Tributes To Your Favorite Classic TV Stars (1 Viewer)

[Flashgear]

In view to honoring the great actor Gene Hackman today on his 93rd birthday (hope he's in good health today in his well deserved New Mexico retirement), I'd like to feature one of his television appearances just as his theatrical film career was about to take off...and onward to his place as one of Hollywood's most bankable and critically acclaimed stars of the 1970s and 1980s...other HTF members will further post here in continuing tribute to Gene Hackman's hugely successful career and important body of work, both in television and feature films...

I Spy S3E20 Happy Birthday Everybody (Feb. 26, 1968) W: Morton S. Fine, David Friedkin, D: Earl Bellamy. Starring Robert Culp, Bill Cosby. Guest starring Jim Backus, Jeanne Bal. Special Guest Star Gene Hackman. W/ Perla Walter, Tony Fraser.

Intelligence agents Kelly Robinson (Robert Culp) and Alexander Scott (Bill Cosby) are on vacation in scenic Guanajuato Mexico (filmed on location), sightseeing at the monument to revolutionary hero Emilio Martinez...when Kelly thinks that he has recognized the bombing terrorist Frank Hunter (Gene Hackman) amidst the crowd of tourists... That would be impossible, as Hunter was imprisoned by fellow agent Tom Mathews (Jim Backus, golden age star, Mister Magoo, Gilligan's Island). Unknown to Kelly and Alexander, Frank Hunter has escaped jail in the states and fled to Mexico, where Tom Mathews and his wife Shirl are now retired (Jeanne Bal of Mr. Novak, and well remembered as professor Crater's 'wife' in the classic Star Trek episode The Man Trap). Robinson and Scott confront the stranger, who first denies his identity, and then pulls a gun as he flees in his old Caddy. The agents must now warn the Mathews' and alert them to the danger as Hunter obviously wants to revenge himself on the retired agent with his preferred weapon...the compact liquid explosive nitroglycerin!

My screen caps from the Image DVDs...

Among the main cast, Bill Cosby is also still with us at age 85. Although I don't think any of us are planning a tribute post for him anytime soon, ha, ha!


This episode presented a nice opportunity for Gene Hackman to further develop the kind of bad-guy charisma that he had been acclaimed for in Bonnie & Clyde. He displays a calculating, cold-blooded villain...stealthily infiltrating his victim's home in the middle of the night and concealing his nitro charge inside a child's birthday 'Donald Duck' piñata! A well staged pursuit and gunfight in what appears to be a ruined monastery follows. As always, the high production values of I Spy's lavish location filming is spectacular.

Even though Gene Hackman had already by this point established a considerable body of work on television and occasional feature films, I was surprised to see him credited here as a 'Special Guest Star'...which leads me to believe he filmed this I Spy episode after he had received his rave notices from the box-office theatrical hit Bonnie & Clyde starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway earlier in 1967. He had also appeared in another feature film, A Covenant With Death with George Maharis, Laura Devon and Earl Holliman. He clearly preferred to do movies and this I Spy episode would be his last TV credit for some time to come. He was about to be cast by famed director John Sturges for his 1969 space-age thriller Marooned. Soon enough, he found greater fame with an Oscar nomination for I Never Sang For My Father, and an Oscar win as best actor in 1972 for The French Connection. Other great films like The Conversation (my personal favorite of his films), Bite the Bullet, Night Moves, Mississippi Burning, Unforgiven and Hoosiers are among his many great performances. He turned down many prestigious roles for which other actors found fame. He twice filmed around my hometown in Canada, for Prime Cut (1971 w/ Lee Marvin, Sissy Spacek) and Clint Eastwood's 1992 Oscar winning best picture Unforgiven (w/ Morgan Freeman. Clint won best actor and Gene Hackman won as best supporting actor). Gene Hackman chose to retire to Santé Fe New Mexico, his last film work being the comedy Welcome to Mooseport in 2004.

 

[JohnHopper]

THE FBI SEASON 2

Episode #17
“The Courier”
producer: Charles Larson
associate producer: Norman Jolley
story consultant: Mark Rodgers
writer: Charles Larson
story: Robert C. Dennis
director: Ralph Senensky
director of photography: William T. Cline
guests: Ruth Roman, Gene Hackman, Phyllis Love, Harold Gould, Dean Harens, Keye Luke, Cherylene Lee, Gene Lyons, Noah Keen, Eddie Guardino, Dan Frazer, Sondra Marsh, Bert Kramer, Frank Jamus

File #65-43374-S

Juliet Anne Sinclair

ESPIONAGE

It’s an engaging, vicious and cynical Red Chinese and Komintern plot with a family backdrop that uses a Chinese orphan in order to pass microfilms back to China. The FBI worries about the theft of a cobalt bomb’s plan by the other side. The episode could be retitled “The Little Girl Who Knew Too Much”. Actress Ruth Roman plays a two-timer Komintern agent named Juliet Anne Sinclair who lies to a shocked Chinese girl who saw her with a Red Chinese Captain disguised as a poor beggar at her office but, oddly enough, she has a weakness: she’s a sentimental fool. Actor Gene Hackman is marrried to actress Phyllis Love who adopt the shocked Chinese girl. The director emphasizes the mental state of the little girl when she bursts out at the sight of aggressive flashlights from reporters at the airport. You may find the character of the little Chinese girl a bit over the top but the innocent girl is surrounded by nice and charming monsters.

