Could Bogey make it today?

[Captaindemotion]

"McQ" is the only Wayne cop movie I can think of.

That being said, throughout his career Wayne did contempory (ie "modern" for that time period) films along with westerns, and that a lot of his "classic" war films were actually set in the present, or near-present, of the time they were produced.

He was offered the role of Dirty Harry ahead of Eastwood. So was Frank Sinatra, bizarrely.

Yeah, supposedly Wayne did McQ and Brannigan after seeing how successful Eastwood (another "western" actor at the time) was in Dirty Harry and regretting not taking the role.

And Sinatra's not that surprising a choice, when you consider he'd played a tough guy in a fair number of films up to that time.

Sinatra's The Detective is technically a prequel to Die Hard. Both are based on novels by author Roderick Thorpe, the one that became DH being called Nothing Lasts Forever. The character in the books is called Joe Leland and obviously the name was changed to John McClane too. Imagine if they'd followed The Detective up by filming Nothing Lasts Forever too with Frank. Hard to imagine him 'yippy-kay-ay motherfucker-ing' down a skyscraper!

I've also heard once or twice (but never seen confirmation) that Elvis was considered for the Dirty Harry part.

Funny thing is: I can actually hear him doing that "Did he fire six shots or only five" speech.

Of course, instead of a serial killer, the camera would have to cut to a TV set.

Brilliant!!!!!

Has anyone said Steve Buscemi yet?
He's not got what you would call the Hollywood pretty boy look.

I mentioned him in my first post. I think he's very Bogey-esque in Boardwalk Empire.

 

[barnaclelapse]

We might soon find out if actors like Bogey would have "made it" today if the long-promised/threatened plans to recreate guys like him using CG for movie or TV projects ever comes to pass.

I really hope that never happens. It strikes me as such an awful idea.

 

[The Laughing Vulcan]

Jeff Goldblum is unconventional to say the least, and he's led a film or two.

 

[Mysterion]

What else would you recommend watching to see these actors doing their best work?

Check out Cagney in Mister Roberts, if you haven't seen it. You don't get a much better cast than this movie has: Henry Fonda, William Powell, and Jack Lemon (who got an Oscar for playing Ensign Pulver).

 

[the G-man]

What else would you recommend watching to see these actors doing their best work?

Check out Cagney in Mister Roberts, if you haven't seen it. You don't get a much better cast than this movie has: Henry Fonda, William Powell, and Jack Lemon (who got an Oscar for playing Ensign Pulver).

Yep. One of the best ever.

In regards to Bogart, I don't know if anyone's mentioned it but I strongly recommend his Oscar nominated turn as Captain Queeg in the Caine Mutiny.

 

[Mysterion]

^^^
A definite "seconded" for The Caine Mutiny. Bogart is very good in that, as are Fred MacMurray, Van Johnson, and Jose Ferrer.

 

[barnaclelapse]

I wasn't a huge fan of Clark Gable until I saw him in "The Misfits". I think that's a performance that could certainly be appealing today.

 

[Greg Cox]

I wasn't a huge fan of Clark Gable until I saw him in "The Misfits". I think that's a performance that could certainly be appealing today.

He's pretty good in Run Silent, Run Deep, opposite Burt Lancaster.

 

[barnaclelapse]

I need to see that. I've seen only a handful of Gable films.

There's one I want to see that I think Peter Lorre is in, too, but I can't remember what the hell it might be called. I think Joan Crawford's in it, too.