“Now sit down and don’t say another word.” 

 E.G. Marshall makes an indelible print on “12 Angry Men.” His performance as “Juror #4″ is both haunting and heartening. He displays the kind of tough-minded, exacting approach that should accompany any important endeavour. And he nearly puts it to use against justice. 

*Warning, this article contains spoilers for “Creepshow” and “Absolute Power.”*

 This is the role I’ve often coveted. While everyone else is stamping and shouting, “Juror #4″ is encouraging cold logic. Because of this, he stands out. It’s the sort of role in which an actor can get the whole audience watching him by doing very little. This results in every small action and behavior taking on added meaning. It also makes his unexpected turns into real stunners.

 E. G. Marshall was born in 1914 as Everett Eugene Grunz to parents of Norwegian ancestry. Maybe. A bit of mystery surrounds his early history, as he has given conflicting accounts. Some biographies claim that he attended Carleton College and the University of Minnesota, but there is no record of his ever attending Carleton. Everett E. Grunz was enrolled at Mechanic Arts High School in Minnesota, but did not appear to graduate. Some of the confusion is certainly the result of his own slippery explanations about the meanings of his stage name. One stock answer was that “E. G.” stood for “Everybody’s Guess,” while a more likely claim is that his name was “Edda Gunnar.” But that claim places the moniker as his childhood name, and one which caused him embarrassment, which would conflict with Everett Eugene Grunz being his birth name. Some sources list his father as “Charles Marshall,” and I even found more than one date of birth for him.

His public life as “E. G. Marshall” began on the New York stage in the 1940s, appearing in the original production of Thornton Wilder’s “The Skin of Our Teeth” as directed by Elia Kazan and starring Tallulah Bankhead, Fredric March, and Montgomery Clift. He was also a member of the original cast for Eugene O’Niell’s “The Iceman Cometh.” His screen credits initially consisted of uncredited film parts and one-episode television appearances. In 1952, he played his first American President, Grover Cleveland, in the TV movie “Ordeal by White House.”

Marshall’s first big film credit was in the military blockbuster ”The Caine Mutiny” (1954), which starred Humphrey Bogart, Jose Ferrer, and Fred MacMurray. He played Lt. Commander Challee, the prosecuting attorney on the Caine case. The film was a big box office and critical success and gathered several Oscar nominations, including for Best Picture. Attorneys would also become a repeated theme for Marshall.

 After appearing again with Bogart in 1955′s “The Left Hand of God,” Marshall would team with another of that film’s stars, Lee J Cobb, and play one of his signature roles in our big favorite, “12 Angry Men” (1957). This time he was not an attorney, but a member of a jury, deconstructing the case two lawyers have just presented. It is the role many younger film fans discover E. G. Marshall in.

1959 finds Marshall back in the role of attorney in “Compulsion,” this time playing the district attorney prosecuting the notorious Leopold and Loeb murder case. For some reason, the film changes all the names, but make no mistake, this is that case, right down to co-star Orson Welles’ closing argument, which could be a direct quoting of Clarence Darrow’s. E. G. Marshall really gets to spread his wings in “Compulsion.” He is sharp, surly, and having a great time in the role. A very young Dean Stockwell (“Married to the Mob,” “Quantum Leap”) also gives a memorable performance with no green hair and no cigar. I definitely recommend this film.  

 Marshall continued to work steadily, appearing in “Cash McCall” (1960) with James Garner and Natalie Wood, in Henrik Ibsen’s “Master Builder” (1960), and the Kirk Douglas drama “Town Without Pity” (1961) in which he played another attorney, this time prosecuting a group of soldiers who gang raped a 16 year old girl. Aside from its shocking premise, “Town Without Pity” is best remembered for the pop song of the same name which was written and recorded for the film. It was nominated for an Oscar, but lost to “Moon River.” “Town Without Pity” also had sensational posters. 

 While younger generations probably know E. G. Marshall best from his roles in “12 Angry Men” or maybe even “Creepshow,” those who were adults during the early 1960s remember him primarily as defense attorney Lawrence Preston in the critically-lauded television drama “The Defenders.”  

 ”The Defenders” was the “Law & Order” of its time, but with a penchant for taking on the most controversial issues of the day. Preston and his son (played by Robert Reed) could be seen defending conscientious objectors, civil rights demonstrators, and pornographers. This was the stuff of office water cooler discussion. “The Defenders” ran from 1961 to 1965 and won Marshall two Emmys for “Lead Actor in a Series.” At the link below, you can see the intro for “The Defenders” as it appeared on television on Sunday nights.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrOWiVv0KAM

If you watched the above intro, perhaps you noticed that “The Defenders” was created by Reginald Rose. This is the same man who wrote the original teleplay and screenplay for “12 Angry Men.” “The Defenders” was ranked at #31 when TV Guide made a list of the 50 greatest TV shows of all time in 2002.

Marshall did very little else except “The Defenders” during its run. Considering how influential and honored it had been, he could be forgiven for thinking that film work would welcome him back with open arms when it went off the air. Instead, he went back to playing pretty much the same kind of roles he had been playing beforehand…but with generally less luck. 1966′s “The Chase,” starring Marlon Brando, Jane Fonda, Robert Redford, Angie Dickinson, Marshall, and a young Robert Duvall had to seem like a sure-fire hit, but it was greeted with mediocre reviews and box office. “The Bridge at Remagen” (1969) saw simillarly lackluster returns.

That same year, Marshall had the distinction of playing “God” in “The Littlest Angel.” While Marshall certainly had as much gravitas as any actor at the time, the cast list of this thing leaves me both intrigued and apprehensive. Cab Calloway played “Gabriel,” and Tony Randall, Connie Stevens, James Coco, and Fred Gwynne were also involved. Do I want to see this? I’m not sure.

 ”Tora! Tora! Tora!” (1970) put Marshall in the same film as “12 Angry Men” castmate Martin Balsam and looked like the sort of Hollywood epic that could’ve been huge. But it was generally considered to be a big, bloated, bore and it tanked at the American box office (it was a hit in Japan, though). 

By 1969, Marshall had already retreated back to the small screen, taking on the role of neurosurgeon David Craig in “The Bold Ones: The New Doctors.” With a title like that, it’s probably a credit to Marshall that it was a moderate hit and lasted until 1973. The show originally followed four sets of doctors, but by the time the show ended, only Marshall’s group was still being featured.

Starting in 1974, Marshall became the host of “The CBS Radio Mystery Theater,” a show that I never had the chance to hear, but one that got consistent mentions on line from longtime fans. There were some suggestions that Marshall joined the radio program and decreased his screen work due to poor health resulting from his lifelong smoking habit, but his output during this period does not strongly support this theory.

 Woody Allen’s “Interiors” (1978) looked like a big score for E.G. Marshall. Allen was in the middle of a hot streak, and “Annie Hall” had just cleaned up at the Oscars and done pretty well at the box office too. Unfortunately, Marshall was not cast in “Manhattan,” or any number of delightful Woody Allen gems. What he got cast in was the Woodman’s desperate attempt at being taken seriously. And most of it is deadly, despite strong performances from Marshall, Geraldine Page, and Maureen Stapleton.

