Spring Byington

One of my favorite early TV actresses was Spring Byington (1886 - 1971). I have no idea why, but I watched "December Bride" on TV as a child. That show was on from 1954 to 1959. Like Eve Arden, maybe it was Spring's voice and mannerism that attracted me.

I shan't (there's a word I don't use very often) give you her complete biography or details of her early career. She has a very good biography on IMDb if you are interested. But Spring wanted to be an actress starting in high school, and she made her dream come true.

After some success on Broadway, she was signed by RKO to play Marmee in Little Women (1933), starring Katharine Hepburn. Early on, she was cast into roles that would focus on her maternal character. But she showed strength and a great sense of humor, not to mention her comedic talent, in whatever she did.

In 1935 she has parts in the Charles Laughton, Clark Gable version of Mutiny on the Bounty, and for a change of pace, Ah, Wilderness! starring Wallace Beery and Lionel Barrymore. She would make five films with Barrymore.

Ah, Wilderness! was also the start of her work with Jed Prouty (1879 - 1956). Jed only had a small part in that film, but in 1936 Back to Nature was made. It was the start of 16 films about the adventures of the Jones Family. In that era, a whole series could be made about the most mundane happenings, and the movie going public ate it up. Here is the story line for Back to Nature from IMDb -

The Jones family goes to a convention traveling in a trailer. The oldest daughter gets involved with a convict, the oldest son has a love affair, and the youngest son gets into photography. Written by Ed Stephan  

Not exactly a film you would see Angelina Jolie in these days. The Jones series lasted until 1940, and it helped Spring become a minor star, and certainly a known commodity in Hollywood. I know nothing about Jed Prouty, but he may become a topic for a later post.

In 1936 Spring made her only Busby Berkeley film, Stage Struck, starring Dick Powell and Joan Blondell. She also worked in two Errol Flynn films, The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936) and Green Light (1937).

In 1938 she has a part in Jezebel, a film dominated by Bette Davis and Henry Fonda, and also in You Can't Take it With You, a film not dominated by any one cast member, but by the ensemble. Jezebel was directed by William Wyler, a great director by all accounts, but You Can't Take it With You is a Frank Capra film and it shows.

Here are a few highlight films from Spring's career -

• The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (1939)
• The Devil and Miss Jones (1941)
• Meet John Doe (1941)
• Heaven Can Wait (1943)
• In the Good Old Summertime (1949)
• Angels in the Outfield (1951)

And just as her career on the big screen seems to be winding down (she was 64 years old in 1950), she was discovered for the small screen.

Of course "December Bride" was her most famous TV role. Being the type of person she always was, she made a perfect Daisy Cooper on "Laramie" as well. In fact, Spring Byington is on many of the major television series' from "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" to her final appearance on "The Flying Nun" in 1968.

She was even Doris Day's mom in her final motion picture, Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1960). It was a wonderful career for a Bit Actress who was also a star.

Clara Blandick

Everyone knows Clara Blandick (1880 - 1962). Maybe not by her screen name, but I know that if you are reading this blog, you have seen her.

Clara has over 120 film roles over a span of 50 years. She started on the stage, and appeared to prefer that. She had a few small parts in silent films from 1911 to 1917, then left the screen until 1929. In 1930, after making half a dozen movies, she was in Romance, starring Greta Garbo, and in those early years she worked with Franklin Pangborn, Myrna Loy and others with less familiar names. Also in 1930, Jackie Coogan made Tom Sawyer, and Clara became Aunt Polly.

1931 was Clara's busiest year. She repeated her Aunt Polly role in Huckleberry Finn (1931), again with Coogan. She also worked with Garbo again in Inspiration that year. In the horror film The Drums of Jeopardy, Clara played opposite Warner Oland, who played a character named Dr. Boris Karlov! She was also in Laughing Sinners, starring Joan Crawford and Clark Gable, with the great Bit Actor, Neil Hamilton. She worked with Gable and Crawford again that year in Possessed. Also in 1931, she teamed up with Gary Cooper and Carole Lombard in I Take This Woman. In The New Adventures of Get Rick Quick Wallingford, she worked with Jimmy Durante (1893 - 1908). It was Durante's second film. Clara made 13 movies in 1931 alone. No wonder this was called the Golden Age.

