Behind the Scenes of Bring ‘em Back Alive
Title: Behind the Scenes of Bring ‘em Back Alive
Source: TVToday
Author: Unknown
Date: 1983
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What is it really like to be an actor? We read all about actors’ social lives, their childhoods, their families, and their dreams. But what do we know about the time they spend when they’re really being actors - when they’re acting? The only way to find that out would be to visit a set. And that’s what I did.
Frank Buck was a legendary wild animal collector. He gained worldwide fame for trapping animals in Asian jungles and bringing ‘em back alive to zoo’s and circuses. CBS-TV’s Bring ‘em Back Alive is loosely based on the life of Frank BUck. Luckily, I didn’t have to travel to any jungles to track down the show’s case and crew. In fact, I found them filming in Burbank, California.
Most of Bring ‘em Back Alive is filmed on a soundstage. A soundstage is an incredible place. It’s a long, low, windowless building where set decorators, propmasters, and carpenters can recreate any time or place. They can even control the weather!
Building NUmber 24 is one of the two soundstages where Bring ‘em Back Alive is filmed. The whole building is one giant room. In one part of the room, a small house stands on concrete blocks. That’s Frank Buck’s jungle home. Next to that, jungle trees line part of the wall. A large tent is set up in one of the trees. Actually, it’s only half a tent. One side of the tent is left off so that the cameras can catch the action.
Lights, camera, action!
The day I watched the filming, Ron O’Neal, who plays H.H. in the show, was tied up inside the tent. Ron was very hot while he was standing under the lights, but a makeup woman had to spray his face with water so he would look even more sweaty on film.
A buzzer went off and a small red light went on by the door. All activity stopped. Everyone on the soundstage froze. Only the assistant director spoke.
“Places, please,” he said. “Quiet, please. And roll please.”
A man shut a clapboard in front of the camera. “Action!”
The camera was rolling. A sound man kept a microphone directly over Ron’s head as the actor delivers his lines, and someone else followed the script to make sure he didn’t leave anything out.
“I say, what time do you people serve dinner?” H.H. asked. “I’m absolutely ravenous.” There was a pause, and then, “Well, don’t look so surprised professor. I’ve never been tortured before. I had no idea it could give one such an appetite.”
The scene was repeated over and over and over again. When it was finally done to the director’s satisfaction, it has to be done over again! This time in close-up.
The camera lens had to be changed, the lights had to be set up again, and the camera had to be focused again. Ron’s hands were untied, and the actor got away as quickly as he could. It was hot under those lights. He needed a break!
Stand-ins took the actor’s places as the lights were set up and the camera was focused. Stand-ins are also called the second team. Actors are called the first team.
“It’s a grueling job,” said John Zee, one of the first team. “You’re like a human piece of furniture.”
I could see he was right. Being an actor didn’t seem quite as glamorous as I had imagined. The actors who are in a scene have to stand under hot lights while they repeat the same lines again and again and again. The actors who aren’t in the scene have to sit around and be quiet. It gets pretty boring.
“Television is a technical medium.” John explained. “Most of the time is taken in setting things up. The actual shooting time is very short.”
It takes seven days to film a one-hour episode of Bring ‘em Back Alive. Although everybody has Saturday and Sundays off it’s not unusual for actors to work a twelve hour day.
The buzzer went off again.
“First team, places,” the assistant director shouted. “Starting positions.”
“All actors - keep your energy up,” the director added. The actors had already put in a ten hour day.
“I never realized how patient actors had to be,” I whispered to John.
“We’re very well paid for what we do,” he replied.
Bruce Boxleitner, who plays the heroic Frank Buck, seemed to be taking it all in stride. In fact, he looked as if her were having fun. “I love it. I’m able to be Errol Flynn, John Wayne and Clark Gable all in one role. It’s like being in all my favorite movies at once!”