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Mission
Impossible
Directed
by Matthew Harrison
Premiered
to the public at the Ocean Bay Park Volunteer Fire Department
in 1972.
The World's First Big Screen filming of
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE
"Knocks
the heck out of the John Woo versions! A ton of fun!"
anonymous
"Awesome!
For preteens, these kids sure know how to kick some serious
butt!" anonymous
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The evil Captain prepares to inject his first victim with
his mind control serum.
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B efore
there was Tom Cruise there was Benjamin Harrison in the first
big screen version of the famous MISSION IMPOSSIBLE. This action
packed secret agent thriller was filmed on the streets of Ocean
Bay Park, Fire Island in the summer of 1972.
"This
picture is important for me because it was one of the first
times I designed and built custom props for a movie. I was
12. I fabricated a set of mind control transmitter and receivers
for the villainous Captain to use on his zombie henchman and
Agent Gurian. We had wardrobe, a monocle, firearms, a tape
player and even a syringe for the Captain's hypnotic serum.
I also used fades and a zoom on movement, I was starting to
use close-ups too".
"Mission
Impossible was one of the first films I presented to the public,
and one of my first sound films. My brother Ben and our friend
Eugene Dickey worked on making the sound track with me. We
tape recorded the theme music of the TV show off Douglas Gurian's
TV with my Dad's cassette deck (which appears in the film
too), and then I timed the actions of the film, we ran our
old Wollensak 1/4" tape recorder while Ben and Eugene
did the voices and I played the cassette tape at the right
moment. When it came time to present the film at the OBP Volunteer
Fire House, Eugene figured out how to plug the Wollensak into
the fire house sound system, I waved to Eugene from the projector
and he started the tape. We brought down the house, to our
surprise. We were instant celebrities around town". Matthew
Harrison.
Agents Harrison and Gurian spring into
action after the secret briefing instructing them to track and
destroy the evil Captain before his mind control plan can be
deployed.
Agent Gurian falls into the clutches
of the nefarious Captain and is immediately injected with the
mind control serum.
The Captain craftily installs the mind
control ear piece in the now-sedated agent Gurian and sends
him out to do his evil bidding.
Agent Harrison heroically rescues agent
Gurian, snapping him out of his zombie mind control daze. The
two formulate a plan for agent Gurian to infiltrate the unsuspecting
Captain's lair.
Agent Gurian dispatches the Captain's
bloodthirsty psycho killer zombie henchman.
Agent Harrison connects with a haymaker
to the evil Captain's jaw in the thrilling two-fisted finale
of MISSION IMPOSSIBLE. |
