I have read many of the biographies of Humphrey Bogart, and his friendship with MR. Greenstreet. I remember reading they called him the Fat Man. In the movie S.Z. Sakal refers to Sydney with this nick name. Was that in the script or was it left in as a inside joke among those who knew Sydney??
Mysteryfan645
I don't know whether that was scripted or improvised, but ...
Remember that Greenstreet had also been referred to as "the Fat Man" in The Maltese Falcon. So that would be an "inside joke" that a lot of movie fans of the time would have caught too, not *just* actors on the Warner lot.
Of course, Greenstreet WAS awfully fat! That could also have had something to do with it?? His character was being tortured by a doctor who wanted him to suffer a spartan diet.
shareIn the 1940's, Greenstreet was so well known as "The Fat Man" by the general public that the 2nd atomic bomb, the Nagasaki bomb, was named "The Fat Man" in his honor. The 1st atomic bomb, the Hiroshima bomb, was named "Little Boy" in honor of Peter Lorre, who was co-star with Bogie and Greenstreet in classic movies like Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon. There was to be a third atomic bomb dropped on Japan, they surrendered before it could be dropped. That bomb was to have been called "The Thin Man" in honor of the Nick and Nora Charles detective movies that became the basis for McMillan and Wife in the 1970's.
I always love watching Greenstreet when he laughs, notice he had a unique movement of the shoulders whenever he laughed and he had some of the best diction and emphasis on individual words when he delivered his lines. I don't think we will ever again have such a good actor in these roles.
Sydney Greenstreet had the diversity of an ear of corn. He played the SAME character in every movie, whether a drama or comedy.
As for S.Z. Sakal, how this clown ever got a job in Hollywood is beyond me. Another actor who plays the SAME character in every film. No range whatsoever. Yet, we're supposed to think he's loveable? Ugh!
Another actor I'd throw in there is Monty Wooley. Hated him and his booming voice. No subtlety whatsoever. Always the same.
What do you expect for 1946, flying monkeys? Greenstreet is continually voted and recognized as one of the top 10 screen personas of all time. Hate the player not the game. Studio practice at that time was to keep a large number of character actors on hand, a steady job for the actor and they had no control over the parts, they did what they were told. Sakal was a Jewish Hungarian refugee from Nazi Germany. THAT"s what he was doing there, surviving and thriving. Stop player hating.
shareRobert Di Nero plays the same character in just about every movie--a smartass urban tough guy. Even the characters he plays that aren't supposed to be smartass urban tough guys come off like smartass urban tough guys. Yet a lot of people consider him to be one of the greatest actors ever. Greenstreet in "The Maltese Falcon" as compared to Greenstreet in "Christmas in Connecticut" represents as much or more range than Di Nero has ever exhibited. Acting is a profession surrounded by more than its share of mythology and pure hooey. Brando himself could never have played the roles Greenstreet and Sakal played as effectively as they did.
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