Johnny Dark Restoration Book - The Black Woodill Wildfire

32 Interviewing Chuck Tatum: We ’ ve been fortunate in the past many years to have one of the original drivers and builders of a car that appeared in the movie Johnny Dark. Chuck Tatum built his own race car and drove it in the race sequences that appeared in the second race of the film. Below are salient points made by Chuck over the course of several interviews between 2008 and 2014: • Haile Chace was person who hired the cars. Most people just rented them their car. Chuck Tatum was only person who drove his own car - to his knowledge. The movie producer wanted to use race cars - not sports cars. • The Director wanted his car (the Tatum Special), but Chuck would allow him to do so only if he was driver and they paid for his SAG card too - cost of about $250. After the movie studio balked several times, they finally said "yes". • Two days before shooting (Saturday) there was a race and it was filmed for Johnny Dark. This was a real race, and this is where they met Chuck Tatum for first time. Two days later on Monday, they came back and did more filming for background. Three months later, they finalized their negotiations with Chuck Ta- tum and they begin filming races in the fall of 1953. • No doubles were used for any car in the film. If they wrecked a supporting car, they just wrote it out of the script. The only car that would have had a "double" would have been the "Wildfire" and Chuck never saw another car including a double car for the Wildfire. • The Wildfire definitely had a Willys engine - and it wasn't very strong. If there was a "Woodill" double, they would have used it when there were problems - no double stepped in. • Chuck says this was a top notch - A - film. First, Tony Curtis, Piper, Don Taylor, Paul Kelly, Ilka Chase, Sidney Blackmer, Ruth Hampton and Scatman Crothers, were A list stars. Next, the fact it was originally going to be a 3 - D film. Also, George Sherman was director who did over 100 films in Hollywood. This was not a B film. Universal promoted it as a top notch film. • Chuck says that filming of the racing scenes started after labor day race of 1953, and started 1 - 2 months later. Filming of the race scenes started and concluded in fall of 1953 - probably late September to late October/November. • One morning the studio asked Chuck Tatum to use his car and they put sound machinery over entire car. Drove up, down, stop, start, over street, and created all sounds they were to use in the studio. • Most race car shooting was done on a heavy duty platform built on front of Lincoln. May have been on back too. All drivers admired the guy who drove the Lincoln - very skilled. The guy that drove the Lincoln car deserved an award says Chuck.