Page 40 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 105

40 Issue #105 October 2021 www.sportsenergynews.com

Great Things Come in Small Packages

as well as spoofing the famed franchise
By Nikolai Adams
as Dink in Mel Brooks’ hilarious send
up Spaceballs. This list shows just a
hile at Trekonderoga on August
W13th, 2016, the Ticonderoga, few of his varied portrayals.
NY, Comic Con that is all things Star Sadly, Silla passed away on April
Trek (including the brilliant recreation 16th, 2021, at the age of 84 – following
of the original Starship Enterprise) a battle with pancreatic cancer. Here’s
, I was lucky enough to be able to hoping that this interview will help
interview several interesting actors you revel in a most unique and eclectic
– one of whom was Felix Silla, a career of this little known, but most
man who has left an indelible yet oft important actor.
hidden mark on the television and film Nikolai Adams, from Filmizon.com
industry over his five plus decades of here with Felix Silla, and, I’m going to
work.
start the interview off in a weird way,
The man behind the mask (or hair), for we must be related, as you played
was born in Italy in 1937, eventually Cousin Itt and my last name is Adams.
making his way to the United States So, let’s start with your famous role as
on November 24th, 1955, where the Cousin Itt on The Addams Family tv
trained circus performer toured with show. What are your memories of that?
the iconic Ringling Bros. circus (for Felix Silla: Working on The Addams Photo Submitted
seven years) and the Barnum & Bailey also loved working with Pugsley’s shoulders) and go running around the
Family was such a great opportunity
Show. Using his 3’ 11” versatile frame for me to be there because we were Ken Weatherwax – we lost him a year ring.
to his advantage, he eventually made ago, and Lisa Loring [Wednesday] –
like a family – we got along with each NA: So that’s really the start of the
his way into show business in the other very well. I got to work with the we do conventions together, it’s fun,
early 1960s, taking on a plethora of best people: very professional actors we always get to catch up. stunt work, right?
intriguing roles. His big break came FS: Yes.
like John Astin, Carolyn Jones, Jackie NA: Now, let’s go back. People are
when he was cast as Cousin Itt on the
Cooper – he was a child actor who always intrigued to hear the names NA: So I’m a big film noir fan, and
original Addams Family television
did a movie with Charlie Chaplin, Barnum & Bailey and other famous one of those little known facts is that
series in 1965. Following this, he The Kid (he was five years old). And circuses, and you were a part of the you are actually in the sequel to The
played countless vital roles in both
Jackie Cooper brought in a law, it was circus, right? Maltese Falcon.
film and television, including the child
called the Cooper Law, for the family
ape that spots George Taylor (Charlton who is saving money for their kid, FS: Yes. When I came from Italy, FS: Yes (laughs). Yes. It was called
Heston) fleeing from captivity in November 24th, 1955, I had a brother The Black Bird. It was a remake of The
the child actor, and they must put so
Planet of the Apes in 1968, villain much money into their bank account – here in the state of New York, near Maltese Falcon, in which we had the
Litvak in the unorthodox the city. I came in 1955. . . in 1956, original secretary of Humphrey Bogart
because a lot of the actors, when they
1975 remake/sequel to The Maltese grow up, they got nothing. . . their I wanted to go back home because I (she was like twenty years old), and we
Falcon – The Black Bird, Twiki the parents spent all of the money they didn’t like it – it was too cold, I didn’t used her in 1975 (when she was about
robot in Buck Rogers in the 25th made. So that’s why the Jackie Cooper speak a word of English, I felt like I eighty years old) – it was pretty cool
didn’t know where I was. I didn’t that we used the same secretary. I had
Century, the gliding Ewok in Star Law came out. And, of course, Carolyn know anything, so I went to work with a lot of fun with George Segal. Yeah.
Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, and John were wonderful people. I
Ringling Bros. circus for a while, about NA: And it’s one of your movies
seven years, until I decided to give up
where you’re in full view.
the circus and went to California in
1962. That’s when I started working in FS: Yes. I had a lot of dialogue and
the movie industry. was in full view. I played a beautiful
part but it really didn’t do much for me.
NA: And what was it like working Their release was with another film.
in the circus? It is a different type of
. . and it was X rated, so that kind of
show business, obviously.
ruined everything, so because of that,
FS: Yes, you get to travel by trains. it didn’t really do much for my career.
We each had a room and we traveled A lot of people don’t even know about
from one city to another. We got paid it.
$100.00 a week, which, in those days
NA: Now, one of the stories that I
(1957), was a lot of money. But when came across that I found fascinating
I worked in the circus, I didn’t only
was your work on E.T. So can you
work for the Ringling Bros, I went to tell the story, because I’m sure most
the other circus [Barnum and Bailey]
people don’t know the little secret of
and did barrel-back riding on horses.
your role in it. FS: Oh, E.T.! Yes. I got
I worked with a group from Italy to work with Spielberg quite a bit. I did
(because I was born there) that did the
a movie with him called 1941, that he
movie The Greatest Show on Earth. I directed, and then I worked again on
did barrel-back riding and a pyramid
Poltergeist – I was doing some stunts
as well (getting on top of each others’
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