To begin with I want to take this time to thank my friend Rick Fitts for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer these questions. Thank you Rick…
Rick Fitts: Actor, Director, Voice Talent, and Friend!
Hi Dave. It’s good to hear from you and I hope all is well. Thank you for your kind words. They are much appreciated. These are great questions! I will answer them in the order given.
Thanks Rick!
So without further delay let us begin!
Rick, your first foray into military drama and the war movie genre was the mini-series “WWIII” as Major Devery. How did you prepare for the role as Devery? Was there an inspiration for you?
When I work on a part I read the script a lot. Through experience, I’ve found that the preparation for a role is already in the words of the script. As I read the script, ideas on how to play a character come to me. There’s an old acting expression that says, “If it’s not on the page it’s not on the stage.” The script and my imagination are my inspiration.
With the Cold War going on in Europe and several events having taken place was there an air of “this could really happen” while making this mini-series?
There was definitely a feeling that the story line in WWIII could happen. All the Actors and the Director grew up during the cold war, including the Cuban Missile Crisis. The feeling of the possibility of scenarios like this was very real to all of us. That reality helped all of us get into our parts.
The cast of talent chosen for this movie was very “Monday Night at the Movies”, what was it like on the set with the cast?
Working on the set was great. Everybody was aware of the importance of the story we were telling. We really wanted the viewers of the film to feel the reality of what it would be like if we allowed our lack of communication as humans to destroy us. If that possibility were to happen we all would truly be the losers.
I have to admit that this is one movie that should be on DVD and one of my favorite “war dramas” that I have had to commit to memory, did you get to see the movie in its final form? What are or were your thoughts of the movie once it hit the small screen?
I did get to see the movie in its final form. We had a screening that everyone attended. One of the moments in the film that really moved me was at the end of the film when we showed ordinary people doing ordinary things not realizing that this was their last day alive. That was very powerful and moving for me.
As a soldier, when I watched the movie, a shiver went down my spine that lasted several days when the last scene with Hudson plays out to a reference of nuclear weapons being released. Your thoughts?
We, as humans, have not changed emotionally since our weapons were spears and stones. The scary thing is, with that same emotional make- up, we now have the weapons to destroy ourselves and our planet.
Tell me about your work on “The Hanoi Hilton”? Did you have access to actual prisoners?
We had at least one of the surviving POW’s on the set everyday. They all took an active role in making sure our portrayals were accurate. Their comments were very helpful. When they thought we, as actors, were being too dramatic they would remind us that they did their best to laugh as much as they could in order to survive this horrendous experience. At the premiere of the film, five hundred surviving POW’s showed up in military whites. It was a pretty impressive sight.
Rick as Turner in Hanoi Hilton
Tell me about your work on Platoon Leader. How did you prepare.
On Platoon Leader not only was the script my guide in preparation for the role, but also my friends who had served there. They were the best prep anyone could get.
Rick as Robert Hayes in Platoon Leader
I’ve noticed that many of your roles have you as a police officer, soldier, or judge. In these roles are they what you look for? Have you worked with officials in these capacities learning the trade?
I don’t necessarily seek out these roles but I do get offered them a lot. I’ve gone through some minimal training with officials for these types of roles just to keep my portrayals accurate.
Rick as Col. Shore in an Episode of Bones
Rick, this was one thing I was impressed with in your portrayals. Though I have never been a judge, as a former police officer both military and civilian I have to say that your adaptation of those types of characters are spot on. It is one reason why I believe your one of the best in your field.
Now a question about personal preference: What is your favorite war movie? What Movie would you like to see reviewed on the blog?
Wow Dave, this is a great question. I love it when I don’t have to talk about me but about films I like. So I’m going to break with the above format and my answer might end up being kind of lengthy.
Rick take your time and be as lengthy as you like.
I don’t have just one favorite war movie. But there are seven that come to mind immediately – spread out over four wars. I’ll list them, not in order of preference, but in order of which war came first.
WWI – “Sergeant York” 1941 hands down. Gary Cooper as Alvin York, the conscientious objector who becomes the most decorated hero of the time – you can’t get better than that.
A more recent WWI film I loved was “Flyboys” 2006 about the Lafayette Escadrille and the American volunteers that came to France to fly and fight in the war. This one especially touched me because the movie documented the son of a slave who became the first Black wartime aviator in history. (The movie character’s name was Skinner but he was based on the real flyboy – Eugene Bullard)***
WWII – so many to choose from, but “The Longest Day” 1962 is probably the movie I have seen at least 30 times. The all-star cast, the historic D-Day, all around it has something for everybody.
“The Tuskegee Airmen” 1995 with Laurence Fishburn is another great WWII film. I enjoyed it because it continues on with the theme of the history of African American pilots from the movie “Flyboys”. Plus Laurence is someone I know and I thought he gave a sterling performance.
Korean War – “All the Young Men” 1960 starring Sidney Poitier and Alan Ladd. While this is more of a character study it is on my list because Sidney Poitier was always such an inspiration to me. Plus it was one of the last movies Alan Ladd made.
Another Korean War film is “Pork Chop Hill” 1959 with Gregory Peck, George Peppard, Rip Torn, Robert Blake and a bunch of others. This is a rather dark and sad piece and is such a foreshadowing of what’s to come in Viet Nam and how it’s all going to end.
Viet Nam – the forgotten war. Mel Gibson’s “We Were Soldiers” 2002 I thought that was the most honest portrayal of the Viet Nam war and the men who fought in it that I have ever seen. It takes place in 1965 and it documents one of the greatest military encounters of the war – the Battle of La Drang - as well as the beginnings of the 7th Air Cav.
And it gave us one of the greatest quotes of that war by Lt. Col Hal Moore: “I can't promise you that I will bring you all home alive. But this I swear, before you and before Almighty God, that when we go into battle, I will be the first to set foot on the field, and I will be the last to step off, and I will leave no one behind. Dead or alive, we will all come home together. So help me, God.”
Rick, thanks for your time it is greatly appreciated and we look forward to talking with you again!
*** Eugene Bullard left America to see the world. He wanted to be free of racial discrimination and had heard that Europe was far more freer than Columbus, Georgia his birthplace and home. He stowed away on a steamer heading for the UK. He eventually joined the French Foriegn Legion then after receiving several medals including the Croix de Guerre he decided to become a flyer. Lt. Bullard flew over 25 missions downing 3 enemy aircraft. He help to defend Paris during the German Occupation where he was severly wounded and was moved back to the US. Sadly, Eugene would live in the US as an unsung hero until he passed away from cancer in 1961. A book, The Black Swallow of Death, was printed in 1972 about his exploits as a WWI fighter pilot. In 1994 Eugene Bullard was posthumously commissioned into the USAF and promoted to 2nd Lt.