Continuing on, look for her in Three on a Match (1932), with Joan Blondell, Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart. She also had a small role in the Janet Gaynor 1937 version of A Star is Born.

1939 was the banner year for Clara. She starts out in the Mickey Rooney version of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Then, the role that would engrave her name in Hollywood history, as Auntie Em in The Wizard of Oz. (See? Everyone here has seen Clara Blandick.) Her next film that year was The Star Maker starring Bing Crosby, and then Drums Along the Mohawk with Claudette Colbert and Henry Fonda.

While she never worked with Judy Garland again, she did make other films with Oz alumni. She worked four times with Charley Grapewin (Uncle Henry), three with Frank Morgan (The Wizard) and Maggie Hamilton (WWW), and twice with Jack Haley (The Tin Man).

Other good post-Oz films featuring Clara Blandick include Northwest Mounted Police (1940), The Wagons Roll at Night (1941), The Big Store (1941), Du Barry was a Lady (1943), Heaven Can Wait (1943), and Life with Father (1947). Her final film was Love that Brute (1950) starring Paul Douglas, with Cesar Romero and Keenan Wynn.

Sadly, Clara decided to end her own life in 1962 at age 81. She was in constant pain from arthritis and also facing blindness. But there will only be one Auntie Em.

Julia Roberts' Brother, Eric

First of all, Happy Anniversary to the Drive-In Movie! It was 79 years ago today that the first drive-in opened in New Jersey. Where are they now?

Eric Roberts (b. 1956) is a very experienced actor, but I had never taken notice of him before. He is also Julia's older brother. Eric sports 245 titles on IMDb, compared to his sister's 50 roles, but I bet she made money money! That alone probably makes him a Bit Actor. Julia won an Oscar and has 39 other awards. Eric was nominated for an Oscar and won 3 other awards.

Eric started his career on the stage and moved into television work in 1974. His first movie was King of the Gypsies (1978) starring Susan Sarandon and Judd Hirsch. Next came Raggedy Man (1981), starring Sissy Spacek (b. 1949) and it was a big opportunity. He would go on the star in several movies, but his career never fully carried him to real stardom. His next movie, Star 80 (1983) would bring him some notice among casting directors. Star 80 also brought his first award as Best Actor by the Boston Society of Film Critics.

In 1984 he starred with Mickey Rourke and Daryl Hannah in The Pope of Greenwich Village. By this time, his character was becoming known as the brooding young man with a gravelly voice. It worked well for him.

In 1985 he was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in Runaway Train, starring Jon Voight. He was also in Nobody's Fool (1986) co-starring Rosanna Arquette (b. 1959). Not long after these good parts, he made more movies like Rude Awakening (1989) with Cheech Marin. Definitely a step down.

By the late 1980s, Eric had fallen from popularity and was taking roles that didn't do him any good. He was fighting with drug addiction, but he managed to get himself straightened out. He married Eliza Garrett, now Eliza Roberts, and they have appeared on screen together at least 20 times. Eric also worked once with Julia in Blood Red (1989), which was also not very good.

Some better roles started coming Eric's way. He played a dark character, well within his grasp, in Final Analysis (1992) starring Richard Gere, Kim Basinger and Uma Thurman. Not bad, and also a pretty good movie! He also appeared in The Specialist (1994) with Sylvester Stallone and Sharon Stone, though this is not one of my favorites.

Eric has now started pouring on the work. Previously making 4 or 5 movies a year, he turns out 14 movie and TV titles in 1996, including the role of Perry Smith in the mini series "In Cold Blood" from Truman Capote. 14 titles a year would repeat in 1999 and 2001. He does some fine television series work in "C-16: FBI," "Falcone," "Less Than Perfect," and "Heroes." Most recently you can find Eric in "The Young and the Restless."

