LUNCH AT THE DORCHESTER by Alvin Rakoff (c) “Vaiter!” the voice dominated the many other sounds in the lavish dining room of the Dorchester Hotel. “Vaiter! Vaiter!” The man shouting was Marcel Hellman, former film producer from Hungary. He had fled from the Nazis and taken refuge in England, where he formed a company …
“Not many people know that”. The actor Sir Michael Caine popularised that phrase. I directed Michael Caine’s feet. Not the rest of him. That happened another time. Just his feet. Not many people know that. ‘The Dark Side of the Earth’ was the BBC production which featured his heavy boots. It was a play by the …
Cary Grant came into the studio wrapped in an aura of fame that was almost tangible. The smile, radiant; the eyes, tingling; the demeanour, certain. All you would expect from a renowned international screen star. Those clustered around the entrance – cast and carpenters, make-up and hair, wardrobe and whingers – watched in jaw-dropped silence as the unexpected visitor, led by …
An actor’s life, the professionals believe, can be summed up in four lines. Say his name is John Smith. The lines declared by prospective employers – directors, producers, agents, and such – would be: Line 1 – Who is John Smith? When he is young and unknown. Line 2 – Let’s give young John Smith …
“I bought the rights to a book you know,” said the voice on the phone from Hollywood. “What book is that, Joe?” I asked. “The Day of the Triffids” he replied. I paused. And could feel, as the cliche has it, the hairs rise on the back of my neck. Wow, I thought. “That’s a …