Roy was used quite a bit during the film. His
first stunt appears only minutes after the start when he falls
some 60ft through the roof of a Turkish Bath. Sonny Bono's
character is then seen falling from a clock tower. Roy performed
the fall of some 50ft. This could well be one of the first uses of
a decelerator seen on camera. The only other thing that breaks
Roy's fall is the tower itself, which he gives a good clout on the
way down. You may just be able to see stuntman Clive Curtis at the
top right of picture. He is doubling for actor Richard Roundtree.
Then during the firefight in the main square,
Roy as a German soldier hides behind his motorbike for cover only
to be blown up some moments later by a well-thrown grenade. Timing
is all important here and Roy times it beautifully. Ensuring he
has enough time to (a) react to the explosion and (b) position
himself whilst in flight for his landing. It’s all over in the
blinking of an eye, but its well worth a few viewings.
Another show that Roy put a lot of work into
was a production by Chris Kelly called 'The Zero Option'.
"Yes, it was about an S.A.S hostage
rescue sequence and of course we had Tip Tipping and Andy Bradford
hanging from the plane and fighting. A funny story behind that was
the company decided to film our rehearsals for possible use in the
film, which meant the two guys would have to be in full costume.
Normally on rehearsals, each guy would exit from the very small
and very cramped aircraft and in close proximity to the door,
check their rigging etc. and go through a few basic moves, then
re-enter the plane. But because the cameras would be rolling, both
guys would now move instead to their maximum end positions,
hanging below the undercarriage, which would
result in a long return home. Therefore they would need
assistance getting back into the plane. Now, there was something
at the back of my mind that I could not bring to the forefront.
Just a niggle, but something I couldn't quite put my finger on and
discussions about costumes and hiding the cables and harness etc.
made it easy for me to overlook it. So to cut a long story short
we finished up with Andy and Tip hanging way down outside the
plane giving their all as they dangled, struggling and punching
each other, buffeted by the 100 mph wind as they bounced off the
side of the fuselage. After a few minutes of this, I knew they
would both be exhausted so I leaned out and signaled cut.
Obviously I was also cabled on because I knew that at some point I
would need to assist the other two back in. Then as I leaned even
further out to reach Andy, I remembered what this thing was at the
back of my mind....unlike a helicopter, which I was more familiar
with, a plane cannot slow down and simply hover! If you try using
only your arms, to pull yourself back into a plane traveling at
around 80 or 90mph I assure you, without assistance, it's
impossible and I knew at this point that getting them back in was
not going to be easy. Andy was higher up and saw me first because
he was closer and using me as a ladder, he managed with great
difficulty to lever himself up onto the undercarriage and then
back into the plane. Tip was much lower down and at first he
wasn't aware of what was going on. Even when he was right up close
to me and I was shouting into his ear "CLIMB UP ME"! He
was unable to hear because of the noise of the plane and the wind
speed. By this time he was also absolutely exhausted and had very
little strength left in his arms. After a few moments, which felt
like forever, I managed to reach down far enough to get my hand
under his belt and lift him up in my direction. Then I got one
hand behind his knee and finally he got the message and raised his
leg allowing me to lock both hands under him. Now by pushing
against my arms with his legs he gained height and was finally
able to climb up me onto the undercarriage and back into the
plane. Maybe it's just me, but I found it funny that from that
moment I had leaned from the plane, I had been laughing inside at
the thought of us flying around all day hanging outside the plane
trying to figure a way back in. But that's what rehearsals are
for, to identify small problems before they become big ones.
Apart
from the plane sequence and, of course, Del Baker's excellent
cannon roll, I would also like to mention Steve Whyment, who coped
brilliantly with a very awkward backfall. Wearing a black hood,
unsighted and with only a minimum of preparation time, he went out
of a window backwards and timed it perfectly as he dropped and
crashed through a large awning. In fact every single member of the
stunt team on 'The Zero Option' did a first class job.’
So, after thirty years or so in this business
does Roy have a favourite moment?
