Q & A WITH ALEX CORD
**This interview was first seen on the Airwolf Home Page
whose webmasters are Haakon Kjole and Tom Erland Sveen. Conduction of the interview
via questions written in by fans was done by Nancy Ellen Barr. It is
reproduced here with their gracious permission.**
QUESTION: What have you been doing lately?
ALEX CORD: Writing a novel, 'Yes'. Becoming a grandfather of twins, a boy and a girl.
Q: Do you have any TV or movie appearances coming up in the near future?
AC: No. But scripts are constantly coming in and am looking for the right one!
Q: How did the cast get along together off camera, during the shooting of Airwolf?
AC: Everybody got along very well. Ernie Borgnine was a prince and still a great friend,
the consummate professional. We both share Italian heritage. Jean Bruce Scott was a sweetheart.
Jan Michael Vincent was an extremely talented and interesting actor to work with. Off camera, a
man of diverse interests and pursuits.
Q: Have you kept any props or momentos from the show?
AC: Two straw hats . . . a white cashmere sweater . . . a pair of white shoes . . . I gave the
canes and patches back.
Q: With regard to some standing sets . . . obviously Archangel's office and Hawke's cabin were
on a sound stage in the back lot at Universal, but can you remember where they shot the scenes
with you and Belinda Bauer "up at the lake", i.e., where were the lake scenes shot? Even a general
area would be very helpful.
AC: It was up at Big Bear Lake in California.
Q: Can you tell us more why Don Bellisario and Deborah Pratt left the show after the second season?
Do you feel their departure affected the tone and direction of AIRWOLF in its last season?
AC: They did not leave the show while it was produced here in the United States.
Q: How long was an average day on the AIRWOLF set? In some of the Archangel-intensive episodes
such as "Fallen Angel" and Fortuneteller" you're on screen at least half of the time. You were
usually being tortured!
AC: Fourteen hours a day was about average and I enjoyed being tortured. It prepared me for real
life.
Q: Do you think it is possible for a new series, or a movie, even, to be made with the original cast?
AC: I wish it were so; anything is possible.
Q: How would you describe working with the talents of Jan-Michael Vincent and Ernest Borgnine? Any of the
actors you "preferred" spending time with?
AC: This has been answered above pretty much. I still see Ernie Borgnine a lot and communicate with Jean
Bruce Scott once in awhile. Spoke to Jan about two years ago. I hear he is doing real good right now.
Q: Are you still in touch with the actors from the series? (Tom Erland Sveen speaking here.) I've had
the pleasure of being pen-pals with Jean Bruce Scott over the Internet. She had only good things to say about
you. Do you wish to return that favor?
AC: I think I have answered this question also . . . sweetheart, I believe was the exact phrase I used. Jean
and her husband have pursued academic careers in the theater and I have tremendous respect for their dedication
to passing on their knowledge and expertise to young people.
Q: AIRWOLF was a fresh concept. It was very different, yet incredibly realistic. What was it like working on an
unconventional show? Did you think the show would "take off" like it did?
AC: I did think it would take off the way it did. The pilot script was extraordinary, beautifully written by Don
Bellisario. He also directed the pilot and I felt that much, if not all, of the credit for AIRWOLF'S originality
should go to him.
Q: Looking back, would you work on the show all over again?
AC: In a minute.
Q: Do you feel a third season run was good enough for the show or do you feel AIRWOLF had potential to go further?
AC: I feel it had potential to go much further and that it was canceled due to executive and corporate politics.
Q: Were you and the rest of the cast asked to remain for the syndicated Canadian fourth season of the show?
AC: We were asked but declined due to the fact it was clear the show would suffer in terms of quality because of the lack
of production funding.
Q: In the AIRWOLF episode "Fallen Angel", just how long did they keep you in the water tank?
AC: Several hours. It was warmed up but it was not much fun.
Q: Who are the players on the Airwolf polo team?
AC: Bill DeVane, Doug Sheehan and Stephanie Powers and myself . . . of course.
Q: Why do you think Don Bellisario picked you for the role of Archangel?
AC: He's a smart man.
Q: How would you describe Archangel's personality? How are you and Archangel alike and different?
AC: Well, we're alike in our love for horses, our need for personal privacy and mystery, our appreciation
for beautiful women, cashmere, linen and fine leather and good cars. We're different in that he came from
old money and I came from no money. His parentage was aristocratic and mine is peasant. He liked wearing
white, I'm too messy for that.
Q: Your portrayal of Archangel, a man who seemingly had to operate in three worlds . . . the political world,
the intelligence world and of course, the 'real' world (meaning Archangel as a human being), was outstanding.
What did you do to prepare yourself to take on that role?
AC: I think the role was very well written and left me plenty of room to add the humanity of the man, so I just
brought whatever human qualities I have to it.
