Audie L Murphy

[stuart.uk]

I'm in the camp that Audie Murphy was a good actor and believe he wouldn't have lasted as long as he did if he didn't have some sort of talent.

Along with Randolph Scott and Joel Mcrea, Murphy made some really good westerns in the 1950s, like The Cimarron Kid, Drums Across The River, Gunsmoke and Night Passage. I liked Duel At Silver Creek, but was put of by the names given to the characters like The Silver Kid, Lightning, Johnny Sombrero, Brown Eyes and Dusty. Maybe he could have done with some stronger leading ladies, mind you in the film Walk The Proud Land he did have Patricia Crawley and Anne Bancroft in what appears to be a water downed, but still entertaining version of the factual life of Indian Agent John Clum, who was also Mayor of Tombstone at the time of The OK Corral.
However, he did work with some good character actors like Charles Drake and Dan Durey. I have to agree with most and say his best film was when he played himself in the war film To Hell And Back, which in my opinion was better than Saving Private Ryan. I also think and credit to Audie that THAB was a fitting tribute to the guys he served with that never returned.

Some might say his 60 films weren't as strong, but if anything I think the more mature persona was even better than in the 50s. Like in Night Passage with James Stewart, Audie played a supporting role in The Unforgiven. IMO he not only stole the film from Burt Lancaster and Audrey Hepburn, but also the great Lillian Gish. I also think Posse From Hell is a highly underrated western.
Some also say his career was on the wane at the time of his death in the early 70s, but with the aging John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda, he may well have come good again, though he had moved into production.

I get the impression Audie was a humble man, who didn't behave like a movie star. I was impressed by the fact, Audie, who traumatized by his was experience, got addicted to a prescription drug and when he found out, he locked himself in a hotel room and went cold turkey for a week, cleaning himself out.

[mongoII]

Interesting post, Stuart. Murphy was indeed a good actor. I liked his performances in "Destry" , "To Hell and Back", and "The Red Badge of Courage" among others.
It's sad that his life ended abruptly in a plane crash.

[Western Guy]

Note to Moira: Regarding this topic, I hope you'll print my Lloyd Nolan interview where Lloyd briefly discusses working with Audie in Murphy's first film BAD BOY.

I'm a huge Audie Murphy fan. Love his Westerns and enjoy his genre performances where he rides outside the law: NIGHT PASSAGE and THE KID FROM TEXAS. A very underrated performer but IMO exceptionally good in the roles for which he was best suited. The man was a real American hero whose tragic death after all that he had endured during WWII had to be one of life's great ironies.

Oh, and definitely TO HELL AND BACK was a better film than SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. While the latter may have offered a more realistically graphic presentation of war, it was still a fictional rendering of events, whereas Audie's movie was the real thing --well, mostly since there had to be some Hollywoodisms added. Would be interesting to see a remake of TO HELL AND BACK, though who could play Audie better than himself?

[Maricatrin]

Audie Murphy is vastly underrated as an actor, and he shouldn't be. I hope the following video will help illustrate his powerful performance in The Red Badge of Courage.

[youtube][/youtube]

Take special note of:

1) His fear and eventual panic at the approach of the enemy. While he's watching their advance, we can feel the growing terror of a boy who's fighting his first battle. Being able to convey this to the audience without seeming an abject coward consists of good acting (especially impressive from the most decorated soldier of World War II.)
2) The terrible grief in his face when John Dierkes fall dead in the grass. Sadly, I'm sure this pain was experienced before in real life, but just experiencing an emotion in real life doesn't mean you can convey it convincingly on the screen. There are many people who in moments of deep emotion shut down outwardly and remain expressionless. Besides, not everyone can relive/recreate a spontaneous action on cue. If they can, it's a form of acting.

[movieman1957]

I like Murphy as well. I do like his westerns. "No Name On The Bullet" and "Night Passage" among the better films. I haven't seen too many of his other genre films save for his war films.

The marvel of it is that he is certainly not the type you would expect to be the hero he was and maybe not even the type for leading roles in films but there he is. There maybe not big films but they are always, I think, enjoyable just for him being there.

[pvitari]

I just want to chime in a big "what you all said" regarding Audie Murphy and his (under-rated) talent. There is a reason why he was such a popular actor -- and remains so today.

[stuart.uk]

I wanted to pay a wee tribute to one of Audie's dureable leading ladies, Susan Cabot, who later in life met a tragic end murdered by her deranged son. I thought her particulary impressive in Gunsmoke. She was also in Dual At Silver Creek.

[Rita Hayworth]

Picture and Medals of
Audie L. Murphy during his Military Career

The most decorated US ARMY Officer of all time ... He rose to the rank of Major (in reserves). Enjoy these photos.