Things are not what it appears to be and Gene Hackman removes the mask of the decent husband and shows his true self: an emotion-less fanatical agent on the verge of killing an innocent girl and who also slaps the family doctor. From that part, you understand why he will be cast for the season 2 episode of The Invaders entitled “The Spores”. Two Komintern agents (Ruth Roman, Gene Lyons) are sent on errand and are eventually cornered by The FBI. Special Agent Jim Rhodes goes undercover and poses as a telephone repairman. The cast of the Komintern agents is good: Ruth Roman as the humanitarian and orphanage owner, Gene Hackman as the perfect husband, Phyllis Love as the perfect wife, Gene Lyons as the dubious secret data dealer.

The FBI | The Courier | A Toast to the Communist Party Scene

 

[JohnHopper]

THE FBI SEASON 2

Episode #17
“The Courier”

Pictures of the perfect husband and Komintern agent Herb Kenyon (actor Gene Hackman).

 

[The 1960's]

Happy 93rd Birthday to Gene Hackman Born January 30, 1930!!
Throughout the day and evening other member contributions will follow!

The Defenders (1961-1965)
Stars E.G. Marshall Robert Reed Polly Rowles​

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The Defenders is an American courtroom drama series that ran on CBS from 1961 to 1965. It was created by television writer Reginald Rose, and stars E. G. Marshall and Robert Reed as father-and-son defense attorneys. Original music for the series was scored by Frank Lewin and Leonard Rosenman…Continue at Wikipedia

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S01E01 Quality of Mercy (Sep.16.1961)
Stars E.G. Marshall Robert Reed Jack Klugman Philip Abbott Joan Hackett Philip Coolidge Polly Rowles Helen Auerbach Gene Hackman Michael Lipton Alexander Clark Barbara Bolton Charles Randall Billie Allen John C. Becher Yafa Lerner Susan Melvin George Lambert​

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At 31 years of age this was Gene Hackman’s 6th acting appearance. He does not play a major role here so I have presented this essay as a whole rather than focusing solely on his performance. I found the premise of this story to be startling. That in 1961 the mercy killing of a baby with Down’s Syndrome (then called "Mongolism) would even be an option is incredulous. That a CBS series in 1961 would feature it’s premiere episode of The Defenders with this topic must have jammed the phone lines. One can only wonder the ruckus this story would cause on network television in today’s politically correct environment. I could not find anything written on the internet which mentioned mercy killings in regards to people born with Down’s Syndrome so obviously the story was pure fiction. It does however open an examination of the age old question in regards to assisted suicide, euthanasia, mercy killing and the right to decide one’s own fate.

It begins with the birth of Leona and Jerry (Gene Hackman) Warner’s baby. Upon discovering it is a Mongoloid baby, Dr. Bill Conrad (Philip Abbott) says to Jerry “maybe I can help you”. He then injects the child with Morphine. While doing so he is seen by Nurse Tobin and is arrested and charged with 1st degree murder by the State of New York. He is represented by father and son defense attorney’s Lawrence Preston (E.G. Marshall) and Kenneth Preston (Robert Reed). Jack Klugman portrays tough D.A. Charlie Grimalia. The series was known to be politically charged. We also meet Kenneth Preston’s girlfriend Joan Miller, played by the lovely Joan Hackett. Note: The images in this photo essay were modified to make them appear better than when originally presented.

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[The 1960's]

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[ScottRE]

THE INVADERS (In Color)
A Quinn Martin Production
Season 2 Episode 7
Starring Roy Thinnes as Architect David Vincent
The Guest Stars in Tonight’s Story Gene Hackman, Mark Miller, Patricia Smith, John Randolph, Wayne Rogers
Tonight’s Episode: “The Spores”

An alien going by the name Tom Jessup (Gene Hackman) is transporting a case filled with “spores.” They’re small seedlings which will grow into fully formed Invaders. Once David Vincent (Roy Thinnes) gets involved, things start cooking. He tries to grab the case, but Jessup catches him and they get into a vicious dustup. While that is going on, a delinquent teen steals it. His more morally upright brother takes it back and puts it in the wrong car (and pays for it with his life). The owner of the car and his wife (Mark Miller and Patricia Smith), a down on their luck gabling couple, open it. The wife is grossed out and splits but Jessup catches up to her and offers her $500 to bring him to the case. But the ne'er-do-well husband threw it away. It was grabbed by a couple of young kids, so take them to a greenhouse and planet them. Vincent and the recovering alcoholic policeman he teamed up with (John Randolph) reach the greenhouse right after Jessup and his alien hench-Invaders do and there’s a climactic shootout. You can guess who wins.

