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Great good guy who didn't mind being a baddie

posted 6 years ago by snepts (11123)
6 replies | jump to latest

James Whitmore was great at playing wise and warm avuncular figures. I usually associate him with being on the right side of things.
But he didn't mind playing a baddie. There are at least two Gunsmokes where (1) he plays a white man in the white slave trade, and (2) a lawman who develops a love/hate fixation on a woman he's afraid is a painted lady. He torments the poor woman.
And usually he's the most pleasant person on the screen. Think Shawshank.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

He was oscar nominated for "Give Em' Hell Harry" (1975). A one man show and his BEST performance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8f-NkRfLYoM

[–] snepts (11123) 6 years ago

Thanks for responding. I try not to get too hung up on older performers (oh, maybe I do), but lately I see extremely well-know actors like Henry Fonda and James Garner with ZERO posts, and I feel the need to remedy that.
GEHH must be about Truman.
Hal Holbrook was another actor who could portray historical figures convincingly.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

Yes it is about Truman. I do hope you watch it. Full of laughter and insightful thought. Truman was the least popular president when he left office but is now considered one of the top 5 presidents in history. (Says a LOT about public polling.) He wasn't afraid to go up against anybody, even his own party.
I wouldn't use this site as a basis for popularity. The trolls have nearly ruined it just like the original IMdB site.
Enjoy your journey into classic movies and performances.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

The Asphalt Jungle - one of my favorites.

[–] [email protected] (6072) 5 years ago

He had a number of appearances on The Big Valley. In "Night in a Small Town", he plays an old friend of Heath's who has become Marshall in a small town called St. John. He has cleaned up the town and gotten rid of a lot of crime. But he's actually a little dictator who has terrorized the townspeople into doing things "the right way".

James Whitmore could play a baddie in such a low key chilling way.

[–] Magicdave (904) 2 months ago

He played State Police Sergeant Ben Peterson in the classic sci-fi film "Them!"