‘Our schoolgirl memories of meeting film icon at castle’
A Stirling woman this week recalled fondly the time she met A-list actor Michael Caine on Stirling Castle esplanade while likely skipping school.
Sir Michael had been playing the part of Alan Breck Stewart in the 1971 film version of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped which was shot at various locations in Scotland including Stirling Castle, Mull and Culross.
Susan McKerchar, nee Colomby, was joined by cousin Bernadine King, for the trip to the castle where Michael Caine was filming alongside other celebrated actors of the era like Trevor Howard and Gordon Jackson.
Susan reminisced that there had been a lot of excitement in the city at the time due to the movie stars filming at the castle and in Baker Street.
And the girls were delighted when they met Kidnapped’s leading actor – already famed for roles in classic films like Zulu (1964), The Ipcress File (1965), The Italian Job (1969) and Get Carter (1971).
Susan said: “Sir Michael, as he is now, was coming out of his trailer dressed as Alan Breck when he saw my cousin and I standing and asked if we would like a picture with him.
“He was so kind and nice to us and so handsome.
“Lots of local people were extras dressed as prisoners inside the castle rattling their chains – the sun seemed to shine every day of filming.”
Susan thinks it likely that she and Bernadine skipped school to experience a bit of movie glamour.
She said: “It was over 50 years ago when we were 16 and still at St Modan’s. I think we may have even played hookey from school to watch the filming.
“Looking back it was exciting seeing people like Trevor Howard and Gordon Jackson walking around Stirling.
“We both had a crush on the actor Lawrence Douglas who played David Balfour – whatever happened to him?
“We’re both now newly retired ladies who lunch, but we look back with fondness on our teen years.”
Bernadine now lives in Dunblane with husband Jim and has a grown-up son, Jamie. Susan lives in Kings Park with friend and housemate Alice Barbour and four rescue cats.
While he seems to have enjoyed his time filming in Stirling, the business side of the movie doesn’t appear to have been a happy one for Sir Michael.
Susan added: “I had been reading Sir Michael’s autobiography – The Elephant to Hollywood – and the only mention he made of Kidnapped was it taught him a lesson to get the money upfront, as the production company went bust and he never got paid.”