Commando Cody Speaks continued page 2

FAX: Did you perform any of the stunts yourself?

WALLACE: I did a good amount of the takeoffs and landings on the moon surface myself. I started off doing them in front of the actual Republic Administration offices. I did that exactly the way [stuntman] David Sharpe did it, by having them bury a spot trampoline right in front of my intended takeoff position. Then they had charges wired in the tanks, with some mattresses on the other side so I didn't break my neck. I would run, hit the dials, hit the trampoline, go sailing past the camera, and land on mattresses on the ground on the other side. After we had done a good amount of these takeoffs, the director [Fred C. Brannon] said, "George, I need to see you more at an up angle." So I said, "Great-put a rocket up my ass and I'll see if I can get up that high for you!" They incorporated a parallel bar, so after I hit the trampoline, I'd catch the parallel bar, and give the cameramen the right angle.

These things were shot out of continuity, so we would have a takeoff day, and that's all we would shoot, my takeoffs-my takeoffs and [stuntman] Tom Steele's takeoffs. Those pictures were put together quicker than any schedules these days.

I never wore the stunt helmet for Commando Cody. I wore the full-on helmet. So when there'd be a fight scene and I'd take a punch-or I'd fall or something would collide with that helmet-I'd hear "Boiiinnnggg!" The sound of the blow was magnified inside the helmet. There would always be a loud ringing in my ears after any blow to the helmet.

FAX: Did you work with legendary stuntman David Sharpe on other shows?

WALLACE: I knew Davey from so many other films we worked on together. He was the best stuntman in the business. He was sensational-a wonderful guy, and a great athlete and acrobat.

FAX: Speaking of stuntmen, tell us about another legend, Dale Van Sickel.

WALLACE: Dale would choreograph the fights. I did most of my own fights, under Dale's supervision. In today's terminology, Dale was the stunt coordinator, or, at least, the fight stunt coordinator.

I had a fight scene with Clay Moore, and Dale set the whole thing up like a ballet. Well, either Clay threw a punch when he shouldn't have or I didn't duck in time, but he popped me in the nose and laid it over to one side. I kept right on going, and the director yelled, "Cut!" After realizing my nose was swelling, they took me over to St. Joseph's Hospital in Burbank. The doctor gave me a shot of Novocaine, and popped my nose back in place. I was driven back to the lot; after a short lunch, they told me the remainder of that day's scenes would be done in the helmet so they wouldn't have to worry about shooting my proboscis. I did scenes with the helmet on for the next four or five days, so they wouldn't lose any time because of my swollen nose.

FAX: What was co-star Roy Barcroft like to work with?

WALLACE: Roy was a big, wonderful, moose of a guy! A total sweetheart. If we were sitting around the set after a long day, he'd just sit beside you and massage your neck, and tell you, "Hey, George, you're a little tense today." He had a long career at Republic. He played everything from heroes to heavies to looping voices-the consummate character man. He was just great to be around-always interested in how you were doing, and that's a rarity these days. [See Filmfax #67 for a Roy Barcroft career retrospective.]

FAX: Tell us how you got involved in Forbidden Planet [1956].

WALLACE: There was a man named Leonard Murphy who was one of the top casting guys at MGM. He remembered that I was a chief bosun mate in the Navy. The character in Forbidden Planet was the bosun. Because of that, I was called into his office, and that's how I got the part. ]

FAX: The original ending of Forbidden Planet was a marriage scene, with you conducting the wedding between Anne Francis and Leslie Nielsen.

WALLACE: That's right. We shot that first, as the conclusion of the picture. Later, the studio heads felt that it didn't play well, and cut the scene. They went back and shot the ending again. It was my understanding that the wedding scene was not somber enough for the ending of the picture.

FAX: That film had a great group of actors in it.

WALLACE: Most people today think that Leslie Nielsen has always been a comedian-a comedic actor, that is. When we did Forbidden Planet, he was a serious actor-very straight. He did loads of straight roles after that, both on television and in the movies, everything from heroes to heavies. He was excellent at what he did, but when I saw him doing the comedy things, I couldn't believe it! It opened up a whole new career for him.

Walter Pidgeon was a very distinguished gentleman. He had the air of an aristocrat and was very nice. He was one of the reasons why I later appeared on Broadway. [Composer] Richard Rodgers was on the lot doing Oklahoma. He came over to visit Walter-they were friends-and Rodgers mentioned that he was going to do a Broadway musical called "Pipe Dream," based on John Steinbeck's book Sweet Thursday. Walter told him, "Well, you should hear George sing! He's great!" So, one day during my lunch break, I went to Rodgers's office-with my Forbidden Planet costume on-and auditioned for him. I got the part, and when they finished the movie, I started in "Pipe Dream."

FAX: Frankie Darro played Robby the Robot.

WALLACE: In the morning, until the lunch break, Robby the Robot was great. After lunch, Robby would do his scenes a little slower. He'd hit his marks, and finally he'd start falling over. They put with that for about three days, then they replaced [Darro]. Frankie Carpenter finished the picture as Robby. [Marvin Miller provided the voice for Robby.]

FAX: What was it like working with Robert Mitchum in Night of the Hunter [1955]?

WALLACE: Bob Mitchum was Bob Mitchum. He was the same at home as he was when the camera rolled.

FAX: You appeared with Audie Murphy in Destry [1954], the remake of Destry Rides Again [1939]. What was Murphy like to work with?

WALLACE: Audie Murphy was a very quiet gentleman. He kept to himself, and didn't make friends. He was dedicated to acting, always there on time, knew his dialogue.

We shot Destry up in Lone Pine. While out on location, some guys in the cast and crew found out that you didn't dare knock on Murphy's door after a night of revelry at 2:30 in the morning. If you did, you could bet on some hot lead coming through the door! He had a bit of a temper. When I worked with him, it was hard for me to grasp the fact that he had killed about 160 enemy soldiers during World War II; he had done some superhuman things in combat. From my point of view, I saw this quiet man, just walking around the set, doing his job.

FAX: With all your varied talents and credits, does it bother you to be so closely association with a role in a serial?

WALLACE: Not at all. Radar Men from the Moon was something I was happy to do. I was just starting in the business, I had a job, and it was a lead role. Everybody was great in it, and everybody treated me beautifully. In those days, we accepted these parts for what they were. We didn't question story, script, motivation, or continuity, that's for sure. To us, it was a job, and we were thankful to have a job.

[Special thanks to Bill Malone and Bob Burns for their research contributions involving this interview.]

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