Those forgotten actor/actresses..

[Feraud]

Thoughts and comments on your favorite forgotten actors. Not those names like Bogey and Wayne that everyone knows even if they have never seen their films. This is for those actors and actresses whose names bring blank looks from people.

Robert Ryan

The Set-Up
Ryan play a boxer who is set up to take a dive by his manager but isn't in on the fix. Filmed in real time.
This is such a great film. It's about more than boxing but the hopes, dreams, and humanity of the people in this picture. Great direction and cinematography. The crowd scenes during the fight are great.

Odds Against Tomorrow
Ryan plays a small time crook and bigot who is pulled into a heist with Ed Begley and Harry Belafonte. Another film about hopes and dreams of small timers who need one more score to break even.

There are also his great films like Bad Day at Black Rock, Crossfire, The Wild Bunch, etc.

I just realized Set-Up and Odds wereboth directed by Robert Wise. We can do a thread on his films alone..

 

[Carlisle Blues]

ALDO Ray

Ray's husky frame, thick neck and raspy voice made him perfect for playing tough sexy roles. In his first film as Aldo Ray, he starred with Judy Holliday in 1952’s The Marrying Kind, directed by film legend George Cukor. Cukor famously suggested that Ray go to ballet school because he walked too much like a football player. That same year, Ray appeared in Pat and Mike, starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in the seventh of their nine films together, and again directed by Cukor.

His best known work of the 1960’s, however, was his portrayal of Sergeant Muldoon, alongside John Wayne, in The Green Berets.

Nevertheless, Hollywood’s appetite for Ray’s machismo waned in the 1970’s. He was typically cast as gruff and gravelly rednecks. Perhaps overly eager for work, Aldo even appeared in a pornographic movie, Sweet Savage, in a non-sexual role. This decline continued in the 1980’s. Aldo’s SAG membership was revoked in the 1980s when it was discovered he was acting in non-union productions. His last film was the campy Shock Em Dead in which he appeared with Traci Lords and Troy Donahue.

 

[Feraud]

Well said.

To point out the influence and legacy of these lesser known actors, Quentin Tarantino has a "Lt. Aldo Raine" in his new film Inglorious Basterds. W/out doubt a tribue to Aldo.
I would not be surprised if the Coen brothers saw Aldo in the Jacque Tourneu film Nightfall as they were writing Fargo. The finale in the snow is reminiscent of their film.

 

[Tomasso]

Clifton Webb. The consummate thespian; from Vaudeville to Broadway to Hollywood. His characters were often arrogant, cynical, scheming, rude, aloof, persnickety, etc....but in an honest and somehow likable way. He stole just about any movie or play in which he appeared. He was also a perennial on the best dressed lists.

Films:

Laura
The Razor's Edge
Cheaper by the Dozen
Titanic
Three Coins in the Fountain
Stars and Stripes Forever
Mr. Belvedere movie series

From Laura:

Offscreen with Bogart and Olivier:

 

[bunnyb.gal]

Hello everyone,

I've been lurking for an embarrassingly long time but have finally been tempted out of hiding for my first post by the mention of Robert Ryan! Although I had seen him before in several other films, I saw him a couple of days ago in Beware, My Lovely and was absolutely dumbstruck by his performance. I'm amazed his name isn't up there with the big ones.

On the topic of forgotten actors/actresses, I'll throw the name of one of my favourites out there - George E. Stone...any memories jogged?

Now let me go introduce myself formally in one of the stickies...

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Marjorie Beebe!!!

.

 

[Lily Powers]

Ooooh, for me, it's Warren William. Pre-code scoundrel in "Gold Diggers of 1933," "Employees' Entrance;" suave detective in the "Lone Wolf" movies and the gamut from debonair to scholarly to tippler to womanizing barrister in the early "Perry Mason" movies. Also called "the poor man's Barrymore," but to me, I'd rather watch him than any Barrymore any day of the week.

 

[Feraud]

Good selections so far.
If anyone is interested in seeing Ryan in action, TCM is showing his films over two days in November.

