Follows on from:BBC Souvenirs and Memorabilia
Peter Neill
A certain Sound Supervisor (I believe it was Brian Hiles) once took home two stage weights in his briefcase, but in this case it wasn’t theft!
The sound crew had put them in to see if he’d notice the extra weight. He didn’t!
Ian Hillson
You always had to be careful working with Dave ‘Weasel’ Wilson (RIP – late VS) as he was full of japes like this. I was with him one morning in TC1 when Huw Williams on Duty Standby came to see us first, foolishly leaving his Beeb plastic briefcase on top of our filing cabinet, and as soon as he’d gone, Weasel was off to find a couple of stage weights.
Fearing that dragging it off something five foot high might kill Huw, I placed it handle up on the floor next to said cabinet.
Good news – the handle didn’t come off, as expected, when Huw retrieved it.
Bad news – he still reported the incident upwards, as expected
(the two of them were natural enemies in the wild!).
On another occasion when Dave was in TC6 (everyone used the Lighting Control room as a corridor) he had as usual provided "hospitality" for his guests – usually a bowl of nibbles – on this occasion garnished with twirls and other such savouries. I was DS that day – "Here, try some of these!" he said, too enthusiastically – "Maybe later, Dave".
Our household had two cats at the time, and I’d spotted that most of the ‘savouries’ were not-very-well-disguised cat treats. Later that day the bowl was half empty with the crew trying to guess the unusual flavours…
Hugh Sheppard
Rehearsing an early “Z-Cars”, John Adcock and I put a Vinten ped. weight into each pocket of a raincoat that Frank Windsor (aka Sgt. John Watt) was due to lift off a hook and stride away with from the station office. Knowing they were in there, Adders and I could hardly lift it onto the hook. Not knowing, Frank just went for it, at least for the first six inches. Far enough for us to think he must have removed them, but then realisation dawned, and Frank and coat went down onto the floor.
All for the same reasons as should you walk into a lamp post you are usually knocked out.
[Postscript: Having written of John Adcock and the Weights, it was a sad shock a couple of weeks later to read his obituary in “Prospero”, courtesy of Biddy Baxter and Edward Barnes. John and I were both initially allocated to Sam Neeter’s Crew 6 as p.t.o.s at the end of the 1950s and worked together through the “Z-Cars” years. For many years John lived mainly in Spain.]
Tony Crake
Frank Windsor and stage weights … another story!
I did a lot of "Softlys". I always did one of the two Booms in the big long Main Office.
Dougie Fielding , who played the young PC (PC Quilley), was always playing jokes on the rest of the cast.
Scene: ‘Final Dress Run’
Frank comes out of the Chief Constable’s Office to have word with Desk Sergeant. to say "Good Night " and pick up his brief case. What he doesn’t know – but we all do – is ‘PC Quilley’ is hiding under the Sergeant’s Desk and has just popped one of those smaller flatter square weights into said brief case.
Frank did not disappoint…. yanked it off the bar top, spun it round, and it took him out straight through the ‘spoof ‘ automatic doors – the scene boys just got it open in time.. Frank ended up in the next set on a sofa. The place was in hysterics! At least twenty minutes before the run could start again!
Must have been in the mid 1970s – the lighting man was Bob Warman and the SS was Alan Fogg.
Mike Cotton
Didn’t Frank once appear in a Tutu ?
(see also: http://tech-ops.co.uk/next/wind-ups/ – the “Softly Softly” section).
Geoff Fletcher
My stageweight story concerns a certain young cameraman who, when off shot, used to park his ped against the end of the cyc with the camera down at its lowest height and then sit on the yellow cable bars behind said cyc and read a book until needed again. The Senior Cameraman and Number 2 on the crew took a dim view of this, especially as he never seemed to get caught out by missing being called back into action again. So – after several warnings as to his conduct, all of which were ignored – they waited for a suitable moment and then quietly tied three stageweights to his ped ring steer with sash cord and awaited results. Came his cue, and out from behind the cyc he strode. He grabbed the ring steer and pulled smartly upwards to get the camera to normal operating height. You can guess the result…!
Much mirth from the rest of us crew and assorted onlookers, and of course – absolutely no sympathy.
Peter Hider
In the mid 1980s I was filming in Morocco on a TV film with John Hurt called “Deadline”. We were finding it difficult to find and persuade holidaymakers in Agadir to be the crowd, playing hotel guests and journalists, as they understandably preferred to stay on the beach. This meant that crew were asked to help out and being the Associate Producer, I volunteered to be a press photographer carrying a flight case and tripod. On action I lifted the case only to find it weighed a ton and, you’ve guessed it, I was carrying two stage weights. I managed to stagger across the foyer and put it down and as I did so I saw Joe Ryan, the gaffer, laughing.
Three weeks later, back in England, we were filming in Thetford. Joe asked me, at very short notice, to order extra lighting gels. They arrived within a couple of hours from our supplier in London but I waited until the evening and then told Joe that, at such short notice, I’d had to get them from the factory in Thetford and as we didn’t have an account with them they wanted £400 in cash on delivery. Grumbling about Associate Producers not being able to organise a p***** in a br***** he managed reluctantly to borrow the money from various sparks.
I called him on my radio to say the delivery man was at the massive front doors of this magnificent former home of the Guiness family. Clutching his money I watched from a safe distance as he heaved the doors open and vainly looked for any sign of life. He called me on the radio to say there was nobody f****** there. I said I’d just seen the delivery man going back to his van carrying a heavy flight case!
Revenge is sometimes very sweet.
Chris Booth
And stageweights were, of course, invaluable in VT.
Loaded in the bottom of Marconi MR2bs (a VPR2 1”clone) they were essential to stop the machine falling over…