Eric was also making many, many movies, but no real hits, and no real big roles in blockbusters. But does that really matter? He is working, and working very hard. For an actor who loves his work, that is all that matters. For movie and TV fans, it presents a challenge to see how many times you can recognize Eric Roberts when you see him. Maybe you can start a notebook.

We just recently saw Eric and his wife, Eliza, in a great kid's movie, First Dog (2010). Eric and Eliza played the president and first lady, but he still came across as the brooding character he used to play so well. I doubt that I would have voted for him, and when he first appeared on the screen I thought, 'That's the president? He looks like trouble.' He turned out to love kids and dogs, so I will give him a chance.

Most of Eric's awards and nominations came between 1979 and 1986, his best years. He is now starting to gather a few new ones, with a 2012 win in the L.A. Indie Awards for Silver Case (2011). On IMDb he lists 34 projects that are not yet released, including Lovelace, the bio pic about Linda Lovelace that was originally to go to Lindsay Lohan, but will star Amanda Seyfried. Keep up the good work, Eric! Maybe stardom can still be yours.

B4 They Were Stars - Marion (The Duke) Morrison

Everyone knows that John Wayne's (1907 - 1979) breakthrough movie was Stagecoach (1939), but he did a lot of work before that. His real name was Marion Morrison. and he was once billed as Duke Morrison in Words and Music (1929). Duke, of course, was his dog when he was a child.

Morrison was working as a prop man, part time, and he became friends with John Ford (1894 - 1973). His first few films were as an extra. Since he played football in high school and college, he made quite a few movies as a football player, including his very first screen appearance in Brown of Harvard (1926).

His next small job was in a King Vidor film, Bardelys the Magnificent (1926) starring John Gilbert (1897 - 1936). Of course these were not speaking parts, the films were silent, so no one knew John Wayne's voice yet.

It was Tom Mix (1880 - 1940) who got Wayne his studio job, in return for some football tickets. Wayne's only film with Mix was The Great K&A Train Robbery in 1926. By this time, Tony the Horse had made 17 films, and Duke only three.

Those early days would see Wayne in many films starring the big names of the silent era and early talkies. Lillian Gish, Victor McLaglen, Noah Beery, Myrna Loy, and even Stepin Fetchit. In 1928 Wayne made his first of 23 films with director John Ford, but still as an extra. It was around 1931, in Girls Demand Excitement that he started getting meatier roles with real billing.

The 1931 film, The Range Feud, starring Buck Jones (1881 - 1942) would be the first western in which John Wayne was a leading man. I wonder if he knew that would be his real claim to fame for the rest of his life. Do you think it was better to be a star in B westerns, or a Bit Actor in the A movies?

The first western I can find with John Wayne in top billing was Ride Him Cowboy (1932). In that film, Duke was the horse. Duke would go on to make six films with The Duke in 1932 and 1933.

Also in 1933 Wayne starred in Riders of Destiny as Singin' Sandy Saunders. Yes, the Duke was a signing cowboy, and one of the first. Only his singing was dubbed! Riders was also the first of 15 films that Wayne made with George 'Gabby' Hayes (1885 - 1969).

Mixed in with the westerns, sports films and action movies were still some dramas and comedies...where Wayne had to wear a suit. Look for him in Baby Face (1933) starring Barbara Stanwyck. But his real early success was just starting as he moved into making one B western after another. He made 46 films between 1933 and Stagecoach.

Stagecoach is #79 in Wayne's list of 172 titles on IMDb. Almost half of his screen career was over by the time he was really recognized as a star worthy of the best films. The Bit Actor was gone.

