Charles Nungesser and Francois Coli Episode

[swbuza]

I'm looking for an Unsolved Mysteries episode that I was on in 1989. It may have been Season 1, Episode 15 aired 2/1/1989 or Season 1, Episode 31 aired 5/3/1989.

The story is about the White Bird airplane flown from France to the US just prior to Lindbergh's transatlantic flight. The plane was theoretically lost in Maine.

In the episode, I'm chopping wood...

Would love to have a copy of that clip if anyone has it.

Thanks!

[crystaldawn]

Originally Posted by swbuza

I'm looking for an Unsolved Mysteries episode that I was on in 1989. It may have been Season 1, Episode 15 aired 2/1/1989 or Season 1, Episode 31 aired 5/3/1989.

The story is about the White Bird airplane flow from France to the US just prior to Lindberh's transatlantic flight. The plane was theoretically lost in Maine.

In the episode, I'm chopping wood...

Would love to have a copy of that clip if anyone has it.

Thanks!

Is that the one where they theorize that 2 French aviators crossed the Atlantic before Lindbergh? If so, I have that episode.

[swbuza]

Originally Posted by crystaldawn

Is that the one where they theorize that 2 French aviators crossed the Atlantic before Lindbergh? If so, I have that episode.

Yes, that's the one. Any way I can get a copy of that story?

[mah79]

WOW!!! I'm talking to a UM actor!!! It's great to meet you. Yes, I remember seeing you on the UM reruns. Did you do any other episodes? Did you get to meet Robert Stack?

[swbuza]

Originally Posted by mah79

WOW!!! I'm talking to a UM actor!!! It's great to meet you. Yes, I remember seeing you on the UM reruns. Did you do any other episodes? Did you get to meet Robert Stack?

I had lunch with Robert Stack at Helen's Restaurant in Machias, Maine, world famous for its strawberry pies. But I only did the one show. At the time, I was doing reherseals at the University of Maine at Machias for Carousel (I played Billy Bigelow), and the UM producers came by looking for actors.

Also in the White Bird clip is Ron Mosley, an attorney and business law professor from the University. He's paddling a canoe in the piece. A good friend of mine. Our choreographer for Carousel played the part of a woman in her kitchen who goes outside to look at the airplane. I do not recall her name.

I played the part of a nice old gentleman (likely deceased now), who was outside chopping wood when the plane went overhead. I talked to him at length while we were waiting to shoot our piece, and he confided in me that he was not actually outside chopping wood -- instead he was outside taking a leak (I'm serious!) and the producers thought that probably wasn't appropriate for the show, so they changed up his story a bit and I went out and chopped some wood for them.

I believe the piece was shot in late summer/early fall 1988. So I would have been 21 at the time of shooting. It is worth noting that it was shot entirely at the sites where the events allegedly happened. What's interesting to me is that if you lay those sites (separated by miles) on a map, they follow a straight line.

It sure was fun, but my kids don't believe me, which is why I'm looking for the piece.

[mozartpc27]

Taking a leak? That's too funny!

[Necco]

I believe it was that great philosopher Kevin Arnold who said "some men pursue greatness... and some men have greatness thrust upon them... while they're in the bathroom"

[synthisislab]

[nohwheregirl]

What a great story!!! I think that is really an important part of the charm of UM for me, that they'd go on location and use local actors to do the reinactments.

My sister's friend was an actress and she was in the Patsy Wright segment as a mourner at the funeral, which was filmed on location in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. I don't think she even made it on camera.

[mah79]

Originally Posted by swbuza

I had lunch with Robert Stack at Helen's Restaurant in Machias, Maine, world famous for its strawberry pies. But I only did the one show. At the time, I was doing reherseals at the University of Maine at Machias for Carousel (I played Billy Bigelow), and the UM producers came by looking for actors.

Also in the White Bird clip is Ron Mosley, an attorney and business law professor from the University. He's paddling a canoe in the piece. A good friend of mine. Our choreographer for Carousel played the part of a woman in her kitchen who goes outside to look at the airplane. I do not recall her name.

I played the part of a nice old gentleman (likely deceased now), who was outside chopping wood when the plane went overhead. I talked to him at length while we were waiting to shoot our piece, and he confided in me that he was not actually outside chopping wood -- instead he was outside taking a leak (I'm serious!) and the producers thought that probably wasn't appropriate for the show, so they changed up his story a bit and I went out and chopped some wood for them.

I believe the piece was shot in late summer/early fall 1988. So I would have been 21 at the time of shooting. It is worth noting that it was shot entirely at the sites where the events allegedly happened. What's interesting to me is that if you lay those sites (separated by miles) on a map, they follow a straight line.

It sure was fun, but my kids don't believe me, which is why I'm looking for the piece.

WOW, lunch with RObert Stack!!! dare i dream! Was he very nice in person? Yes, I remember the other actors whom you describe...the man in the rowboat, and the young housewife. It must have been very interesting to revisit the actual site where these events happened. I am still laughing at the old man who was actually taking a leak when the plane was flying overhead. That was too funny!

[WishfulDreamer]

Wow, this is a great thread! I just searched to see if I could find one on the French aviators, and was glad to see an account by a UM actor I love the story about what the old man was really doing lol