Fortunately, neither of Marshall’s next two films could be called dull. 

 ”Superman II” (1980) delivered big time man of steel action to the masses. It was #2 at the box office in 1981 behind only “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” It also made use of E. G. Marshall’s well-won authority by casting him as a fictional American President. Marshall doesn’t have much screen time (heck, some of the shots of the “President” from behind look to be a stand-in), but hey, it’s Superman, right?

Okay, I’m giving you fair warning; the next picture you will see (if it’s not already on the screen) is pretty darn gross. If you have a “bug” phobia, this is where you might want to get off the train. In 1982, E. G. Marshall appeared in the last section of the pulpy George Romero/Stephen King EC Comics tribute “Creepshow.” The film never really delivers on its promise, but it does understand the weird/gross/ridiculous ethos of those old horror comics. My wife and I are big fans of creepy, spooky, and even disturbing movies, especially around the time of Halloween every year. There are two things my wife cannot stand to watch, however. One is realistic torture (so long, “Reservoir Dogs,” I’ll see you on her next night out). The other is real cockroaches. In “Creepshow,” E. G. Marshall shares her repulsion, but is more aggressive in his hatred…

   He pays for it.

She watches the rest of the movie, but gets up and leaves when it is time for Marshall’s one-man-in-a-white-room segment.

The rest of the 80s put Marshall in things like three episodes of “Falcon Crest,” the star-studded flop “Power” (1986), an Eisenhower biopic as “Ike” (1986), and a second run at playing Dwight D. Eisenhower in the TV mini-series “War and Remembrance” (1988). 1982 to 1985 seems like a more likely time of rest due to poor health.

 In 1989, Marshall got a chance to join the Griswolds in “Christmas Vacation.” IMDb lists “Christmas Vacation” as one of the films E. G. Marshall is ‘Known For.’ Eh…maybe. It certainly did big box office, and it gets pulled out again every year due to its holiday theme. But does anybody really come out of it thinking about E. G. Marshall? Well, I did when I re-watched it recently, (I found his grumpy grandpa throw-away lines humorous) but we’re not talking about me. Still, it had to be good for his career. What’s the deal with the Griswold kids, by the way? They’re played by different actors every film, and sometimes their ages go down instead of up in the next movie, despite always being named “Rusty” and “Audrey.” This time they were played by Johnny Galecki (“Big Bang Theory”) and Juliette Lewis (“Natural Born Killers”). Bizarre. 

 The mid 1990s brought a small renaissance for E.G. Marshall. He was part of the original cast of the “E.R.” competitor “Chicago Hope.”

In 1995, he was cast as Watergate fall guy John Mitchell in Oliver Stone’s overwrought “Nixon.” It is fun sometimes to just watch one actor through an entire film. Marshall brings more than his share of grit and charm to Mitchell. Then there’s a scene at a dinner table on a boat. Marshall is surrounded by top acting talent, including Anthony Hopkins, Paul Sorvino, J. T. Walsh, and James Woods. They are all swinging hard and bringing high energy to the scene. Marshall spends most of the scene concentrating on eating his dinner, only participating long enough to deliver his lines. I can’t decide if he was an old man phoning it in, or if he kind of made the rest of them look like pikers.

 Marshall’s last big screen role of note was “Absolute Power” (1997), an absorbing political crime thriller with a top notch cast. Clint Eastwood directed and starred along with Marshall, Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Scott Glenn, and Judy Davis. After all of the mystery and machinations put into play during the film, Eastwood’s character concludes that the best thing to do is tell the old man who killed his wife and hand him the murder weapon. In retrospect, when E. G. Marshall walks into the Oval Office and stabs the President to death at the end of “Absolute Power,” it seems like a fitting end to his career, considering that he had played four U.S. Presidents himself. 

Marshall died the next year, losing his battle with lung cancer. Few character actors have continued to be so respected.

When The Walking Dead left off with it’s mid-season finale, I was frustrated.  The first half of the season  flirted with greatness (or at least very goodness) but got bogged down in a never-ending plot that was destined to go nowhere.  On the one hand, I was relieved to see the dreaded “search for Sophia” come to an end.  On the other hand, I couldn’t believe it took so long to get there.    After seven episodes of picking the show’s nits, I wasn’t overly excited for this week’s mid-season premiere.

As it turns out, absence makes the heart grow fonder.  Even when what is absent is a TV zombie drama that is too ambitious for its own good.  Nebraska picks up immediately following the zombie massacre Pretty Much Dead Already.  So it’s not surprising that it maintains a lot of the flaws that made the season’s first seven episodes so frustrating.  But, I found that I didn’t mind all that much.  I think that is at least in part due to the fact that The Walking Dead and I have been apart these winter months.

Nebraska was a mixed bag.  There were parts I really enjoyed and parts that made me groan.  Before I break down what was great and what was groan-worthy, I’ll go on record as saying that I think the show may be turning a corner.  Based largely on interviews I have read with the show’s producers, it seems like they are aware of where the first half of the season went wrong and have taken steps to course correct.  (We can discuss the behind-the-scenes stuff in the comments section if anyone is interested.)

I thought things got off to a pretty promising start.  I enjoyed most of the reactions to the revelation that Sophia was living the zombie high life with all the other barn-zombies.  For the most part, they felt genuine.  I especially enjoyed Shane chasing down Hershel and demanding to know whether or not he was aware that Sophia was in the barn all along.  And Hershel’s defensive, angry response that Shane get off his land.

I was also really glad to see Hershel’s zombified wife nearly make a meal out of one of his kids when she got all weepy around a not-quite-dead zombie.  The Green clan really needed a dose of reality.  That seems to have done the trick.  One of my gripes with the finale was the way in which it portrayed the zombie shooting as something sinister.  I was concerned that the show would paint Shane as a cartoonish villain with Rick and Hershel as saints.  It was good to see Shane’s point of view somewhat vindicated.

My favorite scene from the opening was between little Carl and his mom.  Carl approved of his dad shooting Sophia.  Then he said he would have done the same himself.  What a wonderful delivery from Chandler Riggs!  It was both chilling and adorable.  Give Carl some more of T-Dog’s screen time.  He’s not doing anything with it.

The first groaner was a scene in which Glenn tried to convince Maggie (and the audience) that Sophia’s death meant something.  He said the group had lost others, but this one was different.  This was Sophia!  Steven Yuen delivered the line with a straight face which is pretty darn impressive.  He actually really sold it.  But I’m not sure if Glenn and Sophia have ever had a single scene together in a season and a half.  Even a capable actor like Yuen can’t sell a bullshit line like that.  Sorry, Glenn.

The episode was light on zombies which I don’t mind so much.  The producers promise to bring on the zombies for the next several episodes, so as long as they deliver I am okay with this episode concentrating on the human drama.  There were a couple nice zombie touches to satisfy us this episode.  First, T-Dog actually did something.  Specifically, he tried to kick the zombie off Hershel’s daughter.  Then Andrea put her down permanent-like with a scythe.  Nice.

