Interviews · 16 January 2017
Jess Conrad Roger Moore falling off a horse, and Gregory Peck
Jess Conrad interviewed by Kevin Durham, 16 January 2017. 17m 03s on tape.
Jess Conrad Interview - Roger Moore Fell Off Horse & Gregory Peck - INTERVIEW - Jess Conrad talks about being Roger Moore's neighbour, being star struck when meeting Gregory Peck and buying his million pound house for £800. If you liked the clip Jess Conrad Interview - Roger Moore Fell Off Horse & Gregory Peck - INTERVIEW then please leave us a comment in the comment box below. Disclaimer: Some of these links go to one of my websites and some are affiliate links where I'll earn a small commission if you make a purchase at no additional cost to you.
What's on the tape
A transcript, made by machine from the audio and tidied up. It gets names and the odd word wrong, so treat it as a way to find the bit you want rather than as a quotation. Every timestamp jumps to that moment in the video.
0:03 They weren't getting on well together and he comes in on this scene on this horse and he's in full armor and he falls off the horse backwards. On his back and he's laying there Bosch is on the floor she's. They said Kapp and she said I hope that suggests thank you for letting us in if you you again why did you say yes. Why did I say yes well I suppose it's because I love to see myself on the screen and I have great many fans out there that don't. See me awful enough sometimes. You know people say you know I'm old enough now to retire but people still find me irresistible and well there's nothing wrong with their eyesight. I guess it sounds like a big.
0:54 Big big head of them but it's all done with a sense of humor and that's the way I see this business you know. I've been at it a long long time and you're a young man who wants to get ahead in the world and you wanted to interview. Me so you wanted to come to my lovely house which I bought for eight eight hundred pounds I mean that's. 8800 that's even better yeah yeah now it's worth four million but grand for it mm if you really be really big I know it really is silly but in those days you know. These are the days when you could we have proper bank managers you know and I could go my Bank was in Piccadilly Circus can you imagine going to Piccadilly Circus. Parking the car quite casually walking in I know mr. Conrad lovely to see you dear boy speaking to a proper and he said you've got a lot of money.
1:56 Here I just won the equivalent of the x-factor 1961 of show called oh boy how much did you win and what's the equivalent of what today's money I have no idea. How all I know is that I had lots of money lots of money apparently. And so I said well what do you do you think I should do with it he said well bricks and mortars a good thing and I thought my god. He wants me to go up and down up and down the ladder with bricks on my back I said well I'm not a very good build. I said and I I don't fancy taking bricks up and he said no no you know property property so I was courting there Miska may you look a little lovely. Each day with beautiful pink ma I saw on this television commercial of all soaped up I was sharing a flat at the time Michael Caine.
2:46 And Terry Stan and we used to date these girls and we were thinking of getting marriage and so we and you couldn't be married then they my day you couldn't. Be married if you were a pop star so I thought it was the reverse I thought it went in your favor back in the old days in the old days if you got married. I thought people looked on that more kindly than they do no no they look upon it as if the you lose your fan base and you couldn't. Be gay either now it's obligatory of course. Almost a lot of my actor friends pretend they're gay and they're not just to get more work if you pretend they're gay Oh lots of guys do apparently. But you know but I mean it was so different then and you couldn't be married because the the agencies wouldn't want you I had a woman.
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3:35 Asian and no it was well known you you couldn't be married and and be a pop star or teen idol as they caught us there so you know you just you just couldn't. Be that and I was thinking were getting married to Miss Khmer and I thought what are we going to do so I she found this house here and because the bank manager. Said you know buy a house and she'd found this house for eight and it was really in the country here and this is where I wanted. To live because it's it's in in denim in in Buckinghamshire Palmer Studios Denham Studios Shepperton studios over the years all the stars Oh God everybody. I mean Roger was my dear from Roger Moore Cilla black was two doors I've been imagine having those kind of people his neighbor's how did it work did you ever kind of pop over you know just just go pretending.
