googy gress interview
Interview with googy gress ( georgie peorgie ) from
babes in toyland
CMM.COM: Hello and thank you so much for agreeing to participate in an interview! Tell me a little about your experience making Babes in Toyland.
Googy Gress : The experience of making Babes was one of great joy. First, like most actors, I was just grateful for the job. And, I was essentially getting two paychecks – one for the movie rights, as the film was going to be released in several European countries, and one for the American TV rights as here in the states the movie was being made for TV. Beyond that, we had great accommodations at the Hilton Hotel in Munich and lots of per diem which I saved up and used to travel when we were done. Also, to be sure, I really liked everybody on the film and that made it tremendously fun, too.
CMM.COM: How was it filming in Germany?
Googy Gress :Filming in Germany was great. Most of the crew though was British. The director, Clive Donner, the DP was an old Eeling Studios hand named Arthur Ibbetson whom I adored. He had his original light meter from the 1930’s that he still used on every shot. The costumes were all made in London and so that had meant a few days stay there before heading over to Germany and I love London. I had been there several times before and had friends there. I used to spend time there on my way to the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, another city I love.
CMM.COM: Several talented actors/actresses were in the film including Drew Barrymore, Keanu Reeves, Richard Mulligan , Eileen Brennan, Jill Schoelin and Pat Morita. Tell me how it was working with such a talented bunch!
Googy Gress : Working with all those people was great. Pat Morita treated me to one of my favorite birthdays while we were there. Drew and I became very dear for that brief time. She was having all the typical young girl fights with her mom and all of them amplified by her status as a young star and I think I gave her a different perspective. Keanu and Jill were very much in love while we were shooting and spent great chunks of their free time together, but when we were all together we had a great rapport. Jill and I did a play together last year here in LA and that was great fun to reconnect.
CMM.COM: The film has achieved somewhat of a cult status. Why do you think that is?
Googy Gress : I really can say I had no idea of the film’s cult status. That said, I just did a film with a young director who told me how much he and his sister had loved the film and how it figured into his Christmas memories.
CMM.COM Do you have any fond memories of making Babes in Toyland?
Googy Gress : I guess my fondest memory would be of this Saturday morning where we had time off and were taken back over to the lot to practice driving those little cars we had. Drew was just so happy that morning and it was just some silly fun and I remember if quite fondly.
CMM.COM: Do you have a favorite song in the film? My personal favorite is C-I-N-C-I-N-N-A-T-I, which seems to be the favorite of most fans.
Googy Gress: My favorite song would have to be Let’s Hear It For The Girl. Here’s why: I can’t sing a note. All of my singing was dubbed by a young American opera student there in Munich and so when I watched the airing of the show with my family, all of whom know I can’t sing a note, when that guy’s voice came out of my mouth they all howled with laughter. So that sort of gave that song a special status for me.
CMM.COM Do you have any fun facts or secrets from the set ?
Googy Gress: Here’s a fun fact: I don’t think Pat Morita ever knew a line – it’s why he was so brilliant. Everything always sounded like it was coming out of his mouth for the first time, because it was. When we would do master shots, Pat would sort of know when he was supposed to speak so he might say something like “ I say something here”, when indeed it was his line and then he’d pick everything up in his close up. They’d roll the camera, he’d ask the script girl for his line, he’d say it, ask for the next line, say that one, etc. If he didn’t like what he’d done he’d say, ”let me do that again”, and then he would and that’s how he did everything. I thought it was brilliant. Thank you so much !
CultMovieMusicals.com
Googy Gress : The experience of making Babes was one of great joy. First, like most actors, I was just grateful for the job. And, I was essentially getting two paychecks – one for the movie rights, as the film was going to be released in several European countries, and one for the American TV rights as here in the states the movie was being made for TV. Beyond that, we had great accommodations at the Hilton Hotel in Munich and lots of per diem which I saved up and used to travel when we were done. Also, to be sure, I really liked everybody on the film and that made it tremendously fun, too.
CMM.COM: How was it filming in Germany?
Googy Gress :Filming in Germany was great. Most of the crew though was British. The director, Clive Donner, the DP was an old Eeling Studios hand named Arthur Ibbetson whom I adored. He had his original light meter from the 1930’s that he still used on every shot. The costumes were all made in London and so that had meant a few days stay there before heading over to Germany and I love London. I had been there several times before and had friends there. I used to spend time there on my way to the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, another city I love.
CMM.COM: Several talented actors/actresses were in the film including Drew Barrymore, Keanu Reeves, Richard Mulligan , Eileen Brennan, Jill Schoelin and Pat Morita. Tell me how it was working with such a talented bunch!
Googy Gress : Working with all those people was great. Pat Morita treated me to one of my favorite birthdays while we were there. Drew and I became very dear for that brief time. She was having all the typical young girl fights with her mom and all of them amplified by her status as a young star and I think I gave her a different perspective. Keanu and Jill were very much in love while we were shooting and spent great chunks of their free time together, but when we were all together we had a great rapport. Jill and I did a play together last year here in LA and that was great fun to reconnect.
CMM.COM: The film has achieved somewhat of a cult status. Why do you think that is?
Googy Gress : I really can say I had no idea of the film’s cult status. That said, I just did a film with a young director who told me how much he and his sister had loved the film and how it figured into his Christmas memories.
CMM.COM Do you have any fond memories of making Babes in Toyland?
Googy Gress : I guess my fondest memory would be of this Saturday morning where we had time off and were taken back over to the lot to practice driving those little cars we had. Drew was just so happy that morning and it was just some silly fun and I remember if quite fondly.
CMM.COM: Do you have a favorite song in the film? My personal favorite is C-I-N-C-I-N-N-A-T-I, which seems to be the favorite of most fans.
Googy Gress: My favorite song would have to be Let’s Hear It For The Girl. Here’s why: I can’t sing a note. All of my singing was dubbed by a young American opera student there in Munich and so when I watched the airing of the show with my family, all of whom know I can’t sing a note, when that guy’s voice came out of my mouth they all howled with laughter. So that sort of gave that song a special status for me.
CMM.COM Do you have any fun facts or secrets from the set ?
Googy Gress: Here’s a fun fact: I don’t think Pat Morita ever knew a line – it’s why he was so brilliant. Everything always sounded like it was coming out of his mouth for the first time, because it was. When we would do master shots, Pat would sort of know when he was supposed to speak so he might say something like “ I say something here”, when indeed it was his line and then he’d pick everything up in his close up. They’d roll the camera, he’d ask the script girl for his line, he’d say it, ask for the next line, say that one, etc. If he didn’t like what he’d done he’d say, ”let me do that again”, and then he would and that’s how he did everything. I thought it was brilliant. Thank you so much !
CultMovieMusicals.com