A little later, Andrea was loading up a truck full of zombie corpses for burnin’.  Cause that’s what you do when you mow down too many zombies to bury.  As the truck pulls off, an arm comes loose.  Andrea hops off the truck as nonchalantly as if she was fetching a bale of hay to fetch the stray appendage.  It said more about her state of mind than all the wordy monologues the show has made its stock in trade.

Poor Dale had another scene in which (for no reason whatsoever) he had to piss off Shane.  I get that Dale doesn’t trust Shane.  And I suppose at this point he’s got good reason (although how we got to that point is somewhat suspect).  But if he really does suspect that Shane is a danger to others, why is he so determined to put a big target on himself.  Dale’s messing with the bull and Shane’s gonna give him the horns sooner or later.

Hysterically, any time Dale tries to voice his concerns to the others they blow him off.  Why?  Because no one (including Dale) has any reason to doubt Shane’s story.  Dale’s just making himself look like a kook even if the audience knows he’s right.  We also know that Dale is being written with out-of-character knowledge purely for plot purposes.

Speaking of characters doing things for plot purposes (this is how things work on The Walking Dead), Hershel decides now is a perfect time to take up a drinking habit he kicked long ago and has never been mentioned on the show before it became a plot point.  Then his daughter faints from one of those inexplicable TV diseases.  As Hershel has skipped out to a bar, Glenn and Rick decide to go fetch the vet so he can rescue his daughter from her bizarre ailment.

Naturally the women object for no apparent reason.  Glenn makes it clear that this is a relatively safe errand which he has run many times.  But Lori and Maggie react as though their men had signed on for a suicide run.  If Maggie has any concern about her drunk father going into a bar possibly filled with zombies, it didn’t show.  The men run off to fetch Hershel and the women get over it.

In fact, Lori gets over to so thoroughly that a little while later she will decide to go fetch Rick and Glenn herself!  This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.  Lori is doing exactly what she always accuses Rick of doing – abandoning his family to fight someone else’s battles.  There is no upside to Lori’s actions.  She’s not going to bring them back any more quickly.  And she’s risking something bad happening.

Which is of course the point.  Clearly, the writers are setting up a plot thread that include Lori flipping her car in one of the most stupid accidents I have ever seen on TV.  Lori is the only car on the road (maybe the only car on any road!) and she still manages to crash into a zombie, flip her car and become a (pregnant) damsel in distress.  Worst scene of the episode.

Back at the bar, Rick and Hershel are having one of those philosphical arguments that dominated the first half of the season.  Only, Hershel pretty much cedes all his points to Rick.  Now he demands that Rick admits that there is no hope left.  Which is of course ridiculous.  Yeah, some bad things happened.  But Sophia dying does not equate to the death of all hope.  Although I can accept that this is Hershel’s mindset after everything he’s been through.

Thankfully, the episode was saved by the arrival of some timely guest stars.  Two guys walk into the bar and start making small talk.  They trade stories of survival.  The talkative one played by Michael Raymond-James (of Terriers and True Blood) is a charmer.  But there is an underlying menace which slowly rises to the surface.

Meanwhile, his partner starts displaying more and more piggish behavior.  For one, he’s fat and unattractive.  So we already know that is TV-speak for “bad guy”.  But soon, he is pissing in the corner and speaking lewdly about the lack of women in the apocalypse.  The show practically has him eating kittens.  Clearly, not a guy you want on your family farm.

The strangers make it clear that is their aim.  They can tell that Rick and company have a relatively safe hide-out and they want in.  But Rick won’t have it.  The tension continues to rise in spite of everything being perfectly cordial on the surface.  Suddenly, that surface cracks and shots are fired.  Rick ends the second episode in a row with a command decision.  Applause!  Applause!

In case I hadn’t made myself abundantly clear in the previous paragraphs, I wish the show had left things a little more morally ambigous.  Raymond-James was doing a terrific job conveying the menace beneath his charm.  We didn’t need to see a fat guy pissing on the floor to get the point.  But even with the more black-and-white ending, this scene was better than just about anything from the first half of the season.

The previews from next week show Rick and company in a conflict with the friends of the men he just killed.  Rick says, “We all know this isn’t going to end well.”  Hopefully he’s right!  It makes for much better TV.

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She’s been a Bond girl, Batman’s girlfriend and a corpse in a Tom Petty video.  And most recently, she played Zach Effron’s mom.  What the hell happened?  The easy answer is that Kim Basinger was a sex symbol who got old.  But the story of Basinger’s career is far more interesting than the easy answer would lead you to believe.

Like a lot of the actresses I have profiled so far, Basinger got her start as a model.  She then transitioned on to TV shows like Starskey and Hutch and Charlie’s Angels.  Following that, she broke into films with films like Hard Country and Mother Lode.

Basinger’s breakout role was opposite Sean Connery in Never Say Never Again.  After Diamonds are Forever, Connery had vowed never to play James Bond again.  However, he reconsidered.  And in 1983 he returned to the role.  The title is a winking nod to Connery’s earlier comments.

Never Say Never Again is an odd entry in the Bond franchise.  It was not produced by Eon Productions like most of the Bond films.  Instead, it was a remake of Thunderball based on a settlement deal surrounding Fleming’s original novel.  In the summer of 1983, Connery and Roger Moore had dueling James Bond films as a result.

As it turns out, there was room for two James Bond movies that summer.  Although Roger Moore’s Octopussy outperformed Never Say Never Again, both films were hits.

To promote Never Say Never Again, Basinger posed nude for Playboy.  Basinger actually credits the Playboy shoot with helping her land the role in Barry Levinson’s baseball film, The Natural.  But first, let me make a passing mention that in 1983 Basinger also appeared in the Blake Edwards comedy, The Man Who Loved Women starring Burt Reynolds.

Never Say Never Again, the Playboy shoot (and maybe even the Burt Reynolds movie) caught the attention of Barry Levinson.  When he was looking for a femme fatale to seduce Robert Redford in The Natural, he called upon Basinger.  Basinger was perfect for the role conveying the glamor of the error as well as the necessary sex appeal.  She was rewarded with her first Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Up to this point, Basinger has worked with an impressive collection of directors.  Never Say Never Again was directed by Irvon Kirshner (director of The Empire Strikes Back), The Man Who Loves Women was directed by Blake Edwards and The Natural was directed by Barry Levinson.  But her next film, Fool for Love, was directed by none other than Robert Altman!

I haven’t done the research, but I venture to guess that no other actress has gone from Bond and Playboy to Altman in three films or less.  Fool For Love was not a box office hit.  But it got very positive reviews and helped to legitimize Basinger as an actress and not just a pretty face.

In 1986, Basinger worked with another visionary director, Adrian Lyne, in the erotic drama, 9 1/2 Weeks.  Basinger and co-star Mickey Rourke played a couple who push their sexual boundaries until Basinger’s character reaches her limit.  The sex scenes were artfully done, but the film was scandalous at the time. 

Reviews for 9 1/2 Weeks were mixed.  Some critics considered it bordering on soft core porn.  But most praised the genuine performances by Rourke and Basinger.  At the time of its release, 9 1/2 Weeks bombed at the box office.  But it became very popular overseas and eventually developed a cult following.  A direct to video sequel and prequel were both eventually produced.