For all his fame, John Wayne only won a single Oscar, for True Grit (1969), plus two more nominations. His earliest nominations for any award came in 1950 for Sands of Iwo Jima (1949). But he had the lead in more films than any other actor and was one of the biggest money makers in film history. Seek out some of Wayne's early (Bit Actor) roles to see how he made his career a success.

Twelve Monkeys

What is a classic movie? I know that the Classic Movie Blog Association has tried to address that question. I don't think there is a definitive answer. It's like asking which movies are good and which are bad. It all really comes down to which movies you like and which you don't. I am sure that Twelve Monkeys (1995) fits into all of the above categories. Some people like it, some hate it, and some think its a classic.

What I like about Twelve Monkeys is that it was filmed in Philadelphia, so I recognize most of the locations used. These include Eastern State Penitentiary, the derelict Metropolitan Opera House, Philadelphia's City Hall, the Philadelphia Convention Center, and Wanamaker's department store which is now a Lord and Taylor. I have said that a Bit Actor adds color, information and atmosphere to a film, and these locations do just that.

I also like Madeleine Stowe (b. 1958), Bruce Willis (b. 1955) and Brad Pitt (b. 1963) in this film. Pitt was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, and won several other awards including a Golden Globe. Director Terry Gilliam (b. 1940 and the only American Monty Python) is a favorite as well, and did a fine job here. Lastly, there are loads of Bit Actors employed in this large film, so what's not to like?

This film is over 15 years old now. That means that many of the actors were not well known at the time of filming. Brad Pitt had just come off some of his early hits, Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles, Legends of the Fall, and Se7en, all in 1994 or 1995. He was just becoming a star.

Monkeys also has a number of well known stars in Bit Parts. Frank Gorshin, David Morse and Christopher Plummer all appear in less than large parts. But they bring great performances to their roles and help to create that surreal feeling that Gilliam must have wanted.

Jon Seda (b. 1970) who played Jose in this movie, went on to play some major roles, including the great WWII mini-series "The Pacific" on HBO, and several other TV series'.

Christopher Meloni (b. 1961) plays one of the scientists. With 60 titles listed on IMDb, he has worked on several TV series, but not many major motion pictures. Look for him with Richard Gere and Julia Roberts in Runaway Bride (1999), and Gere with Diane Lane in Nights in Rodanthe (2008).

Simon Jones (b. 1950), is a Brit who appears on several British television series, including "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and "Brideshead Revisited." He was in Brazil (1985) which was Terry Gilliam's first movie as director without the cast of Monte Python. He also appears in The Devil's Own (1997) with Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt. All small parts. He later goes uncredited in The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) with Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo.

And Bill Raymond who plays a microbiologist, has 62 titles on IMDb. Look for him in The Crow (1994), Autumn in New York (2000) and Dogville (2003). Pure Bit Acting.

Is Twelve Monkeys a classic? Is it a good movie or bad? It is a complex story that requires your full attention as our hero travels from the future to be wounded in WWI, and then bounced to our era twice. The acting is first rate, even though it may not appeal to every taste. The truth is, there are no bad movies, just the ones you may not like. I like this one.

One last note. I am sorry I was absent last week but we were vacationing in San Diego! A lovely, historic city. Have a great Memorial Day weekend, and I'll be back next week.

B4 They Were Stars - Lucille Ball

It has been two years since I first posted about Bit Actors. What have we learned? I know that I have a long way to go before I use up subjects for my posts. There are a lot of great Bit Actors out there, and new ones come along all the time. Also, many big stars began in Bit Parts, so they can be included in my blog.

Take, for example, Lucille Ball (1911 - 1989). She was one of the most talented and influential people in television. But she was once known as the Queen of the B Movie. She had a very small part in Stage Door (1937), a great movie starring Katharine Hepburn and Ginger Rogers, but that movie was well into her acting career.

