As promised, I will step away from politics and astronomy
this week to give those of you living your lives vicariously through
pop-culture icons a chance to catch up.
It has been my intent for some time to address what I believe is one of
the most important and enjoyable facets of the Golden Age of Hollywood.
For you tyros who are now titillated at the prospect of learning
something about motion pictures (that’s what they called movies before the
world decided everything continental was more sophisticated and we adopted the
word “film”), you may locate other posts about this subject by searching the
index for Best-ees 1.0 et al.
Then we learned earlier this week of the death of William
Schallert. If your initial response is,
“Who is William Schallert?” it underscores your need for further schooling on
the subject at hand. William Schallert
was the actor, who among many other roles, played the father of my first
celebrity crush, Patty Duke (c’mon, I was only nine years old), on a
mid-nineteen sixties sitcom, not surprisingly entitled The Patty Duke Show (ABC
1963-1966). But this is not about that
show, it is about actors. William
Schallert is an example of the “working actor” who never graduated to starring
roles or celebrity status, but crafted performances of periphery characters
that added so much to texture the movie.
IMDb lists 375 acting credits in film and television spanning from 1947
to 2014 (most recently on Two Broke Girls…
sorry, I’ve never seen it).
This article is not specifically about him but those of his
ilk that I refer to as third tier actors.
The first tier is the starring role (e.g., Cary Grant, or John Wayne). The
second tier is filled by actors whose names you should know if you are into
movies from the Golden Age; they were generally the sidekicks and villains
(e.g., Walter Brennan, or Basil Rathbone).
The third tier is populated by those best known as character
actors. They generally served little
purpose for plot development but added a great deal of substance in portrayal
of offbeat characters, usually (but not always) with a comic bent, even in the
darkest of dramas. William Schallert was
that kind of actor, although his start was relatively late in the evolution of
the Golden Age. And that is what the
balance of this missive is about, Dale’s (who else?) pick for the best
character actors from the Golden Age.
Now let me warn you, there are more of these people than I could ever
begin to list and the selections presented here are based solely on my feelings
on the subject… that’s why they call it subjectivity. If you are offended by someone I excluded, or
included, start your own blog.
James Gleason (1882-1959): 163 acting credits from 1922 to
1958 (film and TV)
Gleason set the standard for the overwrought police lieutenant
trying to unravel a mystery that to the audience is clear as can be. He was also frequently cast in military
roles, as were most male actors who worked during World War II. But his range was not limited, his everyman
look and demeanor suited him well for any type of role. Some of my favorite performances were (all
righty, get ready to jot this down… wait, you don’t have to, I’ve done it for
you.)
Meet
John Doe (Warner Bros. 1941) directed by Frank Capra: Henry
Here
Comes Mr. Jordan (Columbia 1941) directed by Alexander Holt: Max Corkle
Arsenic
and Old Lace (Warner Bros. 1944) directed by Frank Capra: Lt. Rooney
The
Bishops Wife (RKO 1947) directed by Henry Koster: Sylvester
Eugene Pallette (1889-1954): 260 acting credits from 1913 to
1946
Pallette’s most noticeable characteristic was his raspy
voice; sounded like an Osterizer*.
His rotund physique did not stop him from portraying action
characters. He was equally adept at
playing good-guy, bad-guy or flustered father; he was always overbearing. His role as comic relief was buttressed by
his aggressive style.
My
Man Godfrey (Universal 1937) directed by Gregory La Cava: Alexander Bullock
Topper
(MGM 1937) directed by Norman Z. McLeod: Casey
The
Adventures of Robbin Hood (Warner Bros. 1938) directed by Michael Curtiz: Friar Tuck
The
Mark of Zorro (20th Century Fox) directed by Rouben Mamoulian: Frey Felipe
Charles Ruggles (1886-1970): 152 acting credits from 1914 to
1968 (film and TV)
Ruggles was a master of comic expression (think Danny Kaye
before Danny Kaye), quite often portraying the good-hearted souse. His trademark was making funny faces in
response to dialogue delivered by other cast members. If you had a favorite uncle that your mother
was trying to shield you from, it would be Charlie Ruggles. In 1960 he did the voice of Aesop in the
Aesop Fables cartoons from Rocky and Bullwinkle.
