Ben Murphy - "They Aren't Paying Me Enough for This Shit"Ben Murphy has said in interviews that he hated being tied up all the time on "Alias Smith and Jones". This may not be exactly how shooting went, but it's fun to imagine it.
Ben Murphy was relaxing in his dressing room, shirtless and barefoot. After a brief knock on his door, a PA meekly announced, "Mr. Murphy, I have next week's script." Ben opened the door and took the script, giving the PA a quick smile.
Ben liked his current gig on Smith and Jones well enough. He liked his co-star, Pete, and got along with the crew. He was getting tired, though, of the physical business required in each show - he would've preferred more opportunities to really show his acting chops. A week later, the cast was on the set for camera blocking of the episode. The director called out, "Okay, this is the scene where the outlaws bring Kid Curry to the window. I need a stagehand to tie Mr. Murphy for this scene." "C'mon, why do we have to do that for blocking?", a surprised Ben exclaimed. "Because we'll be shooting you from behind, Ben, and I need to see that the movements will work on camera. We'll make it quick."
A stagehand slipped in behind Ben and began to tie his hands. "Don't tie Mr. Murphy too tightly, please", said the director. "This is just for blocking."
A few days later, shooting was nearly finished, much to Ben's relief. All that remained was the final scene in the station, where Ben was to work his gag loose and deliver his line. (Yeah, "line", Ben thought, exactly one in the whole scene.) Pete and Ben shared a look as if to say, "Directors! What're you gonna do?" Back to Scenarios |