War show battles on — despite wet weather
Reporter: Karen Doherty
Date published: 11 August 2008
HEAVY downpours failed to dampen the wartime spirit as Saddleworth was decked out in patriotic red, white and blue.
Hundreds stepped back in time for Saddleworth Wartime Weekend — braving the rain for the three-day spectacular.
Highlights of the event included two convoys of military vehicles which travelled around the villages on Saturday and Sunday. But organisers were forced to cancel yesterday’s eagerly anticipated finale — a dramatic battle re-enactment — after bad weather left the soggy playing fields pocked with puddles and mud.
Saddleworth Wartime Weekend replaced the popular Yanks event — cancelled earlier this year. Celebrations started on Friday when a military camp, fairground and stalls opened at the playing fields followed by a Hawaiian night at the Wagon Inn, Uppermill.
The camp opened throughout the weekend and the first of two impressive convoys around the villages took place on Saturday featuring Jeeps, Champs and Land Rovers.
Streets, businesses and houses were festooned with bunting, while Stars and Stripes fluttered proudly next to the Union Jack. Men and women in wartime uniforms and fashions added a splash of glamour and there was jiving, jitterbugging and a tea dance at various venues.
Yesterday, a convoy of more than 50 trucks, tanks and motorbikes was led through Uppermill by the British Legion Pipe Band before touring Delph, Marsden and Dobcross with Keith Broome at the head on his vintage Harley.
Waterproofs were a must as scores of people braved the rain in Dobcross to wait for a speech by a Winston Churchill lookalike and a re-enactment of a scene from the movie “Yanks” which was partly filmed in the village 30 years ago.
Lynne Lowes, from Denton, was there with her husband and friends.
She said: “We are British so we are used to the weather.
“It is a nice, traditional celebration in a traditional village.”
Another visitor added: “It has been very good. It is just a shame about the weather — on Saturday it never stopped.”
The wartime invasion of Saddleworth began eight years ago to celebrate “Yanks” which starred Richard Gere.
Organiser Peter Cartner was forced to cancel because of venue problems and a new group stepped in, with the event incorporating wider wartime history rather than just the Second World War.
One of the team, who is known as Paul Dogtags, thanked everyone who took part and said that venues had already been booked for next year.
He added: “It’s been a good weekend. It’s just a shame the weather has let us down but it hasn’t spoiled the spirit of the event itself.”
Filming wasn’t all glitz and glamour
SADDLEWORTH had stars in its eyes 30 years ago when Dobcross was tuned into a movie set with a touch of American razzle dazzle.
Famous film director John Schlesinger invaded the quiet village for the filming of “Yanks” whose stars included Richard Gere, Vanessa Redgrave, Lisa Eichhorn and William Devane.
It tells story of a company of US troops in the North of England in the six months before D-Day and many locals made their screen debuts as extras, including a then 28-year-old Joyce Cartner, who landed a part after answering a newspaper ad.
She spent a week filming a New Year’s Eve dance at Hyde Town Hall but admitted that being in the movies is not all it’s cracked up to be. It involved hanging around quite a lot and doing nothing,” recalled Joyce, who revealed that another extra turned down Richard Gere, a then unknown in England before hits such as “American Gigolo”, “An Officer and a Gentleman” and “Pretty Woman”.
“He asked one of the girls out and asked her for a lift home but she was engaged. She’s cursed herself ever since!”
“It was very interesting. One scene was banned because the leading lady’s suspender snapped and her stocking fell down. Schlesinger said ‘keep rolling, keep rolling’ but it was cut.”
Other locations included Dobcross, where the exterior of the Co-op was given a 1940s makeover, Stamford Golf Club, Hyde Town Hall, Keighley Station, Manchester Ship Canal, Leeds and Llandudno’s Grand Hotel.
The film premiered in Stockport in September, 1979, and a cinema organist played before the show to recreate the wartime flavour. But the Oldham Chronicle reported how extras and brothers brothers Damian (11) and Kieran (10) Hall couldn’t watch the movie because it had an AA certificate (banning under-14s) due to an “explicit sex scene”.
After reading about their disappointment, the Odeon Cinema in Union Street arranged a private screening — not covered by the legislation — to make their dreams come true Hollywood-style.
For the past seven years Joyce and her husband, Peter, a military vehicle enthusiast, organised the popular Yanks weekend inspired by the film in Saddleworth .
Joyce is a big fan of the film and said: “It’s absolutely brilliant.”
But after 30 years, she revealed that she has still not spotted herself on screen adding: “A couple of people have said they can see me but I have looked and looked and I can’t see myself!”
Pictures: CHRIS SUNDERLAND
