Review of The Bear

The Bear (1984)
4/10
Horror stories about being an extra in this film!
25 December 2005
I actually worked on this film briefly as a featured extra. The scenes I did were shot at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, GA, a suburb of Atlanta. I played one of Bear Bryant's fraternity brothers.

We filmed in December of 1983, just before Christmas. It was freezing cold outside, but the scenes were supposed to be taking place on a warm, late spring evening, so we were all dressed in short sleeves. The director and crew made us sit outside, nearly freezing to death, for hours on end while they -- bundled up in coats and gloves! -- set up the shots for filming. I wound up getting very sick after three days of shooting! Of course, all the principal actors who were in the scenes stayed in their cozy trailers until it was time to film.

Also, my tote bag ... containing my wallet and money; car keys; and the clothes I wore to the set ... was stolen out of the dressing room on my last day of shooting. I was treated VERY badly by the extras casting director, who showed no sympathy whatsoever about the fact that my belongings were stolen. She would not even take the time to drive me home to get a spare set of car keys since mine were stolen! I was literally stranded -- no car keys, no clothes, no money! -- until a wonderful woman, who was also an extra on the film, drove me home.

Gary Bussey was drinking heavily during the filming of this movie and the "buzz" on the set was that he was sometimes so drunk that he wasn't able to do his scenes.

By the way, I was paid a whopping $50 a day for my work on this film ... and when it came time to eat, the extras ate AFTER the principal actors had dined first and picked through the food on the buffet lines.

When I saw the movie, I was greatly disappointed. It was not very good.
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