Rufus Excalibur Ffolkes is an eccentric underwater saboteur who can't stand women but loves cats! Well there you have it. This was probably the very approach director Andrew V McLaglen took when pitching the idea to Universal Pictures. Based on the book 'Esther, Jennifer & Ruth' by Jack Davies, the story follows a psychotic madman played by Anthony Perkins who's determined to blow up the largest oil rig in the North Sea unless the British Government pays him a king's ransom. Attempting to stop him is Roger Moore as Ffolkes and James Mason as Admiral Brinsdon from her majesty's Royal Navy. Made in 1980 Roger More stars as Ffolkes, incidentally the movie was distributed in the US as 'Ffolkes' and not 'North Sea Hijack', the rest of the world title and much better if you ask me. Presumably the American audience would have trouble understanding what and where the North Sea was so they opted for an alternative title! Roger Moore, choosing to attempt a break from the secret agent persona he had acquired with James Bond, decided to grow a beard for this role and if ever an award were to be given for facial hair assisting in a performance this beard would win hands down, or nose down depending on how you look at it. Speaking as a beard wearer myself, Roger's unflattering facial garb might have something to do with the fair to poor reception the film received upon release.
Ffolkes Fusilier’s are a crack team of underwater experts who he continues to test, drill and scream at for most of the film, are made up of stuntmen Greg Powell, Joe Dunne, Jack Cooper, Mark McBride and Val Musetti plus Stunt Coordinator Eddie Stacey who takes on some of the doubling work for Roger Moore alongside Martin Grace who isn't credited on the film at all.
See even the lads find that beard funny Roger!
The Chief Officer on board 'Esther' is Magnusson played by George Leech who has one line and is the shot in the back and thrown overboard. This wasn't due to his delivery of said line it was scripted! Being thrown overboard isn't just a case of leaping from the vessel into the icy briny below. George must work out the speed of the vessel, the positioning of his body when he enters the water and he'll be hopeful that the rescue boat is out 'sharpish' to lift him from the water. Incidentally another fine British stuntman, Richard Graydon, plays Rasmussen and is having a gun waved at him when George falls past the deck and into the water.
A television in the Prime Minister’s office plays a training attack undertaken by Ffolkes men on a judo team who have been asked to play the part of crew on a mock-up of 'Esther'. Greg
Powell is seen grabbing one of the ship’s crew and smothering his face with a huge hand. Roger Moore then joins in by throwing stuntman Mark McBride from a gantry into the sea. Luckily Mark's Aran sweater took most of the sting out of the fall...
After discussion and interplay between the main characters it is agreed that Ffolkes, Brinsden and the manager of 'Jennifer', the large oil platform should transfer onto 'Esther'. This is done with the aid of a helicopter winch attached to a cone basket. Each person steps onto the base, holds onto the rope mesh and is winched away. The close up shots is clearly the main actors, but as the basket is winched from vessel to vessel the doubles take over. Martin Grace is seen sporting a naval uniform and a beard doubling Roger Moore. Next to him is Joe Dunne, his back to the camera at all times doubling James Mason. David Hedison is doubled by Jack Cooper.
Yes folk’s time is ticking on and we need to come up with a decent ending for the movie!
Kramer, the Anthony Perkins villain, doesn't like the look of Ffolkes very much and orders him back to 'Jennifer'. One of Kramer’s team who has been very sea sick since the ordeal began volunteers to give up his share of the ransom money and severe all connections so that he can leave 'Esther'. Kramer agrees and lets him get on the basket. Just as the basket is ten feet off the ground Terry, the hijack team member, gets shot in the back and falls from the basket. Shown here Joe Dunne can be seen doubling for actor. Wearing a back pad, and pads on his elbows and knees Joe rolls off the base onto the deck.
Joe Dunne was Peter Sellers stunt double on all his outings as Clouseau in the Pink Panther films.
Ffolkes, after being sent packing by Kramer, starts his assault on Esther. The only wet suit that can be found aboard Jennifer is this brightly coloured one being worn by stuntman Mark McBride who doubles Roger Moore in this sequence.
The other members of the team arrive on board to lend a hand. Joe Dunne seen here on the right of the first shot and Mark McBride fresh from his doubling duty alongside Jack Cooper removing one of Kramer’s team through the medium of a sharp knife.
Now as usually happens with movies at some point during filming some of the stuntmen became unavailable. Perhaps called away onto another job, but for whatever reason a gap had to be filled. After killing Kramer Ffolkes gives one of his men an instruction and the camera cuts away to this fella.
This is stuntman Frank Maher who was Patrick McGoohan’s double on ‘Danger Man’ and ‘The Prisoner’. This is the only shot that he appears in. In later life Frank wrote many action sequences for the first two ‘Die Hard’ movies.
Now remember I mentioned that stuntman Val Musetti also played one of the Fusilier’s? Well here he is standing next to Joe Dunne in the doorway.
After another successful mission Ffolkes can return to his castle, be with his cats and drink good Scotch malt and hopefully do something with that beard‌.
Perhaps not!