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The totally unofficial A-Team electronic mail newsletter
Submission address: [email protected]
Administrivia: Nicole Pellegrini
[email protected], [email protected]
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DATE: February 27, 1995
ISSUE: 13
VOLUME: 1
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Hey everyone,
Issue 13, a day late but better than never. As promised, you get more of the TV Guide article, as much as I was able to type in before my fingers went numb. The conclusion of the article will appear in the next issue.
This issue I'm also starting a new feature which I hope you'll all find enjoyable and/or informative, A-Team trivia questions. See how much you know about picky little details from the show and amaze your friends and colleagues. :-) Answers will appear in the next issue.
So now, here's this week's question:
-> Script writer and 4th season stroy editor Bill Nuss made a brief cameo appearance in one episode that he wrote. What episode was it and who did he play?
Now here's the article, hopefully typo-free but I won't promise anything.
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The scene being shot this morning has reporter Tawnia Baker (Heasley) meeting up with the team for the first time. The morning's sequence calls for Heasley to deliver a rapid series of complicated speeches. She's a bit unsteady finding her rhythm at first and stumbles over some dialogue. After a take is printed, Peppard tells her, "Looks good, Marla."
"George has been really helpful," Heasley says later. "He will take me aside and tell me little things that you should know when you're doing a series. He's been around for a long time, so he's got some very good advice."
Peppard can be seen between takes talking something over with Mr. T, apparently giving practical advice. "When the season's over, do all of that sort of thing you want," he says, "but in the meantime, never mind."
"Good idea," says T.
A few moments later, a bushed-looking Peppard asks a publicity person to verify an appointment the next morning at L.A. tv station KABC-TV. "I'm doing an interview with Barbara Walters for Good Morning America," he explains. "Live to New York, 5:15 A.M. I've got the day off."
"You can use it, after that," says the publicity man.
"I can use it now," says Peppard.
DAY THREE. A luxury condo tower on Wilshire Boulevard. The A Teamers have taken over the entire floor of vacant suites. In one apartment, The Face and Tawnia are involved in a tete-a-tete, to be interrupted by the appearance of bad guys who toss The Face out the window into (according to the script) a convenient swimming pool below.
On the balcony of another apartment down the hall, Benedict's double waits to do the seven-story fall the second unit has spent all morning coordinating. The stunt is set to go. I make my way to a vantage point in an empty room that provides a clear view of the setup. The double, his hair and suit identical to Benedict's, is loosening up by hopping lightly back and forth on a wooden platform built eye level with the balcony ledge. At a signal from an assistant below, the stuntman leaps into space. He waves his arms, turns slightly and hits the air bag with a solid impact clearly audible thofough sealed glass seven stories above. Conditioned by decades of television viewing, I fully expect him to rise, give a victory wave, and hobble off to the sound of the second unit's cheers. But the stuntman does not rise. He lies flat on his back on the air bag, his face pale with shock and pain. Half a dozen people move in to check his limbs and torso. A brace is placed around his neck. Very tenderly he is lifted onto a stretcher and carried toward a waiting ambulance.
DAY FOUR: Interior: a cliffside estate in Paradise Cove, west of Malibu. The Team is wrapping up some close-ups before breaking for lunch. Dwight Schultz sits off-camera in a director's chair, giving an autograph to a 10-year-old boy.
Schultz had done almost all of his acting on stage, in regional theaters and in New York, before flying to L.A. to read for the part of Murdock. His normal speaking voice is restrained and articulate, laegues away from the comic cadence he affects for his bizarre role. I ask him if signing onto the A Team has changed his life dramatically.
"It's like a jolt of electricity," he says. "I guess I've done about 10 years of normal living in one--including getting married. The rapidity of the work, the speed with which you go before the camera and just do it--you're filming rehearsals, in effect--that's still very novel and invigorating to me. And usually your days are completely consumed by this.
"People complain about that, but...I don't see how you can. You're doing what you want to do. It's not a struggle, it's a thrill--something to be grateful for."
One former Team member, the departed Melinda Culea, has been vocal about her dissatisfaction with her series role. What about her absence this year?
"Well," Schultz answers in a roundabout fashion, "the last thing I did in New York was an off-Broadway play. It was tremendously successful. The reviews were the best I have ever received from the big three major critics. There were lots of rumors of it going on to Broadway. One day I picked up the paper and read that the show was indeed going on to Broadway--but with another actor, not me. I was shocked. Obviously something had been wrong, but I'll never know the reason I was replaced.
"And I think it's much the same case with Melinda. There were lots of little problems...But whatever happened in the offices over there, we'll never really know. They made the decision it was the best thing to replace her.
"But every actor is replaced at one point or another. That's what this business is about: replacing, and being replaced...being on top one year, then unemployed the next two or three, then up again. That's the name of the game."