4:36 You needed sugar just to see him well how did you have him over 40 how did that work you're speaking like a lorry driver a lorry driver. Yeah I didn't know you're invited to go to dinner um I went to dinner many many times and at one time I was there and a very famous. Actress was playing easy with me was a big table and Louisa Rogers wife was very she protected him you know she and this famous actress. Left her handbag there and she said Theresa would last just Conrad to bring the handbag back to my house Tuesday 11:30 in the morning she was very famous I won't tell you who she is and I took the handbag. Back - - to her amuse and she opened the door and she was in negligee and everything and ready for action it was those are the sort of experiences.
5:35 That you did and then Louisa rang my wife Rene and said what would we like the table would we like to have this big oak table. So we said yes it was a bit too big really but yes okay it's Roger Moore's table and it's a lovely table and so the next time we go for dinner there we are dining. On this huge glass top table and I said Louisa why the glass top table I want to see who is playing easy with whom because she was so jealous. Somebody might be playing easy with Roger a rose a as you called him so yeah we had we had great times up there Robert Wagner was Natalie. Woods husband and I was very excited about meeting him because he's a great looking guy and I wanted to see how I stood up to him you know and when I met him he's about your size he was like quite small.
6:31 In height and had a beard like you as well and she was having a baby so he was in he wanted to be in harmony. With her so he put on a bit of weight you know so there this fellow was not as tall as me bearded and a bit. Heavy so I befriended him you know cut yeah hello I'm just you know we had a good time here plenty of champagne and I'm walking. Around the room with him thinking all the producers are going to say never mind but Rob about working about who's that fellow with him of course I never took any notice but you know that sir. That's you know you get these things in your head don't you that the people are going to notice you and say you know who's he never. Mind about and those are the days when you had to get a car to work in America you know so I was interested in there and Roger.
7:20 Rang one night and said dear boys said we're having a soiree and I said who is who's coming you know terribly I was I said what's. The cast list and he said David Niven so I I've read the book moon is blue so that David Niven was going to be one of the stars there and you know the very very funny. Book fantastic writer real show business really funny well if he's there I can talk about that you know and so we go up there suddenly. Three or four doors away from here and it was raining heavily and and so rang the bell and my wife had the umbrella up so I wouldn't get wet and as I rang the bell Rodgers. On his way and then she puts the color blur in my eyes because I wanted to be really sparkly no I'm Roger opened the door and it was really casual.
8:18 And as me overdressed as usual you know you know and there he was really and this lovely voice hello dear boy how I feel like Quasimodo. Just got everything and then I walked in and he said oh I'd like you to meet there was just one person there the big rolls-royce outside. It was just one person sitting in there and he said I'd like you to meet. A Gregory Peck and this guy stood up and you're probably too young to remember that one of the biggest movie stars in the world and he got. Up and I could see these eyebrows big eyebrows and they they went past my eye line and they never stopped going up going up and then he stopped. And like all Americans he put his hand out says hi Jess I've heard all about you and it's Gregory Peck I come from Brixton I mean I've.
9:16 Met stars but Gregory Peck use he was in all the movies I was to watch when I was 12 years old I mean Gregory. And I'm standing there and he's got his hand out to shake my hand and you know when the saliva goes great and this arm. Wouldn't move completely an utterly starstruck and this arm wouldn't move and Gregory pecks got his hand out to shake my hand and Roger Roger had a way to there that knew what I drank. And came over at Bacardi and coke and stuck it in my hand and then I was you know got over that moment about three o'clock in the morning. I remember Gregory singing say to Roger.
10:10 Parties really he was and Roger was a wonderful guy he was he was made the older Bond films here you know 10 minutes up the road Palmer. Studios and we had some horses and this not we got acre and a half not quite big enough to have horses ponies and things so Roger. Said you know and Louise was where I've said you can you know they can stay at our place eat the grass up there instead of here this is more grass up there in his place. So we're very friendly and they went to the same school my girls and his boy and girl and I'm an out-of-work actor at the time and there's. A knock on the door and whatever it was I'm I don't work all that well it's when Roger was doing the you know he's Bond.