Later that year, Basinger starred opposite Richard Gere in the would-be erotic thriller, No Mercy.  The Bayou-based crime drama was panned by critics and bombed at the box office.

In 1987, Basinger reteamed with Blake Edwards for Blind Date.  Basinger’s co-star was Bruce Willis who was still appearing weekly on TV in Moonlighting.  Blind Date traded in heavily on Willis’ Moonlighting persona.  This is what Willis’ career might have looked like if Die Hard hadn’t come along.

Blind Date is pure farce.  Basinger plays an attractive girl who is inexplicably shy.  But she turns wild if she has so much as a sip of alcohol.  Willis goes out on a blind date (thus the title) with her which starts off awkwardly but ends in madness once Basinger has had a few drinks.

The critics weren’t kind to Blind Date.  But it was a modest hit.

The same can not be said for Basinger’s next film.  Nadine was a sexy, Southern-fried comedy co-starring Jeff Bridges.  The critics hated it and this time audiences agreed.  Nadine was another bomb.

In 1989, Basinger tried her hand at comedy again.  This time, she paired with Dan Aykroyd for My Stepmother is an Alien.  Basinger played the titular stepmom/alien.  And yes, the title pretty much tells you everything you need to know about the movie.  It’s one of those weird comedies that only Dan Aykroyd thinks is funny.

So, instead of writing a lot about My Stepmother is an Alien, let me share a little nugget my research turned up.

Yeah, fellow Buffy fans.  That’s Alyson Hannigan and Seth Green as kids.  The future Willow and Oz were apparently coupled up pre-puberty in My Stepmother is an Alien.  Pretty cool, huh?

Anyway, Stepmother bombed like all Dan Aykroyd comedies not co-starring a funnier SNL alumn.  Basinger’s career seemed to be coming off the rails.

In 1989, Basinger finally scored another hit.  And it was a big one.  Batman was the biggest movie of 1989.  It was a cultural phenomenon.  And Basinger almost wasn’t in it.

Originally, Sean Young was cast as Vicki Vale, Batman’s love interest.  When Young was injured during preproduction, the role had to be recast.  Burton suggested Michelle Pfeiffer for the role.  But Michael Keaton (who was in a relationship with Pfeiffer) thought it would be awkward and rejected her.

Jack Nicholson’s contract on Batman had a lot of stipulations.  One of them was that his entire role was to be shot within three weeks!  The clock was ticking to find an actress to replace Sean Young.  They needed someone who was right for the part and also available with almost no notice.  Basinger fit that bill.

Originally, Basinger’s character was supposed to die in the films and inspire Batman to greater darkness.  But the studio didn’t like the idea.  Instead, they rewrote the ending with the cathedral scene without consulting Burton. 

If you ever thought the ending didn’t make a lot of sense, you’re not alone.  While filming the scene in which the Joker kidnaps Vale and marches her up to the top of a cathedral, Nicholson demanded to know why they were climbing the stairs.  Burton admitted he didn’t know and said they would figure it out when they reached the top.

Basinger was basically a damsel in distress.  She screams approximately 23 times in Batman.  But even if the role required little more than looking pretty and screaming frequently, Basinger was in the biggest movie of the year.  That’s got to count for something.

During this time, Basinger started up a very public affair with the pop star, Prince.  Prince was recording music for the Batman soundtrack.  The Prince/Basinger pairing was the stuff of urban legend.  Reportedly, Basinger was under some kind of spell.  The story goes that Basinger’s family, concerned for her well-being, whisked Basinger away from Prince’s house.

That may seem silly.  Prince is a little guy.  It’s hard to imagine that Basinger was in any real jeopardy.  However, before you rush to judgement, take into consideration that Basinger and Prince recorded an album (appropraitely titled Hollywood affair) which was never released.

Here’s a sample:

So, yeah, maybe getting Basinger away from Prince was a matter of urgency.   

But shacking up with Prince and recording bootleg sex grooves wasn’t the only bad decision Basinger made in 1989.  She also dropped $20 million dollars to buy the town (the entire town!) of Braselton, Georgia.  The idea was to establish a tourism industry built around a Kim Basinger film festival.  Kind of like Dollywood but, you know, with Kim Basinger.

I won’t keep you in suspense.  Basigner’s plans for the town of Braselton didn’t work out.  Five years later, she sold the town for a mere $1 million dollars!

Pretty rough, right?  Well, buckle up!  Cause we’re just getting started!

In 1991, Basinger starred alongside Alec Baldwin in The Marrying Man.  Odds are you have forgotten about this slight Neil Simon comedy.  But when it was released, the film was infamous for the behind-the-scenes fights.

When The Marrying Man started, Baldwin was a rising star.  The Hunt for Red October had not yet been release.  Disney Chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg got the production off on the wrong foot when he met Baldwin and reportedly joked “We could get a gate guard to do the same job as you.”  Baldwin didn’t take kindly to the joke.

He did take to Basinger though.  The two began a hot, steamy on-set romance.  Several memebrs of the crew complained about Basinger and Baldwin’s on-set shenanigans.  Reportedly, Basinger did not wear underwear on the set and was very forthcoming with what she wanted to do to her co-star in between takes.

One crew member commented, “Honest to God, if I were destitute and living on the street with no food and somebody offered me a million dollars to work with Alec and Kim, I’d pass.  Their actions were vile, deplorable, despicable.”

The script for The Marrying Man was written by comedy legend Neil Simon.  Basinger was unhappy with her dialogue and wanted it rewritten.  Reportedly, she told Simon “Whoever wrote this scene doesn’t understand comedy.”   Neil Simon denied the incident.  But he only visited the set one more time during filming.

The Marrying Man turned into a cautionary tale.  It came in over-budget, was blasted by critics and bombed at the box office. 

Two years later, Basinger and Baldwin would marry.  But don’t worry.  I’m sure that will turn out well…

Basinger released 3 movies in 1992.  The first was the erotic thriller, Final Analysis which reteamed Basinger with her No Mercy co-star, Richard Gere.  Final Analysis was meant to cash in on the success of Basic Instinct.  But reviews were mixed and the movie tanked.

Okay, full disclosure time.  I remeber two things about Final Analysis.  One, it was ridiculous and two, I had fun watching it.  I really couldn’t tell you what it was about.  But I remember enjoying it and being surprised when it was a box office flop.

Next she played a living cartoon in Ralph Bakshi’s live action/animation hybrid, Cool World.  Some might consider Basinger as a sexy cartoon to be type casting (zing!).  The movie is notable for co-starring a young Brad Pitt fresh off Thelma and Louise and for being absolutely unwatchable.  And remember, I liked Final Analysis!

Basinger ended the year by teaming with Val Kilmer in the heist flick, The Real McCoy.  The Real McCoy got mixed to negative reviews and bombed at the box office contributing to the career decline of both of its starts.

In 1993, Basinger played Honey Horne, an older woman who seduces Dana Carvey’s Garth in Wayne’s World 2.  The Wayne’s World sequel was a disappointment at the box office, but Basinger’s part was basically an extended cameo anyway.  So it wasn’t going to have much impact on her career either way.