Lucy started out as a Ziegfeld Girl on the stage and then progressed to being one of the Goldwyn Girls in film. You can usually find her in the chorus or as an extra in her first coupla dozen films. She was a fashion model in Roberta (1935) and a flower clerk in Top Hat (1935), both with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. By 1936 she had a character name in the Fred and Ginger movie Follow the Fleet. Long after Stage Door, she would have Ginger Rogers to tea on "The Lucy Show" in an episode appropriately called "Ginger Rogers Comes to Tea" (1971).

Her very first big screen appearance was as an extra in The Bowery (1933) starring Wallace Beery, George Raft, Jackie Cooper and Fay Wray. Lucy, more recently known for her red hair, played 'The Blonde.'

It is interesting to note how things were done in the early 1930s, with contract players working for the major studios. You will see Lucille Ball working with the same bigger names over and over. She made several movies with Constance Bennett, Eddie Cantor, and Fay Wray, etc.

I doubt that it was her big break, but in 1934 we see Lucy in Three Little Pigskins with The Three Stooges. During the 1930s she also made quite a few two-reelers with Edgar Kennedy, Leon Errol, Billy Gilbert, Betty Grable, and others. It was a great introduction to comedy.

In 1935 she appeared in Henry Fonda's third film, I Dream Too Much, starring Fonda and Lily Pons, and featuring another wonderful Bit Actor Eric Blore. By 1936 Lucy is starting to receive major roles in some two-reelers, such as One Live Ghost and So and Sew.

In her only movie with The Marx Brothers, Lucy can be found in Room Service (1938). By that time, Lucy is starring in movies, but they are B movies. B movies were shown as an extra attraction along with a bigger budget feature film, plus a cartoon or two, and maybe a two-reeler or a newsreel. The feature always came last. Generally speaking, feature films were about 90 minutes, B movies were 60 minutes, and two-reelers were 20 minutes.

Some of her films during this time were Panama Lady (1939) with Allan Lane. Five Came Back (1939) starring Chester Morris and Wendy Barrie.  Barrie's godfather was Sir J.M. Barrie who wrote Peter Pan that included a character named Wendy. Wendy Barrie went on to become engaged to Bugsy Siegel which created problems for her career.

More Lucy films - Dance, Girl, Dance (1940) with Maureen O'Hara. Look Who's Laughing (1941) with Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy. The Big Street (1942) with Henry Fonda. Du Barry was a Lady (1943) with Red Skelton and Gene Kelly.

There was even some film-noir mixed in. Look for Lucy in The Dark Corner (1946) with Clifton Webb, and Lured (1947) with George Sanders and Boris Karloff.

She did make some features, such as Without Love (1945) starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, and Sorrowful Jones (1949) and Fancy Pants (1950) both with Bob Hope.

All of this was before "I Love Lucy" which would rocket her to full stardom. starting around 1950, she would create and co-own the new Desilu Studio with her husband Desi Arnaz. She was instrumental in creating many of the television innovations needed to efficiently produce a series filmed in front of a live audience. And she always remained loyal to her friends in show business. But that's were my post must end.

We all love Lucy, but try to catch her B4 she became a star, as a great Bit Actress.

James Hong

There are some ethnic actors who make a very long career as Bit Players. James Hong (b. 1929) is one of them, and his career is worth looking at. He lists 368 titles on IMDb from 1955 to the present.

After deciding on an acting career, Hong wasted no time. He has used his ethnicity to his advantage, though he was born in Minnesota. His roles tend to be Asian characters, and he can easily turn on an accent if needed. I doubt that he would ever allow himself to be used in a stereotypical role, as many early ethnic actors did in the 1930s and 1940s.

One of his earliest parts (uncredited) was in Love is a Many Splendored Thing (1955). That movie starred William Holden and Jennifer Jones, with Jones played a Chinese doctor. There must have been plenty of Asian actresses who could have done that part! It's kind of like having 'chocolaty' chip cookies rather than chocolate chip cookies.

In 1956 he was tapped to help with the voiceover dubbing of Godzilla, King of the Monsters! He then started showing up whenever an Asian was needed on a TV show. In 1957-1958 he played No. 1 Son on "The New Adventures of Charlie Chan" to J. Carrol Naish's Charlie. Another non-Asian playing Chan.

