Woburn Abbey - John O'Gorman

The notable country house Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire, England, was a charming location for the Alvin Rakoff 
comedy thriller 'Crossplot' (1969).
Several hundreds of Extras, Roger Moore and Claudie Lange, all playing with a cheerful elan.
They all enjoyed the wonderful surroundings.
The Woburn Safari Park was not yet opened, but the main actors met some stars from the Woburn Zoo.
Roger Moore had problems with some pushy fans ....a gang of parrots!
There is no time for fun when you are on the run.

Woburn Abbey, 1969. During a break in filming 'Crossplot'. On the right a Woburn Abbey guide of the year 1969.
Woburn Abbey is open on specified days to visitors, along with the diverse estate surrounding it, including the 
historic landscape gardens and deer park, as well as more recently added attractions including Woburn Safari Park, 
a miniature railway and a garden/visitor centre.

Roger Moore on the stairs of Woburn Abbey.
The movie tries everything, but it clearly has this swinging 'The Saint' feeling and that is pretty cool!
A fast stop on the road to Lord Brett Sinclair.
Woburn Abbey, 1969. Roger Moore talks to young fans while sitting in an Opus HRF.
Claudie Lange, in the background, enjoys the break.
(Kodak 35mm slide)
Gary Fenn (Roger Moore) relaxes in his chair on the 'Crossplot' Set at Woburn Abbey.
'Crossplot' has its moments, almost like the missing link between 'The Saint' and 'The Persuaders!'.
(Kodak 2.25 X 2.25 transparency)
Claudie Lange and Roger Moore casting new Extras for the movie.
The first contact with the parrots is somewhat bumpy. A big beak hits a large glove.
But quickly a lively discussion arose. 
Forget the glove, I'll bite in your nose!
Is your mustache real? Can you recommend the peanuts?
Rooooger, I think the chimpanzee has stolen your tea mug!
What?
After numerous peanuts and the enjoyment of peppermint tea out of feeding cups all have fun.
At Woburn Abbey starts a wild chase. Our Stars in the yellow Opus HRF are hunted by a helicopter.
These marvelous scenes, including the terrific miniature show at the end, have an irresistible B-Movie verve. Brilliant!
The shooting was not easy and certainly took a few days, as the weather conditions change between the scenes.
The shabby but funny Close-Ups were shot on stage with the help of rear projection.
The model miniature hullabaloo of 'Crossplot'. Who are the model makers of this show?
A gangster hangs on a rope with a machine gun in his hand under the helicopter.  Not a good place!
During the chase the pilot overlooks the high voltage lines ... ouch!
Model chopper.
High voltage crackles! All done in miniature.
The small puppet of the chap on the rope is cool. 
In the last live-action scene, before the miniature show, we see this poor Stuntman hanging on the rope. 
He sees the high-voltage cables quickly approaching and protects his face with his arms.
Look at the puppet. Nice continuity gimmick.
Excellent B-Movie verve! Nice models!
Wow! What did the puppet have in his backpack?
The Makeup Supervisor on 'Crossplot' was John O'Gorman (1911–1977). 
On the photo we see him giving the beard of Roger Moore finishing touches, Woburn Abbey, 1969.
The natural-looking false beard is made of real hair.
Several different hair colors are processed into a beard, for a natural look. 
Each hair must be individually attached to the carrier material, the tulle.
The tulle disappears almost completely when glued to the skin, 
fixed with a special skin adhesive.
The British makeup expert John O'Gorman had a very prolific career.
He worked for numerous elaborate film productions, with filming locations all over the world. 
He was the makeup genius for movies like 'Around the World in Eighty Days' (1956), 'The Pride and the Passion' (1957), 
'Dr. No' (1962), 'Charade' (1963), 'The Visit' (1964), She (1965) and 'Murder on the Orient Express' (1974).
Several times he worked in Spain doing the makeup for Faye Dunaway (Doc - see photo above!), Brigitte Bardot (Boulevard du Rhum) 
and Raquel Welch (Hannie Caulder).
Roger Moore and Claudie Lange.
Claudie was a regular in european B-Movies, preferably in Italian genre movies.
She did several pretty cool flicks and giallos. Some nice performances in 'Spaghetti Western'.
Where is she gone?

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