The company has broken for lunch. Schultz nods his head at the now-empty set. "But this is just a terrific bunch," he says. "It's been a joy. I couldn't imagine something more fortunate." He pauses, and for a moment his eyes reveal a sliver of Murdock's manic gleam. "Except a leading role in a major motion picture, with Meryl Streep as my co-star!" Then he laughs.
As we walk outside toward the company's lunch tables, we pass an equipment truck whose open door features a formidable array of Mr. T posters and photographs. "He is amazing," Schultz says, looking at these pictures of his co-star. "The man is a tycoon. He's so smart. When he started out, he said, 'Before this is done, I'm gonna get money even from people who hate me. I'm having a *dart board* made.' That's what he said!"
...to be continued next issue
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Quote of the week:
"Don't you smile at me like that! That's not even a real
smile, that's just a bunch of teeth playing with my mind!"
--Face in "Diamonds 'n' Dust"
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On to this issue's posts...
Subj: Mr.T's other work?
Date: Sun, Feb 19, 1995 11:22 PM EST
From: [email protected]
X-From: [email protected] (Chris Sidi *A man with a passion tocreate*)
To: [email protected]
I won't attempt to go over all the movies he's been in, but here's some other works of art:
"Mr.T's 10 commandments"
record (inspired by Muhammed Ali vs. Mr.Tooth Decay?)
"Mr.T's Be Somebody or Be somebody's fool"
(Children, VHS)
Mr.T's coloring books
Mr.T's "?" cereal
If anyone has 10 commandments, please make me a tape...
I have seen Be somebody or be somebody's fool...it's not to be missed "Hey, don't bring anyones mother into this...She isn't here...and if it wasn't for her, you wouldn't be here...so remember, when you put down one mother, you're putting down mothers all over the world" which seemily contradicts in Episode "Cowboy George" where he tells Murdock in a dress, "Murdock, you the ugliest woman I ever seen." and then face likes him better as a woman!...it has me confused - but realizing that BA is very different from Mr.T has helped...Mr.T probably has only a slight rational fear of all forms of transportation.
Chris
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>then face likes him better as a woman!
Ah yes, but the most priceless part of that scene is Face's, er...'facial' expression to Murdock's "we don't have time for that now" retort.
I happen to love that episode, even if it is about the cheesiest one they ever did.
Face: "I'm an artist booking-agent!" Murdock: "Wrong. You're a scam-agent booking artists."
or something like that.
--nicole
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Subj: CD
Date: Thu, Feb 23, 1995 7:02 AM EST
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Dear Nicole and everyone else,
I've just finished reading all the back issues of the newsletter and I must say that it`s great to find other people who appreciate the programme as much as I do. I'm gradually building up my collection of episodes on video (I have about 70) as luckily they screen episodes pretty frequently in the region which I am at University.
Anyway, just thought I'd give a few details about the theme music CD which was mentioned a few weeks ago. I actually ordered a copy about a year ago so it must still be available (at least in the UK). I'm not sure if the music is from any particular episode but it would seem so from the titles of the tracks. The cover just says `Music From The Original Television Score`.
The tracks are as follows :
i) Theme From THe A-Team
ii) Young Hannibal
iii) BA`s Ride
iv) The A-Team In New York City
v) Bandits!
vi) Taxi Chase
vii) The A-Team Escape
viii) The A-Team Prepare For War |
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ix) Showtime
x) Move, Sucker
xi) Let`s Get Busted
xii) Murdock`s "Face"
xiii) Helicopters
xiv) More Bandits
xv) Theme From The A-Team
| | |
It's good to listen to as you can really imagine what would be showing on screen when the tracks are played.
If anyone wants a copy the address on the back is Silva Screen Records Silva House, 261 Royal College Street, London, NW1 9LU, UK. Catalogue no. is FILMCD701 (FILMC701 for cassette) in UK and SIL5701.2 (SIL5701.4 for cassette) in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Elsewhere I don`t know about. Cost was 6.99 uk pounds which is very cheap for the UK. I hope this is of interest to somebody - if anyone wants a copy and is having problems just let me know and I'll try and help out.
Cheers,
Peter
Exeter, UK
[email protected]
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Thanks for the information, Peter, I know I need to own a copy of any cd that has a track called "Move, Sucker" on it :-)
The only other music-related A-Team item I've ever come across--and this is only remotely related--is a cassette I saw in a grungy used record store, called "The Mr. T Experience." Apparently this is the name of a band or something, that's the only relation to the team or T as far as I could tell from the cover. Ever though it was only a few dollars I didn't feel like splurging (since I was already buying about 30 dollars worth of stuff that I didn't need...), so I have no clue as to what type of music it was. Great band title, though if I had a rock band I would want to name it "Closed for Remodeling." (Bonus points to the die-hard fans who pick up on that TAT reference :-)
--nicole
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