10 Tuesday


6:00 AM Her Twelve Men (1954) A dedicated teacher turns around the troublesome students at a boys' school. Cast: Greer Garson, Robert Ryan, Richard Haydn. Dir: Robert Z. Leonard. BW-91 mins, TV-G, CC

8:00 AM Born To Be Bad (1950) An ambitious girl steals a rich husband but keeps her lover on the side. Cast: Joan Fontaine, Robert Ryan, Mel Ferrer. Dir: Nicholas Ray. BW-90 mins, TV-PG, CC

10:00 AM Best Of The Badmen (1951)
A band of notorious outlaws help a friend against a corrupt federal agent. Cast: Robert Ryan, Claire Trevor, Robert Preston. Dir: William D. Russell. C-84 mins, TV-PG, CC

11:30 AM Back From Eternity (1956)
When an airliner crashes in the jungle, the repaired plane can only hold five of the survivors. Cast: Robert Ryan, Anita Ekberg, Rod Steiger. Dir: John Farrow. BW-97 mins, TV-PG, CC

1:30 PM Racket, The (1951) A tough cop has to fight his superiors in order to battle the mob. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Lizabeth Scott, Robert Ryan. Dir: John Cromwell. BW-89 mins, TV-PG, CC

3:00 PM On Dangerous Ground (1951)
A tough cop sent to help in a mountain manhunt falls for the quarry's blind sister. Cast: Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan, Ward Bond. Dir: Nicholas Ray. BW-82 mins, TV-PG, CC

4:30 PM Beware, My Lovely (1952)
A widow discovers her handyman is an escaped mental patient. Cast: Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan, Taylor Holmes. Dir: Harry Horner. BW-77 mins, TV-PG, CC

6:00 PM Clash By Night (1952) An embittered woman seeks escape in marriage, only to fall for her husband's best friend. Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Ryan, Marilyn Monroe. Dir: Fritz Lang. BW-105 mins, TV-PG, CC, DVS


11 Wednesday

7:00 AM Bombardier (1943)
Military officers compete for the same woman while training pilots for war. Cast: Pat O'Brien, Randolph Scott, Anne Shirley. Dir: Richard Wallace. BW-99 mins, TV-G, CC

9:00 AM Gangway for Tomorrow (1943)
Five people thrown together by World War II review their pasts. Cast: Robert Ryan, Margo, John Carradine. Dir: John H. Auer. BW-69 mins, TV-PG

10:15 AM Marine Raiders (1944)
Marine buddies training in Australia battle over love. Cast: Pat O'Brien, Robert Ryan, Ruth Hussey. Dir: Harold Schuster. BW-91 mins, TV-G

12:00 PM Iron Major, The (1943) In this true story, Frank Cavanaugh proves himself as a football coach and a World War I hero. Cast: Pat O'Brien, Ruth Warrick, Robert Ryan. Dir: Ray Enright. BW-85 mins, TV-G

1:30 PM Tender Comrade (1943)
Lady welders pool their resources to share a house during World War II. Cast: Ginger Rogers, Robert Ryan, Ruth Hussey. Dir: Edward Dmytryk. BW-102 mins, TV-PG, CC

3:15 PM Berlin Express (1948)
Allied agents fight an underground Nazi group in post-war Europe. Cast: Merle Oberon, Robert Ryan, Paul Lukas. Dir: Jacques Tourneur. BW-87 mins, TV-PG, CC

4:45 PM Act Of Violence (1949)
An embittered veteran tracks down a POW camp informer. Cast: Van Heflin, Robert Ryan, Janet Leigh. Dir: Fred Zinnemann. BW-82 mins, TV-PG, CC

6:30 PM Bad Day At Black Rock (1955) A one-armed veteran uncovers small-town secrets when he tries to visit an Asian-American war hero's family. Cast: Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Anne Francis. Dir: John Sturges. C-82 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format, DVS

http://www.tcm.com/index/

 

[LizzieMaine]

Ooooh, for me, it's Warren William. Pre-code scoundrel in "Gold Diggers of 1933," "Employees' Entrance;" suave detective in the "Lone Wolf" movies and the gamut from debonair to scholarly to tippler to womanizing barrister in the early "Perry Mason" movies. Also called "the poor man's Barrymore," but to me, I'd rather watch him than any Barrymore any day of the week.

Excellent choice -- William's one of those actors who always gets overlooked because he did his best work in the early talkie era, but I've always enjoyed him. Eminently hissable as a villian, and for my money he even outdoes William Powell as Philo Vance -- the first time I saw him in the role, he was the embodiment of the character in the books: a brilliant, self-absorbed prat who always solves the crime.

