Steve Chambers & Leon Delaney Interview (furies)

[Kartoon]

This interview was made possible by Kartoon
Both Chambers and Delaney soon will be giving us up to date pictures and a small sum up of what they have been doing sense the warriors movie. enjoy the interview.




What Baseball Fury did you play? E.g. Mint green and white face paint? Blue and black face paint etc.

[glow=red,2,300]Answer:[/glow]  Steve Chambers played purple and black faced.  Leon Delaney was orange face and black eyes and lips.

How does it feel to have been a member of the most iconic gang in the movie - aside from The Warriors?

[glow=red,2,300]Answer: [/glow]  Steve Chambers:  Whoever knew that this film would be what it is almost 30 years later?  The interest is flattering.   Leon Delaney:  It feels great to be part of gang and film history.

Did Walter Hill give any specific directions to the Baseball Furies? E.g. did he say he wanted them to remain silent and to run in organized lines?

[glow=red,2,300]Answer:[/glow]   Yes, Walter wanted single file and no yelling.  Walter said that the "coming out" was like an intro - as we came out we stopped on a mark and he wanted us all to do something with a bat that showed our baseball/bat-handling expertise.  Walter said that he wanted us to look like authentic baseball players, New York Yankees.

There is a rumor that many of the furies were played by more then 1 actor. Jerry Hewitt played the lead Fury in the yellow face paint with the black eye. However someone by the name of Steve Grady claims that he and a group called the New York Road Runners also played this Furies. Steve says he was the actor playing The Yellow Faced Fury during all the running parts in the movie, and a few other parts like when Ajax hits the yellow fury. Is there any truth to this? 

[glow=red,2,300]Answer:[/glow]  New York Roadrunners worked just one night.  They did only running - no stunts.  We, the stuntmen, were expected to run full speed (two hundred yard dashes) take after take until we literally threw up.  Even world-class runners only run full speed in their practice once, but they thought stuntmen could do anything so they brought these Roadrunners in and they did exactly what the stuntmen did but sprained their ankles.  They performed no stunts.

In the movie they show the baseball furies all pick up bats from a below ground area and walk up on to the street swing the bats, do you remember where in NY this was?

[glow=red,2,300]Answer: [/glow]  Furies coming out of subway was 96th St. and Central Park West.  I would say that one of the finest examples of hell-on-earth - was evident "behind" this scene.  The area below ground was one of the filthiest, most downtrodden places I've ever been.  It was impossible for us to fathom that a human being would exist in such squalor.  But, somewhere along the course during the rehearsing and filming individuals did appear in doorways and exit from the long, narrow underground hallway from which we emerge.  Leon Delaney and I commented that it was impossible that anybody to be living there but then we slowly learned that they were indeed living there at that time.

Was the furies/warriors fight rushed?

[glow=red,2,300]Answer: [/glow]  The fight was not rushed, since we were using real bats.  Walter had sufficient budget and time to deal with this scene.  We rehearsed the fight for two weeks prior to shooting.

There was a lot of running as a fury. Were you expecting this?

[glow=red,2,300]Answer:[/glow]  We were told that there was a chase but nobody expected them to do take after take until some sort of perfection was achieved.  It's one thing to show a group of people running past a camera.  But, in order to achieve the precision and look that Walter wanted for the sequence it was necessary to do it time and again and again.  It was almost military - exact spacing - going by camera on a count 1-2-3-4, etc. and to maintain a level of intensity over and over again.

Did you get to choose what make-up you wore?

[glow=red,2,300]Answer: [/glow]   We showed up and before we put on our uniforms we were sent into the makeup room and the artist selected from a number of drawings the basic look of each Fury.  We had no choice in the matter.  Of course, after that, it became very important to remember what our individual makeup was. 

What do you think of the new "The Warriors" game, the directors cut special edition movie & the new 2006 MTV movie based on the warriors?

[glow=red,2,300]Answer: [/glow]  Steve Chambers:  I have not seen them.  Leon Delaney:  My son thinks video is awesome.

Did you see that Mezzco put of a series of "warrior" toys including 4 of the baseball furies? If so what did you think of them?

[glow=red,2,300]Answer: [/glow]  Steve Chambers:  I have not seen these items.  Do they run?  Hahahaha.  Leon Delaney:  Any action toys are flattering.

