Carving out a life among stars of the silver screen, Teesdale Mercury

Carving out a life among stars of the silver screen

May 20, 2008

GORDON Auty's life has certainly been an interesting one. He was born into a poor, working class family in South Shields and 87 years later he has ended up in Barnard Castle.

The intervening years have brought a life that most could only dream of, writes Kaye Jemmeson. 

Kicking a football about with George Best, getting a lift into work with Sir John Mills in his Rolls Royce and lunching with award-winning director, John Huston, were all in a day's work for the one-time joiner. 

But how did the ambitious lad from the shipyards - who couldn't read or write - get to rub shoulders with some of Hollywood's biggest stars?

After looking back on his wonderful life with his brother-in-law, the late Allen Ward, Gordon decided to write a book about it all. 

‘Check the Gate - It's a Wrap; From South Shields to Barnard Castle, via Hollywood' tells tales of A-list living when the film world had more than a touch of decadence and glamour. 

Gordon said: "I went from working in a shipyard to rubbing shoulders with stars like Larry Olivier."

LOOKING BACK: Gordon Auty has penned his memoirs of life in the film industry

Gordon recalls his childhood in South Shields with great affection, but remembers that because he was one of the youngest of five boys, by the time the shoes were handed down to him, the soles were made of cardboard. 

After leaving school, Gordon took on a joiner's apprenticeship at Tyne Dock. He had to serve seven years before he became a joiner, but during that time the Second World War broke out. 

Because of his carpentry skills, Gordon was shipped off to London to play his part in the making of Mulberry Harbour, which turned out to be one of the greatest engineering feats of the war. 

"It changed my life completely," said Gordon. "Before I was sent to London to build the Mulberry Harbour, I'd never been further than South Shields. I got the train to London but I never used the return ticket."

During the rest of the war, Gordon's job was to repair bomb-damaged properties as best he could. After war ended, Gordon spent a year in Newmarket and it was there that his life really did change after a chance meeting with a man who was in the film business. 

Gordon said: "This man was telling me about the business and about locations and I thought to myself, ‘This is for me'."

Using his conversational skills, he talked his way into Pinewood Studios and got himself a job making sets. 

One of the first films Gordon worked on was Oscar-winning, The Red Shoes, which is one of the highest earning British films of all time. Next, he was working on Oliver Twist with Sir Alec Guinness and Diana Dors. 

He said: "I started off building sets, but because I was ambitious I talked myself into better jobs and worked alongside the camera crews.

"My mother used to think I was the best thing since sliced bread because she had a son who was a carpenter but now I was doing this. It was fantastic."

Gordon says his clear recollections of the time is one of the reasons that encouraged him to write the book. 

As well as an abundance of British talent, Gordon also met other screen legends, such as Charlie Chaplain - who he describes as serious but quite friendly - and Orson Welles. He says one of his favourite actors was estimable Sir John Mills. 

"With Sir John, people always ask what stars such as him are like and I always say they are just like the rest of us. He was a hell of a nice guy and a funny guy too. I can remember seeing a series of outtakes when we were doing Hobson's Choice together - they were hilarious but perhaps unmentionable here!"

Gordon and Sir John got on together so well their friendship extended beyond the studios.

Gordon said: "Someone told John I was good at making furniture, so he asked me to make a rabbit hutch for his daughter, Hayley, as she had two rabbits. I went over to his house to start the job and from then on every morning he would pick me up in his Rolls."

MIXING WITH THE STARS: Gordon with legendary film director John Huston

From the glamour of 1950s London, working with a galaxy of stars, Gordon's carpentry skills were also called on further afield in more exotic locations.

One of his fondest memories involves a three-month stint in the Virgin Islands, working on the same titled film with screen legend, Sidney Poitier. 

Being pale-skinned Brits used to a less tropical climate, Gordon and the rest of the crew were flown out to the island to stay in the Hilton Hotel to get acclimatised to the heady temperatures. 