My nominee for an overlooked favorite is Patsy Kelly -- best known for her two-reelers with Thelma Todd, she was an a excellent physical comedienne, but it was her mouth that was her real gift to filmdom -- no one ever played a wisecracking secretary/waitress/store clerk/petty functionary better than she, and every movie she was ever in was that much better because she was in it. A role model for sarcastic brunettes everywhere.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

Harrison Ford

Ford moved to Hollywood and turned to film beginning in 1915. He became a leading man opposite early stars such as Constance Talmadge, Norma Talmadge, Marie Prevost, Marion Davies, Marguerite De La Motte and Clara Bow. Ford's film career ended with the advent of talkies.

 

[Lily Powers]

Excellent choice -- William's one of those actors who always gets overlooked because he did his best work in the early talkie era, but I've always enjoyed him. Eminently hissable as a villian, and for my money he even outdoes William Powell as Philo Vance -- the first time I saw him in the role, he was the embodiment of the character in the books: a brilliant, self-absorbed prat who always solves the crime.

My nominee for an overlooked favorite is Patsy Kelly -- best known for her two-reelers with Thelma Todd, she was an a excellent physical comedienne, but it was her mouth that was her real gift to filmdom -- no one ever played a wisecracking secretary/waitress/store clerk/petty functionary better than she, and every movie she was ever in was that much better because she was in it. A role model for sarcastic brunettes everywhere.

I identify (and wholly love) William Powell as Nick Charles, so for me, watching him as Philo Vance ,or any other character, is actually like watching Nick Charles playing Philo Vance. He's always Nick Charles in the back of my mind.

Since I gave the nod to Warren William as my favorite forgotten actor, I want to introduce Ruth Chatterton as my one of my favorite forgotten actresses. Her role in "Dodsworth" - a film that I grew to really appreciate - earned her the most accolades, but my favorite Chatterton movie was "Female." No caption needed to know what's on her mind in the photo below.

 

[Cigarband]

Be sure to see the Robert Ryan Film "Inferno", for most of the movie it's just him stranded alone in the desert. A fine film noir.

 

[Tomasso]

Classic Clifton Webb

Mr. Webb as Mr. Belvedere interacting with the wonderful character actor Richard Haydn.

[YOUTUBE]lMemH8fY9Xg[/YOUTUBE]

 

[docneg]

Clifton Webb. The consummate thespian; from Vaudeville to Broadway to Hollywood. His characters were often arrogant, cynical, scheming, rude, aloof, persnickety, etc....but in an honest and somehow likable way. He stole just about any movie or play in which he appeared. He was also a perennial on the best dressed lists.

Films:

Laura
The Razor's Edge
Cheaper by the Dozen
Titanic
Three Coins in the Fountain
Stars and Stripes Forever
Mr. Belvedere movie series

You missed The Dark Corner, a great film where he (sort of) reprises his Waldo Lyedecker character from Laura.

I've used one of his lines often: "How I detest the dawn; the grass looks as if it's been left out all night."

 

[Mr. 'H']

Robert Ryan

Yes, I thought he was scene stealing in Crossfire. Chilling.

 

[Mr. 'H']

ALDO Ray

Enormously influential, retrospectively, esoterically....

- Bud White, the character in LA Confidential, modeled on him

- Aldo Ray(ine) in Inglourious. Enough said!

 

[docneg]

The wonderful Elisha Cook

One of my favorites (and I'm sure yours too, even if you don't know his name) was Elisha Cook, Jr. I was actually planning to look him up and send him a fan letter back in 1995, when I heard he died.

Life's too full of that kind of ironic crap.

 

[Mr. 'H']

Clifton Webb.

Laura

He made Laura. An acquired taste, but when you acquire it, it's great!

 

[Mr. 'H']

One of my favorites (and I'm sure yours too, even if you don't know his name) was Elisha Cook, Jr.

I saw him and Aldo Ray in a 60s bad ass western at the weekend!

"Hard Times", I think.

 

[Mr. 'H']

My 110% all time, singing and dancing, with sugar on top, favorite "lost" star of the Golden Era is Sonia Darrin. Darrin played "Agnes Lowzier" in the Big Sleep.

And, oh! That immortal line:

"What do you think those are, grapefruit?"