Ted Cassidy as Ruk

[THX1138]

Watched "What Are Little Girls Made Of" recently and was impressed with the strength of Ted Cassidy as Ruk. He always looked rail-thin as Lurch on The Addams Family, but he literally THROWS Shatner around effortlessly --several times!

I was also impressed with Shatner's willingness to be thrown around the room so much!

I may be wrong, but it seems to me that a production wouldn't get a green light to throw its lead actors around like that in this day & age. Seems like there'd be insurance problems or some such thing.

 

[scotpens]

I'll have to rewatch the scene to be sure, but actors and stunt doubles know how to fake stuff like that -- how to convincingly make it look as if you're being violently tossed around without any real risk of injury.

And Ted Cassidy, even though he was a huge man, may not have been that strong. Lock Martin, the seven-foot-plus actor who played Gort in The Day The Earth Stood Still, was a giant, not an athlete. The scenes where he lifted and carried Patricia Neal and Michael Rennie in his arms had to be faked by hoisting the actors on wires and using dummies.

 

[Potemkin_Prod]

While filming "Bread and Circusses," as a joke, Ted Cassidy (who was in in "Injun Joe" outfit) rushes onto the set, and again tosses Shatner around like a rag doll. Shatner's "I don't know about you, but this is NOT in MY script" is hilarious!

 

[THX1138]

Oh that's Ted Cassidy in that "Bread and Circuses" blooper? FAR OUT!

 

[Roberta Lincoln]

I thought it was Ted Cassidy and William Shatner in the fight scenes and not doubles -- although sometimes it is really easy to spot the doubles and sometimes (not often) it is difficult.

I always liked this episode.

 

[Christopher]

^I don't think he was saying they were doubles, but rather that actors and stunt doubles are trained in stage-fighting techniques to create the illusion that they're inflicting more violence than they really are. Of course, the same goes for pro wrestlers.

 

[A beaker full of death]

I remember the scene were Cassidy picks Shatner up - there was no faking; he clearly was immensely strong.

 

[Potemkin_Prod]

I remember the scene were Cassidy picks Shatner up - there was no faking; he clearly was immensely strong.

Quite so.

 

[Valin]

^I don't think he was saying they were doubles, but rather that actors and stunt doubles are trained in stage-fighting techniques to create the illusion that they're inflicting more violence than they really are. Of course, the same goes for pro wrestlers.

During the run of "The Wild, Wild West", Robert Conrad, the stunt men, guest stars, and Ross Martin all ended up injured various times trying to make the fight scenes as real as possible. It was considered a badge of honor to end up in the hospital.

Of course that doesn't invalidate the point you were making about creating the illusion regarding the level of violence.

Pro Wrestling isn't real!

Christopher, you better watch where you say that the level of WWE violence is an illusion. I once got slapped in a bar by a girl for saying that the fights were staged.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I recall seeing a picture of Ron Ely that pointed out all the injuries he received ( including chimp bites) while filming the Tarzan TV series.

 

[A beaker full of death]

During the run of "The Wild, Wild West", Robert Conrad, the stunt men, guest stars, and Ross Martin all ended up injured various times trying to make the fight scenes as real as possible. It was considered a badge of honor to end up in the hospital.

Didn't Conrad start as a stuntman? He was always in great shape, as I recall.

 

[The Squire of Gothos]

There's a passage in Solow and Justman's "Inside Star Trek" where they recount how Cassidy pretended to be Roddenberry for the benefit of a visiting suit salesman, asking for a dozen suits while in character and makeup as Ruk

 

[scotpens]

Christopher, you better watch where you say that the level of WWE violence is an illusion. I once got slapped in a bar by a girl for saying that the fights were staged.

This is just a guess, but I'm thinking she wasn't a redhead or a brunette.

 

[ToddPence]

According to the IMDB, Richard Kiel has an uncredited role in "What are Little Girls Made Of?" Is it possible that he was Ted Cassidy's stand-in?

 

[Maurice]

According to the IMDB, Richard Kiel has an uncredited role in "What are Little Girls Made Of?" Is it possible that he was Ted Cassidy's stand-in?

Hmmm...that sound more like an error.

 

[FormerLurker]

Considering the number of people that believe Richard Kiel played Lurch, I would have to agree.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

The confusion annoyed Cassidy no end - he remarked in an interview (for Starlog?) that he didn't know what Kiel did onscreen, but it wasn't acting.

 

[scotpens]

According to the IMDB, Richard Kiel has an uncredited role in “What are Little Girls Made Of?” Is it possible that he was Ted Cassidy's stand-in?

Hmmm...that sound more like an error.

IMDb's Trivia sections are chock-full of errors. Anybody can add information, which makes IMDb about as reliable a source as Wikipedia.

 

[FormerLurker]

The confusion annoyed Cassidy no end - he remarked in an interview (for Starlog?) that he didn't know what Kiel did onscreen, but it wasn't acting.

I was just about drawing diagrams in high school to show people how wrong they were, and they just poo-pooed my proof and kept saying "Oh, Jaws played Lurch back in the day!"