MGM Borehamwood

[ddock54]

We Seem To Be Getting Somewhere At Last Regards Information On The Mgm British Studios Anybody Else Out There Willing To Share Recollections ,photographs ,etc.i Have Seen Some Amazing Shots Of The Backlot From Aerofilm Flyovers But Little From Ground Level,the Dance Of The Vampires Castle Looks Amazing And What Ever Happened To Thrift Farm.its All Gone Now ,though The Power Station Was Still Standing A Couple Of Years Ago And Carried The Mgm Logo.anybody Know Anything About The On Site Elstree Way Hotel ,most Stars Seemed To Prefer The Thatched Barn.i Stayed At The Barn In 77 Visiting The Shining Set ,i Remember Getting The Barman Drunk And He Told Some Great Tales .pity I Can,t Remember Many Of Them ,that Delbert Grady Is A Great Guy...

[Joenoir]

Originally Posted by ddock54 I Remember Getting The Barman Drunk And He Told Some Great Tales, Pity I Can't Remember Many Of Them ...

Great title for a film, book, television series!

[D Cairns]

What's with the Crazy Capitalisation, ddock? Haven't you heard, All Work And No Play Makes Jack A Dull Boy?

[harryfielder]

I got to work at MGM a few times and working with this guy is one of the best times,,,,



Aitch,

[ddock54]

Hi ,that must have been when he was in Borehamwood making Dont raise the bridge ,lower the river.I was talking to the late great George Sewell a few years ago and he said the great thing about working at mgm was you did not know who you would bump into next...all the big stars worked at mgm ,even though some of them were fading

[harryfielder]

Hiy ddock, The film was One More Time...69.

ONE MORE TIME…Cast Inc…Peter Lawford…Samy Davies Jnr……
I get a phone call from Dudley Sutton asking if I’d stand/in for him on the above named film
I was glad of the work and I meet Dudley in the MGM canteen for breakfast on our first day. Dudley is to play a not so bright crook.
After breakfast we sit at the back of the set and wait for the two main artists to arrive.
A couple of minutes later they walk on, laughing and chatting to the crew.
Sammy Davies Jnr, Peter Lawford and the Director….
( SHOCK, DOUBLE SHOCK ) It’s HIM, It’s the Man, It’s the Main Man.
This is the man I watched in the cinema for all of my teenage years. ( And beyond )
I used to sit in the cinema from 1pm till 10pm and get three showings of his films.
(Me and my very good friend Freddie Simms..) We even took lunch with us.
The Director is one of the greatest comic actors ever………
MR. JERRY LEWIS..
My thoughts again turn to working on this film for free, (But like thoughts I’d had
Before they soon passed.)
All through the filming there was only one man I was watching and it wasn’t
The actors.
We filmed in the studio and on location and one Sunday we filmed in a square in London’s West End. To say that there was a crowd of onlookers there is putting it mildly. All the stand/ins and Central Casting crowd were acting as security.
I’d phoned up Freddie Simms the night before and he came along with his wife to see the main man work.
( Jerry, you made two good old boys very happy )
As well as standing/in for Dudley I got used half a dozen times in the crowd including some stuff at Ledbury Castle in the West Country…
When the film wrapped Mr. Lewis and Co donated a gym to a local school.
Well done, ONE MORE TIME Team…

Aitch,

[ddock54]

Ha hah ,one more time ,thats the salt and pepper one ,is that the one with the mgm backlot streets on ,or it could be dont raise the bridge ,anyway tell a few storys of the great Jerry Lewis ,he is one of my heroes too ,dudley sutton sent me his autograph recently ,another hero ,loved him in the devils and all those itc villans......

[kelp]

ddock 54. just a few lines about Jerry. I first met him in 1969, the 30th of June to be precise. We met on the set of "Salt n'Pepper 2" or as it became later "One More Time". That was down at MGM Borehamwood. At the time Jerry was going through a bad patch healthwise, and being the Showman he is, kept on going with gags and schtick all day long. At the time he confided in me that he really wished he could get away from acting, and indeed everything he was involved in. Since those far off days I have spoken to him often, and we exchanged letters up until around 1998, then for some reason (I supect health reasons) the communications stopped. That was until a few weeks ago, when out of the blue I recieved a lovely letter from him personally. He tells me of his work at the moment, what is proposed for 2008 and he seems from the letter to be in high spirits. In Las Vegas in June I met up with Sam, Jerry's wife, and we had a long conversation about Jerry, and she confirmed he is still working very hard preparing for Telethon and also for the proposed stage show "Nutty Professor". If anyone interested in Jerry Lewis, his work, and indeed his career in general, then please contact me by pm and I will gladly talk about my hero; and the man that has given me a living for many years.
kelp.

[harryfielder]

I remember Jerry having to wear a neck brace at times when directing ''One More Time''

Aitch,

[orpheum]

He gave a lecture at the NFT at the time of Salt and Pepper and invited us to come to the set.Not being that adveturous and having to work i was not able to take up his offer.In the 50s and 60s i went to see all his films

[jamiestuart]

Originally Posted by ddock54 We Seem To Be Getting Somewhere At Last Regards Information On The Mgm British Studios...

I'm really interestedi n MGM British and want to know about the backlot sets at Borehamwood and what films they were originally built for. For example "Rupert Square" and French looking streets, and farm , seen in episodes Of The Prisoner an UFO.


Cheers,

Jamie

[Cooper S]

It may not answer your questions (and would like to know the answers myself), but if you haven't seen it, there's a great thread here about MGM British.

http://www.britmovie.co.uk/forums/di...ng-castle.html

[Anthony McKay]

I've been posting up a few images on the Studios for those interested:

Backlot Sets

Studio Buildings

[harryfielder]

Originally Posted by Anthony McKay I've been posting up a few images on the Studios for those interested: Backlot Sets Studio Buildings

Great pics, brought back a lot of memories....Thanks...

Aitch,