Her biggest performance in 1993 was as the hot corpse Tom Petty dances with in the Last Dance With Mary Jane music video:

However, the biggest Kim Basinger story of 1993 was Boxing Helena, a movie Basinger did not even appear in.

In the early 90′s, Twin Peaks mania swept the country making quirky director David Lynch an unlikely household name.  For a short time, Twin Peaks was so popular that Lynch’s daughter, was able to sign a deal to write and director her own movie.  The Lynch name attracted Madonna to the project.  But when the Twin Peaks backlash started, Modonna walked out and Kim Basinger stepped in.

Boxing Helena was a very strange movie.  It was about a surgeon who amputates the arms and legs from a woman he is obsessed with and then keeps her as a prisoner/patient until she returns his affections.  But weirdness was part of the appeal of David Lynch.  So his daughter’s first movie was expected to be weird.

The problem was that it was also awful.  I mean, really bad.  Worse than the premise makes it sound.  Just before filming was supposed to begin, Basinger (understandably) got cold feet about playing an armless, legless hostage who falls in love with the man who kidnaps and mutilates her. 

Not surprisingly, the makers of Boxing Helena sued.  What is surprising is that they were awarded an unprecendented settlement of 8.1 million dollars for Basinger’s breach of her verbal contract.

Just to put this decision in some context, stars dropping out of movies is commonplace in Hollywood.  At best, there is usually some out of court settlement between the star and the producers.  Madonna had already walked out of this particular project. 

Many speculate that the jury was biased against Basinger because they resented her for being so beautiful and rich.  At the time, she still owned a town.  And one of the details that came out in court was that Basinger spent $7,000 a month on her pets!  Also, it probably didn’t help that her handsome boy friend, Alec Baldwin, showed up in court every day wearing sunglasses and slicked-back hair.

Eventually, the verdict was voided.  Basinger signed an out-of-court settlement for $3.8 million dollars.  But the damage was done.  Between her costly legal battles and the failure of her investment in the town of Braselton, Basinger filed for bankruptcy.

In 1994, Basinger again co-starred with Alec Baldwin, now her husband.  The film was The Getaway, a remake of the 1972 Steve McQueen film of the same name.  The original was a bit of Hollywood lore.  While filming the 1972 version, Steve McQueen started an affair with his co-star Ali McGraw who was in a relationship at the time with the film’s legendary producer, Robert Evans.

The 1994 version of The Getaway hoped to generate a different kind of controversy.  Go ahead, Google it.  You’ll hear a lot about the steamy sex scene between Basinger and Baldwin.  But that was not enough to make The Getaway a hit.  It received negative reviews and bombed at the box office.

Basinger also appeared in the 1994 film, Pret a Porter (or Ready to Wear as it was released in the US), Robert Altman’s film about the fashion world.  Basinger agreed to the project without reading the script for the opportunity to work with Altman again.  Pret a Porter actualy got mixed reviews.  And it opened below expectations.

Battered and possibly broken, Basinger retreated from Hollywood for a few years.  Faced with lawsuits, bankruptcy and a string of box office flops, you can hardly blame her.  From 1994-1997, Basinger concentrated on rasising a family with Alec Baldwin.

That could have been the end of the story.  But Hollywood love a comeback and Basinger was primed and ready for one.  In 1997, Basinger had a hell of a comeback in Curtis Hanson’s gritty film noir, LA Confidential.  It was the role Basinger was born for.  She played a glamorous, sexy femme fatale.  But with enough vulnerability to win a slew of awards including an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

Despite the overwhelming success of LA Confidential, Basinger didn’t jump right back into starring roles.  She didn’t release another movie for three years.  In 2000, she starred in two box office turkeys, I Deamed of Africa and the supernatural thriller, Bless the Child.  Both recevied bad reviews.

In 2001, Basinger and Baldwin filed for divorce.  This lead to a long, drawn out custody battle over their daughter Ireland.  Six years later, that battle would become public when Baldwin left some angry phone messages for their daughter.

In 2002, Basinger worked for Curtis Hanson again in the Eminem drama, 8 Mile.  The film is based on the rapper life although it has been fictionalized.  Basinger played the fictional version of Eminem’s demonized mother.  The movie was a hit and got good reviews.

Basinger continued to work mostly in smaller films that most people have probably never seen or heard of.  In 2004, she starred in the thriller, Cellular.  Cellular was one of the first films to acknowledge the popularity of cell phones and to use it as a plot point. 

Films (especially horror films) were reluctant to admit that most people had cell phones because it tended to create problems for the narrative when the characters could easily call for help.  It was very common to have a line of dialogue explaining that the characters conveniently couldn’t get coverage or the issue was just ignored altogether.

Cellular got some marks for being clever.  Reviews were mixed on the whole.  Cellular was a modest hit at the box office.

Following Cellular, Basinger has appeared in a string of small films and box office disappointments.  The highest profile of which were The Sentinel in 2006 and Charlie St. Cloud in 2010.  None of these films really merit much attention.  At this point, Basinger’s career seems to have slipped back into a coma.

Bond girls have a really lousy track record in Hollywood.  So much so, that the term Bond Girl Curse has been coined.  Around here, we also talk about the Batman Curse.  So, Basinger has a double whammy.  If you count the Kilmer Curse, she has a trifecta. 

Her story is filled with one train wreck after another.  And yet, in spite of it all, she managed to become an international sex symbol, a box office leading lady and eventually an Academy Award winning actress.

The answer to the question “What the Hell Happened to Kim Basinger?” may be as simple as she was a sex symbol who got old.  But I think the crazy details of Basinger’s rise and fall make for one of the most interesting stories in this series.

What the Hell Happened to Eddie Murphy?

What the Hell Happened to Sharon Stone?

What the Hell Happened to Mel Gibson?

What the Hell Happened to Michelle Pfeiffer?

What the Hell Happened to Kevin Costner?

What the Hell Happened to Winona Ryder?

What the Hell Happened to Kathleen Turner?

What the Hell Happened to Alicia Silverstone?

What the Hell Happened to Rick Moranis?

What the Hell Happened to Meg Ryan?

What the Hell Happened to Sean Young?

What the Hell Happened to Val Kilmer?

What the Hell Happened to Elisabeth Shue?

What the Hell Happened to Michael Keaton?

What the Hell Happened to Mena Suvari?

Le Blog

“WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH YOU GUYS? You all know he’s guilty. He’s got to burn!”

In “12 Angry Men,” Lee J Cobb carries more than his fair share of “angry” as “Juror #3.” The question is: “what is he really angry about?” When somebody declares from the beginning that he has no personal feelings about something, you can bet the farm on the opposite being true. The moment one of his fellow jurors suggests that the defendant may not be as guilty as he seems, this guy’s blood begins to boil. The volcano that is Lee J Cobb takes center stage throughout much of the film. It is a part he was born to play.

