LOOKA ME! I'M A STAR!

[cmvgor]

I recently ran across a movie title that took up a little of my time and put
me to some work. Ssssssss is a standard minor horror flick with one extranordinary feature. It gives star billing to character actor Strother Martin, I think for the only time ever. I posted a notice of
this find on the Strother Martin tribute thread in the Westerns Forum of TCM, but the experience got me thinking: How common is this? How often has a rock-steady, well-regarded support player been given one shot at stardom, and then faded back into his usual groove of support roles? I think I know some other examples.

--Don Stroud has a solid background in support roles: One of The Chiorboys. The helpful young priest in The Amnityville Horror. Numerous series-TV guest shots. But in 1970 he was the top-billed
star in Angel Unchained, a run-of the mill biker gang flick. I am not aware of any other film where
he got top billing, but his status as a dependable support player continued.

--Luke Askew, a brutal chaingang guard in Cool Hand Luke,
a simi-regular in Peckinpah westerns, also numerous TV guest shots to
his credit. But in l970 he starred in a spagetti western La Notte de'
Serpenti (The Night Of The Serphant). Appearently another one-time
thing.

Other examples that come to mind do not fit into that narrow description.
Tim Holt enjoyed a steady career as a non-singing kiddie western hero, but occasionally stepped into a strong support role in such prestiege
projects as The Magnificent Ambersons, Treasure of the Sierra
Madre, or Hitler's Children. Edmond O'Brien also spent most
of his career moving smoothly between lead roles (Man In The Dark, the origional D.O.A.) and support roles (Casca in Julius Caeser, the press agent in The Barefoot Contessa). So these
examples do not fit into the situation described above. Are there any more examples out there of one-shot stardom?

[CoffeeDan]

As far as I know, that sterling Warner Brothers stock company member Frank McHugh had only one starring role, in THREE MEN ON A HORSE (1936).

[cmvgor]

--Robert Webber I thought of that name while composing the origional comments above, but I could not think of the star vehicle involved. Webber had a long run as a support player. Worked for Peckinpah at least once (Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia).
Seemed to guest star at least once a season on the old 'Rockford Files'
series, doing equally good work as a suspect, villain or witness. In 1966
he was the star of Tecnica de un Omicido (The Hired Killer). That may be a clue to some of these one-shot stardom gigs -- foreign made
films.

[cmvgor]

Did Harry Carey, Jr. ever top the bill? Did L.Q. Jones?

[movieman1957]

Did Harry Carey, Jr. ever top the bill?

A quick look through IMDB shows second billing twice. (I didn't look through every movie.) One is "Gundown at Sandoval" and something from last year titled "Comanche Stallion." In the second he is second to the ancient James Arness. Never knew anything of this one but lists Carey as writer/producer.

[pktrekgirl]

I thought I remembered Alan Hale getting top billing on a film I recorded once. Never got to see it, so I'm not for sure on that...but I dimly remember something like this.

I don't know how many times Bruce Cabot got top billing..not many, I'm sure, though probably more than once.

[cmvgor]

[quote="pktrekgirl"]I thought I remembered Alan Hale getting top billing on a film I recorded once. Never got to see it, so I'm not for sure on that...but I dimly remember something like this.

Correct. In l956, Alan Hale starred in The Three Outlaws as The
Sundance Kid, opposite Neville Brand as Butch Cassidy. That recently came to my attention, but I was focused on something else, and I ignored it. Thanks.

[cmvgor]

Did Harry Carey, Jr. ever top the bill?

A quick look through IMDB shows second billing twice. (I didn't look through every movie.) One is "Gundown at Sandoval" and something from last year titled "Comanche Stallion." In the second he is second to the ancient James Arness. Never knew anything of this one but lists Carey as writer/producer.

Yo, movieman;

I think you hit pay dirt re Carey, and scored another find, too, with
Gundown at Sandoval. Lyle Bettger with top billing? I would
not have thought of him. Usually an unctious, sneering villain, I didn't
even glance in his direction. His one-season TV run as 'Mister Distrlict Attorney' (1951-52) was not movie stardom. But Sundoval gets
him a place on this list. Thanks.

I wasted some time on a prospect that didn't pan out. Bo Hopkins has
been a small-town sheriff, heroic forest ranger, etc, etc, just too many
times, and to the top of the list too many times. A lot of them seem to
be TV movies. Considering the example I started with -- Strother Martin -- I don't think I'm going to find a lot of examples that fit into that narrow
mold.

[cmvgor]

I mentioned one of my favorites above -- L.Q. Jones. No example of top billing has turned up so far, but I have found an attempt. The critilcal commentaries that accompany the disc of The Ballad Of Cable Hogue reveal that Jones once held the rights to that property, and was trying to develope it as a vehicle for himself. When he could not, of course, others developed the project and he did get a strong support role.