars Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp as Tonto. The announcement of this feature reminded me of a article I wrote some time back that mentions an early incarnation of that masked man of the plains. I present it below unedited.

I have been reading a great book, “Flights of Fantasy” by Michael J. Hayde the last few weeks. It tells the unofficial but true history of “Superman” on radio and early television. As I read through the pages I came across names that were familiar to me… not names that you would necessarily recognize, but people who I knew personally during my years in the film industry. Coming across these names, I suddenly found it exciting that I had had the opportunity to work with these people who had a role in the production of my early television favorites. Programs that helped fire my childhood imagination by bringing my favorite comic book heroes to life on the screen. As an example, in one photograph in the book there is a picture of George (Superman) Reeves during his first assignment behind the camera directing an episode of “The Adventures of Superman”. Sitting behind him by the camera was Joseph Biroc (Director of Photography). I was Mr. Biroc’s stand-in for the second unit work on Irwin Allen’s ( “Lost in Space”, “Time Tunnel”, “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea”, etc.) “Towering Inferno”. From the cast lists printed in the book I learned that one of Superman’s foes in an episode was portrayed by Lawrence Dobkin- he was a star of many radio and film productions, but also acted as Director for the pilot show of “The Streets of San Francisco.” Incidentally, Dick Donner, another director on “Streets” is a name associated with a more recent Superman!

That then got me thinking about some of the other people that had an association with my early television favorites… and I remembered that our Unit Production Manager on “Streets”, Bob Beche, worked on the “Lone Ranger” television production starring Clayton Moore. He also went on to do the disastrous re-make, “The Legend of the Lone Ranger” in the 1980s with “Streets” Production Manager, Dick Gallegly. One of our QM drivers, and a good friend, Gil, was James (Matt Dillon) Arness double for “Gunsmoke”. These are not big names by fan’s standards, but people responsible none-the-less for giving me so much enjoyment in my youth…. And it also goes to prove that even in film land one can say that it is a small world!

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Also: The new Tom Logan mystery thriller, A Murder Amongst Angels .

Find them all on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever fine books are sold. Also available for $2.99 on Kindle.

I Worked for Mel Brooks!

June 28, 2012 By tonypiazza 2 Comments

I WORKED FOR MEL BROOKS! by Tony Piazza

In the summer of 1977 I got a call from the casting agency. They were telling me to report to the Hyatt Regency on Market Street the next morning. It was for the film “High Anxiety” starring and directed by MEL BROOKS. It was a great thrill for me because as most of the country at that time, I was a Mel Brook’s fan. I even had a copy of his script for “Black Bart” (eventually re-titled “Blazing Saddles”) on my bookshelf. It was given to me by an assistant director on the film who knew I was a big Brooks’ fan.

Whenever I was about to meet a personality in real life that I’m a fan of, I usually prepared myself mentally not to be disappointed if he/she didn’t meet up to expectations. I found one comedian I met to be very bland in person, and another an absolute grouch. MEL BROOKS to my relief was very much the MEL BROOKS you’d expect- creative, intelligent, and funny…VERY funny. In fact I had never worked on a set that had such a high level of hysteria. In between shooting RON CAREY (Brophy) was working the crowds gathered to watch the filming in the lobby. He was a one-man comedy act that continued non-stop for two days; “I’ve got it…I don’t got it!” Then there was the actual filming. Mel the director had a television monitor hooked up on the Panavision film camera…then Mel the actor would do his bit…and then Mel the director would review the scene on the monitor in which he and the crew were allowed to watch and laugh out loud at his or the other actor’s antics- Pretty nifty set-up. Of course we were all constantly biting our lips…so much comedic talent under one roof made it a real challenge!

I was part of the shocked crowd that witnessed Dr. Thorndyck (Brooks) shooting a colleague in the lobby of the hotel. Of course it wasn’t Thorndyck but “Braces” (RUDY DELUCA) wearing a mask of the doctor. What can I say, it is PURE MEL BROOKS and a great send up of the films of Hitchcock (I have also been on his set- FAMILY PLOT- but that is another story) …especially Vertigo! I got to talk to Brooks briefly…a real thrill…and was personally directed by him for a classic “Hitchcockian” shot of running feet…yes, my shoes got a close-up as well! Glad I polished them…and, no, my feet do not give autographs… just foot prints (a little humor… very little). You can see me in the film, a little blurred perhaps, but look for the man standing behind Brophy when he utters, “Why did you do it, doc!”

HARVEY KORMAN, MADELINE KAHN, and CLORIS LEACHMAN rounded out the Brooks’ stock company… and the end result I believe was another classic film!

So I can honestly say…as Slim Pickens uttered in “Blazing Saddles”, “….I worked for Mel Brooks!”

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NewAuthorPhoto2 4-12-13

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.

NEW!

All my novels in the Tom Logan mystery series have become audio books- read by actor James Romick, and is available on Audible, Amazon, and I-tunes.

NEW!

The rollicking adventure novel set in paradise. The thrill-a-minute bestseller that two film producers are interested in…”The Curse of the Crimson Dragon” is now available as an audio book, read by the talented Broadway actor, James Romick. Find it at Audible, Amazon, and I-Tunes.

My earlier bestselling novels, “The Curse of the Crimson Dragon” and “Anything Short of Murder” now joins “A Murder Amongst Angels” and “Murder is Such Sweet Revenge” on Amazon’s Kindle at new, low prices. Now you can have hours of adventure, thrills, mystery, and romance for the price of a cup of coffee- and just as stimulating! Look for it on Amazon. Print versions have also been reduced.

Also: The new Tom Logan mystery thriller, A Murder Amongst Angels .

Find them all on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever fine books are sold. Also available at an affordable price on Kindle.