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Played by Alan Conway with a sharp dose of attitude and sex appeal,
Derrickson is no stranger to groin injuries. Once voted People
Magazine's "Sexiest Man of the Year", Conway had little success after
Vendetta. Some have gone so far as calling him the "David Caruso
of the Eighties".
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C. Thomas Murray lends the character McKeegan an uncanny flair for cold
blooded violence. Murray never aspired to be an actor; he was picked up
in New York after a talent scout saw him "take a guy down" for
smoking in a designated no-smoking area. After Vendetta, Murray went
back to his former job at a delicatessen. He still makes a mean pastrami
sandwich.
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In this episode, essentially a "Christmas Special", The Chief
doesn't get much screen time. This is unfortunate because renowned actor Martin
Mitchell played The Chief like a bitch in heat. Mitchell once said of his role
in Vendetta, "Yes, that was me". Regardless, Mitchell went on
to become one of Hollywood's more memorable small time character actors.
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The lovely Kathy Sutherland brings both sweetness and unfettered testosterone
to the role of Mrs. Claus. In Vendetta we are shown a
side of her that rings true the old adage: "Behind every great man,
there's a woman with a gun".
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Santa Claus. Need more be said?
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The interrogation scene was the first scene filmed.
Here, Jonathan Field (aka "McKeegan") sets up an early shot.
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Screenwriter Brendan Smith (aka "Derrickson") holds up a cue card to make sure
his carefully crafted dialogue is delivered perfectly.
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Gandhi warms up "Mr. Fist". Yes, that's his real name. Gandhi, I mean, not
Mr. Fist. Although "Gandhi Fist" would be a pretty cool name.
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Field applies a little makeup to the lovely Sarah Norton (aka "The Elf").
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Don't hate me because I'm beautiful.
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David O'Malley (aka "The Chief") gets ready to bust some balls.
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Sean Smith (aka "Santa") and Field go over the script.
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The phone booth scene is shot, like much of the film, in freezing temperatures.
B Smith holds up a black mat to reduce the reflections on the glass. Because
we care.
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The Brothers Smith are ready for the next shot.
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Santa on the run.
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Derrickson runs dramatically down the alley. The cool looking steam vent on
the right just happened to be there.
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Santa attempts to get his fat ass up the wall.
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Field frames a shot of Santa through the iron mesh of the stairs. It's clever
camera work like this that helped Vendetta rake in the big bucks at the
box office.
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Derrickson takes a shot at Santa on the fire escape.
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Brendan, Jonathan, and Sean stuff the Santa suit before tossing it off a three
story building.
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We take pride in a job well done. Note Sean's
glue-and-cottonball eyebrows.
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It's not every day you're caught on film smuggling Santa's body in your trunk.
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There's nothing quite like a good kick in the sack.
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Would you like fries with that crotch kick?
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Santa has turned the tables.
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The Norwood Police show up to check out reports of Santa Claus waving
a gun around in an industrial park. We somehow avoid arrest.
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We had a good laugh after the cops left, as we set up the dust
tubing for Derrickson's bullet proof vest shot.
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It's amazing how many tries it takes to slide a gun into frame.
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First thing in the morning before shooting the infamous cottage scene, we see
that B Smith's hair is in serious need of some gel.
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The lovely Lauren Buckland (aka "Mrs. Claus") poses with her movie beau.
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Field adjusts B Smith's tie for their secondary role as tactical assault
specialists.
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Mrs. Claus practices her game face.
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The attack begins...
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Oh well. Someone was bound to get hurt.
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A point blank shotgun blast is the only way to chill some people out. Lauren
squeezed the blood out of the bottle with such force we spent the next hour
cleaning it off the draperies.
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Field documents the aftermath.
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Sarah poses with her dog and gaping head wound.
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Field brings the cottage shoot to a close with a brief episode of solo
barbershop crooning.
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After taking the Taco Bell emergency exit, Santa gets ready to bolt.
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Santa loses his lunch.
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Field helps S Smith readjust his belly after it is displaced by a 100 yard
dash.
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B Smith, as a generic gunman, practices getting blown away by the spirit of
Christmas.
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In a rush of improvisational energy, Thomas Sola (aka "Jesus" and "The Ninja")
combines his roles in a divine display of martial arts action.
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There's just something about this photo.
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Sean Smith, who plays Santa, was a track star. It was all Brendan and Jonathan
could do to keep up with him in scenes like this.
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Jesus gives Santa the usual messianic threat: "I'll be back".
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McKeegan pays his respects to an old friend.
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So who took all these pictures anyways? Who was behind both the 8 and 35 mm
cameras when the rest of us were in front? It was the adorable Sophia Field.
Pictured here at karaoke, she played no less than five roles in Vendetta
in addition to filming and even directing many shots.
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Special thanks to Sophie for taking these pictures despite my complaining
about it on set, and double thanks for scanning them all in on a moment's
notice when I wanted them after.