He was available for major motion pictures that needed Asians. You will find him in Flower Drum Song (1961) during his extensive television work. Also in The Sand Pebbles (1966), and some not great films like The Bamboo Saucer (1968) about a flying saucer being hidden in a 'Red Chinese' village.

In 1970 he is in The Hawaiians. You tend to see many well known Asian actors in these big budget films, like Mako (1933 - 2006) and Keye Luke (1904 - 1991). Here's another perfect title for Hong, he was in Chinatown (1974) with Jack Nicholson.

Also in the early 1970s we find Hong on quite a few episodes of "Kung Fu." And in 1976 he works with David Carradine again in Bound for Glory, a biography about Woodie Guthrie.

Hong was in Airplane! (1980) as a Japanese General. And by now he is playing the role of older men. In one of his better roles, he plays Lo Pan an ancient sorcerer in Big Trouble in Little China (1986). That's a good Saturday morning flick. And his other great movie from the 1980s, Blade Runner (1982), is a classic where he played the eye maker.

I recently watched Black Widow (1987), a murder mystery that was better than I was expecting. It stars Debra Winger and Theresa Russell. James Hong plays a drug-using private investigator who gets whacked by the 'widow.' So we will forgive him for being in Vice Versa with Judge Reinhold and Hot to Trot with Bobcat Goldthwait in 1988.

He worked with Nicholson again in The Two Jakes (1990), so I guess we also have to overlook all those martial arts films that needed Asian actors. They were the rage in the last few decades of the previous millennium.

I enjoyed The Shadow (1994) starring Alec Baldwin with Hong in a small role. It is a good version of a comic book, with some very good special effects and a gorgeous blonde named Penelope Ann Miller. Of course, Miller was just in The Artist (2011), which won Best Picture. I'll have to watch that one again.

His list is long, so here are some of his more popular titles -
Tank Girl (1995), Operation Dumbo Drop (1995), Bloodsport II (1996), McHale's Navy (1997), Red Corner (1997), and The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008, not the good one).

He has also voiced some great animated films like Mulan (1998), Kung Fu Panda (2008), as well as television shows like "Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!,' plus some work with Scooby-Doo.

Over all of those years, Hong has only received one major award. In 2007 he was honored by the Las Vegas Film Critics Society with a Lifetime Achievement Award. He was nominated for two Annies, for voicing the animated films Kung Fu Panda (2009) and Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011), as well.

With everything James Hong has done, and continues to do, I think he is really a star. But we will honor him here as a wonderful Bit Actor.

Eve Arden

I remember "Our Miss Brooks" on television. I was only 2 years old when it came on, and 6 when the show ended, but I remember. My guess is that Eve Arden (1908 - 1990) had such an unforgettable voice that I didn't forget her. Even though her voice was quite low, she had a lilting quality in it that was wonderful to hear. It also would have helped in her acting career, both on the stage and screen.

TCM just ran Stage Door (1937) which was Eve's fourth movie.  It would be a good start. Stage Door starred Katharine Hepburn and Ginger Rogers, and included Ann Miller who was only 14 years old, and Lucille Ball in the main cast. Grady Sutton, Franklin Pangborn and Jack Carson also show up in small parts. It was nominated for four Oscars including Best Picture. One biographer on IMDb said that Eve's wise-cracking character would be forged in Stage Door and she would use it throughout her career. The only thing I didn't like about the movie is that whenever Miller and Rogers were dancing, they didn't show their feet!

Eve would make two more films with Ginger. Having Wonderful Time (1938), and We're Not Married! (1952) which also included Marilyn Monroe.

There were a lot of films made in the 1930s. Eve made her share, but most were not noteworthy. The stars were, though. She got to work with Fred MacMurray, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and Clark Gable.  In 1939 she worked with the Marx Brothers in At the Circus. She worked with Gable again in Comrade X (1940).