The producers stopped trying to scare the audience by this time and now they are leaning harder on action. As such, this is a very lively and entertaining episode, sort of a sci-fi game of hot potato as the alien spores are passed from unsuspecting person to person. The ending is really upbeat, quite a difference from the early days, with Vincent actually smiling and the narrator telling us this is a major victory.

Gene Hackman, really paying his dues here, brings his Everyman quality to the alien while easily alternating between likeability and a sinister deadliness. The scene where he puts a teenager to death is one of the more chilling moments of this episode, which is actually fairly light by this series’ standards. I don’t think Hackman was capable of giving a poor performance, so while this won’t ever be considered one of his best, he is still a solid foundation upon which to build this episode’s jeopardy. The problem is, and this is the only fault in his performance, he doesn’t seem the slightest bit alien. He could just as easily be an enemy agent from the Iron Curtain. Compared to actors like Oscar Bereji, Roy Jensen or the stone-faced Alfred Ryder, Gene Hackman is your white collar next door neighbor. His everyday manner of acting style and “can I borrow the hedge trimmer” looks don’t really work as an alien. He lends star power by the boatload, but he would have been better off in one of the police roles (or simply in another episode). No matter, this was just another stepping stone on the very short path to features where he would make his greatest successes.

 

[ScottRE]

 

[JohnHopper]

NOTES ON GENE HACKMAN CAREER
He was one of the leading actors of the Seventies era along with Charles Bronson, Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds. Gene Hackman’s career was boosted by one actor: Warren Beatty who remembered him in Lilith (1964) and invited him back in Bonnie and Clyde (1967). The one film that made me notice his existence was the urban and realistic French Connection as a diehard and loudmouth cop. When I first discovered The Conversation sometimes in the Eighties and on VHS, I was stuck by the deep dive focus on the introvert/introspective/low-key character and the clinical/naturalistic/semi documentary style of the film-making. It featured Harrison Ford in a very small part. The introspective acting returned in the Neo Noir Night Moves but in a totally different context: that film was the equivalent of The Long Goodbye for Gene Hackman if you catch my meaning. I lost sight of his career in the Eighties and nevertheless I still watched some films in which he appeared as a supporting character like Uncommon Valor, Under Fire and No Way Out as well as in the Nineties: two Clint Eastwood movies (Unforgiven, Absolute Power) and The Quick and the Dead.

FAVORITE GENE HACKMAN FILMS
The Hunting Party
The French Connection
Prime Cut
The Poseidon Adventure
Scarecrow
The Conversation
Night Moves
Bite The Bullet
The French Connection II
The Domino Principle
Superman

MY SINGLE FAVORITE GENE HACKMAN FILM
The Conversation

THE JOHNNY CARSON SHOW (1974): GENE HACKMAN


VIDEO TRIBUTES

David Shire - The Conversation (1974)


Michael Small - Harry Moseby (1975)

 

[ScottRE]

Superman
Superman II
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

Do I really need to recount the plots of these films? Naaaah.

I really can’t let a Gene Hackman tribute go by without spotlighting the role that first brought him to my young eyes. Superman (the movie) was a huge production and a major first “favorite movie” for me. I was obsessed with this film as a kid and saw it multiple times before it landed on home video. Everything about this film worked for me. It was the first big budget comic book movie and one that broke box office records. Christopher Reeve became my Superman and the John Williams score propelled me into a lifelong love of film and television music. I can go on for pages about this film but this is about Hackman, so I’ll keep it to him as much as possible.

The production troubles are legendary and director Richard Donner was filming this film and its sequel simultaneously. When they needed to get the first one done in time, they stopped work on Superman II to focus on finishing the first. Once the first movie was in the can, Donner was fired with about 60% of the second film already shot, including all of Hackman’s scenes. Richard Lester was brought into rework Superman II and reshoot enough to give him the solo directing credit. Hackman refused to return and a sound-alike and body double was used in certain shots to try to smooth out continuity. Somehow, the film turned out great, but the humor was dumbed down and John Williams was unable to come back, so Ken Thorne adapted Williams’ music with a less impressive and smaller orchestra.

