Ronald Fraser! veteran of World War II movies who had won an award for playing Basil Allenby-Johnson in The Misfits, had arrived on the shore of Coniston Water in two-tone shoes. Curiously so had two stand-ins. A short lady for me, who had dark hair, and a lady with blonde hair for Suzanna Hamilton. I have blonde hair and Suzanna is dark, but that is how it was.
The other four actors didn’t have stand-ins, which seemed odd. Kit Seymour, who played Nancy Blackett, and Lesley Bennett in the role of Peggy, rehearsed as usual. The two boys, Simon West and Sten Grendon, were younger than us but never had stand-ins, so that seemed odder. We didn’t think the ladies would be very comfortable on Peel Island. There wasn’t exactly a powder room there.
And we were some way into the filming, used to handling props that the stand-ins found alien. However they were very excited about coming over to Peel Island. They sat in our positions and read our lines back to Ronald Fraser whilst the scene at the camp site was lit, and returned to stand-in for us later when his close-ups were shot. Somehow they managed to do this in scanty summer clothing despite a brewing storm.
Our stand-ins got a lot of help from the crew as they went from ship to shore. We didn’t, but then we were agile and wore life-jackets. Mummy didn’t wear a life-jacket, but she has always been surprising good at getting in and out of boats. Her comment on the matter of my stand-in was, ‘Most unsuitable for a children’s film.’ Mum became increasingly concise: ‘I don’t think that woman was invited. She just turned up.’
The recording of our scene with Captain Flint on Peel Island went smoothly, and Claude Whatham the Director was happy with the result, but my diary reports that a Force 8 gale blew in. This spun the poor production team into a quandary.
The call sheet for Thursday 20th June documents how truly unpredictable the weather could be. We had a ‘Fine Weather Call’, an ‘Alternative Dull Weather Call’, ‘Rain Cover’ in the Houseboat cabin, and a pencilled-in end-plan entitled ‘Peel Island’, which is where we’d ended up. Richard Pilbrow, the Producer, had a 1970s embroidered patch sewn to his jeans which read: THE DECISION IS MAYBE AND THAT’S FINAL.
In Arthur Ransome’s book Swallows and Amazons there is a dramatic storm with lashing rain. We were rather disappointed that it was not included in David Wood’s screenplay. It could have been shot that afternoon, but this was not to be. I can remember Mum saying, ‘You can’t have everything.’
What had been good about the 20th June was that we, the Swallows and the
Amazons, were all together, not sailing but on Wild Cat Island, with the novelty of working with Captain Flint for the first time. Kit and Lesley had been so patient, waiting day after day for their scenes to come up. They were stuck having lessons with our tutor Mrs Causey in the red double-decker bus most of the time. But the fact that they were on stand-by was helpful to the production manager who had to wrestle with the film schedule and call sheets.
As it was, the storm blew hard but cleared the dull-weather clouds and the next day was glorious, one to remember forever…
You can read more in the paperback or ebook here. There is also an audiobook narrated by me, Sophie Neville.
Sophie Neville 
Like a number of people, I suspect, I watch each ‘episode’ after you write about it. I noticed Kit Seymour blinking pretty much incessantly in every shot in the Flint on WCI scene. Was she having contact lens reaction or a form of nerves or . . .?
I don’t know why Kit was blinking. She didn’t wear contact lenses and would not have been nervous. We may have had more lights out on Peel Island than earlier in the season. As you know, it is quite dark under the trees where our tents were pitched. Lee Electric somehow managed to bring over and power enough lights to bring in the sunshine. These can not be seen on most photographs but you can get an idea from the shots my mother took when Virginia McKenna was being Man Friday. I had grown used to them by this time and enjoyed the warmth they produced.
Something else I didn’t know about Swallows and Amazons: I had no idea that you had stand-ins! Even for only a brief time.
Ronald Fraser, from what I’ve heard and read, was a real character, an actor of the old school!
A local artist called Joni was cast as Virginia McKenna’s stand in. They did look remarkably similar. The idea was that she might be used for long-shots but this was never necessary. Joni stood-in for Suzanna instead.
For actual shooting in the film? If so, it was done very well. I’ve never noticed anything unusual.
The stand-ins did not appear in vision.
It was just for lining up in rehearsals then. That makes sense.
Really just for the Lighting Cameraman to set up lights and any camera moves.
That does make a lot of sense, and leaves the rest of you free to do something else.
We had to get on with our school work.
Well, although perhaps not as exciting as filming, from what you say school work was an important part of the day’s timetable and had to be done.
And on time on set was limited by law.
Stand-ins were probably essential then. Otherwise a lot of time could be wasted with the film crew being inactive, and money lost, I suppose.
Peel Island wasn’t an appropriate location for stand-ins. They were not used much in the end. It was all too difficult.
A good idea in theory but impractical, then.
We never used Stand-ins in the BBD Drama Group. I think someone was wanting to impress the local girls.
Ah! That sounds plausible, if a bit naughty!
Ps. On the subject of stand-ins, I have always been very impressed that Ronald Fraser walked the plank and went in the water himself, rather than insist on a stand-in (or stunt double).
It wasn’t that bad!
I bet the water was cold though!