THE UNIVERSE OF RALPH M

About my acting/extra work. 1931/41 in Germany and France. New York in the 50s.

INDEX

Actor/Extra

In the 1950s I did background acting in movies (also known as an extra). But with the advent of my growing family, I became a computer programmer, worked for an aircraft company and finally gave 15 years to a major bank. Now retired, I returned to background acting in movies and TV.. a most pleasant part time occupation for a retiree, hopelessly addicted to golf.

For those who are interested ... I will post my latest roles in which I can be recognized..

The last recognizable role I had was the opening scene in the movie 'Cabin Boy'... a full 20 seconds of me only.. It's the very first scene after the screen credits.. yup I'm the (mature) groundskeeper opening the door to the school, watering some plants, and walking across the courtyard..

And in 'The Wacky World Of Dr. Boris and Nurse Schneider' I played the part of the rich man's butler...

Here are recent shows I worked, but can't easily be seen:

A&E Bill Graham Biography

 Allien Nation Albino Alligator An American President
The Associates
Beyond Belief The Bonnie Hunt Show Bullet Proof
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Days Of Our Lives Dear God Deep Space 9 Destiny
Dorothy Day Dragnet Dr. Quinn  
  Ed Wood The Elizabeth Taylor Story
The Fan Fear & Loathing in LV Flypaper Forget Paris
Good Vs Evil The Great Mom Swap
Hart To Hart Heat Hit The Deck doubled Russ Tamblyn jumping into orchestra
Independence Day Inventing the Abotts
LA Confidential Larry Sanders Show Leave It To Beaver
Married With Children Men The Mommies Monkey Bone
Mother's Wish Music from Another Room
Nanny Express News Radio  Nobel Son Norma Jean & Marilyn
Oscar
Pacific Blue Panther Pentagon Wars Picket Fences
Pretender Profiler
Sister, Sister Sleepwalker
Tango And Cash Tell Me No Secrets Terminator 3 That Thing You Do
13 Days
Unsolved Mysteries
Volcano
Wedding Singer
XXX
Yesterday's Target
Back in the 50's I was an extra in:
 Annapolis Story( bit part)  The Apartment   A Star Is Born  Around The World In 80 Days
 Battle Cry   Ben Casey  The Benny Goodman Story  The Black Knight
  The Black Saddle  The Black Shield Of Falworth    
  Blue Hawaii  Bonanza  The Bridges At Toko Ri  The Cobweb
The Court Jester  Daddy Longlegs D-Day the Sixth of June  The David Niven Show
Day Of Triumph Dragnet(the movie)      
 East Of Eden  A Face in The Crowd  Four Star Playhouse   Foxfire
 Friendly Persuasion   General Electric Theatre (worked with Ronald Reagan)   Giant  The Glenn Miller Story
 Guys And Dolls  Hit The Deck(doubled Russ Tamblyn jumping into the orchestra)  A Hole In The Head   How To Be Very Very Popular
 Invasion of the Body Snatchers    Irma la Douce    It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World   Jeanne Eagles
Johnny Trouble
The Joker Is Wild Judgement At Nurenberg Lieutenant Wore Skirts The Long Grey Line
Loving You
  The Manchurian Candidate   The McConnell Story   Miracle In The Rain   No Business Like Show Business
  Not As A Stranger   Oceans Eleven   Our Miss Brooks    (student in many segments)
Pork Chop Hill (bit part)  The Prodigal  The Purple Mask
 The Rack   Raintree County  Rebel Without A Cause   Richard Diamond Private Detective
 The Rifleman   Robert Taylor Detectives - (I stood in for Robert Taylor on this show for over a year)  The Robe   Sabrina (played one game of chess with Humphrey Bogart)
 Sayonara  Sign of the Pagan    The Silver Chalice   Somebody Up There Likes Me
 A Star Is Born  The Student Prince   The Steagle  Strategic Air Command
 The Swan  The Ten Commandments  Two for the Seesaw   The Untouchables
 Wanted Dead Or Alive   Written On The Wind  Zane Grey Theater 

 

- more to come as I remember them, I did about 2,000 extra days in the 50s and 60s.

Slowly building up a compilation of pics from movies I WORKED IN.

Enough for now.. see you soon

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New York

In late 1956 I went back to New York for a short visit that stretched to over a year due to the recession. I got lucky and found a job, with the help of a friend, in the village (Greenwhich Village to the uninitiated). I went to work as a dishwasher at a coffee house called 'The Bizarre' on 3rd street and McDougal around the corner from Rienzi's. Two weeks after I started working there the manager quit and I was promoted to his job.

In the 50's the coffee houses of the Village were the place to be. They competed to see who had the best coffee and assorted weird foods. Hot cider with a cinnamon stick were invented by us in the Bizarre and soon became the trademark of all the coffee houses. We bought our cider across the Hudson River and advertised it as coming from overseas.

Our coffee house had plain brick walls, it had once been a garage. The walls and ceiling were decorated with fish nets and the usual shells and other ocean affectations. On weekends when the tourists flocked to our place, we hired a man with a monkey who (the monkey) enjoyed climbing around the fish nets and generally amusing the tourists.

During this time, the hit TV series 'Sgt Bilko' was being filmed in New York and Phil Silvers and the rest of the cast were regular customers at our place usually on Friday night after they wrapped for the week.

I'll add more details here from time to time.

Any old customers or employees please send me an E-mail.

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E-MAIL

Drop me a line with your comments, disapprovals, approvals or just chitchat - E-mail.

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Thanks for being the number visitor to my page.