Three Men and a Little Lady (1990)
Castle Notes
The stars talk to the Guardian
castle notes
Broughton was the house of the Englishman who married the "little lady's" mother. Tom Selleck and Fiona Shaw in magnificent flirting mode in the movie's best scene was shot in the Oak Room. Other great outside shots, and one whole day filming a scene with Tom Selleck (actually his double) being thrown into the moat off the gatehouse bridge. This scene unfortunately was cut and never appeared in the final film. The carpet in the Gallery is a 'relic' of the film. It was made especially for the movie and they asked if we would like to keep it when they finished ... yes please!
the stars talk to the guardian:excerpts from a report by jonathan kent for the banbury guardian
Tom Selleck: He has found Broughton Castle itself a particularly pleasant place to work. "I love this location. What an idyllic place to spend your days even if you are working. It's nice to see the land and buildings preserved and not turned into a shopping centre."
"Lord and Lady Saye and Sele (the owners) are lovely people. They've been very kind to me and my parents who they showed around the place. They gave them a guided tour.
Steve Guttenberg: Born in Brooklyn, New York, he has starred in films like Diner, Cocoon, goodness knows how may Police Academy pictures and played Michael Kellam, one of the three dads in Three Men and a Baby.
He was having a great time in Broughton. "I enjoy it verymuch. It's beautiful and the poeple are charming. I like being with Ted and Tom. They're funny, sharp, sophisticated and good actors.
"It's very different from the US. Like the food – too much butter and sugar and oil. I'm not used to rich food; mind you, the best sweets in the world are in England."
He admits being less au fait with England than his co-stars. "I come over here once every year or 18 months. People are a little more reserved, but they tend to be much more open to European ways. In the States they are very sheltered from them. And you sure do like football more than we do."
Whatever shortcomings he has found with our food, Steve Guttenberg loves our sheep. "Tom and I were doing a scene with sheep. We had to work with about 500 sheep and that was an eye-opener!
"They're very different from American sheep. The sheep here are much more polite. You know how the Americans are: very pushy. I found Englsih sheep easy to get along with.
Lord and Lady Saye: "Almost all of it has been fun and exciting. You are in two minds when you don't know when someone might get hurt doing a stunt or someone might accidentlally damage a picture." (Lady Saye) said.
She has had to look on while the set decorators redecorate the castle.
"It's fascinating how they've decorated the rooms. The feel they've got is of an England of about 20 years ago. The sort of furniture they've used has a self-conscious kind of swoopiness and the kind of curtains they've hung have the feel of a top American hotel.
Among the less orthodox decorations brought by the film company is a large fibreglass vampire which adorns the top of the tower. "We've become rather fond of him actually," said Lady Saye and Sele. "He's not very beautiful though."
And will she be going to see the film when it comes out? "Oh my goodness, yes, and I hope the whole of Banbury will as well. The filming wasn't just at Broughton but in the fields and villages hereabouts."
The interviews above are copyright its author and The Banbury Guardian. The images are publicity stills from the film.
The cast included Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg and Ted Danson. The film was the sequel to Three Men and a Baby, the top box office hit of 1987. The baby is now five years old and her mother, played by Nancy Travis, moves to England to live in a stately home - played by Broughton.
Castle Notes