Cobb grew up in New York City with his birth name ”Leo Jacoby.” After studying at New York University and making two failed attempts to break into the movies in California, Cobb returned to New York and joined the now legendary Group Theatre. It is there that he met and worked with people like Elia Kazan, Clifford Odets, Lee Strasberg, Harold Clurman, Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner, John Garfield, Sidney Lumet, and Bobby Lewis. This group of theatrical artists are the most influential proponents of theatre and acting in the history of American drama. While he was with the Group, he appeared as a striking cabbie in the groundbreaking “Waiting For Lefty”  (1935), in “Til the Day I Die” (1935), as Mister Carp in “Golden Boy” (1937), and as a bankrupt businessman in “The Gentle People” (1939). Sadly, it was his connection with the Group Theatre that would cause some trouble for Cobb later in life.

In the meantime, it proved to give him an early break. When a film version of Odets’ “Golden Boy” (1939) was produced, starring Barbara Stanwyck and William Holden, the 28-year-old Lee J Cobb was tabbed to play “Mister Bonaparte.” The role had him portraying the father of the 21-year-old Holden. Blessed with a barrell chest, lantern jaw, and booming voice, Cobb’s performance belies his young age. You can check out clips from this film on Turner Movie Classic’s website.  

 Cobb would continue to work steadily throughout the 1940s, despite a stint serving in the Army Air Force during World War II. He was seen in films like “Men of Boys Town” (1941) with Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney, “The Song of Bernadette” (1943) with Jennifer Jones and Vincent Price, “Anna and the King of Siam” (1946) with Irene Dunne and Rex Harrison, and “The Dark Past” (1948) again with William Holden.

1949 brought Cobb’s most lasting performance, one that would not be set to film for another 17 years. He won the lead role in Arthur Miller’s soon-to-be-classic “Death of a Salesman.” Cobb played the role of Willy Loman with such reality and well-earned pathos that stunned audiences would sometimes fail to applaud at the final curtain for several minutes. It was, in the words of Miller himself, “like a giant moving the Rocky Mountains into position.”

1950 brought a leading role in the noir thriller “The Man Who Cheated Himself” with Jane Wyatt and John Dall (“Rope,” “Gun Crazy,” “Spartacus”). Why Cobb never really took off as a noir stalwart is a mystery. His on-screen intensity and pop with pithy language were a natural.

His star appeared to be on the rise, as a pairing with Humphrey Bogart in “Sirocco” raised his profile. But trouble was on the horizon.

McCarthyism was on the rise in America, and Cobb was to become one of its victims. Members of the American left were being called to testify before the House UnAmerican Activities Committee (HUAC) with the idea that all leftists were dangers to the United States as a country, working towards its demise. The truth is, of course, much more complicated and much more individualized. Cobb’s membership in the Group Theatre, which had championed working-class socialist causes led to suspicion, and eventually to him being named as a subversive in testimony before HUAC by Larry Parks in 1951. When he was called to testify himself, Cobb initially refused to appear. But the committe’s influence began to kill the job offers Cobb was receiving. When his beloved “Death of a Salesman” was filmed in 1951, the part that had been such a triumph for Cobb went instead to Fredric March.  

Cobb held out for two years, but severely reduced work and the threats of the committee took their toll. His passport was confiscated, he was denied any credit, and he was monitored, closely followed, and physically threatened by government men. His wife, Helen, had a nervous breakdown and was institutionalized. Finally, in 1953, Cobb could not withstand the blacklist anymore. He testified before HUAC, just as Elia Kazan did, and provided twenty names to the committee of people who had been members of the Communist Party of the USA. While the blacklist was lifted by the committee, some members of the artistic community would have a hard time forgiving Kazan, Cobb and others for their “friendly” testimony, and this would limit Cobb’s options for work in the future.  

His career-saving move was to approach the controversy head-on. In 1954, Cobb would join forces with Kazan and Bud Schulberg to film an apologia for their testimony starring Marlon Brando, Cobb, and Karl Malden. The film would become one of the great touchstones of American cinema. “On the Waterfront” was a powerhouse critically, and performed well at the box office. It won Oscars for Best Picture, Actor (Brando), Supporting Actress (Eva Marie Saint), Director (Kazan), Story and Screenplay (Schulberg), Cinematography (Boris Kaufman of “12 Angry Men), and more. Cobb was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of dirty dockside boss “Johnny Friendly” (natch), but his castmates Karl Malden and Rod Steiger were also nominated in the same category, they split the vote, and Edmond O’Brien walked away with the Oscar for “The Barefoot Contessa.”   Did I mention that I’ve got a framed movie poster for “On the Waterfront” in my home?

Cobb joined the cast of the Gregory Peck film “The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit” in 1956, based on the very popular novel of the same name. The film was a modest success, but bears mentioning because one year later, Cobb’s character in “12 Angry Men” (1957) derides the indecisive “Juror 12″ by referring to him as “..the boy in the gray flannel suit.” The line doesn’t appear in the stage adaptation or in Reginald Rose’s original teleplay. It must have been added, either by Rose or another writer, or by Cobb himself.    

The same year as “12 Angry Men,” Cobb appeared as the psychiatrist treating Joanne Woodward’s multiple personalities in the ridiculously sensational “The Three Faces of Eve.” Despite the dubious understanding the script shows of psychological disorders, Woodward gave a bravura performance and was rewarded for it with an Oscar.

Cobb received his second Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 1958′s “The Brothers Karamazov.” Yet again, Cobb played a patriarch to actors a bit too old to have been sired by him. This time, Yul Brynner (“The King & I,” “The Magnificent Seven”) and William Shatner (yes, William Shatner) are the actors dwarfed into child status. This time, Burl Ives took home the golden statue for his work in “The Big Country.” 

Directors continued to take advantage of Cobb’s natural gravitas, casting him in epics like the film of the Leon Uris-penned pean to Israel, “Exodus” (1960) also starring Paul Newman, Eva Marie Saint, and Sal Mineo…

…and the enormous “How the West was Won” (1962). It was directed by four different men and starred (count ‘em) 18 recognizable stars, including Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne, Gregory Peck, Henry Fonda, Karl Malden, and the father of Cobb’s future son-in-law, Harry Morgan (“M*A*S*H). The whole thing is kind of overblown, but it made a killing at the box office.

He appeared as Frank Sinatra’s father in the film version of Neil Simon’s first hit play, “Come Blow Your Horn” (1963). Sinatra was a mere four years younger than Cobb, and this time it kind of shows. Rather not funny for a Neil Simon comedy, and that’s taking into account that it hasn’t aged well either. 

Cobb was staying very busy indeed, appearing in 120 episodes of the TV series “The Virginian,” finally putting his Willy Loman on film in the 1966 CBS television production of “Death of a Salesman,” which also featured George Segal and Gene Wilder,…

…and showing up as spy boss Cramden in the James Coburn-led Bond parodies, “Our Man Flint” (1966) and “In Like Flint” (1967).

Cobb’s last role of note was notable indeed. In 1973, he appeared as Lt. Kinderman in the horror film classic “The Exorcist.” This movie was so shocking in its day, that Roger Ebert declared its “R” rating “stupefying.” Some theaters offered barf bags in anticipation of the audience’s reaction to the unprecedentedly graphic special effects. The film was a smash hit with audiences and critics, trailing only the Paul Newman/Robert Redford flick “The Sting” for box office receipts in 1974. It won the Golden Globe for Best Picture (Drama), Best Screenplay, and Best Director. It followed up by getting several Oscar nominations, including for Best Picture and Director. In 2010, “The Exorcist” was named “The Scariest Movie of All Time” by Entertainment Weekly.

