Tricks that old racers get up to after retirement

[powerabout]

never made the big time !

the polite way of saying that is it now has a cult following

[jackiewilson]

the polite way of saying that is it now has a cult following

Now you're just being facetious Pilgrim.
Female in the film was Barbara Carrera-----looked a bit Latino , had come to bed eyes and a body that just would not quit-------did try my luck, but was shot down in flames.
Roll call was 5:30 am seven days a week-----EVERYBODY had to be there, Phillip Modave was the director, or DICTOTORE as he was known. Initially I was just paid to deliver the Condor boat to Monte Carlo, but was then asked to set up the six squirts-------showed the stunt guys some of the things you could do with a Castoldi Squirt------Remy was impressed and asked me to show him the complexities of the Condorboat-------after an hour of tuition he said "NO WAY AM I DRIVING THAT THING." It was decided I should be given an "Equity" card ( you do not work in the film industry without one). They then employed another Italian driver, just in case I was unavailable.
Problems started when there was a seaweed mass in the Mediterranean and the intakes got bunged up, well, as you can imagine, this did the V8 motors no good at all, --------I spent hours with a snorkel clearing intakes, teaching guys to drive, and then had the damned director screaming at me to get the boats up and running like yesterday!!!! That did it----------Screw you asshole-------Sex and Travel.
I packed my bags, and the van, and headed for England ------got as far as Antibes when the motorcycle Gendarmes Cavalcade pulled me over and escorted me back to Monaco.
was offered double pay-------treated like a Queen ( colloquially that is), would I stay on, just for the week ! turned out nobody knew anything about boats and they were in deep Ka-Ka.
Was six weeks later before I left Nice and the Studio Victorinne with pockets laden with gold------did very well thank you, working for the "Mouse".

[powerabout]

Great time
one of the Ozzie tv film companies was a friend of my old boss Hector Crawford, Crawford Productions, he had lots of boats and used them in lots of movies, fixing damage was great.
One other dealer in Melbourne did all the stunt driving

[jackiewilson]

After Havasu 1970----- all the boat racers went to Vegas--------OMC and Mercury------winners got to stay at Ceasers Palace.
There was a film crew offering drivers $200 a day to go filming down in Mexico--------I didn't have the time, but there were others including Sirois and Pruett who did.

[Bob V]

I was the one who drove the boat------I even had a stand in driver-----made a shed load of cash working for the "MOUSE"
Hodges and Pinewood studios with Dave Minty doing the design and artwork.
Filming took place in Nice, Cannes and Monte Carlo------second unit went to Paris, Switzerland and the island of St, Marguerite.
Wrote off seven 911s Porches----One 40' Abbatte ------six twenty foot Squirt boats and one Hodges 17' three seater sprint.
Budget was Seven million dollars in 1980------was overspent in the first month.

Many thanks for the pickies Fuji

I could write a book about the six weeks I spent in the South of France doing that film.
The stunt team who did "THE ITALIAN JOB" were employed to do all the driving, but Remy Julienne said no way was he driving the CONDOR boat, so he got me my EQUITY card.

Here you go Jackie...Turn up the sound and re-live the memories of "Condorman"....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1dFIn06tyY

[jackiewilson]

Took all the kids to see the film at a flea pit in Cranleigh when it was first released -------nearly forty years later ---------I have eleven grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren and they've all seen grandpa Jack in action------thanks to "THE MOUSE"
Many, many thanks to Bob V and Fujimo for reminding me what a great life I'm having !

[Bob V]

Jackie...Your driving the Condorman boat is HUGE...!! Had you not mentioned that, I and I am sure most of the readers on here would have never know. Now you have me wondering what other secrets you have been sitting on. I though seeing you wrapped around the NGK spark plug girl was big, but driving the Condorman boat is out of the park...

[willabee]

..... Female in the film was Barbara Carrera-----looked a bit Latino , had come to bed eyes and a body that just would not quit-------did try my luck, but was shot down in flames......

Jackie making a move on Barbara Carrera reminds me of a song from back around that time frame, it went something like this .....

