I was 19 years old and had just come back from England where most of my education took place. It was so good to be with Mummy and Daddy. In the early 50's Mombasa was very raw, no cinema and just one pretty grotty hotel. In fact the whole of East Africa had, in those days, very few tourists. Expensive to get there. In my childhood I loved animals. Here I am with my lion cub who would sleep on my bed along with my dog, Poppy. My mother had a monkey called Mary, she only liked Mummy and was horrible to my brother and I. Dad had a parrot that loved to sit on his head when Dad was eating!
My lion cub eventually went to the London Zoo.
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I also had learnt to fly in a Piper Cub and after 3 hours went solo and 13 hours had my pilots license and my Piper Cub for 2 years. Wild Child? One day I heard that a film crew had arrived in Nairobi and they were to film the sequel to Where no Vultures Fly (1951). On their arrival I heard that Les Norman, who was to direct West of Zanzibar, was looking for a stand-in for SHEILA SIM. The leading lady. Knew nothing about her!
The interview was held over the bridge at Nyali, not in Mombasa, so off I went to try my luck. A stand-in has to be roughly the same height and weight. You don't have to look like the person. I got the job! Anthony Steel very famous! His other half fitted the bill. He was a lifeguard from Durban. Tough and great fun. He had masses of pretty scary jobs to do, not least being chased by wild animals while Tony sipped a cool drink!
The interview was held over the bridge at Nyali, not in Mombasa, so off I went to try my luck. A stand-in has to be roughly the same height and weight. You don't have to look like the person. I got the job! Anthony Steel very famous! His other half fitted the bill. He was a lifeguard from Durban. Tough and great fun. He had masses of pretty scary jobs to do, not least being chased by wild animals while Tony sipped a cool drink!
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She was married to Dicky Attenborough. They had a young son Michael. Dicky was at the time filming in the south of France with Ava Gardener. Home was in Richmond Green just outside London. We started filming along the coast from Mombasa. Being a stand-in is pretty boring! You wear the same clothes as Sheila. Dave and I would be in various positions while the crew got the lighting right. This seemed to take forever. When tickety boo we would move away and Sheila and Tony move in. It was boiling hot. Tony had very, very few lines to learn but he kept on forgetting them! It was just awful, Sheila was not pleased.
Very early on I felt they were not connecting. We would start filming very, very early. Most of our locations to start with were around Mombasa so I could live at home. Poor Sheila found the Mombasa Hotel grotty, so she came to stay with me. |
Sheila Sims
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Tony was very famous, I liked him a lot. He was looking for a pretty girl to be on hand while he played his part! He tried a few of my friends but they backed off! In the end he flew out the most sweet, young, almost childlike Annie he had known. She stayed for the whole filming!
One of his famous films was The Wooden Horse. Sheila's The Canterbury Tale. When Sheila was being filmed for publicity purposes she could only be shot on just one side of her face! I never could work this out?Her thighs were quite fat so under a tree on the beach they would put branches or whatever to cover them over. The director of the film was Harry Watt, famous for shooting in Australia The Overlander's and Leslie Norman, the producer. There was a young lad called William Simon, just 10 years old. His mother was to hand, He had a tiny part. In no time we all knew each other. A lot of the crew always called each other “darling”! I was certainly starting to learn how films were made. |
Anthony Steel
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All seemed to be going well albeit to me so slow. Take after take and Tony and Sheila not getting on. All Tony's fault always forgetting his lines, could he be drinking? Then poor SHEILA became very unwell with appalling asthma, or could it have been sinus, so much so that we had to take her to the Mombasa Hospital. This resulted in me doing far more doubling up than normal. The unit moved down the coast to Malindi a three hour drive north of Mombasa having to cross two rivers. Car on a plank and the boat boys singing as they pulled us across.
The doubling was constant. I had to drive a very heavy safari van, no power steering over very rough forest tracks, Tony next to me shouting to me go faster as we were being chased by bandits! This was the script. I had to do this script time and time again as the van would roll around on the sandy tracks and I had to avoid the lethal thorns on the branches that swept across my path. Talk about danger money! I then got more money than a stand-in gets! Poor Sheila in the end the doctors thought it best that she returned to the UK. I was so sad for her. She gave me a beautiful marquisette bracelet with love knots as a gesture of thanks, I have it to this day.
The doubling was constant. I had to drive a very heavy safari van, no power steering over very rough forest tracks, Tony next to me shouting to me go faster as we were being chased by bandits! This was the script. I had to do this script time and time again as the van would roll around on the sandy tracks and I had to avoid the lethal thorns on the branches that swept across my path. Talk about danger money! I then got more money than a stand-in gets! Poor Sheila in the end the doctors thought it best that she returned to the UK. I was so sad for her. She gave me a beautiful marquisette bracelet with love knots as a gesture of thanks, I have it to this day.
The unit then went up to Voi, this was a dump of a place. It is half way between Mombasa and Nairobi. All you had there was a "duka" (shop in Swahili) and a very basic resthouse, awful accommodation and dreary food.
