Stairwell Studios Presents Dr. Daniel's Movie Emergency

Try to Remember

The Legends That AFI Forgot
      (June 30, 1999) You know, folks, as I sat watching that special on CBS about the fifty top stars of all time, I caught myself thinking that this wasn't really a fair contest. Don't get me wrong, now... I'm a member of the AFI, and I fully support their efforts in film preservation, and their whole goal of bringing the art of film to the masses. But, hey, let's not get overly extreme with the "fifty best" or "hundred best" stuff. I'm glad they're doing this series of specials, especially because they have gotten a lot of debate started in the film fan world. People are talking about movies again, not just the stuff of the last five years, but the classics, and that's a good thing. I just think they need to be honest about things, and pay some attention to the secondary stars, too.
      I mean, admit it. Bogart and Tracy, Hepburn and Davis, they were wonderful, remarkable stars. They did work that should forever be remembered. But they had a lot of help getting there.
      So, allow me the honor of pointing out some actors and actresses that deserve some mention, those who rarely, if ever, got their name above the title.
      For a quick example, Ward Bond will never be hailed as one of the greatest stars of all time, despite being one of the most active and most talented supporting actors of any generation. You immediately

think of him as a cowboy, in stuff like The Searchers and Rio Bravo, because he was a good cowboy-type. But, anyone remember that it was Ward Bond that played Bert, the policeman in It's a Wonderful Life, the man who finds George Bailey on the bridge after George's life-changing trip through world without him in it? Or that he was one of the detectives that Sam Spade worked with in The Maltese Falcon? Or his wonderful role as the fly-fishing Catholic priest in The Quiet Man?
      What about Walter Brennan? Know anyone else that has helped Sheriff John T. Chance guard prisoners in Rio Bravo, converted Sgt. York from a Godless heathen to a Christian soul, and challenged Wyatt Earp at the OK Corral in My Darling Clementine? That's just three of the parts that made this man a legend of the supporting acting category at Oscar ceremonies for over 40 years.
      Barry Fitzgerald ring any bells with anyone? A wonderful little Irishman with a voice that could melt butter, and the only man to ever be nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor in the same year for the same role, that of a priest in Going My Way? How about Victor MacLaglan? Check pretty much any John Ford movie, and you'll see Victor's name somewhere, usually playing a tough Irish swag who would just as soon pop you in the mouth as look at you. His best role was in The Quiet Man, as Maureen O'Hara's older brother, if it helps any.
      And, no, I haven't forgotten the ladies. Who could forget women like Mary Wickes, whose career started in the '30s, and ended in the '90s? She worked with the greats for all that time, always in a funny and memorable role, but never once as the leading lady. Many remember her from White Christmas, as the snoopy housekeeper that adores Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby's efforts to save their friend's ski resort. Many years later, she picked up a whole new audience when she played a cranky old nun in Sister Act with Whoopi Goldberg. She was working on another Disney effort, the animated version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, when she passed away, leaving a mind-boggling filmography that includes credits like The Music Man, Little Women, Postcards from the Edge, and even TV's "Sigmund and the Sea Monsters".
      Lord only knows the struggles that poor Margaret Dumont went through. She was the foil of the Marx Brothers for most of her career, suffering untold humiliations and jokes about her weight, her height, and, her everything else, but she was always the one that portrayed the dignified soul that ended up targeted by Groucho, Chico, and Harpo.
      The list is long, my friends...
      Ever heard of Thomas Mitchell? Scarlett O'Hara's dad, right? Ever see him in Stagecoach? Or Mr. Smith Goes to Washington? He was a pivotal character in It's a Wonderful Life, Uncle Billy, who lost the deposit that sent George into a downward spiral? I can just hear you now, "Oh, yeah! Him!"
      One of the most beautiful women to ever grace a screen was Jean Arthur. At one time, she was high in the running for a certain role in a certain movie abut the South and the Civil War. Bingo! She was one of the finalists for Scarlett. Instead, she became a staple in Frank Capra's movies, like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. She was also the faithful pioneer wife in a little thing called Shane, in a role that, if watched carefully, adds a whole new theme of sexual tension to the movie that may or may not have been intended. Again I hear, "Oh! That's who she was!"
      Being a star may be a wonderful thing, but, more often than not, you'll see just as much talent from the people in the smaller roles than in the big ones. And, at times, it takes more talent to be a supporting actor than it does to be a big star. You have to do more in a smaller amount of time to make yourself known.

Consider Peter Lorre. Think about how well you remember his voice, his face, his mannerisms. Charlie Chaplin once called him "the greatest actor alive." You see him in Casablanca, or The Maltese Falcon, and you just light up, right? Lorre was only in Casablanca for ten minutes of screen time, yet the film revolves around him and his letters of transit. He makes his whole impression in a flash, and yet he's one of the best characters in the movie. That, folks, is a great supporting actor.
What about Sydney Greenstreet, Jose Ferrer, Mary Astor, Walter Huston, George Sanders, Denholm Elliott, Peter Cushing, Agnes Moorehead, Donna Reed...? This sort of list could go on and on, ticking off a parade of forgotten supporting actors and lesser legends.
It's all well and good to honor the remarkable work of a body of people, and call them "stars." Let's not forget, though, that the stars would never be as good as they were if they didn't have the talent of their supporting players backing them up.

Get "reel" soon,

Doc

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