Where you allowed to keep anything from the movie (The bat, cap, jersey etc.)

[glow=red,2,300]Answer:[/glow]  Only Steve Chambers kept his Furies uniform.  Steve was injured and in hospital.  Walter Hill came to visit and gave him the uniform.

Did any of the Furies go off set in costume and if so how were they received?

[glow=red,2,300]Answer:[/glow]  Leon Delaney:   When we left set no New Yorker looked twice.  That's New York.

Do you personally think Walter Hill should have made the furies more aggressive in the fighting sequence with the warriors in the film like they were in the original script?

[glow=red,2,300]Answer:[/glow]  For the tone of the movie at the time (1978) it was in-keeping with standards.  It was aggressive enough and not overly brutal.  Yes, by today's standards it might seem tame.  Today there would be allot more guts, brutality, filth and degradation.  However, the poetry would be lost - the overlying theme of meeting to form a way to get along would pale against ultra-violence that is often communicated in today's gang movies.

And the final question, Would you be interested in coming to a big meeting of "The Warriors" fans in 2009 that would feature other cast members of the movie(hopefully) to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the movie?

[glow=red,2,300]Answer:[/glow] yes, both Steve Chambers and Leon Delaney would consider coming.

[MiddleMan07]

Id like to thank toon again for his effort in this interview, without him this would not be possible!  Enjoy.

After hours and hours of hard searching done primarily by myself, I have tracked down Chambers and Delaney to get this interview to YOU the PUBLIC.

A MIDDLEMAN07 production

[Electriceliminator]

Kool Nice one Kartoon

[BullDog]

Wow, great work Toon and middle, Thats awesome. I really hope they do come out for the 09
' conclave. Was it just me or when you read Yes, one has the uniform imediatly you wanted it, espicially toon  .  That is awesome though, brought some stuff to light that was highly debated.  Again, great stuff guys.

[Furies4life]

WOW just wow amazing Karma for both of you. Toon how exactly did you do it??? 96 street were the came from and its smelly. This info is just amazing. Agian i thank both of you.

[Mugen92]

yeah he's right about the violence factor if the warriors were made today it wouldnt have been the same u know?

[KillerMime]

"Answer:  New York Roadrunners worked just one night.  They did only running - no stunts. "

I always wondered about that one shot during the chase sequence in the park where you can tell the guy dressed up as the leader is not the actual stuntman who played the role.  Thanks for clearing that up.  Good interview.  And finally we know where the Furies HQ hellhole is!

[WildBoy]

Great insight interview.  I think the Fury fight is not too tame, but just could have been longer.  Walter Hill should have left it as it is.

But you know, today, the movie would contain blood and gore, and that would be a complete waste.

And that's how I always saw this scene, look how trash filled, dark, dismal and dreary the location is when the camera pans around the Furies as the Warriors exit 96th Street Station.  Who wouldn't want to join a gang and escape the hell on Earth as the interviewee mentioned.

Kartoon - thanks for bringing this to us fans!

[phillykid]

Great work as usual Toon.  I was always wondering where the actual spot was where they all come out of that basement apartment swinging their bats, now I can add that to my list of filming locations used in the movie.

[MiddleMan07]

Oh yeah.. thank toon all the time, oh yeah. Cause you know he was the only one that did anything  :p

[Cubs On The Red Carpet]

this answered alot of questions for me how did u get the interview with them.

[COLT]

Middle man and Kartoon thank you for doing things like this for this site and its members. You have really made this website an experience for fans like me. This was another awesome addition to an already fantastic resource to the inner workings of the Warriors! You guys rock!

[Oxygen]

Oh yeah.. thank toon all the time, oh yeah. Cause you know he was the only one that did anything  :p

  why did you find the guy or somthin like that?

anyway good job middleman and you too kartoon

[Kartoon]

to make a long story short

me and middle looked up on imdb.com the furies members

then i searched the net for steve chambers

and tracked him down

wrote um a email, sent um the questions. he got back to me. i posted it up

he got ahold of leon for us


served by the goodfellaz - Kartoon & Middleman07

[Bopper69]

yeah thx a lot kartoon for getting the interview it was really interesting.