The impact of Hackman’s Lex Luthor cannot be underrated. At the time, comic book Luthor (as only Curt Swan could draw him) was a muscular yet chubby super genius who hated Superman for making him bald (being bald ain’t that bad jeez). He was, frankly, ridiculous by this time. The film reinvented him as a well-mannered criminal mastermind who had an obsession with owning valuable real estate. He had no hatred for Superman, in fact their relationship was strangely respectful. But Luthor was a “sick twisted dreamer” who held no value in human life. He also had a pixyish sense of humor. He was fun, funny, handsome and disarming. He could shake your hand and stab you in the gut at the same time all while making you believe he did you a solid. Gene Hackman excelled in the role. His presence in this and the second film may have made the movies a little too light and borderline campy for some audiences, but we kids loved it. He became the definitive Lex Luthor, the origins of the evil businessman who simply wanted Superman out of his damned way. Every live action Luthor owes Hackman a debt of thanks.

Hackman’s interaction with Ned Beatty and Valerie Perrine were comedy gold. When Lex is rattling off the towns of the “new West Coast” with all of the towns named after Lex. Then he runs across the magic marker addition…

 

[ScottRE]

 

[ScottRE]

 

[ScottRE]

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace was even more troubled (in fact the only film in the series with a smooth production was the Richard Pryor vehicle Superman III). It was envisioned as an attempt to get back to what made the first film great but sadly, it was produced by Cannon films and they were in deep trouble by then. The budget was slashed on a film which needed realistic effects. To make it worse, the original 2-and-a-half-hour cut was deemed a disaster so a full hour was excised, leading to an incoherent mess of a movie. What saves this film even a little is the presence of Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder and Gene Hackman, who must have come back only as a favor to Reeve, because he was well past this sort of nonsense. However, to his credit, Hackman dominates every scene he’s in. Lex is older but no less diabolical. Yet, he’s just so insanely charming as “Uncle Lex” that you never once hate him. Hackman and Reeve don’t share too many scenes together but when they do, the chemistry is right there. Neither actor sacrifices their integrity and they make this film as much fun as humanly possible. It’s strictly for the kids, but I still like it more than Superman III.

In the end, these movies were just short stops on a varied and lengthy career. I truly hope Mr. Hackman is enjoying his well-earned retirement and has a very Happy Birthday.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

As Scott states above, Gene Hackman was an actor pretty much incapable of giving a bad performance, and in the '70s especially he was on a roll in several all-time classic films. While he's tremendous in movies like The French Connection, The Conversation, Scarecrow, Night Moves, Superman and The Poseidon Adventure, it's his work in the following film that remains my favorite of his many wonderful performances.

Written and directed by Richard Brooks, Bite the Bullet (1975) is a sweeping, epic adventure tale about a grueling, 700-mile endurance horse race. The movie is full of action and incident, but it’s really a character piece. Brooks is less concerned with the race itself than he is with the kind of people who are crazy enough to take part in it.

The film opens with ex-Rough Rider and cowboy Sam Clayton (Gene Hackman) escorting the wealthy Parker family’s prize racehorse, Tripoli, to the rendezvous point where his anxious owner awaits. Sam is compelled to stop along the way when he sees three horses left for dead in the desert, next to an abandoned glue factory wagon. The adult horses have been hobbled, one mare still cruelly attached to the wagon by a wire through her nose, her foal milling restlessly nearby. Sam sets the other horse free, but it’s too late to do anything for the mare. Disgust and anger plain upon his face, Sam removes the wire from her nose, gathers the colt up in his arms and slings it over his saddle. In this brief scene, we learn much about Sam Clayton. He has a strong love for horses and a low tolerance for human cruelty.

Even though the detour is costing him precious time, Sam's priority is to take care of the colt. He stops off at a nearby farm, where a young boy is milking a cow. “Can you spare some milk for a hungry orphan?” he asks the boy.

The boy brings over some milk for the foal. “You like horses?” Sam asks.

The boy shyly nods his head. “Got one of your own?" Another head shake. "You want one?" The boy's eyes light up. "Well, you got one.” Sam pushes the colt into the boy's arms. The boy hugs the colt tightly, and as Sam remounts and prepares to ride away, finally speaks: “Do I gotta pay somethin’?”

“Yep,” Sam replies. “Don’t ever treat him bad.”

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Meanwhile, the various racers assemble around the starting point. They’re a colorful bunch, all out for the $2,000 (eventually $3,000) prize, sponsored by the Western Star newspaper. There’s the gambler and adventurer Luke Matthews (James Coburn), looking to make a big score by betting 7-to-1 odds on himself to win. There’s the Englishman, Sir Harry Norfolk (Ian Bannen), who has come from thousands of miles overseas with his expensive steeplechase steed, just for the sheer sport of it. There’s the surly young hothead, Carbo (Jan-Michael Vincent); the plainspoken professional rider (Bob Hoy) hired by the Parker family to ride Tripoli; and an old-timer only known as Mister (Ben Johnson) who’s out for one last shot at glory. There’s also a Mexican (Mario Arteaga) with a bad toothache who needs the prize money for his family, and Miss Jones (Candice Bergen), the lone woman racer. She has the grit to hang with the men, but her precise motives are at first unclear.