11:04 Films and this this particular one was it was about the the submarine thing because he got me a part in it Louise you must find Jess apart. So he goes into the casting director says. So I just bought the idea boy but I've got a dear friend Jess Conrad you know you know Jesse's everybody knows who Jesse's nice-looking boy he said find. A part for him so they fired family a part of the submarine commander one day's work so he goes home Louisa's Roger hey have you got Jess. Jesse a part oh god yes yes darling I have yes I've got in part as a submarine commander so Lisa rings my wife he's got a part. What date gives Gabe gives me the day at the time at that particular time I've just started playing I was the first Joseph and Joseph in his Amazing.
11:56 Technicolor Dreamcoat and Bill Kenwright the producer wouldn't let me have the afternoon off so I couldn't do the Bond film so a friend of mine did it a friend. Of mine I put my friend friend in called Bram Marshall Roger. Although he was a great guy wasn't the fittest healthiest of men in many ways and he got shingles he had shingles for a month so my friend. Worked for a month instead of one day out a bloody fortune while they waited for Roger to to recover from shingles so that's that isn't. It but see he was he was he was anyway so he knocks on the door and I'm I'm in bed on this particular day and he goes are the Conrad's. Ready instead of the chauffeur coming to the door he used to come to the door it was very funny because he was James Bond one of the most famous people.
12:53 In the world and there he is pretending to be you know like the the humble man who gets the children to go to school yeah. Arthur Conrad's ready Oh Rogers here Rogers here because they were young they they didn't see him as anything special than you know vaj of the neighbor yeah. So he used to collect them and drop them off the school and then used to after Parmenter to to start shooting he probably had a deal that he didn't. Start till 9:30 in the morning or something but every morning he picked them up every morning this hello other comrades ready for school you know it was it was a great. Great endearing thing to do you know I suppose my dear friend Jess is in bed is he I taking him up he's coffee is he wearing his white robe as all that goes on you know he was making.
13:41 A film with Lana Turner it was a really big start before you were born but she was really big like the big Monroe and they were making. This film and knights in shining armor. Rogers not the greatest horseman and they weren't getting on well together and he comes in on this scene on this horse and he's in full. Armor and he falls off the horse backwards on his back and he's laying there Bosh is on the floor she's up they said cap and she said I hope. I had it was so funny you know because you don't always love the the ladies you're kissing on the screen I mean you know we all we we all have times. When things don't really click it's nice if they do and usually they do but sometimes they don't did you have to kiss any rotters on the screen like any real.
14:39 Proper like yeah but I've had a few moments yeah I've had a few moment I mean you know crazy moments of course once when I was playing once. When I was playing and not kissing girls but once when I was playing. Robin Hood and I had to kill the sheriff my sword broke and what happened next was strength. Hilarious because I just given this boy sitting in the front row three pages before a bag of sweets now. This is like always be prepared my sword breaks and I'm thinking to myself what am I going to do now how do I strangle him I mean. I've got to call the sheriff Nottingham and I just said in a loud voice I broken my sword boys and girls what shall I do and this boy oh just give him a bloody bag of sweets to said sing.
15:27 To him and not only that but all the audience agreed and they all said yes synched him and it was a moment of laughter and rounds. Of applause you know through your little bag I've just given you a bag of sweets now all sorts of things do happen in this business. That you have to always be aware of actors always say that you must always check your flies because the last thing you do in the theater. Is you get everything get ready you put your 5 and 9 on your makeup everything is ready wash your hands but you because the way men. Dress yeah it's always it's always dangers because we do even even now I'm talking like a young Jess you don't zip your fly's up and I've. Been on a few times and I've looked down in the flies around and I've had go would look upstairs know jump do the thing but this is why I never wear pants.
16:24 With an open pocket I always go over the pants if I need to go to the loo yes I'm worried if I if I don't slip up something's. Gonna yes slip out I bet the viewers love that from you.
