Alan’s funeral service order
Entry to Frank Sinatra’s ‘Fly Me to the Moon’.
Tribute to Alan – pre-filming days by John.
Hello, I am Alan’s brother John and wish to thank you all for coming for this celebration of Alan’s life.
I would like to share with you some of Alan’s and my own early memories.
Alan very often told the story of mum and himself sleeping below the stairs during the war, and that one day a doodlebug flew over and the engine stopped. The bomb missed mum and Alan but some of his classmates never turned up for school again.
Whilst at Albany Secondary School, Alan became school and Enfield Schoolboy High Jump Champion. He went to the White City Stadium for the County Finals where he came about 6th, but also realised he did not want to be doing that and quit.
On leaving school, Alan got a job on the road as a radio and TV repair engineer until one day he put his foot through someone’s ceiling and his employers decided Alan was safer back in the shop.
I remember Alan being fairly artistic and once whilst in hospital he made several pen and ink sketches.
I also remember Alan taking me to the Dominion theatre in Tottenham Court Road in the West End to see South Pacific and later to see Ben Hur.
One year he also took me to see the formula one Grand Prix at Brands Hatch and to the Goodwood circuit on the day that Stirling Moss had his near fatal crash.
When it came time for him to do his national service, Alan did his basic training for the army in Yorkshire and Lincoln barracks then volunteered for the Paratroopers. Unfortunately, on a training jump he fell and injured his back. That spelt the end of paras for him.
So, they sent him back to Crowborough, and the Royal Signals where the camp Sargent Major wanted him in the Regimental Police for that camp. He said okay as he had a barrack all to himself and only worked daytime hours, five days a week.
After demob Alan had difficulty settling back into one job. He had various jobs including delivering for Crimpy Crisps followed by Smedley Foods.
But something was not just right and he never really settled.
However, he became interested in amateur dramatics and in 1962 took courses in public speaking and at the London Academy of Modelling before turning professional. In the mid 1960's he launched his career as a model. He had a go at 'pantomime' – playing in Treasure Island in the Isle of White for four weeks.
In 1967 he joined the Shanklin Theatre on the Isle of White where he became Deputy Stage Manager and played various parts in stage presentations.
In the May to September of 1968 Alan appeared in weekly repertoire, 4 plays rotating weekly including Dr. Haydock in Agatha Christie's 'Murder at the Vicarage' and as Private Huggins in 'The Amorous Prawn'.
He did a four week fashion show for Marks and Spencer at Olympia with four shows per day, six days a week. From that show, a contact took him to The Little Theatre Company, in St. Martin's Lane and he appeared in the play 'Hamp' six nights a week for three weeks.
As a model it took 6 to 9 months to eventually get paid. He had bills to pay and a stomach to feed, so he looked into doing ‘film extra’ work and turned to that instead.
It was about this time that Alan met the love of his life – Wyn – with whom he had many happy years.
Ella Fitzgerald – ‘Every Time We Say Goodbye’
Tribute to Alan – Filming days & Bossk by Angela
In 1970 Alan was engaged in the film 'Scrooge' as a dancer. 1973 was a full year of work on Space 1999 at Pinewood Studios produced by Sylvia Anderson.
Another early engagement was as Stand-in for Roger Moore in the British TV series ‘The Saint’.
At this point Alan would point out that anything to do with space did not make any money.
But.
Soon Alan was called to work on another low budget space film that he thought would never amount to anything. And that of course was.
The film Star Wars Chapter 4: A New Hope
He was initially a mechanic working on the X Wing fighters in grey overalls.
The next day he was dressed up as Rebel Commander and escorted Princess Leia played by Carrie Fisher.
This was followed by The Empire Strikes Back where Alan was used as the model for Jeremy Bullocks costume for Boba Fett.
Alan was also to be stand-in for Anthony Daniels as C3PO, he was also a Stormtrooper, Sergeant Merril a Bespin Guard and he was used for the plaster cast of the Carbonite.
The film director then created a further character that had no name and the costume was basically a modified old space suit and space helmet with a lump of garden hose around the neck. It was only much later that the character was given the name Bossk.
Alan was later called back for The Last Jedi.
More films were to follow such as When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, Scrooge, the Rocky Horror Picture Show, Hitler: The Last 10 Days, the John Wayne film – Branigan, Superman I, II & III, ‘The Great Muppet Caper’ and ‘Dark Crystal’, Hellraiser, Hellbound and Nightbreed, Labyrinth, Flash Gordon,2 Carry On films, Who Dares Wins, The Winslow Boy and the James Bond film The Living Daylights, when during a break in filming Prince Charles and Princess Diana came on set and Diane chatted to Alan for some time.
There were also many TV programs such as Z Cars, Danger Man, The Avengers, UFO, Dr. Who, 1990 and Minder to name a few.
He was also the spaceman for titles sequence in ‘Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy’.
In the end he appeared in more than 53 films and 21 TV series.
But the inevitable happened and Alan was called back for one last time for Star Wars Chapter 1: The Phantom Menace where he doubled for Terrence Stamp as Finis Valorum.
After the loss of Wyn and upon retirement, Alan attended as many conventions as he could all around the world which gave him reason to keep going and able to meet up with his friends Jeremy, Cathy and Bill.
Alan’s absolute expressed instructions were no flowers and a very simple non-religious funeral. John and I hope we have achieved this for him.
However, if anyone feels they would like to make a gesture, then please make donations to cancer research.
Thank you all once again for coming today.
Please join us at the Wheatsheaf pub 5 minutes down the road, where there is a buffet.
And remember, one day we shall all meet again
in a galaxy far, far away.
Exit to Star Wars Theme