When Cobb perished of a heart attack in 1976 at the age of 64, the cult surrounding “The Exorcist” was still so strong that some suggested that his death, coming more than two years after the movie’s release, was somehow related to its occultist themes. Other on-set mishaps and deaths amongst those working on “The Exorcist” strain credibility less strenuously.

Unfortunately, Cobb’s last big hit could have led to another leading role. While “The Exorcist II” did not include him, the third installment had Cobb’s character, Kinderman as its lead. To give you an idea of the kind of weight which Cobb carried, they cast George C Scott to replace him.

By this point in the “What the Hell Happened?” series, a pattern has developed.  The career usually begins with TV roles or modeling gigs.  Then a big break, super stardom and a stint on the A-list.  Sometimes the celebrity rides on the top of the a-list for years.  Other times, they come crashing down relatively quickly.  Eventually, their time in the spotlight ends.  Sometimes they flame out in a spectacularly public fashion.  Other times, they just walk away.

Eddie Murphy’s story breaks from the formula.  Sure, there is a rise and fall.  But in Murphy’s case, there’s not just one.  Murphy rose to superstardom, slipped into irrelevance, reinvented himself as a family friendly leading man, had a scandal, dropped into obscurity, and then threatened to stage a come back multiple times without ever actually coming back.

In fact, that’s one of the reasons I wanted to tackle Murphy as soon as possible.  He was dangerously close to a come back as recently as a few months ago.  Word of mouth on Tower Heights was that it would reignite Murphy’s career.  His friend, Tower Heights director Bret Ratner, hired him to host the Academy Awards.  Murphy was poised for a comeback.

Then Tower Heights disappointed at the box office, Ratner quit the Academy Awards show in scandal and Murphy quietly excused himself.  The come back was cancelled.

But before I get too far ahead of myself, let’s start at the beginning of the story.

Murphy started performing as a stand-up comedian as a teenager.  At 17, he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live.  In the early 80s, SNL was in its first real slump.  It was actually facing the possibility of cancellation.  Murphy and co-star Joe Piscopo were the sole stand-outs of the cast and arguably saved the show.

While Murphy was still on SNL, he made his feature film debut in 1982′s 48 Hours.  I don’t think the impact of 48 Hours can be over-stated.  It wasn’t just a smash hit.  It practically invented a genre that would dominate the film landscape for the next decade.  The buddy cop movie began with Nolte and Murphy in 48 Hours.

Murphy was already a star on TV.  But 48 Hours made him a movie star.  The Golden Globes named Murphy the New Star of the Year.

The following year, Murphy teamed with SNL alumn Dan Aykroyd in Trading Places.  Trading Places was directed by John Landis who who work with Murphy two more times.  The rich man/poor man comedy was an even greater hit than 48 Hours.

Murphy was 2 for 2 in Hollywood and was still a star on TV.  He was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical for Trading Places.  Plus he had a hit stand-up comedy special in Eddie Murphy: Delirious that same year.

Ghostbusters was originally written with Eddie Murphy and John Belushi in mind.

Murphy’s career was hot.  He wasn’t just a rising star.  He was shooting straight to the top.  Following Trading Places, Dan Aykroyd actually wrote a part in Ghostbusters specifically for Murphy.  Murphy was unable to work it into his schedule due to his commitment to Beverly Hills Cop, so the part went to Ernie Hudson instead.

In 1984, Murphy made his first misstep.  He appeared in the notorious turkey, Best Defense.  Test screenings for the Dudley Moore comedy were so horrible that the studio created Murphy’s part after the fact.  The movie was then marketed as an Eddie Murphy movie despite the fact his role is a glorified cameo.  He’s even credited as a “strategic guest star”.

When he hosted SNL later that year, Murphy joked about the failure of Best Defense and how he thought it might have killed his movie career.  He jokingly admitted to making Best Defense for the money.

Later that year, Murphy rebounded with Beverly Hills Cop.  We all know Beverly Hills Cop was the movie that made Murphy a star.  Murphy had a proven track record, but Beverly Hills Cop cemented his A-list status with authority.  It also nabbed him another Golden Globe nomination.

Before Murphy signed on to star in Beverly Hills Cop, Sylvester Stallone was attached to the project.  Stallone famously walked off Beverly Hills Cop because of the humor.  When Beverly Hills Cop starring Murphy was a huge action-comedy hit, Stallone responded with his version of the movie.

Stallone Cobra was only unintentionally funny.  It highlighted the changing tides as Murphy eclipsed Stallone on the A-list.

How big was Murphy after Beverly Hills Cop?  Big enough that he was allowed to start a recording career.  Big enough that Rick James produced his record.  And big enough that his single, Part All the Time, was actually a hit in spite of sounding like this:

Party All the Time has to embrass Murphy today.  It qualifies him for one-hit wonder status.  But it also speaks to just how big of a star he was at the time.  They don’t let you make a vanity record unless you’re a superstar.

1986′s The Golden Child was originally an action adventure movie intended for Mel Gibson.  But when Gibson dropped out, Murphy stepped in and it was reworked as an action/comedy.

The Golden Child was a hit, but it was a disappointment in comparison to Beverly Hills Cop or even Trading Places.  It still did better than Cobra though.

Around this time, Murphy had another interesting missed opportunity.  Originally, Murphy was supposed to appear in Star Trek 4.  He was a big Star Trek fan, but a deal couldn’t be struck.  So instead the part was re-written as a love interest for Captain Kirk.  On the whole, I’m going to venture that one worked out for the best.

In 1987, Murphy returned to Axel Foley for Beverly Hills Cop 2.  The sequel, directed by Tony Scott, was flashier and more violent than the first film.  While critics complained that Beverly Hills Cop 2 was a louder, paler imitation of the original.  In spite of bad reviews, Cop 2 was a hit at the box office.

Later that year, Murphy took a victory lap in the form of the stand-up comedy performance film, Raw.  Raw was also a hit.

In 1987, Murphy reteamed with his Trading Place director, John Landis, for Coming to America.  Coming to America was a gamble for Muphy.  He broke with the action/comedy formula for a romantic comedy that bordered on being a fairy tale.

The gamble paid off for Murphy.  Coming to America received mostly positive reviews and was a hit at the box office.  Murphy seemed to have made the transition from foul-mouthed action star to romantic leading man.

Murphy sought to build on that success later that same year with Harlem Nights.  Once again, Murphy was cast as a romantic leading man.  But this time, he was also the film’s director.  And to sweeten the deal, Murphy got to work with two of his idols, Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx.

Unfortunately, Harlem Nights wasn’t as successful as Coming to America.  The reviews were toxic.  And while the movie didn’t bomb, it was a disappointment by Murphy’s standards of the time.

In 1990, Murphy retreated back to action films for the 48 Hours sequel, Another 48 Hours.  Everything about Another 48 Hours is a lazy as its title.  Murphy in particular looks bored to be there.  This is a criticism that will come up again and again in Murphy’s later work.  The energetic comedian who electrified audiences in the original 48 Hours was nowhere to be seen in the sleepy sequel.

