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Ronnie Udell

Forename/s: 
Ronnie
Family name: 
Udell
Work area/craft/role: 
Design
Construction Manager
Company: 
Denham
Elstree
Pinewood
Industry: 
Film
Interview Number: 
484
Interview Date(s): 
17 Aug 2000
Interviewer/s: 
Rodney Giesler
Production Media: 
Audio
Duration (mins): 
110

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Interview
Interview notes

A very detailed behind the scene account of construcion on set by Ronnie Udell. Worked on set for Marilyn Monroe & Sir Laurence Olivier.

RONNIE UDELL

Interviewed by Rodney Giesler on 17.8 00

SIDE ONE

Born South Mimms on 20.8.1911. Father a nurseryman and gardener for Lord & Lady Scott. Apprentice carpenter and joiner. Got a job on building of Denham Studios in 1935. Stayed on to work there. Bill Searle was chief construction manager there. First film The Dishonoured Bride with Tom Walls. TW had a Derby winner in 1935. Then A Yank at Oxford. Thirty more films. Working hours. Standard day and night shift to cope with demands on a new studio. Fire Over England and Wings of the Morning (first film in colour). Top technicians at the time: Georges Perinal, James Wong How, Harry Stradling. The Korda brothers: Vincent, Alex and Zoltan. Bill Hutchinson a young assistant who became art director. Worked on tail end of Things to Come. Mostly shot at Sound City. Sets of I Claudius built on every stage at Denham. Production abandoned. Conflict between von Sternberg and Korda. Also worked on Rembrandt with Laughton; Elephant Boy; Dark Journey with Vivien Leigh. We’re Going to be Rich with Gracie Fields. The way things were done then. Many art and construction technicians came from the theatre. The rising strength of the union. Closed shop opened up as studios expanded. Wage rates good.

£4/11d [just under 25pence] per hour for a 52-hour week, plus overtime. Sets struck and rebuilt overnight. Lived 5 miles from studios at Gold Hill. 6/- [30 pence] per week travel allowance. Making The Thief of Baghdad when war started. Built an air raid shelter for the Kordas in their wine cellar. In 1939 directed to work in the aircraft industry. Went to Fairey Aviation for four years, ending as factory inspector. Worked every night for the first year. Returned to Denham at end of war to find a waiting list. Got a job at Elstree working on The Navy Lark. Then in March 1946 found a permanent job as supervising carpenter at Pinewood. Worked on Green for Danger, Oliver Twist, Take My Life. Admiration for Cineguild. Recalls more on Denham. Remembers location of Major Barbara and watching ships leaving for Dunkirk. First film at Pinewood the tail end of Great Expectation sequence of rescue from paddle steamer wheel. Remembers a lot of water sequences including Sink the Bismarck. Ned Mann a great special effects man with Larry Butler. Worked with Poppa Day on travelling man [?] and his assistant Mellinshaw. Enjoyed working with the top technicians. Became a staircase specialist. Horse climbing the stairs in South Riding at Denham. Black Narcissus. Problems with the bell. Made in plaster and very heavy. And The Red Shoes, and Miracle of Soho. Remembers large rostrums on wheels with  sets built on. Mobile sets very useful. David Rawnsley and the Aquila System (Independent Frame). BBC recruiting a lot of construction people at the time. Why Aquila failed. Went to Hong Kong to build sets for Ferry to Hong Kong directed by Lewis Gilbert, [BEHP Interview 386] edited by Peter Hunt. Converted a paddle steamer with extra decks. John Stoll the art director of theatre family. Great support from Chinese personnel. Back to Denham days, and working on Goodbye Mr. Chips". Memories of Thirty Nine Steps and Hitchcock. Troopship (Old Bill & Son) with John Mills. Sent to Egypt to recce locations for Cleopatra. Art director John De Cuir. (45’46").

 

SIDE TWO

 

 More on the Cleopatra recce. Egypt vetoed because Elizabeth Taylor was Jewish. Sets stood at Pinewood for six months but filming moved to Rome because of  Taylor’s illness. Built all the Roman battle machines. Was construction manager on  all Bond films until The Spy Who Loved Me. Great admiration for Ken Adam. "If you can draw it, we can build it”. Describes building the volcano interior for You Only Live Twice. Allowing for a helicopter landing. NASA impressed by the rocket capsule. Special effects Johnny Stears. Worked with him on Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. More on working with Ken Adam. Memories of Sean Connery. Other films worked for: Sea Fury, The Battle of Britain. Plaster cast Spitfires. Thunderball a most enjoyable film. Built a fibre-glass Vulcan bomber and took it to the Bahamas. Also:underwater weaponry. Worked on Norman Wisdom films. His charge hand Michael Redding. Great change in construction technology over the years. More memories of Denham. Sets of Goldfinger very impressive. Fort Knox at Pinewood. The special  Aston Martin. Michael White also involved. More on Chitty, shot near Haddenham. Thunder in the City at Denham. Memories of Edward G. Robinson.

Special effects for The Poseidon Adventure. Memories of Gabby Pascal. Sets in perspective for Blanche Fury. Rank’s less distinguished films: The Spanish Gardener, Checkpoint. Worked on Storm in a Teacup at Denham. Prison Without Bars at Pinewood. Spotting the sets for the sparks. (43’41“).