In Ziegfeld Girl (1941) she worked with James Stewart, Judy Garland and Hedy Lamarr. She worked again with Stewart in Anatomy of a Murder (1959), and Lamarr was in Comrade X.

One of the better movies of the 1940s was Joan Crawford's Mildred Pierce (1945) with Eve in a substantial role. This one got Eve her only Oscar nomination, for Best Supporting Actress, and Crawford won for Best Actress.

By the end of that decade, television was beginning to take hold. "Our Miss Brooks" came along in 1952 and stayed for four years. Do you remember Gale Gordon as the principal, Mr. Conklin, or the squeeky voiced Walter Denton played by Richard Crenna?

At the end of the final season there was a movie made by the same name. The next year Eve tried another series called "The Eve Arden Show" but it didn't last.

Now we will see Eve and other stars in the same boat making movies together, all while working on TV. Gale Gordon and Eve are featured in a Frankie Avalon film called Sergeant Dead Head (1965). And Eve is with Joe Flynn and Phil Silvers in The Strongest Man in the World (1975).

Also look for Eve playing a charm school teacher in a recurring part on "The Red Skelton Hour." She then gets another series, this time co-starring with Kaye Ballard, called "The Mothers in Law."

Amid the TV movies and other guest spots, Eve gets a great role, fitting the character she used and worked all of her life, as the principal in Grease (1978). She would reprise this role in Grease II (1982) her final movie. Grease was set in the 1950s, and Eve Arden was the perfect choice as Principal McGee. All of the Baby Boomers remembered her as a teacher!

Some of the character names she used over the years show her comedic style.

• Peerless Pauline
• Olive Lashbrooke
• Miss 'Woodie' Woods
• Clara Appleby (with Red Skelton)
• Harriet Crumply
• Clarissa 'Wedgie' Wedge

Her last role, of 97 titles on IMDb, was on "Falcon Crest" in 1987. But I will always remember her as Connie Brooks.

Michael Sarrazin

I am not sure why the name Michael Sarrazin (1940 - 2011) should sound familiar. He was never a big star, but I know I have seen him in several movies and TV shows.  He was nominated for the 1969 Golden Globe award for Most Promising Newcomer, and in 1971 for a BAFTA in the same category, but he only has 68 titles listed on IMDb. Most Bit Actors have many more.

His first few acting efforts were short films and small parts on television, mostly in his native Canada. In 1967 he lands a part in Gunfight at Abilene, a western starring Bobby Darin (1936 - 1973) and Leslie Nielsen (1926 - 2010). And no, it wasn't a comedy.

His next film may actually be his biggest claim to fame. He co-starred with George C. Scott (1927 - 1999) in The Flim-Flam Man (1967). The film also starred Sue Lyon (b. 1946) of Lolita (1962) fame, and Harry Morgan (1915 - 2011) who is a real star.

The next year he co-stars with Tony Franciosa (1928 - 2006) in another western, A Man Called Gannon. Funny, but I can't see Franciosa in westerns. I remember him from "Valentines Day" and "The Name of the Game" as a suave sophisticate opposite people like Susan Saint James (b. 1946).

Also in 1968 Michael works with James Caan (b. 1940) in another western, Journey to Shiloh. This must have been Sarrazin's western phase.

In 1969 he has a large part in They Shoot Horses, Don't They with Jane Fonda (b. 1937) and Gig Young (1913 - 1978). The film attracted many Oscar nominations and one win, to Gig for Best Supporting Actor, but none were to go to Sarrazin.

Here's a test for you. What 1970 film starred Paul Newman, Henry Fonda, Lee Remick, Michael Sarrazin and Richard Jaeckel? I didn't know it either, and I have never seen the movie called Sometimes a Great Notion. It is a story about a family of Oregon loggers...their lives and loves...but it may have been mired down by trying to be a drama, action, adventure, soap opera. Someday I'll look for it. (Maybe.)