In the olden days, it was here where they were making the railway Mombasa to Nairobi that lions were busy killing everyone! This was a very BIG problem to say the least! For a whole month we were shooting in the park. Mercifully we were under the umbrella of the most attractive famous WHITE HUNTER. Bunny Allen earned the nickname " Bunny" from a Gypsy hunting companion in England for his proficiency in snaring rabbits in Windsor Forest. He then left for Kenya, his bush expertise drew respect from the locals, he took part in three Royal Safaris.
In the olden days, it was here where they were making the railway Mombasa to Nairobi that lions were busy killing everyone! This was a very BIG problem to say the least! For a whole month we were shooting in the park. Mercifully we were under the umbrella of the most attractive famous WHITE HUNTER. Bunny Allen earned the nickname " Bunny" from a Gypsy hunting companion in England for his proficiency in snaring rabbits in Windsor Forest. He then left for Kenya, his bush expertise drew respect from the locals, he took part in three Royal Safaris.
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Photo by Scott Petty, JR
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Frank Maurice Allen known as "Bunny Allen" Photo by Slim Aarons
My daughter Lucinda was writing a book on the history of Mount Kenya Safari Club for LONRHO. She was flown to Lamu to interview Bunny who had retired there . He was well into his 90's
I knew Bunny and was very relieved that he would join us. It was again a very big truck for me to drive. The crew were scattered in various areas for filming. I had to be close to elephants, rhinos, lions, giraffe, zebras -- there was no GAME PARK in my days, just a beautiful unspoilt park. I used to sleep on a blanket under the stars, with an “askari” (night watchman) with a gun. Heaven. One of the shots they wanted was me driving with a rhino charging the truck, this was not something I cared not to do! They maybe big and fat but they move like the wind. Bunny was at the back and of course could see what was happening! I was charging flat out and the rhino missing the rear-end by inches! Thanks to Bunny they got the shot! I really don't think Sheila could ever have coped with this! I am an African wild child!
We had very early starts, 6am, long hot days. The dust of Africa would get into everything, your hair, face, clothes, nails, the lot! At the end of each day we were so tired and dirty and more than ready for a cold beer, supper and bed. Filming was NOT glamorous. Occasionally we would get a few days off so I would head for home, taking half the crew with me. My parents were very good about having so many and much enjoyed their stories, and the crew at last enjoyed delicious food.
My home over looking the sea. Then back to VOI for the last bit of the film.
Tony was in the forest and I was on top of a hill a long way away. I would be looking for him! Suddenly he would appear looking half dead! I would then have to run down the hill across Africa like a zombie and I would throw my arms round Tony and we would hug and kiss! If I did this once, I did it a hundred times! Kissing him was gorgeous. I don't think Sheila would have enjoyed this as much as me!
At the end of three months the crew returned to the UK with promises that when I returned, we would all meet again. The story of the film was all about ivory poaching. I wasn't in the UK for the premiere.
At the end of three months the crew returned to the UK with promises that when I returned, we would all meet again. The story of the film was all about ivory poaching. I wasn't in the UK for the premiere.
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When I did return to the UK, not so long after them, I had missed the premiere, but I caught up with Sheila and Dickie and had a very happy night in their lovely Richmond home. Their son Michael was very young and the way he was acting, I was certain he would be another Dickie, quite adorable! Visited Ealing Studios and watched my chums at work on another epic. Tony invited me to a party he was giving. He lived close to South Kensington tube station in a beautiful large flat. It rather scared me as I knew he would have loads of famous people and pretty film stars there. Tony was wonderful takes me straight into the arms of ERROL FLYNN! In no time we all knew each other.
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Sheila Sim married to Lord Attenborough for 70 years Photo: PA
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I didn't get to see West of Zanzibar ironically until I was in hospital having my second child, a son, Ashley. Reading the paper
I noticed it was being shown on the telly at 3pm! Giving strict orders to the nurses I was NOT to be disturbed, I settled down! Well! How anyone can think it was Sheila Sim on so many occasions I just don't know! I was looking at myself larger than life. Especially the shot of me when Tony comes half dead out of the bush, I am perched on a hill a long way away looking out for him. Then he appears... I have to run down the hill as fast as possible, chase across Africa into his arms. If I did it once, I did it so many times! BUT I have to say I loved the hugs and kisses. And if Ealing wanted more I was game!
I noticed it was being shown on the telly at 3pm! Giving strict orders to the nurses I was NOT to be disturbed, I settled down! Well! How anyone can think it was Sheila Sim on so many occasions I just don't know! I was looking at myself larger than life. Especially the shot of me when Tony comes half dead out of the bush, I am perched on a hill a long way away looking out for him. Then he appears... I have to run down the hill as fast as possible, chase across Africa into his arms. If I did it once, I did it so many times! BUT I have to say I loved the hugs and kisses. And if Ealing wanted more I was game!
Well that's my true story, hope you enjoyed it.