End of Side 2.

 SIDE THREE

Ways of working. Didn’t like standby carpentering. Spent most time in the workshops away from the set. Always aware of window and door furniture. Need to find quick answers. The Ackland-Snow family. More films remembered. Making friends with Bob Hope on Call Me Bwana. Marilyn Monroe’s unpredictability. Olivier’s strict standards. Extra sets for his Hamlet made at Pinewood after Denham went four-wall. "Dicky" Dickinson’s qualities as cameraman. Memories of Carmen Dillon. Set building a "family" job. Retired in 1976. (20’00”).

 

                [END]

Transcript
Biographical

Born South Mimms on 20.8.1911. Father a nurseryman and gardener for Lord & Lady Scott. Apprentice carpenter and joiner. Got a job on building of Denham Studios in 1935. Stayed on to work there. Bill Searle was chief construction manager there. First film The Dishonoured Bride with Tom Walls. 935. Then A Yank at Oxford. Thirty more films. Day and  night shift to cope with demands on a new studio. Fire Over England and Wings of the Morning (first film in colour).  Worked on tail end of Things to Come. Mostly shot at Sound City. Sets of I Claudius built on every stage at Denham. Production abandoned.  Also worked on Rembrandt with Laughton; Elephant Boy; Dark Journey with Vivien Leigh. We’re Going to be Rich with Gracie Fields. The way things were done then. Many art and construction technicians came from the theatre. The rising strength of the union. Closed shop opened up as studios expanded. Wage rates good.

£4/11d [just under 25pence] per hour for a 52-hour week, plus overtime. Sets struck and rebuilt overnight. Lived 5 miles from studios at Gold Hill. 6/- [30 pence] per week travel allowance. Making The Thief of Baghdad when war started. Built an air raid shelter for the Kordas in their wine cellar. In 1939 directed to work in the aircraft industry. Went to Fairey Aviation for four years, ending as factory inspector. Worked every night for the first year. Returned to Denham at end of war to find a waiting list. Got a job at Elstree working on The Navy Lark. Then in March 1946 found a permanent job as supervising carpenter at Pinewood. Worked on Green for Danger, Oliver Twist, Take My Life. Admiration for Cineguild.  Remembers location of Major Barbara and watching ships leaving for Dunkirk. First film at Pinewood the tail end of Great Expectation sequence of rescue from paddle steamer wheel. Remembers a lot of water sequences including Sink the Bismarck.  Worked with Poppa Day on travelling man [?] and his assistant Mellinshaw. Enjoyed working with the top technicians. Became a staircase specialist. Horse climbing the stairs in South Riding at Denham. Black Narcissus. Problems with the bell. Made in plaster and very heavy. And The Red Shoes, and Miracle of Soho. Remembers large rostrums on wheels with  sets built on. Mobile sets very useful. David Rawnsley and the Aquila System (Independent Frame). BBC recruiting a lot of construction people at the time. Why Aquila failed. Went to Hong Kong to build sets for Ferry to Hong Kong directed by Lewis Gilbert, [BEHP Interview 386] edited by Peter Hunt. Converted a paddle steamer with extra decks. Great support from Chinese personnel. Back to Denham days, and working on Goodbye Mr. Chips". Memories of Thirty Nine Steps and Hitchcock. Troopship (Old Bill & Son) with John Mills. Sent to Egypt to recce locations for Cleopatra. Art director John De Cuir. (45’46").. Egypt vetoed because Elizabeth Taylor was Jewish. Sets stood at Pinewood for six months but filming moved to Rome because of  Taylor’s illness. Built all the Roman battle machines. Was construction manager on  all Bond films until The Spy Who Loved Me. Ken Adam. "If you can draw it, we can build it”. Describes building the volcano interior for You Only Live Twice. Allowing for a helicopter landing. NASA impressed by the rocket capsule. Special effects Johnny Stears. Worked with him on Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. More on working with Ken Adam. Memories of Sean Connery. Other films worked for: Sea Fury, The Battle of Britain. Plaster cast Spitfires. Thunderball a most enjoyable film. Built a fibre-glass Vulcan bomber and took it to the Bahamas. Also:underwater weaponry. Worked on Norman Wisdom films. His charge hand Michael Redding. Great change in construction technology over the years. Sets of Goldfinger very impressive. Fort Knox at Pinewood. The special  Aston Martin. Michael White also involved. Thunder in the City at Denham.  Sets in perspective for Blanche Fury. Rank’s less distinguished films: The Spanish Gardener, Checkpoint. Worked on Storm in a Teacup at Denham. Prison Without Bars at Pinewood. Spotting the sets for the sparks. (43’41“).

Ways of working. Didn’t like standby carpentering. Spent most time in the workshops away from the set. Always aware of window and door furniture. Need to find quick answers. More films remembered. Making friends with Bob Hope on Call Me Bwana.  Extra sets for Olivierss Hamlet made at Pinewood after Denham went four-wall. Set building a "family" job. Retired in 1976. (20’00”).