I remember him fondly from many, many movies. Madigan remains a favorite. And I can't resist adding a little personal story here. Long ago I had a good friend named Pat Rawlings. He loved to tell about the time he was in O'Hare Airport (O'Hara, as he called it) and saw a big crowd of people. He couldn't figure out what was going on, so he went over. He still couldn't figure it out. All he could see was what appeared to be a circle of people, some of them talking, but most of them listening. A flight was called, and when the crowd broke up, Pat saw that they'd all been gathered around Richard Widmark, who, Pat said, "couldn't have been more than five feet tall. You couldn't even see him in the crowd." I suspect Widmark was taller than that, but you'd never have convinced Pat.Richard Widmark, Actor, Dies at 93 - New York Times: "Richard Widmark, who created a villain in his first movie role who was so repellent and frightening that the actor became a star overnight, died Monday at his home in Roxbury, Conn. He was 93."
7 comments:
And don't forget his appearance as himself on I Love Lucy.
Jeff
richard widmark was totally cool. him and glenn ford were in a class by themselves. sorry, Cap'n: I mean theirselves; i might as well be consistent throughout my entire remark. thank you
The "I Love Lucy" episode was on RTN this morning.
"I love the smell of irony in the morning."
here's the variety obit:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117982934.html?categoryId=25&cs=1
Watch for TCM to run a tribute to him.
A friend of mine, Joe, just turned 93 on the 19th (St. Joseph's Day) and is doing very well. He told my wife that he likes to talk to me because I'm such a smart young man who makes him think. I was always good at fooling people. ;-)
I'll have to remember to watch the TCM listings. I wish they'd run MADIGAN.
The TCM tribute will be next Friday, April 4, starting at 8PM EST. They're going with three lesser-known films: Alvarez Kelly, Take The High Ground, Tunnel of Love. High Ground has Texas bona fides, Bill, as it was shot on location at Fort Bliss.
Thanks for the tip, Vince. Some weird choices. The only one I've seen is Alvarez Kelly.
Speaking of actors who were short, someone told me Lee Marvin was a member of that fraternity.
Widmark, however tall he wasn't, had a great screen presence and brought a depth to his roles that went beyond the script. And let's not forget he played Jim Bowie in THE ALAMO.
Dang, Gomer, I thought you had it right the first time. Shows what I know.
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