Zelig
A Freezing Summer
In 1982, my college friend Ruth Beckman notified me that they were doing a massive cattle-call for background for the Woody Allen film Zelig. It was a bitter February, but the scene, obviously, was set in the 1920s in the summer: a ticker-tape parade, plus another scene.
The parade was filmed behind the K-Mart on Route 17 in Paramus, New Jersey. It took maybe 30 or 50 minutes to film, and between takes we were able to put on our parkas and other weather outerwear. When it was time to shoot, all winter wear dropped to the ground behind us. As the film was done as documentary style, in grainy'ed black and white, and with the angle looking down at the open-top car, the winter clothing is not seen... nor are anyone's feet or faces for that bit.
We were all transported to a farm relatively nearby, either still in Paramus or in Summit, where the title role is put on display by his profit-seeking sister. In the finished film, Ruth is visible while for the camera the sister displays promo flyers. In a wide shot, I am just able to pick out myself, but not sure how easy to point it out as a frame grab.

O Brother, Where Art Thou?
On the backlot
This was a nice long night shoot filmed on the Warner Bros. backlot. As Baby-face Nelson is paraded down the street at night, followed by a torch wielding mob. In the scene I am far right of the screen (I was actually dead center within the mob, so an entire half of the mob are offscreen for the shot in which I am visible).

O Brother, Where Art Thou?
(2000)

City of Angels
TV series episode shoot
This was a early 2000 night shoot, filmed at the building at the north end of MacArthur Park, the interior of which can be seen in countless various TV series episodes.
For the City of Angels TV series episode To Halve or Halve Not a scene in which a homeless character, played by Ossie Davis, is mistakenly gunned down by police. I played a homeless person as well, along with numerous backgrounders from the casting company called the Wild Bunch. I found it amusing, not only were these burly guys extremely pleasant and personable, but mostly that several were meticulously keeping track of the meal penalties, as often is the case with night shoots.
Sadly, the TV series did not last beyond a second season, allegedly due to a biased ratings system.

Stanley's Gig
Walk on by...
This was an afternoon shoot in which I'm just a sidewalk pedestrian, but the lead role of Stanley, played by William Sanderson (then best known for being Larry from Newhart), rushes across to our side of the street, pushing the empty wheelchair to reacquire his charge, Marla Gibbs from The Jeffersons. William rushes by me, and I turn in surprise as to why he nearly ran over me.
While he introduced himself to me on set and we chatted for a time, I have also since come across the very pleasant and affable William Sanderson at commercial auditions. He was understandably disappointed the film was not released in theatres, but I'd conveyed that initially I had come across it on cable It has since been released on DVD.

Stanley's Gig
(2000)

Bad Blood Days
Perfidious film makers
My lovely friend Devon King (who at the time was working for the calling service to which I subscribe), called and asked if I'd be open, interested and available to playing a flesh-eating zombie for an independent short titled Bad Blood Days. As such would obviously be Way Cool, I accepted, and it was shot within a single Saturday.
[I am aware of the distinction between zombies and flesh-eating ghouls, but the term zombie for movie flesh-eating ghouls is what has stuck as vernacular.]
I arrived and the special effects make-up was applied. They neglected to prepare me that my prosthetic latex partial-face would cover one of my eyes (giving the impression the eye had been removed), but once I was sure it didn't hamper or annoy my real eye my concerns were allayed.
The storyline is that it seems a young man murders his family, when it turns out he is aware they are already dead and become zombies. There were quite a number of us done up; and several were given good screen time (eventual editing notwithstanding), and as payment we were to get copy and credit.
The film was done and scheduled for a screening, which "got rescheduled" to (based on results), never.
None of us ever heard anything else on the film, and to my knowledge, no one ever received their contractually owed copy.
A quick check while updating the site and this page, it turns out the film was at least screened October 10 2008 at the Sitges Film Festival: I emailed Devon with this information, inquiring if she can still contact the foot-dragging film makers regarding our DVD copies...

Illuminata
All the film's a stage...
This was an interesting period-piece project back east, filmed in Hoboken, New Jersey, and written and directed by as well as starring John Turturro.
Outside the theatre, asChristopher Walken arrives, I am at the top of the theatre steps (I have my full beard in this). As Walken nearly reaches the top step, peanuts are hurled at him; I get to react as a few hit me as well.
Inside for the later scene, as the announcement is made regarding halting the performance but that the new play would be performed the following night, I am somewhat visible... not only with the camera right in my face, but seated next to my mother Jeannette (we happened to be placed that way in the audience balcony).
My mother is also visible outside Walken's arriving coach, being highly amused as a woman verbally accosts Walken.

Dark Streets
Direct to DVD... finally
I worked one or two days on this period piece, set in the 1930s or 40s. Happening to sport my full beard at the time, I play a reporter along with a gaggle of others. We were each given vintage flashbulb cameras to use, one on which I called dibs, as it happened to be the exact make and model number of a film-roll camera my parents had that I used to use.
The scene was filmed downtown in the Los Angeles Courthouse, in the hallways and in one of the city council rooms.
Its DVD release was June 30 2009. I was amused to note at the tail end of the sequence as I cross to follow the mayor, my face takes up the whole screen for a moment. Click on any of the thumbnail photos for the enlarged, full photo.

Neo Ned
Bait and switch
A fraudulent "casting director" tricked me and two other friends as being "booked" on an indie feature titled Neo Ned the location being south enough nearly to be on the Orange Country border. What my friends Brad Wiel, Crystal Rivers and I were unaware, this "casting director" was a liar and a cheat, and no SAG or even non-SAG vouchers were provided; what payment we should have lawfully received, based on results, she retained for herself. She got away with this by continually implying vouchers "were coming." Had we suspected she was a criminal, we three would have refused to go to set until obtaining vouchers. The single shot of the three of us looking out over a playground is pretty wide, and we adults are barely visible.
As further false Non Payment, the woman procured for us... effing lottery tickets: one for each of us ("You might win...!" was her position).
The peculiar film stars Gabrielle Union and Jeremy Renner and eventually came out direct to DVD.

Neo Ned