Q: What was it like to dress in white and wearing an eyepatch every week for three season?
AC: A pain in the ass, but it was great for the character.
Q: How many different duplicate of those immaculate white suits did you have per episode? It must have been awful
for Jean-Pierre Dorleac and the costume team to keep the suits clean. There was a great line in "To Snare A Wolf"
at the end of the first season, when Hawke and Dom were landing in AIRWOLF in front of Archangel's white Jet Ranger
with you and Laura, an assistant, standing beside it. Dom says to Hawke: "Do you think he gets that helicopter
washed every day?" "Yeah, with him in it!" Hawke replies. That just seemed to summarize the character.
AC: About 4 or 5 suits, and I was very conscientious about not parking my butt on a greasy grip box.
Q: Was it nice having another beautiful new side-kick every week (the White Ladies) after Deborah Pratt left? Your
White ladies in the third season never got to say much, though.
AC: It was more than nice, it was something to look forward to. They didn't need to say much. Most people say more than
enough anyway, including me.
Q: Alex, did you ever meet any real life counterparts of Archangel and if so, what did you think of them?
AC: I have a friend who is an ex-CIA agent and he is one of my dearest friends and one of the most interesting,
intelligent, loyal people I've ever known.
Q: What are your future career goals? Who are your "heroes" in the industry, either past or present?
AC: My future goals are to write more and be kinder to everyone who crosses my path. My heroes are George C. Scott,
one of the best and most generous actors I've ever worked with. Kirk Douglas, a great movie star. I played his brother
and got to kiss him on the mouth. Lawrence Olivier was the best.
Q: Is there any actor you've always wanted to work with or a part you wanted to play -- and never have?
AC: Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson, Johnny Depp.
Q: Ernest Borgnine recently guested on JAG. Can we look forward to seeing you in a JAG episode?
AC: Possibly.
Q: What role(s) hold the best memories for you and would you share some of those memories with us?
AC: My first feature film, after 10 years in the theater, was called 'Synanon.' The character was Zanky
Albo, a dope fiend. He was a rich, many-faceted, tragic figure.
Q: Gene Roddenberry's pilot episode 'Genesis II' has been shown three times in the last couple of years here
in the UK. It looked promising. I know it's going back a long way but have you any good memories of this show?
Didn't they do a second pilot a few years later without yourself in the main role?
AC: Mariette Hartley was a good memory. The wardrobe was a bad memory, a nightmare, in fact. They did do a second pilot
which had no more success than the first, in fact, less.
Q: Do you ever watch/have you seen the show in syndication or do you not watch your work afterwards?
AC: I usually don't watch it.
Q: You've worked with Ernie Borgnine on quite a few projects in the past: 'Fire!' and 'Dirty Dozen IV: The Fatal Mission.'
What was it like working with him again in DD4? Do you still keep in touch with him?
AC: We filmed in Yugoslavia, in the dead of winter, a horrible place. Ernie was blessed by having his presence required for only
3 days. Mine was required for 6 torturous weeks.
Q: What do you feel is the most personally satisfying work of your career thus far?
AC: A play that I did on the London stage called "Play With a Tiger" by Doris Lessing in which I co-starred with the great Irish
actress, Siobhan McKenna.
Q: When is your birthday? Some of us fans have seen more than one date.
May 3, 1933 (but don't tell anyone).
Q: Years ago, I read Alex's book SANDSONG which a friend had sent to me, then some time later I heard that Alex was writing a
screenplay based on the book. What happened with that project?
AC: It is still constantly under option.
Q: How many manuscripts have you written? What subject ranges do they cover? What's your best/favorite script? Any upcoming
scripts?
AC: From science fiction, love stories and romantic thrillers.
Q: How can I obtain copies of your writings? (I've heard about the collection at Georgetown University, but I'm located in another
part of the country.) Do you have any suggestions where to look?
AC: Used bookstores or wait for the new novel which is called 'YES' and should be out in a few months.
Q: Are you still showing horses and if so, what is your show schedule for 1998?
AC: Horses are a serious part of my life and have been all of my life, I ride every day, I compete in cutting horse contests and
team roping in rodeos.
Q: Will you be attending the National Cutting Horse Championships as a celebrity judge in November 1998 and 1999?
AC: No plans at the moment.
Q: Was the horse you rode in "Airwolf II" one of your personal horses?
AC: Yes.
Q: Last, on behalf of all your fans, I wish to thank you again for agreeing on answering all these questions. Even though you may
think you have received a lot of questions, this is only about half of the questions we have received from your fans through the Internet.
We wish you all well and hope to see you on the big screen (or little tube) some time soon! Thank you.
Sincerely,
Tom Erland Sveen and Haakon Kjole, The Airwolf Home Page
www.airwolf.org
Linda Ryner, Webmistress
September 2, 1998
lillith12@hotmail.com