Német Angol Magyar Olasz

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Interviews

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Keresés az adatbázisban
Interview with Harold Bergman
The interview was conducted by Andreas in 2013 and published in the forum of spencerhill.de.

Harold Bergman with Bud Spencer and Terence Hill

You will be 94 next year. How are you doing?

Yes, it will be 94 for me in April. No major health problems, and the doctor says all appears ok. I have slowed down, however. No major unaccompanied travel.

Your most famous character was in "Double Trouble" as the boss of the doubles agency. What are your fragrant memories about the shooting?

My memories from the ‘Non cé Due’ remain vivid because it was my one and only visit to Rio. Everyone except me flew over from Rome. I was on a flight from Miami. They met my flight at the Rio airport and were astonished at the duration of that flight. They thought that because it was “within America” that it would be very short, not realizing that it was over 4000 miles.

The entire film was shot in Brazil – even the beginning portion which appears to be in New York. Stock shots were of NY exteriors, but the office interior was in a Rio building. It was a light-hearted and relaxed filming. Director, crew and major actors had worked together before – so we knew each other and enjoyed each other´s company. It was shot before and after Easter, so Rio itself was festive and we all had a little time for sightseeing.

The special camera they used then would record one-half of the scene, then after adjusting the set would shoot the other half scene. You`ll notice no one is ‘cut in half’ in the middle. Midway in the shooting the camera broke and another had to be shipped from Sao Paolo, which took several days. We took advantage of the interval to do some extra sightseeing! (The split-camera technique has since been modernized considerably by electronic equipment).

You speak German. How do you learn it?

I studied German in university, so it is merely "schoolboy" German. I am uncomfortable in conversational German. It was augmented while I was in military occupation duty in Austria 1945 and 1951, but it has suffered from disuse in the ensuing sixty years.

Harold Bergman in different roles

How was it to work with Buffy Dee?

Although Buffy Dee and I worked in several of the same films, our shooting schedules never overlapped, so I have no on-set memories. However, we were cordial acquaintances within the South Florida film community and saw each other frequently at auditions. He was always joking and the center of attention, never taking life too seriously.

In "Aladdin" you had a scene with an ape. How was the shooting?

The operating-room scene was shot in a large Miami Beach hospital. It took the better part of a day to accomplish because of the damned orangutan. His trainer was unable to control the beast, who was excited by all the people, lights, camera and overall noise. Worst of all was the animal´s odor. We all were all nauseous from the smell. Eventually, in the interests of time, the planned scene of transformation on the operating table was modified and the animal and his trainer dismissed.

You have two different characters in the Cocoon Movies. One as minister and another as doctor. Is this not unusual?

Yes, it is unusual for an actor to be cast in a different part in a sequel. Twentieth-Century-Fox voiced a mild objection when Director Dan Petrie informed them he was casting me as a doctor in the sequel, but he convinced them that audiences wouldn´t object, and he was right. You are one of the few who has ever mentioned it to me.

April (second from left) and "The Pinups"


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