Sam arrives late to the starting point, but with Parker’s horse in good condition. He's just in time to give the troublemaker Carbo a good beating, for punching a mule. Turns out Matthews is an old friend - and fellow Rough Rider - of Sam’s, and joins the fight. “You don’t know Sam Clayton?” Matthews asks the young punk. “Champion of dumb animals, ladies in distress, lost kids and lost causes.” Together, the two give Carbo and his rowdy friends a good, old-fashioned thrashing.

Humiliated, Carbo scrambles for his gun but Matthews shows some fancy gunplay skills and fires off several shots that miss him by mere inches.

Shocked, Carbo backs off. The old-timer, Mister (Johnson), steps in at the end, pistol at the ready and with some friendly advice, in case Carbo should try anything in retaliation: “My eyes ain’t as good as his and I might miss, and then you’d be dead...and I’d be out of the race for shooting a dumb animal.”

Jack Parker (Dabney Coleman) angrily fires Sam for being late. At loose ends, and despite not thinking much of the whole endeavor, Sam decides on a whim to join the race.

The next morning the race begins, and over the next 7 days (at a 100 mile-a-day pace), the contestants combat nature, bandits, thirst, exhaustion, and themselves, gradually forging a strong respect for one another. Again and again, the behavior they demonstrate during the race is shown to be more important than who wins in the end.

As Douglass K. Daniel relates in his book, Tough as Nails: The Life and Films of Richard Brooks:

(Brooks’) story questions the American fascination with being the best. “There are no bad guys in this story. There are only people according to their nature. I wanted to tell their story and say that we have our heritage in them, that they had a code of honor and sense of ethics that had nothing to do with winning,” (Brooks) said. “Back then there was the doing. That was what was important. And I wanted to make a picture about that.”

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The characters display this code of honor throughout the film. Sam constantly shows more care for his fellow racers and their mounts than he does with his own progress in the race. Matthews is quick to come to the aid of the Englishman when he gets thrown from his horse and tumbles down a rocky hill. When the Mexican becomes too sick from his damaged tooth, both Sam and Miss Jones take hours out of their precious rest time between legs in the race to help him. Sam fashions a bullet shell as a cap for the exposed nerve, giving a literal meaning to the film's title, as well as the figurative one, of doing what needs to be done, to knuckle down and deal with hard choices.

After a night-time river crossing, Mister’s horse rides into camp without him. While Sam goes back to help the injured old cowboy, the others hang around, despite the urgency to move on and get back in the race. Only when Mister makes it back to camp do they take off again. Even young, undisciplined Carbo eventually mends his ways, coming to look up to the principled but taciturn Sam as a mentor, and beginning to learn what it means to be a real cowboy, and a real man.

Gene Hackman (45 years old at the time of filming) may not be the sort of actor one would immediately associate with westerns, but he’s terrific in the part (as he would be later as a very different sort of character in Unforgiven). It’s clearly him and not a stuntman in most of the riding scenes, and he handles horses and all the assorted paraphernalia like a pro. It’s a tightly-contained, physical yet deeply-felt performance.

Coburn is in his element as the charming, good-hearted gambler with the mile-wide grin. Typically, Ben Johnson steals every scene he’s in. Candice Bergen dials down her beauty and fits in well enough with the male-dominated cast to make a convincing cowgirl. Mario Arteaga is immediately sympathetic as the gentle Mexican, and Jan-Michael Vincent, Ian Bannen, Dabney Coleman, Jean Willes, Sally Kirkland, and familiar character actor Robert Donner all play their roles with authenticity and skill.

Bite the Bullet marked veteran Brooks’ first western since the rousing The Professionals back in 1966. Brooks’ eclectic resume includes such films as The Blackboard Jungle, Elmer Gantry, Lord Jim and In Cold Blood. Not only is the film beautifully directed, Brooks provided his actors with a great script full of memorable lines and speeches. One highlight is Hackman’s monologue to Bergen about the famed charge up San Juan Hill. Questioned by Miss Jones, Sam tells her about the brave sacrifice of his dead wife, Paula, a Cuban prostitute turned insurrecto, with whom he met and fell in love during the Spanish-American War. “The people some people marry,” he finishes. “I wasn’t worth her spit.” As with The Professionals, Brooks' screenplay for Bite the Bullet is a marvel of naturalistic, tough-talking poetry.

