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Interview with legendary Sid Haig, programs at the New Beverly, March 24-31
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Photo courtesy The Haig Group, Inc.
Best known for starring in such '70s classics as The Big Bird Cage (1972), Coffy(1973), and Foxy Brown (1974), legendary actor Sid Haig knows a thing or two about what thrills and excites an audience at the edge of their seats, eyes glued to a screen, in a dark auditorium. Which is why it's not surprising that those guys over at Grindhouse Film Fest would ask him to pick some of his favorite movies and share them with his fans at the New Beverly Cinema. During the weekend before his mini fest, the charismatic Mr. Haig was kind enough to answer some questions about his illustrious career and the movies he's selected.
Marvin Miranda: Would you share with us how your career in acting began?
Sid Haig: My career as an actor started when I was six years old, taking dancing lessons. Then I started getting paid jobs to dance at the age of seven. With that I got involved in music, playing the drums, and once again getting paid to do so by the time I was in my teens. A recording contract with Keen Records (the same label as Sam Cooke) followed when I graduated from high school. Between gigs with my band, The T-Birds, I was totally involved in acting classes at Fresno City College. From there to The Pasadena Playhouse College of The Arts. My first film was Jack Hill's student film for UCLA, The Host.
MM: You've been in show business for over four decades and have worked with a Who's Who of actors and directors, from Lucille Ball to Lee Marvin to Sean Connery to George Lucas to Roger Corman to Pam Grier to Quentin Tarantino, just to name the tip of this iceberg. Can you share with our readers a couple of the more memorable experiences you've had working in front of the camera?
SH: I have had such a rich and rewarding history of exciting and crazy things happen to and for me that I could fill a book, which I am supposed to be writing at this very moment so for now I'll save the really good stuff. I will say, however, that my experiences with all of the people you have mentioned were totally rewarding and a great gift.
MM: What are your favorite movies you've starred in? Why?
MM: I know you've worked as a second unit director on a couple of movies, but have you ever seriously thought about directing?
SH: I have actually directed over thirty plays and about one hundred commercials for cable TV, but have not yet had the opportunity to direct a feature film. Several indie producers have asked me to direct one of their films, but have always had trouble getting the funds to make that a reality. I hope one day one of them can make it a reality for all of us.
MM: Pretty interesting line up you have coming up at the New Beverly. Can you tell us how this mini festival came about? Besides them being some of your favorites, was there another unifying theme when selecting the films?
SH: I was asked if I would like to do it, and I jumped at the chance. There wasn't a unifying theme to my selections. I just wanted to show a wide variety of films.
MM: Can you give us a brief, quick explanation why the following movies you've selected are some of your favorites?
Ride the High Country (1962)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
The Thing From Another World (1951)
House of Wax (1953)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
SH: Ride the High Country and The Wild Bunch are two classic Peckinpah films. Ride the High Country is gritty yet funny, and The Wild Bunch is just mean. You can kind of see a lot of similarities between The Wild Bunch and The Devils Rejects. The Thing From Another World is classic fifties horror. And what's not to like about seeing James Arness in that role? The House of Wax was one of the first 3D films, and scared the crap out of my fourteen year old ass when I saw it in the theater opening day. Lawrence of Arabia is a film that anyone wanting to become an actor should watch at least six hundred times. Stunning.
MM: Any films that are not on this list that you really wanted to show? If so, can you tell us what you like about those films?
SH: I submitted about twenty films because I knew that many of them would not be available. A few other titles were The Miracle Worker, Scanners, Brian's Song and A History of Violence. My reason for selecting them was simply because they were all classics in one way or another.
MM: If you were stuck on an island and could only pick a few movies what would they be?
SH: Man, I wouldn't even know what to pick.
MM: Do you watch a lot of movies on your spare time? If you do, what type of movies do you lean towards? Do you like watching them alone, with your family, with your friends?
SH: My wife, Suzie, and I watch one, sometimes two films a night. Many are horror, some are action/adventure, some comedy, some drama and some romance. She's shown me a lot of films I never saw before.
MM: When you were making what's now being referred to as "exploitation" or "grindhouse" movies in the '70s, did you think these films would have longevity and become classics like all the movies you've picked for your mini fest? Did you think they would have the huge following they now have or that directors like Tarantino and Rob Zombie would be influenced by them?
SH: I had no idea. We were just having fun making movies and hoping the checks would clear the bank! To see and hear my work referred to as "classics" is a pretty big honor.
MM: Can you describe what it was like to be an actor during that last Golden Age of American Cinema, the 1970s?
It was a crazy, great ride. It was fun, challenging, guerilla film making that you can really only find now with the indies. It was so free in a lot of ways and I'm so proud to have been a part of it.
Sid Haig Picks Some of His Favorite Films! will be showing at the New Beverly Cinema, March 24-31. Schedule is as follows:
Ride the High Country (1962), March 25, 26; 7:30
The Wild Bunch (1969), March 25, 26; 9:35
The Thing From Another World (1951), March 27, 28; Fri: 7:30; Sat: 3:55 & 7:30
House of Wax (1953), March 27, 28; Fri: 9:15; Sat: 5:40 & 9:15
Lawrence of Arabia (1962), March 29, 30; Sun: 5:00 only; Mon: 8:00
The festival will be preceded by a Sid Haig tribute with Spider Baby (1968) and The Big Bird Cage (1972) on March 24, featuring a Q&A w/Haig, director Jack Hill, and co-star Beverly Washburn. The festival will wrap up with another Sid Haig double feature, Pit Stop (1969) and Little Big Top (2006), on March 31, featuring a Q&A w/Haig and Jack Hill.
For more info: http://www.newbevcinema.com/calendar.cfm, and Sid Haig's official website: http://www.sidhaig.com/news.php.
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