Just what makes that little old ant
think he'll move that rubber tree plant
Everyone knows an ant can't
move a rubber tree plant .....

but he's got High Hopes

[jackiewilson]

David Minty was an art director and set designer at Pinewood Studios in Iver which is where the LMBRC had its HQ. He and his two friends Dougie Bruce and Terry ? Were ardent boat racers and I supplied them with boats and engines for many years--------I think Dougie was the one who bankrolled them.
He was employed by Disney ( THE MOUSE) to find the locations, the various boats, and the six Porches to make CONDORMAN.
He imported a Jones jet driven (Squirt) drag boat to do the job-------After he nearly took his leg off testing the boat when he steered it into the dock, he called me. Took me two minutes to realise what a lemon this thing was.
He then showed me the script and the location -------Miramar, near Antibes that was piles of rock that a hundred miles an hour boat carrying three people, and needed precise handling through explosions that were controlled-------(he lied about that !)
A formula one boat could answer most of the questions except for the extra four hundred pounds that all the guns , wings and things and two extra bodies made up-------told Rolla what the game was, he came up with a prop first time of asking!
Didnt matter what the top speed was--------speed up the film and nobody knows the difference-------as it turned out, with it fuelled up for an hours filming, three people aboard, it came out of the hole like Polaris and ran well over 50 mph_______ which was plenty for what was required.
As it turned out, that was the easy part, what I wasn't prepared for was dealing with MUPPETS who took it upon themselves to launch both Condorboats without putting the drain plugs in, then buggerig off for breakfast.!
I arrived at 5 in the morning to find both boats sitting serenely under ten feet of crystal clear water at the bottom of the harbour-------that was just the start of the first day!

[jackiewilson]

Jackie making a move on Barbara Carrera reminds me of a song from back around that time frame, it went something like this .....

Just what makes that little old ant
think he'll move that rubber tree plant
Everyone knows an ant can't

move a rubber tree plant .....

but he's got High Hopes

Cmon Bill------both you and I know that when it came to races and good looking females the "MERCURY RACE TEAM " always punched well above its weight!!! And some of those beauties have gone down in boat racing folklore, leading the pack of course was always pug ugly Garbrecht.
Hand on heart---- I swear on a stack of bibles-------that guy went to heaven a happy man!
Left the rest of us wondering what the hell it was he had------it's called "Panache".

[FUJIMO]

After shooting was finished for the day in Antibes, all the actors and crew were drinking steadily in the El Negro bar, Olly was well and truly shackled when he collided with a short but well built French cameraman------beer was spilt. Punches were thrown, and Oliver Reed was smacked under the jaw and went down like a sack of coal. When he came to, he apologised to Marcel, threw his arms around him, drinks all round-----------Olly could drink more than any two men I ever met, but never got evil with it.

..And alcohol is what killed him. He was a life-long alcoholic. After a days filming, he indulged in a drinking competition at a local Irish Pub. He lost...by dying, then & there.

[FUJIMO]

. April/May 1980 !

...Public release was '81...Are you saying this is when you did your film work Jackie? (I'm writing a book, lol))

[jackiewilson]

...Public release was '81...Are you saying this is when you did your film work Jackie? (I'm writing a book, lol))

Started testing the Condorboat in February 1980 ------hauled it down to Lowes Hotel Monte Carlo in March the same year . Had to vacate the hotel in May as the F1 teams had fully booked the hotel for the Monaco GP.

[jackiewilson]

..And alcohol is what killed him. He was a life-long alcoholic. After a days filming, he indulged in a drinking competition at a local Irish Pub. He lost...by dying, then & there.

Oliver Reed was a well liked actor who lived just outside of my home town, Horsham, West Sussex.
i came across him a few times and lots of my friends went drinking with him on numerous occasions.
First time I came across him was in the South of France while working for the mouse.
I never found him to be anything but the reputation that preceded him wherever he went. Married a young girl and was very happy for years,
Lived around Horsham for near fifty years and never even heard of an Irish Pub in the vicinity, let alone Olly dying in a drinking competition in one.
Maybe alcohol killed him I don't know.

[powerabout]

some good ones here about Oliver Reed
http://m.imdb.com/name/nm0001657/trivia