Ruggles
of Red Gap (Paramount 1935) directed by Leo McCarey: Egbert Flound
Anything
Goes (Paramount 1936) directed by Lewis Milestone: Moonface
Martin
Bringing
Up Baby (RKO 1938} directed by Howard Hawks: Major Applegate
No
Time for Comedy (Warner Bros. 1940) directed by William Keighley: Philo
Swift
Sig Ruman (1884-1967): 128 acting credits from 1922-966
(film and TV):
Rugman played a wide spectrum of characters from bumbling
bureaucrat Nazi soldier. His accent was
a benefit of his German birth and held him in good stead during the late 1930s
and 1940s when Germans were needed to portray the myriad roles in movies about
WWII. But even in his most malevolent
performances, he radiated the aura of a teddy bear. His career included some of the greatest
films Hollywood produced.
A
NIght at the Opera (MGM 1935) Directed by Sam Wood: Gottlieb
Only
Angels Have Wings (Columbia 1939) Directed by Howard Hawks: Dutchy
Comrade
X (MGM 1940) Directed by King Vidor: Emil Von Hofer
Stalag
17 (Paramount 1953) Directed by Billy Wilder: Sgt. Johann Sebastian Schulz
Felix Bressart (1892-1949): 66 acting credits from 1928 to
1949:
Bressart was another German emigre; he was invited to leave
his country of origin due to his theatrical work in political satire
performances. He is your kindly old
grand-uncle and you can see the emotional wounds of the leading lady in his
sympathetic body language and facial expression. His resume is a bit shorter than the others I
have included as he died while working in 1949.
Ninotchka
(MGM 1940) Directed by Ernst Lubitsch: Comrade Iranoff
The
Shop Around the Corner (MGM 1940) Dir. by Ernst
Lubitsch: Pirovitch
Third
Finger, Left Hand (MGM 1940) Dir. by Robtert Leonard: August Winkel
Above
Suspicion (MGM 1943) Directed by Richard Thorpe: Mr. A. Werner
Edgar Kennedy (1892-1948): 446 acting credits from 1911 to
1949:
Kennedy is known as the king of the slow burn, a pantomime
routine in which the actor slowly displays his angry reaction to another
character’s behavior or statement, a talent he would have developed while
working in silent films. But gold is
gold and you can see that he adapted his trademark move into talkies very
naturally. He was often cast as a police
officer, frustrated by the nonsensical actions of the principal
characters. Kennedy had a peerless
career, it almost seems that he would have been present for Edison’s unveiling
of his new motion picture process.
Duck
Soup (Paramount 1933) Directed by Leo McCarey: Street Vendor
San
Francisco (MGM 1936) Directed by W.S. Van Dyke: Sheriff
In
Old California (Republic 1942) Directed by William C. McGann: Kegs McKeever
Anchors
Aweigh (MGM 1945) Directed by George Sidney: Police Captain
Donald McBride (1889-1957): 162 acting credits from
1914-1956:
McBride was another of the long suffering everyman who just
wanted everything to remain calm and orderly.
Unfortunately, the script always called for mayhem and chaos. As with Edgar Kennedy, he relied on the slow
burn but was also master of the double take, the nervous tic and loss of words.
The
Great Man Votes (RKO 1939) Directed by Garson Kanin: Iron Hat McCarthy
Northwest
Passage (MGM) Directed by King Vidor: Sergeant McNott
My
Favorite Wife (RKO 1940) Directed by Garson Kanin: Hotel Clerk
High
Sierra (Warner Bros. 1941) Directed by Raoul Walsh: Big Mac
Okay, I think that’s enough for this week. You have been very patient. If you haven't noticed, I have provided you with a list of movies that are among the best of their era. This is a good primer to start your education on the Golden Age of Hollywood, I hope you enjoy them. Soon I will produce Best-ees 4.2 which will focus on female supporting character
actresses of the same period. I am an
equal opportunity plagiarist.
*And now for the rant, you knew there was going
to be one: If you don’t know what an
Osterizer is then take your freakin’ Cuisanart and move to France with the rest
of the communists. Just try to make a margarita in a food processor. That’s why the French were beaten up by the
Mexicans so badly at the battle of Puebla (cinco de mayo) … no margaritas. After all, war is a thirsty business!