While at Trekonderoga on August 13th, 2016, the Ticonderoga, NY, comic con that is all things Star Trek (including the brilliant recreation of the original Starship Enterprise) , I was lucky enough to be able to interview several interesting actors – one of whom was Felix Silla, a man who has left an indelible yet oft hidden mark on the television and film industry over his five plus decades of work. Before I begin, I would like to thank the Trekonderoga staff for setting me up in such a wonderful (noise free) room for my interviews, with a beautiful background of the hilly, forested Adirondacks that frame the excellent three day event.
The man behind the mask (or hair), was born in Italy in 1937, eventually making his way to the United States on November 24th, 1955, where the trained circus performer toured with the iconic Ringling Bros. circus (for seven years) and the Barnum & Bailey Show. Using his 3′ 11″ versatile frame to his advantage, he eventually made his way into show business in the early 1960s, taking on a plethora of intriguing roles. His big break came when he was cast as Cousin Itt on the original Addams Family television series in 1965. Following this, he played countless vital roles in both film and television, including the child ape that spots George Taylor (Charlton Heston) fleeing from captivity in Planet of the Apes in 1968, villain Litvak in the unorthodox 1975 remake/sequel to The Maltese Falcon – The Black Bird, Twiki the robot in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, the gliding Ewok in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, as well as spoofing the famed franchise as Dink in Mel Brooks’ hilarious send up Spaceballs. This lists just a few of his varied portrayals.
Perhaps even more interesting is the dangerous stunt work Silla did in many classic films. My two favourites stories include his time on set with Steven Spielberg during the filming of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, as well as the classic alien flick E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The former had Silla playing Short Round’s (Jonathan Ke Quan) double. Not the strongest of swimmers, Silla had the difficult job of filming the horrifying rafting scene following the plane crash in the sequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark. With the raft flipping, the man was left stuck underneath, nearly drowning during the sequence – highlighting the true danger of stunt work. The second, much more humourous story, found Silla playing Drew Barrymore’s Gertie late one night on set. Needing a stand in for her character, Spielberg phoned Silla, asking for his help. The man arrived on set and played the young girl as she trick or treated as a ghost after dark. A perfect example of the hidden little secrets that are part of all things movie magic.
As the lengthy interview came towards its inevitable end (the entire conversation can be watched at the bottom of the article – Silla was gracious enough to reminisce about all things mentioned above), I posed my favourite query – asking the actor about his top motion picture. Quickly highlighting his love of westerns (and, in some ways, lamenting the loss of the epic genre of yesteryear), he promptly suggested the classic 1952 cowboy flick High Noon, starring Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Lloyd Bridges, and Lon Chaney Jr., to name just some of its impressive cast. As I’ve already reviewed the movie as part of one of my Star Picks, just click on the link to read about the memorable western: http://filmizon.com/movie_reviews/when-the-clock-strikes-12/
I’d like to thank Mr. Silla for spending so much time with me. He truly has a vivid memory of his life’s work, and helped illustrate an era in film and television that is still remembered fondly today. I think that it’s time to check out, beam up or glide by – take your pick, depending on whether you’re a fan of westerns, science fiction or fantasy.