The film looks great, with a variety of striking locales (including Nevada, White Sands, New Mexico and Colorado) beautifully lensed by DP Harry Stradling, Jr. It shares the naturalistic, earthy look common in so many early and mid-70s films, but seems to have one foot planted firmly back in the 60s in its upbeat tone and straightforward narrative. It’s a very different type of movie than the few grimy, downbeat and de-glamorized westerns more characteristic of that era, such as McCabe and Mrs. Miller.

Bite the Bullet wasn’t a box-office success, coming as it did after the waning of the western's popularity in the late 60s, and as a result isn’t nearly as well known as it should be. It’s truly an excellent film, a grand adventure tale replete with an ensemble of memorable characters.

Happy 93rd birthday, Gene Hackman, and thanks for all the great cinematic memories!

Note: This post is a condensed version of a blog article I wrote more than a decade ago.

 

[The 1960's]

Hawk (1966)
Creator Allan Sloane Stars Burt Reynolds Wayne Grice Leon Janney​

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Hawk debuted at 10 pm on September 8, 1966 (same night as Star Trek) over on ABC. Burt Reynolds played John Hawk, an Iroquois Indian Detective operating out of the New York City DA’s office. Like Naked City before it, Hawk was shot on location. Unlike the earlier show, this is a more action focused show, taking place during the night shift and highlighting the seedy “New York is a $hithole” side of the Big Apple in the 60’s. The series was ahead of its time. It’s avant garde, dark, handheld filming style was at odds with the TV pop sensibilities of the era. However, movies were doing exactly this. A year later the Larry Preece film The Incident and the 1974 Joseph Sargent thriller The Taking of Pelham One Two Three would look a lot like Hawk’s pilot episode directed by Sam Wanamaker. No coincidence that Sargent and Preece were primarily television directors. The series was no doubt too off beat for audiences and it was canceled mid-season.

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S01E01 Do Not Mutilate or Spindle (Sep.08.1966)
Director Sam Wanamaker Writer Allan Sloane
Stars Burt Reynolds Louise Sorel John Marley Elianne Nadeau Gene Hackman Kathleen Maguire Fredd Wayne Thomas A. Carlin Wayne Grice Eugene Roche Jon Lee Carl Low Nancy Andrews Dan Morgan Graham Jarvis Madison Arnold John Perkins Toni Darnay Charles Durning Charles White Peter Gumeny​

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Gene Hackman is the main guest in the pilot, an emotionally unstable religious fanatic who kills sinners. Hackman excels here, as he usually does, playing him naturally, not over the top or stylized. Hackman gives him a pathetic quality with a strong aura of loneliness. He desperately wants company. When he calls a Church Hotline for forgiveness, he asks questions until he realizes he was listening to an automated “Dial-A-Confession.” His heartbreak ads much dimension to the character in an era where killers would just be monsters with no greys.

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Hackman doesn’t dominate the episode, that’s all saved for Burt (who is excellent in his first series lead since leaving Gunsmoke). However, his portrayal is stunning and memorable. Even at the end, he’s treated with compassion. It’s easy to see why the television screen wasn’t nearly large enough to contain his talent. Hawk, just going by the pilot, was outstanding and a series that deserved a chance to grow. Burt plays Hawk straight with drive and some charm but never focusing on his heredity. There’s some wry humor in his portrayal, but this is primarily a serious police action show mired in NYC grime. John Marley is also excellent as Sam Crown, a newsstand owner who says “mind the store” to a customer and runs off to help Hawk find a potential victim. He’s always a solid performer who looked the same over the decades (I think he was born old) and found real fame (as well as a horse head in his bed) as Jack Woltz in The Godfather.

The music score by Kenyon Hopkins is a blistering example of smoky jazz that adds greatly to the underground feel. However, once we get to the suspenseful race against time in the finale, an uncredited (but very obvious) Nelson Riddle takes over. Riddle was in his 1965-67 mode, a sound he used on Batman, The Man from Uncle and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. As such, he is instantly recognizable. Honestly, his sound doesn’t suit the darker vision of this episode.

Commentary superbly crafted by HTF Member ScottRE. Thank you Scott!

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Note Nelson Riddle’s recognizable scoring style in this suspenseful scene.​

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[The 1960's]

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The images in this photo essay were modified to make them appear better than when originally presented.

This series has never been released on DVD. The entire series aired in 2018 on the Sony owned getTV.

You can stream it here.



Thanks to RobW for uploading this classic!​

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Finally, another close to a memorable tribute to a living icon. Happy 93rd Birthday Gene Hackman!!

