As much as I enjoyed the Rifleman during its original run and as much as I'm liking it now in re-runs, I never really paid a lot of attention to Paul Fix (Micah Torrance - town Marshall).
Since I've started getting the Western Channel, and I'm watching movies that date back to the early 30's, that man is hounding me! I see him everywhere. At first I thought he was just in a lot of John Waynes' early 'B' movies, but I've also seen him in nearly every Randolph Scott movie also. Sometimes he's just a bit part - a ranch hand, or stagecoach driver, and sometimes he's a side kick, or a sheriff or marshall. Whatever he does however, he stands out. He's played with some of the big guys as well as the "B" films. He's acted with Alan Ladd, Robert Ryan, Errol Flynn, and I could go on and on. He's played grungy Mexican bad guys, and western gentlemen - and all very believably.
One other guy is Frank Faylen - Dobie Gillis' Dad - he's another one who's all over, especially in Westerns.
Do any of you have a bit player that you notice all the time? Often I'm watching something lately and I talk to my TV by saying "Darn it, there he is again!"
Anne
Anne
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Glenn Strange (Miss Kitty's "Sam the Longbranch bartender" of Gunsmoke) did a lot of supporting-character work in 50s and 60s
television.
Two others that I always enjoyed spotting were Dub Taylor and Burt Mustin. Both are long gone now, but they were always an addition when
they showed up.
"Faint heart never filled inside straight"
--Bret & Bart's Pappy
Edgar Buchanan. Along with Walter Brennan he seems to have been in almost every movie ever made. (Not just Westerns.)
Anne:
I know someone who's son knew Chuck Connors. They tried to do some work together but only did preliminary work. He says his son spoke fondly of Connors. He found him to be a very helpful, nice man to with which to work.
Chris
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
After reading your post, I finally looked Paul Fix up on imdB. That was an interesting tidbit that I didn't know. That's about all I use imdB for is to check out who's in a movie, or to find the name of a movie, or the short bios.
Chris:
Thank you also for your tidbit. It's nice to learn that someone I admired was worth the admiration.
Am I nuts or are there no longer any bit players in modern movies? You have the 'stars' and their immediate friends/family to round out the story, but on the whole, others, on the outskirts of the immediate story have no lines, just as there are no 'sidekicks' like Gabby Hayes, or Eve Arden.
It seems like most movies today are either ensemble, or two stars, three if a girls is involved. e.g. In An Unfinished Life, Robert Redford, and J-Lo were the stars, and Morgan Freeman was the first name on the next page (so to speak), yet Morgan's part was equally essential to the plot line as J-Lo's, so I wouldn't consider him to be a supporting cast member, he was actually in more scenes than her. I get so confused!!!
Anne
Anne
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I was thinking the same thing last week. (Frankly, I don't remember whether I posted anything.) Apart from some of the English actors Derek Jacobi, Denholm Elliot, Robbie Coltrane, which come to mind, I couldn't tell you anyone. Granted I don't go to the movies much but even when I come across the pay channels no one really stands out the way those on our ever growing list do.
Chris
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
HereI am at the crack of dawn (literally) watching TV and tuned in to 'Rustlers on Horseback' (1950) starring Allan 'Rocky' Lane, and onscreen comes one of my teen age heart-throbs - George Nader. It took me a few minutes to remember his name, but I finally did, but can't recall the name of the show he was on. I looked him up on imdB and was surprised to learn he was one of the 'in' guys of Rock Hudson's clique. It's kind of a shame that the studios had a few special guys, and because of them, they didn't try to further careers of fellows like George. He was extra good looking, and might have turned out to be a better actor if given the chance, but such is life!
I remember him being all over the TV in several guest spots, both Westerns and contemporary, and as I said, I'm almost sure he was in his own show for a short time, but cannot recall what it was - Does anyone out there recall?
This movie is one of the reasons I like the Western Channel on Encore so much. They have all of these off-the-wall old movies. Just before that was a John Wayne reallll oldie called Star Packer. The name Rustlers on Horseback makes me laugh . . . what else would they be on? But early on many, many mornings I have seen Blue Steel, West of the Divide, Randy Rides Alone, and Texas Terror to name a few. They all are one hour long, and JW stars in all of them (circa 1934-1938 .) They're poorly photographed, horrible dialog, ridiculous horseback riding (e.g. hanging on the pommel on the side of the horse as they ride right on by the bad guys) and plots right out of the comic books, but I love them. I get a great kick out of them and enjoy seeing all the young actors/actresses learning the ropes and tools of their trade.
