Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:04 Hi everybody. My name's John Raby and I'm the host of the somewhere in time podcast called call back yesterday. This is a pod let designed for anyone who is on Mackinaw Island this weekend at the 30th annual somewhere in time, weekend, grand hotel, or anybody who wishes they could be there like me to get the time travel experience, just right. Go to the place where I conducted the interview during last year, somewhere in time weekend, and listen, very intently and concentrate. If you do it just right, it'll feel just like it's 2019. Everybody is missing this guy right about now. He passed away August 8th at his home in Las Vegas. He was only 73. And Jeff Garson says he was really looking forward to attending this year. We spoke in the grand parlor. Please introduce yourself.
Speaker 1 00:00:53 Tell me what your involvement with the movie is. My name is Steve. Hellerstein my involvement with somewhere in time, I was the transportation captain, which involved logistically getting all the equipment to the Island, which was a, uh, quite a task because everything had to be barged over, um, and logistically loaded so that when the stuff came off the barge, we were able to take that off the barge. We had a couple of full paws involved because we, they were all tractor trailers and because they were being tractor trailers, everything has to line up when you, when you go on so that the tractor can get off. And then at the other end, you've got to have the tractor so that you can pull it off. So logistically it was a, it was kind of a nightmare in the beginning, but Mackinac Island is not built for tractor trailers.
Speaker 1 00:01:47 And nor is it built for motor vehicles, really, right? The streets are very narrow and every time we had to move around, we couldn't drive the vehicles any faster than the average person could walk. So there was times where we had to actually move from where we were parked. Let's call it point a and going to point B, I would take my bicycle, be the lead guy in the bicycle at walking speed, so to speak. And then I had this Armada coming in behind me and we would circle the entire Island so that we would land at point B. What's your attitude about whether this is a pain in the butt or a challenge? Oh, it was a challenge. It was fun. Literally after getting here, there isn't a whole lot to do for us. We liked to invent things. I had six guys here with me on the, on the Island and we like to keep busy, you know, because we're all, we're all kinda like hands on guys that, that, you know, get trying to get creative.
Speaker 1 00:02:46 We, you know, we, we build things. We help, the electricians will help the grips because they get busy doing whatever they're doing. And we're still like standing around. It's just not, it's not suited to us. So we, you know, we'd creative and there was a, I'll give you a little story. I don't know if you can put this on there, but we were going out by the lighthouse to do the scene at the lighthouse with, with Chris and Jane. And we had this LST, which was going to load all the equipment. And of course we needed some portal, portable bathrooms too, to take out there. So one of my guys and myself went up to the grip truck. We got some, uh, got a couple of two by fours because we, what we did was we figured we'd put them underneath the porta potties, pick them up and take them onto the LST, like a sedan chair. There you go. And, uh, anyway, so we left one of the guys, Lauren. I said, Lauren, you stay here, wait for that. We'll be back in 15, 20 minutes. So we come back and Lauren's nowhere to be found. So we pick up the first one and we loaded on there, and then you can draw your own conclusions. What happened? We found Lauren,
Speaker 0 00:03:53 The second one is heavy, a little bit
Speaker 1 00:03:55 Heavier. And it kind of tipped. Yes. I don't know if you can put that on there, but Lillian
Speaker 0 00:04:02 I've, I've heard that this is one of the happiest movie shoots ever. Is that true? And it's, you know, we're, we're 40 years on. So you can say now yes or no.
Speaker 1 00:04:09 Yes, it was, you know, I was very, very disappointed when the film, cause I really felt, felt my heart in the film that it was going to be a big success. And when it wasn't, I was, I was literally let down and now being invited here to the, to the Island and being able to participate in the festivities and everything, this has made my film career complete. It has really given me closure. So to speak on having a successful career, I finally did a film that is recognized and I'm recognized, and it's a, it's really a big deal emotionally. I I've, I sat and watched Jane give a little speech last night and I had tears in my eyes and uh, uh, all throughout my career, you, you want to be on a successful movie, right. And this has put closure on my career. It, uh, it, it, I'm getting choked up a little bit now thinking about it. But, uh,
Speaker 0 00:05:14 No you want that you want as a professional, you want that, you know, you want people to, to, uh, have felt something about a movie made.
Speaker 1 00:05:23 And you know, when I, when I talk to people and I say, Oh yeah, I, I, I did somewhere in time. That's my favorite movie. And I mean, you know, the little movie that not that I thought no one ever knew about has become incredible.
Speaker 0 00:05:38 I was 13 one. When this happened, I have a memory of a very slow drive of all your semi-trailers. I think it was a surprise. It wasn't, it wasn't planned. And it happened, I dunno, 10, 11 o'clock at night.
Speaker 1 00:05:53 I think. So. I think we had to make a move at at night because there was some reason. And I honestly don't remember, but I do remember it was going at night late. Yes.
Speaker 0 00:06:02 It was an event people, Hey, the trucks are moving. Hey, the trucks are moving and they're moving through, you know, they're these giant silver, if I remember correctly, silver semi-trailers dry inching through downtown, which is this old Victorian downtown. And you usually only see horses. And it it's, I don't know. It was almost well, it was a, it was kind of time travel in a way. It was funny. It was as if they were driving out of the past, somehow
Speaker 1 00:06:24 It looked like a flying saucer had landed because that's exactly what it felt like. I mean, the toll, the whole town was dark at that time. And all you had was the headlights of, you know, the, the trucks on the move and they move so slow in the reflections of the, of the lights off the buildings and so forth and so on. And it, you know, it was, it was wild. Yeah. It was incredible.
Speaker 0 00:06:47 It's it's, it's kinda nice. Cause I'm sure we saw each other without knowing who each other was. I had no idea. You had no idea who this little punk kid was. So it's really nice to connect, uh, almost 40 years later. So good to meet you.
Speaker 1 00:06:58 Absolutely. It's my pleasure. Thank you.
Speaker 0 00:07:01 Thanks for listening to a call back yesterday. Padlet, please subscribe and give us a rating. And I hope I'll see you next year on Mackinaw.