Thank you to all the very talented members here who worked so hard to make this a reality. To Randall for being a mentor showing me a new way to tell a story, to John Hopper for his deep knowledage in all things classic tv and his calculating delivery, to Scott for his enthusiasm and openess to take on the shows that came before him, and finally to Jeff for his superb penmanship and photoship!​

 

[Flashgear]

Superb and awe-inspiring work, analysis and insight on the humble television beginnings and theatrical film zenith of Gene Hackman's fantastic career on film! Well done Neal, Jeff, Scott and John! The coverage including some of his best-known movie work was essential. Great illustrated essays from Scott on the Superman movies and Jeff for gracing us with his magnificent Bite the Bullet treatise and eye-popping screen caps! Great work Neal for highlighting some of Gene's lesser known TV work on The Defenders and Hawk! Great illustrated posts for The Invaders Scott, and John for The F.B.I.

With our discussion of Gene Hackman's immortal exercise in surveillance state oppression and paranoid agony The Conversation, it's ironic that we get word today of Cindy William's passing.

 

[The 1960's]

Coming this weekend ....

The Burt Reynolds February 11, 1936 - September 6, 2018 Birthday Memorial

Later this month ....

Jack Benny (February 14, 1894-December 26, 1974) Birthday Memorial

The Diane Baker (February 25, 1938) 85th Birthday Celebration​

 

[ScottRE]

Burt Reynolds February 11, 1936 - September 6, 2018 Birthday Memorial​

On this day in 1936 Burt Reynolds was born into this world. In 2018 he passed away but left us with almost 6 decades of his wonderful performances. A few of us will pay tribute to him today, on what would have been his 86th birthday.

I'll kick it off with:

Dan August
“The King is Dead”
Episode 4

Written by Jack Turley
Directed by Gene Nelson

Starring Burt Reynolds, Norman Fell, Richard Anderson, Ned Romero and Ena Hartman
Guest Stars: Dabney Coleman, Fred Bier, Jane Elliot and Special Guest Star Janice Rule​

The philanthropist who put Dan through college is found shot to death, and Dan doesn't buy the 'scared burglar' theory. Dan soon discovers that Venable wasn't the man he thought he was and finding the guilty party among the growing group of the old man's enemies will take all his detecting skills.

Burt Reynold’s second stab at a Police Detective lead role wasn’t any more of a success as "Hawk" and one of Quinn Martin's few failures. Initially, Burt wasn’t interested in the series but Reynolds later recalled "I swore I'd never play a cop on TV because you can't make jokes or have a broad. You wind up loving your car a lot. I was halfway out the door when Quinn said the magic words – $15,000 a week."

It was money well spent.

This was QM’s first 70’s police series and it finalized a format that became household viewing over the decade as seen in shows like “The Streets of San Francisco,” “Barnaby Jones,” “Cannon” and others: a snazzy upbeat theme, splashy graphics, the booming announcer proclaiming doom and gloom episode titles.

Burt, regardless of his motivation for taking the job, still put in great work, although his hair is distracting: it seems to change style scene by scene (he was never shy about his use of a toupee). As usual, QM gave him great support with his regular cast. The chemistry between Burt and Norman Fell is very good and their quips tend to be gently amusing more than hilarious. They portray a long history without mentioning it very often. Dan August himself is an honest cop who looks deeply into his cases when other cops might let the obvious satisfy them. He’s also very physical, running full out, diving off balconies and tackling suspects into pools. Burt did most of his own stunts and the character is a far cry from the TV movie version Christopher George created in “House on Greenapple Road” and outwardly more charming. The series tackled a number of hot button topics and sported a killer theme tune by Dave Grusin.



This episode, which aired fourth but shot first, gives us a little of Dan’s background and there’s some expository dialog which would have been more at home as a broadcast premiere. Also, the reveal of the killer would have been more effective if this ran first. It’s still a fun and fast paced episode and a nifty mystery.

My all time favorite movie of Burt's is Sharky's Machine (directed by Reynolds) and this series feels almost like a prequel to that excellent film. Sadly, "Dan August" didn’t catch on and it was cancelled after a single season. However, five TV movies were made from episodes edited together and broadcast on the network in 1980 to capitalize on Burt’s explosion in popularity.

VEI released the series in a bargain set complete with the TV movie pilot, however the prints are terrible. They are the time compressed Worldvision prints and run about 45 minutes each. Worse, VEI crammed about 7 episodes on each disc, leading to the awful quality of the images I’m posting. This is a series deserving a little better presentation.

 

[Doug Wallen]

My selection for Burt's Birthday was Evening Shade - his most successful solo (ensemble) series, but I have taken a rather round about way of getting there. Thanks to tv on dvd as well as film favorites, I will mention performances that are memorable to me as a fan. Here goes:

Seems like Burt Reynolds has always been around in shows I enjoy, watch and have collected. Seems he made an appearance as a “Method” actor in an episode of The Twilight Zone. Average episode but he was funny. Funny is not a word that generally comes to mind when I think of Burt Reynolds.