For that first week, the boys enjoyed scuba diving, underwater fishing and high-speed motorboats. Despite having to knuckle down to the job in hand the week after, Gordon loved the whole of his stay, particularly one incident involving co-star, Johnny Cassavetes. 

Johnny was off one day when the director needed him for a shoot but instead of postponing the scene, Gordon was asked to stand in. 

Gordon said: "Me and Johnny had the same build and we were both dark brown with the beautiful weather. The shot was on a boat and I had to lean forward and kiss the leading lady, Virginia Maskell, then dive into the water. We had to do several takes but it was one of the perks of the job!"

From set building, Gordon went on to work on television commercials. During this time, he went on to be a production manager, which meant having to source some amazing locations, including one in Val d'Isere for a Flash advert. 

Gordon's success in almost every field he worked in ensured that his career in ‘the business' was assured and he went on to run Baldford Studios, in London. This time he was in charge of crew - cameramen, lighting assistants, prop men and, of course, carpenters.

He went on to produce some amazing commercials, including a string of Pearl and Dean ads and one of Gordon's proudest moments - a British Leyland advert featuring HMS Ark Royal.  

Gordon said: "It was amazing. They wanted to film an ad for their new Mini and they told me they wanted to launch it off the end of an aircraft carrier. 

"It was sort of tongue-in-cheek but I said I'd give it a try and amazingly, I managed to get the use of the Ark Royal for 10 days. It wasn't easy, as you can imagine having to arrange something like that, but it was the best thing I ever did."

During the time at his own studios, Gordon got to work with one of the greatest footballers that ever lived, George Best, in his heyday. Gordon was producing a series of short films with the Manchester United superstar and said: "George Best was wonderful to work with - he was one of the nicest men I have ever had the pleasure to meet. 

"When we were waiting to film, he would be just kicking about with the ball and it was a treat to watch. 

"We'd also get to have a bit of a kick about with him. It was such a sad thing when he died - a terrible shame."

And it was the amazing Mr Best who eventually tempted Gordon's family to one of the shoots. 

"I met my wife, Sylvia, when we were 16 - when I had nothing. But she didn't like the celebrity lifestyle and always preferred to stay at home - all this never really impressed her at all. She didn't travel and stayed at home with the children, Barry and Linda. Sylvia would say it was all a thin layer of plastic and when you took that layer off, underneath was an even bigger layer of plastic."

"But on this day, when I was working with George, I called Sylvia to see if they wanted to come along to help out and bring us tea during the intervals.

"Linda came along with her mum and was thrilled to meet George Best - she was only 16 at the time and it was a great day for them."

Gordon went on to work on a host of different projects throughout the 70s and 80s, often being called away to Hollywood. 

Despite never thinking about retirement, Sylvia did, and Gordon finally agreed to hang up his chisel and clapperboard, and after sampling the delights of Teesdale at their holiday bungalow in Cotherstone, the couple moved permanently to the idyllic village - a far cry from London. 

He said: "We loved it there and I've always thought Barnard Castle would be the perfect place to retire to. My father used to cycle through here when I was a young boy - I remembered it fondly."

Though ‘officially' retired, Gordon took out his carpentry tools to continue the art, which had earned him an A-list lifestyle, as a hobby. His ‘hobby' saw him making an altar table for Romaldkirk Church, which currently stands in pride of place. 

After Sylvia passed away in 2005, Gordon made the decision to stay in the area and moved into Charles Dickens Lodge, where he still lives today, full of the same enthusiasm and passion that saw him progress from a young lad working in the shipyards to a studio manager who mixed with a host of stars. 

Gordon said he has been lucky, he's worked on amazing projects and mixed with Mohammed Ali, John Huston and Kevin Keegan. 

"When I look back at where I started from, I am amazed at times. For someone who could barely read and write I think I did alright."

With a foreword by director, David Neale, Gordon's book, ‘Check the Gate - It's a Wrap', is a wonderful insight into a post-war London, desperate to become glamorous and rid itself of the shackles of rations and become a serious player in the film industry. 

For anyone interested in film and television culture, the book, which is available at Mercury outlets, is a must.

First published in the Mercury, May 14, 2008