If you have the Western Channel, I suggest you set your timer once in a while, you may find a little gem occassionally.
Anne
Anne
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I remember him being all over the TV in several guest spots, both Westerns and contemporary, and as I said, I'm almost sure he was in his own show for a short time, but cannot recall what it was - Does anyone out there recall?
Anne[/quote]
mrsl;
Would that be Man And The Challange? It was on NBC 1959-60.
I saw a few episodes. Enjoyed them.
"Faint heart never filled inside straight"
--Bret & Bart's Pappy
Another character I always see lately is John Qualen from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, also in episodes of Bonanza, Maverick and a ton of westerns usually playing a swede.
vallo
"We're all forgotten sooner or later. But not films. That's all the memorial we should need or hope for."
-Burt Lancaster
I spotted Pedro Armendariz last week in a replay of Fort Apache. Decided I owe him a mention because for years I did him an injustice. Having seen The Three Godfathers (the 1948 John Wayne
version) at about age 9 and again in my early 20s, I had mistakenly credited Armendariz' work in that film to Gonzales Gonzales. Discovering
my error, I googled his career and found a story that interested and saddened me.
Armendariz (1912-1963) started his acting career on stage, and then had
a film career that lasted from 1937 until his death. He was, in his day, one
of Mexico's top film stars, frequently working with another high-profile
actor-director, Emilio Fernandez. He was also popular with European
directors, and made many films there. In the US, as noted, he showed up
in the Duke's westerns. Oasis users recently had occasion to mention his
strong performance as the relentless police officer tracking Henry Fonda
in John Huston's The Fugitive.
Multiethnic, he also played a Mongol Hoard - type in The Conquerer
(1956), and he is one of those who are believed to have gotten cancer due
to location filming on that epic.
Multiethnic, he was 007's Gypsy King ally in From Russia With Love
(1963). He knew going into that project that he had cancer, and the shooting schedule was arranged to make sure all his scenes were completed, so that his family would get the income. He took his own life
(pistol) rather than face a slow death.
I find it impossible to make any meaningful comment about his death. As
for his life and his work, I know I enjoyed and respected what I was able
to see of it. As for those in other cultures who saw him in other backgrounds and in other languages, they seemed to respect his work also. They certainly gave him a lot of it.
Last edited by cmvgor on January 3rd, 2008, 11:58 pm, edited 2 times in total.
"Faint heart never filled inside straight"
--Bret & Bart's Pappy
I really love to watch Pedro A. in a film---he's charismatic alright, and a really fine actor. He was and still is an enormous star in Latin America---he is like John Wayne to them. John Ford is the one to have given him his best exposure to U.S. audiences. I find his character in The Fugitive fascinating and multi-layered.
He can also be seen in a supporting but plum part in Robert Mitchum's The Wonderful Country.
Not completely in the spirit of the thread but I was thinking of both of you during a severe insomnia attack last night. I came across Chuck Connors in "Branded" (black and white, no less) and Walter Brennan in "The Guns of Will Sonnett. (That episode had Strother Martin in it as well.)
Ah, the stuff you can find between 4 and 5 in the morning.
Chris
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
One night during New Year's week; simply because I did not turn off the set or change channels, I experienced a sighting that dovetailed neatly with things that have been on my mind recently. One of the replay channels was running Return Of the Seven (1966). I'm a staunch
fan of the origional Magnificent Seven, but I'm rather indifferent to
the sequels. I number them among what I think of as "multitask" movies;
something you can watch while you do a crossword, sort the junk mail,
etc, and not miss anything important. I had seen this one once before, but this time I spotted a face. For the first time I found that Emilio Fernandez had a major support role in this film.
Sr. Fernandez had the role of Francisco Lorca, the boss villain. His was a role at least as big as Eli Wallach's role in the origional Mag 7 outing. I had seen it when it was fairly new, and had forgotten his presence. He
played the powerful landowner who was pulling men off their farms to
use them as slave labor on a cathedral he wanted built. The building was
to be a monument to his dead sons. Backstory: Those same sons had once hired Chris (the Yul Brynner character) to kill him!
I'm not through yet trying to ferret out a few more facts on this performer,
and I'm glad I ran across this movie again.
"Faint heart never filled inside straight"
--Bret & Bart's Pappy
