Mad Max Cast and Crew Reunion

Post by **XAMan** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 1:30 am

Sydney Morning Herald

April 13, 2004 Tuesday

SECTION: News And Features; Pg. 3

LENGTH: 386 words

HEADLINE: After 25 Years, Mad Max Crew Wants Piece Of The Action

BYLINE: Richard Jinman

BODY:

Hugh Keays-Byrne still owns the giant axe he used to "chop up a car" in a

terrifying scene from the first Mad Max movie.

"It's actually a carcass-cleaving axe," said the 56-year old actor who played

bikie gang leader Toecutter. "It's a serious piece of work."

Speaking at a cast and crew reunion in Sydney yesterday marking the 25th

anniversary of the film's release, Keays-Byrne said he had won the role after

director George Miller saw him playing a bikie in the 1974 Australian movie

Stone. Thanks to the international success of Mad Max, which went on to gross

more than $150 million worldwide, many people still remember him as the

axe-wielding outlaw.

"I get recognised about once a week," said the actor, who arrived in

Australia in 1973 as a member of a Royal Shakespeare Company production of A

Midsummer Night's Dream. "It's amazing. I can be in the supermarket at Gosford

and someone will come up and say 'Toecutter!'."

Mad Max star Mel Gibson didn't attend yesterday's reunion at the Belvoir

Street Theatre, but Miller who has postponed production of the fourth Mad Max

film, Fury Road was there. He traded memories with cast and crew members

including stunt co-ordinator Grant Page and Steve Bisley, who played Gibson's

on-screen partner, patrol officer Jim Goose.

"I guess the film just grabbed audiences at the right time," Bisley said. "It

's amazing how much stuff there is about it on the net."

Mad Max once held the record as the most profitable film on a cost-to-revenue

basis. The cast and crew did not share the spoils, however, and there was talk

yesterday about plans to create a new website selling Mad Max memorabilia and

providing online information about the people who made the film.

Bisley said that in 1977 he was more interested in cash than a stake in the

film's future earnings.

"I was straight out of drama school and had no money," he said. "I just

wanted the bucks in my back pocket."

Enthused by the new website's potential, Keays-Byrne joked that replicas of

his axe would soon be "available online for a vast fee".

Tim Burns, 50, who played gang member Johnny the Boy, bemoaned the fact he no

longer had his Mad Max costume.

"I gave my boots to the National Film and Sound Archive," he said. "An old

girlfriend got my jacket and the scarf disintegrated."

LOAD-DATE: April 12, 2004[/font]

Post by **SCREWLOOSE** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 1:48 pm

Im sure that would have been some night out!! The website sound intresting!!!

Post by **Billy The Skid** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 5:46 pm

They'd be hard pushed to better Pete's website.

Post by **FordMercury** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 6:00 pm

And no one asked miller if the movie would still come?damn.....

Post by **Interdictor** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 8:11 pm

I think they ought to collaborate with Peter. Hands down, the FAQ is the biggest & best Max site on the net, and accuracy and information has allways been a hallmark of Peters site. If they are serious, I can't think of a more successful (read profitable) way for them to market their wares, and to share their info than to join forces with the legendary Mr. Barton. What do you say, Peter? I think you ought to contact them.

Post by **Peter Barton** » Wed Apr 14, 2004 1:30 am

It really depends on the scope of their site and what they want to do. Someone posted here on the forum in the last couple of weeks about a new site being started up offering memorabilia, I'm wondering if it's the same one, or something else again?

If the site is going to be commercial, and it seems like it is, then from my perspective it would definitely be better run as a separate site. Some weeks I get on here frequently and do a lot of updates, and then sometimes I get caught up on other things and it's dead for a while - I had some major issues at work from January to March, and everyone would have noticed the drop in the frequency of updates over that period. You can't do that with a commercial site.

There are also a few areas I haven't covered in as much depth as I wanted to, I've always wanted to put up more biographies, including Hugh and Tim Burns, but have never had the time to sit down and do it. If they do their own site then obviously there are areas like this which they can cover things much better than myself. I'd be surprised if anyone tried to match the total scope of this site and include all the same material, but there's certainly still room out there to better cover a few areas that I haven't.

I'm happy to help out with publicity and links when their site is done, and I'm sure Karol will do the same with madmaxcostumes.com (sounds like they were intending to make some replica props). Beyond that, if they wanted other material included on here I'd be happy to have a look there as well, or help them out with other material if I can, I guess it's just a matter of determining exactly what the scope is of what they're doing, and how it all fits together.

Post by **FordMercury** » Wed Apr 14, 2004 1:38 am

I actually find disturbing no one is even interested in knowing if Miller spilled the beans or not regarding MM4.....

Post by **Interdictor** » Wed Apr 14, 2004 4:24 am

All very good points, Peter. I obviously don't have any firsthand knowledge of business ventures, or website operations. I was thinking along the lines of them submitting the technical / behind the scenes type material to you for inclusion on this site, and having the merchandising end be a direct link - sister site that they would maintain for financial / business / legal reasons. Sort of a yin-yang operation. (go here for info, and there for merchandise type of thing) I of course, don't have any real grasp of just how much work, above and beyond what you already do, would be involved. Just thinking that the people who would be their main customers are all right here already.

Also, I can't help but think that Bisley's comment: "It's amazing how much stuff there is about it on the net" is said with the FAQ largely in mind. And it's proof that those on the inside know us rabid fans are out here.

Post by **Bubba Fat** » Wed Apr 14, 2004 9:30 am

Yeah, maybe Steven reads this just now!

Post by **v8interceptor** » Wed Apr 14, 2004 2:30 pm

If you are reading this Steve (or another cast / crew members...) please log in to the MM FAQ forum !

I think it would be great to have here some people from the movies chating with the fans (like Steve Millichamp does occasionally...)