The Streets of San Francisco Archives - Page 5 of 6

A Visit to Warner Brothers Studios by Tony Piazza

July 6, 2012 By tonypiazza Leave a Comment

A Visit to Warner Brothers Studios by Tony Piazza

I was in Hollywood on April 22^nd 2010. I hadn’t planned the trip, and the reason for being there was not a happy one. A dear family member passed away and was buried at the Forest Lawn Cemetery (Glendale) the previous day. She had a beautiful ceremony in the same chapel that Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman was married during the 1940’s… in LA everything seems to be connected with Hollywood.

Jane Wyman and Ronald Reagan

Famous Warner Brothers water tower

In any case, we decided to spend an extra day there before traveling back home… and ended up at Warner Brothers Studios. I had been there back in the late 1960s long before the studio was opened to the public (this tour, I believe is something recent). We knew the head of transportation and my family was taken on a private limousine tour of the studio soundstages and back lot. The lot was more complete then. They still had the Western set… although they had just torn down the fort from F Troop. One particular soundstage we visited that day was used in Camelot and the Errol Flynn pirate films…it was very large (one of the largest in Hollywood at the time), and the floor could be turned into a tank and filled with water to contain a large pirate ship mock up. We also watched them film The F.B.I. television show…the director of that episode was a man I would work with a few years later on The Streets of San Francisco, Virgil Vogel (I have mentioned him in an earlier story). I also remember seeing Kim Novak stick her head out of her trailer dressing room to see who we were… I still find that funny.

Kim Novak

I was curious how the studio might have changed from the time I had seen it, and so we decided to take the new tour so I could make a comparison. The main thing I noted was that its’ activities seemed to be more focused on television than film production. The Ellen show seemed to be the big item. Feature film work seemed nonexistent.

On another note: It was strange to see Clint Eastwood’s “Dirty Harry” outfit in the museum… I remember him wearing that wardrobe when I worked with him back in 1973. Also, another soundstage that we stopped to visit on the tour listed on a bronze plaque (under television productions shot there): The Streets of San Francisco… well, that was not entirely true. The police headquarters interior (and only that set) was there for the pilot and first season; after that, even it was constructed in San Francisco in a converted warehouse on Kearny Street. I felt that the plaque gave the impression that the entire show was filmed there. Most of the soundstages we saw were empty, and the ones that were occupied were set up for sitcoms and live audiences.

Eastwood on location for Magnum Force.

Warners Soundstage.

Bronze plaque outside soundstage 1.

They say you can never go back, and I have to admit that I found it kind of sad that most of the Warner’s magic had disappeared with the passage of time. Location work has stolen away a larger portion of the mystique that the movie studio once held for movie going outsiders. Where once great ships sat in studio tanks and mighty palaces adorn soundstages, now the lots are taken up by administration buildings and (in the case of Universal) Theme Park rides. To a lover of classic Hollywood history the time spent at Forest Lawn seemed a prelude for what came later.

City Street on back lot

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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.

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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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.

Eastwood and Me by Tony Piazza

June 25, 2012 By tonypiazza 7 Comments

“EASTWOOD AND ME” by Tony Piazza

“Good guy…that last one he shot was a good guy!”

Eleven words… my claim to celebrity status; my fifteen minutes of fame which if you took a stop watch and measured would run well under that length of time. And although I would have many small screen appearances later on in “The Streets of San Francisco”, these few words to this day still gets me the most attention. Why? Because CLINT EASTWOOD films are both well known and greatly admired not only in theU.S., but also to audiences around the world. Therefore to be associated with a Clint Eastwood movie usually guarantees that an actor (even a minor one) will receive instant and lasting recognition.

TCM ran a tribute to Clint Eastwood and it brought back memories of my experiences meeting and working with the man. He was very pleasant, soft spoken, down to earth, and charming with a subtle sense of humor. I met him first in 1971 when he was shooting “Dirty Harry”. I had gone down to North Beach (one of the film’s locations) to take a look at the “Harry” car which it was being arranged that I would purchase from Warner’s Transportation when the picture “wrapped”. It was to be my first car and owning a picture car drove by Clint Eastwood made it all the more exciting. He was very humble and polite when I met him, and I also remember being surprised at how tall he was- well over six feet. I subsequently went down to the set many times afterwards and brought high school friends and dates along. Needless to say I was very popular amongst my peers. I unfortunately didn’t get the car however- they needed it for a “pickup shot” on the Warner’s backlot and it got shipped back to Burbank, California.

My mother and Clint Eastwood (1973). She also worked as an “extra”

In 1973, three years after becoming an “extra” I reported on the set of “Magnum Force”- Dirty Harry’s second appearance on screen. I initially performed in the background in various roles-police officers mainly, but during one of the days that I had reported to work I was approached by the Assistant Director, Al Silvani who told me that my agent had suggested me for a small speaking role as a Cadet in the film. I was of course ecstatic. I was given the few pages of script that contained my line and rehearsed ever variation of that piece of dialogue (see above) than you could imagine. Finally the day came and I reported to the police firing range to do my scene in the picture. I was in good company – getting to hang out with ROBERT URICH, DAVID SOUL, TIM MATHESON, and KIP NIVEN all day (actually two days- it took that long to film!). They were a fun group… and I remember Urich doing impersonations of various celebrities like Ed Sullivan and etc. He kept us in stitches. TED POST was the director and I was able to cinch my bit in two takes. Of course Clint Eastwood, HAL HOLBROOK, and JOHN MITCHUM were also there. It was a memorable event.

The last time I got to work with Eastwood was in 1976 on his third outing as “Harry” in the “The Enforcer.” I was at the Hall of Justice – this time as an “extra”. Perhaps I was feeling shy- or maybe I figured he wouldn’t remember me because (after all) it had been three years since I last saw him- or I thought he was a big actor now and too busy for me- but in any case I felt uncomfortable to re-introduce myself and so didn’t bother to go up to him that day. However as they were setting up I happen to glance over in his direction and he made a point to single me out and nod a greeting of acknowledgement. I thought that was pretty cool-especially since now he was a bonafide mega star! But, you know in hind sight, I shouldn’t have been surprised- that is Clint Eastwood. He never saw himself as a “star”- he has always been unpretentious in that way. One incident to drive this point home occurred during the filming of “Dirty Harry”. My father worked in his usual capacity on that film and both he and Eastwood had the same birthday, May 31^st. The crew decided to get a cake for my Dad and presented it to him at lunch. One problem- they forgot it was also Clint Eastwood’s birthday as well. Well, could you imagine what the results would have been if this happened to another big actor with a matching ego? Not Clint, he wished my Father a “Happy Birthday” and enjoyed some of his cake.

Hal Holbrook and my mother in-between shooting at the police range. She was in the audience.

Well, that’s my two cents for what its’ worth regarding my time spent with Clint Eastwood. Great memories of a great guy and certainly worth the honor TCM has given him. Of course, knowing him, he probably thought it was a lot to do about nothing.

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