In the early 1970s Sarrazin starred in a few movies, but not very good ones. Look for him in Pursuit of Happiness (1971), Believe in Me (1971), and The Groundstar Conspiracy (1972). In 1972 he shows up in The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, but he is way down the cast list. That is a Paul Newman movie all the way.

1975 brings another shot at stardom in The Reincarnation of Peter Proud, with Margot Kidder (b. 1948) and Jennifer O-Neill (b. 1948). Sarrazin has top billing and the title role, but it may just be too late. The next year he has another title role in The Loves and Times of Scaramouche, co-starring Aldo Maccione as Napoleon and Ursula Andress (b. 1936) as Josephine. See what I mean?

His films in the 1980s continue the trend of second rate work. Movies such as Double Negative (1980), The Seduction (1982), Viadukt a Hungarian film from 1983, and Mascara (1987).

He does some more television work and even becomes a regular on "Deep in the City" a Canadian two season series. His final films are Arrival II (1998) and FeardotCom (2002). We won't even talk about them.

Even though the work of Michael Sarrazin wasn't stellar, he was a handsome man, who had a way about him that enhanced the films he was in. He was a true Bit Actor. Michael passed away in April 2011 after battling cancer.

Neil Hamilton

I happened to be watching a 1932 Constance Bennett (1904 - 1965) movie the other day. You remember her...Joan's sister? The movie was called What Price Hollywood? and she was the star. Not a bad flick for 1932 which showcased some of the excesses of the Hollywood life, with a love story and a 'girl finds her dream' story mixed in.

The male lead, a polo star, was played by Neil Hamilton (1899 - 1984), a handsome actor with 162 titles on IMDb from 1918 to 1971.

In his early, silent film days, he worked with stars including Mae Marsh (1894 - 1968), Lionel Barrymore (1878 - 1954) and Bessie Love (1898 - 1986), and great directors including D. W. Griffith (1975 - 1948) and William de Mille (1878 - 1955) Cecil's brother.

Perhaps his most famous silent was Beau Geste (1926) starring Ronald Colman (1891 - 1958) and featuring Noah Beery (1882 - 1946) and William Powell (1892 - 1984).

While most of his roles in the early talkies were good roles, and sometimes starring roles, the films were not all top caliber releases. He was in three mysteries with Warner Oland (1879 - 1938), The Studio Murder Mystery, The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu (both in 1929) and The Return of Dr. Fu Machu in 1930. Also in 1930 he worked with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. (1909 - 2000) in The Dawn Patrol.

Hamilton does manage to lead the cast in the first Tarzan film that starred Johnny Weissmuller (1904 - 1984), Tarzan the Ape Man (1932), and he reprises the same role in Tarzan and His Mate (1934).

The 1940s had more films, with only a few famous titles like Father Takes a Wife (1941) starring Adolphe Menjou (1890 - 1963) and Gloria 'I'm ready for my closeup, Mr. de Mille' Swanson (1899 - 1983).

Then in the 1950s, he moves into television. He started as a host on "Hollywood Screen Test" from 1948 to 1953. He made the rounds on many teleplays and all the usual westerns, including "Maverick," "Colt .45," "Tales of Wells Fargo," etc. He also worked in detective shows with spots on "Mike Hammer," "Bourbon Street Beat," "Hawaiian Eye," "Perry Mason," and "77 Sunset Strip." And let's not leave out the comedies, "The Real McCoys," and "Mister Ed." Oh yes, and sci-fi fans saw him in "The Outer Limits."

Then, finally, in 1966 he lands the TV role that really made him famous. He became Commissioner Gordon on "Batman" starring Adam West (b. 1928) and Burt Ward (b. 1945).

Hmmm, Burt Ward...Now there's a Bit Actor to write about! Anyone who would take a role as Mr. Bum in the R rated Beach Babes from Beyond (1993) is worthy of a post!