Journalist Ian Midgley ran a piece on the Hullywood Icons in saturday’s Hull daily Mail weekend supplement the article had a front cover and a center spread. Many thanks to the inimitable Mr. Midgley for releasing his inner Kong and sharing the experience – top banana! 
Read the full article online here
When Mike Covell got in touch with me about play Alastair Sim in Scrooge a 1951 film adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol I decided an Old town location in Hull would be great. Mike showed me places around the old town that I didn’t know existed.
When my eldest daughter Amelia Rose asked me if she could be Griet played by Scarlett Johansson in Girl with a Pearl Earring I was both surprised and delighted by her choice. Girl with a Pearl Earring is a 2003 drama film directed by Peter Webber. The screenplay was adapted by screenwriter Olivia Hetreed, based on the novel of the same name by Tracy Chevalier. Scarlett Johansson stars as Griet, a young 17th-century servant in the household of the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer (played by Colin Firth) at the time he painted Girl with a Pearl Earring(1665) in the city of Delft in Holland. Other cast members include Tom Wilkinson, Cillian Murphy, and Judy Parfitt.
The shoot took place in Ye Old Black Boy in Hull’s Old town a fantastic and atmospheric pub. One of Hull’s hidden gems. Many thanks to Pub Landlord Adam Scruton for letting us use his front parlour and for looking after my adorable and very lively two year old grandson Azrael.
Lex Stephenson asked if he could play Jareth, the Goblin King (played by David Bowie) in Labyrinth a 1986 American adventure musical fantasy film directed by Jim Henson, executive-produced by George Lucas, and based upon conceptual designs by Brian Froud. The film revolves around 15-year-old Sarah’s (Jennifer Connelly) quest to reach the center of an enormous otherworldly maze to rescue her infant brother Toby, who has been kidnapped by Jareth, the Goblin King (David Bowie). With the exception of Connelly and Bowie, most of the film’s significant characters are played by puppets produced by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.
Bryony Macfadyen (playing Katniss) approached me about recreating a scene from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire she is joined by her friend Hannah Winskell who plays Cressida in this scene.
Charles Huckvale contacted me about recreating the character of Johnny Strabler played by Marlon Brando in a scene from the 1953 film The Wild One with his band mates from the fantastic Hull based street band Bandanarama. This was the biggest Hullywood Shoot so far featuring Charles and 16 ‘Wild Ones’ and took place as the light was going outside the legendary Rayners Pub on Hessle Road one wet November afternoon. After the shoot the band got out their instruments and burst into an impromptu performance of Tequila much to the surprise and delight of the locals.
The Wild One is a 1953 American film directed by László Benedek and produced by Stanley Kramer. It is most noted for the character of Johnny Strabler (Marlon Brando), whose persona became a cultural icon of the 1950s. The Wild One is considered to be the original outlaw biker film, and the first to examine American outlaw motorcycle gang violence.
Bandanarama as ‘The Wild Ones ‘ Brendan Walsh, Rob Jenkins, Nathan Kirby, Cindy Hall, Mac Jordan, Dave Ellis, Jim Watkin, Charles Huckvale, Steven Walsh, Mel Haynes, Phil Codd, Adrian Johnson – Harley Davison Ian Mitchel – Apus Productions Liz Dees – Apus Productions “Flock” by Foolsize Theatre – Liverpool (The Guys with The Handle Bars) Chris Murray Joanne Tremarco
Julie Hill and 90 year old Stanley Wilson got in touch with me about recreating the characters of Stan laurel and Oliver Hardy for the Hullywood Icons project. We created some Stan and Ollie moments at the Street Life Museum:Hull Museums in the old town of Hull. At 90 Stan is one of the oldest Hullywood Icons so far. Interestingly Hull has the distinction of being the very last piece of British soil that Laurel and Hardy trod, as they sailed from there in 1954. They also performed at Hull New Theatre, drank at Olde English Gent and stayed at Royal Station Hotel on 07/07/1947.
Gregory’s Girl is Alison Whitfield’s favourite film she enlisted husband Gary Whitfield to play Gregory which he did with much aplomb. Here Alison talks about why she loves the film.
‘Gregory’s Girl is pretty much the perfect film. Great individual performances and sublime comedy moments. it highlights how friends can create good things for each other and that the best fun in life costs nowt. Gregory although previously besotted with Dorothy, embraces his unexpected date with Susan with positive results’.
Here we recreate the lying down dancing and whistling moments from the film…
Jo Hill contacted me about recreating the famous bed scene in which Uma Thurman as Mia Wallace smokes a cigarette whilst holding a gun lies on a bed. I couldn’t resist the challenge. We completed the shoot at Mercure Hull Royal Hotel who lent us a room for the shoot.
Hullywood Icons 