Most words are macho, masculine, athletic and others along those lines. He was the half-breed Quint Asper for several seasons on Gunsmoke. I next remember him as an Indian detective in New York known as Hawk. He disappeared and reappeared as Dan August where he tried the Quinn Martin formula solving crimes and doing his own stunts to boot.

Who can forget his time as a centerfold model. I remember that stunt, never saw the pictures. But people were talking.

Then the most amazing thing happened. He took a tragic canoe ride and made members of my family sick because they saw Deliverance after eating a large meal. From that movie on, it seemed like he was an unstoppable force. I never laughed so hard in a movie as I did during The Longest Yard. I must state that I had just turned the appropriate age to see an R rated film. The comedy just jumped off the screen. I still have a soft spot for that film. Can we ever forget his famous rides trading barbs with a redneck sheriff and wanting to “jump” a Froggy? Then we get that superb film he directed, Sharky's Machine. Seemed his career would last forever. I enjoyed all of his subsequent films even when they reached Bruce Willis/Liam Neeson schlock territory.

So, when I heard that he was returning to the small screen in a Bloodworth/Thomason series – Evening Shade, I wasn't sure if it would be worthwhile. The cast was exceptional (Burt Reynolds, Marilu Henner, Michael Jeter, Charles Durning, hal Holbrook, Ossie Davis, Elizabeth Ashley, Ann Wedgeworth, Linda Gehringer, Jay R. Ferguson, Charlie Dell) I was never a huge fan of Designing Women so I wasn't sure if it was going to be funny or political. So glad it turned out to largely funnier than political.

Like so many others, I was tuned in for the premiere on 09-21-90. I really enjoyed the slower place, the adult relationship between Wood (Reynolds) and Ava (Marilu Henner) (they actually seemed to have that indefinable “chemistry” of a real married couple). I was impressed with the closing credits and had one of the biggest laughs when Reynold's title card was onscreen accompanied by banjo music. The cast of supporting crazies made for some great comical scenes that could really bring the funny. I dare anyone to watch any episode with Herman Stiles (Michael Jeter) and Wood discussing anything and not get a tremendous case of the giggles. So many classic exchanges. Wood was able to hold his own with each of his costars and allow them to take the spotlight. It truly was an ensemble show.

I believe that the success of this series lay in the subverting of expectations of Reynold's movie persona. Obviously, there was comic scenes in most of his dramatic roles and The Longest Yard was a serious movie with plenty of comedy. I don't recall that he was ever in a complete comedy such as this. I was amazed that he would allow himself to look so utterly foolish just to get the laugh. So many things he did just amazed me.


So many things to laugh about:

Wood having half of his mustache shaved off;

Herman winning a weekend with Wood;

Herman failing the team and the team losing their eligibility to play;

The Newtons becoming friendly with a couple who may be into swapping;

Herman teaching sex-education;

Wood and Ava having trials when Ava goes into labor with an unexpected child (the vasectomy failed);

Probably the funniest thing – Wood, Herman and Harlan (Charles Durning) bragging about their camping skills, antagonizing the girls, having their clothes stolen while skinny dipping and seeing these three men dressed like Adam (fig leave thongs) walking through the woods and trying to get home;

Wood's black sheep cousin is played by Billy Bob Thornton (deadpan comedy), when they get arrested and Wood plays the “female”, great scene;

these are just a few of my memories of this funny, heartwarming comedy. As you can see, Burt was not afraid to laugh at himself and allow us to do the same. He was able to play any part that came along. Such a wonderful talent.



I was so glad when this show became available for purchase, even though it was released by one of our favorite companies, ha ha (vei. Inc). At least the episodes appear uncut, even if there are 8 on each disc. I placed an order and found myself laughing again at the simple life of a losing football coach, with a great cast of supporting characters “in a place called Evening Shade.”

Thanks for all the great memories you have given me throughout the years.

Some uncensored bloopers for this show found on youtube.

 

[Bryan^H]

Burt Reynolds February 11, 1936 - September 6, 2018 Birthday Memorial

Naked City
Requiem for a Sunday Afternoon.
Season 3--December 6, 1961

I wanted to go for an early Burt Reynolds appearance for this birthday memorial so I picked this episode of the ABC detective series that ran four seasons.
It isn't exactly a blink, and you miss him appearance (how could you miss Burt?) but his role while small is key to the episode.
Antonio Scarzi an Italian immigrant is a master shoemaker, and his much younger Italian wife Josephine resents being married to him. When Antonio finds her messing around with Burt Reynolds ( credited as "the boy" in this episode) he loses his temper. Even as Burt explains to him that his wife isn't any good, and she chased after him. Through the wrath of Antonio's anger, Burt's character is played as a good guy with anti-hero traits.
The episode itself isn't much of a story but the performances of the actors That played Antonio, and Josephine, and of course Burt Reynolds are fantastic.
The entire 4 seasons are on Amazon Prime.