Like Harlem Nights, Another 48 Hours got toxic reviews.  It’s box office performance was not an abject failure.  In fact, it outgrossed the original.  But it was a disappointment compared to expectations for a Murphy action/comedy following Beverly Hills Cop.

In 1992, Murphy made another bid for being a romantic leading man.  Boomerang cast Murphy opposite leading ladies Halle Berry and Robin Givens.  The reviews for Boomerang were mixed.  But the box office was reasonably strong.  After Harlem Nights, Boomerang could be seen as a victory for Murphy albeit a small one.

The same can not be said for The Disntinguished Gentleman.  Disntinguished Gentleman once again cast Murphy as a conman.  It was the sort of role that made him a star in Trading Places.  But the Murphy of old was nowhere to be found in The Distinguished Gentleman.  The reviews called the comedy “tepid” and audiences failed to show up.

Murphy sought to revive his flagging career by returning to his star making Axel Foley role for Beverly Hills Cop 3.  John Landis, who had directed two of Murphy’s biggest box office hits, came on to direct the sequel.  But Beverly Hills Cop 3 flopped.  The franchise was effectively killed although from time to time there is talk of a fourth film in the series.  Recently, there has even been talk of a Beverly Hills Cop TV show.

In 1995, Murphy hit what would be seen at the time as a career low point with Vampire in Brooklyn.  Vampire in Brooklyn is a bizarre horror/comedy hybrid which is actually directed by Wes Craven.

Murphy summed up Vampire in Brooklyn’s failure thusly: “ ”The only way I was able to do Nutty Professor and to get out of my Paramount deal, I had to do Vampire in Brooklyn. But you know what ruined that movie? The wig. I walked out in that long-haired wig and people said, ‘Oh, get the f–k out of here! What the hell is this?’”

Murphy’s career slump turned around with an unlikely project.  In 1996, Murphy starred in a remake of the Jerry Lewis comedy, The Nutty Professor.  The original was kind of a Jeckly and Hyde story with Lewis’ version of Hyde serving as a satire of his former comic partner, Dean Martin.  In Murphy’s version, he wore a fat suit.

I remember hearing about the project and thinking there was no way a Nutty Professor remake could be a hit.  Much less one that centered on a fat suit.  However, the Murphy of old was back.  Where Lewis satirized Dean Martin, Murphy seemed to be satirizing his old comic image.  And the fat suit allowed him to hide in a character in a way he never had before.

Reviews for The Nutty Professor were mixed.  Many didn’t like the crass “fart” humor.  But most praised Murphy’s performance in multiple roles.  More importantly, Nutty Professor was a hit at the box office.

Murphy followed up The Nutty Professor with a return to the action genre in Metro in 1997.  And just that quickly, the comeback lost its momentum.  What should have been a return to Murphy’s glory days in 48 Hours and Beverly Hills Cop was instead a critical misfire and a dud at the box office.

It seemed like Nutty Professor might just be a fluke.

Making matters worse, Murphy had an embarrassing scandal.  He was stopped by police for picking up a transvestite prostitute in a bad part of Hollywood.  Murphy explained that he was up late due to a bout of insomnia and was trying to be a Good Samaritan.  He told People magazine, that it was “an act of kindness that got turned into a f—king horror show.”

You might think that kind of publicity would hinder Murphy’s career transformation from foul mouthed comedian into a kiddie movie star.  But you would be wrong.

Murphy started the summer of 1998 with some memorable voice work as Mushu the dragon in Disney’s Mulan.  And then a couple of weeks later, he had a massive live-action hit in the family comedy, Dr. Dolittle.

Against all odds, Murphy had reinvented himself.  The brash, vulgar comedian from Raw, 48 Hours and Beverly Hills Cop was gone.  In his place was a fairly sedate guy who let animals and cute kids do most of the heavy lifting.  But it was a formula that worked.

There’s an entire generation that only knows this Murphy.  The guy from the bland family films.  It really blows my mind to think about it.  I wonder what their reaction will be when they eventually see one of Murphy’s earlier films.  Probably a lot like my reaction the first time I saw Robin Williams’ stand-up after knowing him primarily as Mork.

With the 1-2 punch of Mulan and Dr. Dolittle, it looked like Murphy was back in business.  But an Eddie Murphy comeback never lasts very long.  Later that year, Murphy starred in Holy Man.  Murphy himself called Holy Man a horrendous movie.  Critics and audiences agreed.  Holy Man bombed.

In 1999, Murphy co-starred with Martin Lawrence in the prison comedy-drama Life.  Murphy had given Lawrence his start in Boomerang.  But by this point, they were on roughly even footing in Hollywood.  Life got very mixed reviews and was a disappointment at the box office.  Especially considering the pairing of two high-profile comedic stars.

Later that year, Murphy got better results teaming up with comedy legend, Steve Martin, for Bowfinger.  Bowfinger once again allowed Murphy to play multiple roles.  Murphy scored some of the best reviews he had received in years and Bowfinger was a solid if somewhat unspectacular hit.

In 2000, Murphy put the fat suit back on for Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps.  Since Murphy’s multiple performances as the Klump clan was the most popular aspect of the original film, the sequel beefed up these parts.  The critics weren’t especially kind calling the movie “crass” and “vulgar”.  But audiences still showed up enough to make Nutty 2 a hit.  A third movie in the franchise has been in the planning stages for some time.

Summer 2001 looked a lot like Murphy’s successful summer in 1998.  It started with voice work in an animated hit (this time Dreamwork’s Shrek) and was followed by another Dr. Dolittle movie.  Reviews were mixed as critics got tired of Murphy’s family film formula.  But Dolittle 2 was another hit.

In 2002, Murphy tried to break away from the kid flicks to disasterous effect.  He started off the year by teaming with Robert De Niro (who was in the process of reinventing himself as a comic actor!) in the cop comedy flop Showtime. 

Then came the sci-fi comedy, The Adventures of Pluto Nash.  Nash had actually been sitting on a shelf for two years before finally being released in 2002.  It was an extremely expensive movie starring a big Hollywood star.  But it was so bad, the studio waited two years to release it.  As it turns out, the release of Nash in contributed to 2002 being arguably the worst year of Murphy’s career.

Murphy scored a failure tri-fecta with the big screen adaptation of the TV show I, Spy co-starring Owen Wilson.  Murphy was nominated in two categories for all three of his 2002 films at the Golden Rassies.  He was nominated for Worst Actor and Worst Screen Couple (along with De Niro, Wilson and his own “clone” in Pluto Nash).

After 2002, you can hardly blame Murphy for retreating into unispired family comedies.  It seems like all he has to do is show up and the movies make money.  In 2003, Daddy Day Care was universally panned.  And yet, it was a big enough hit to merit a sequel.  Murphy actually skipped the sequel which bombed without him.

As a fan of Disney theme parks, Murphy’s next movie pains me.  The Haunted Mansion is one of the most beloved theme park attractions in the world.  But the big screen adaptation is a big, bloated unfunny mess.  Reviews were brutal.  But family audiences didn’t care.  Amazingly enough, The Haunted Mansion was a hit!

In 2004, Murphy returned to voice Donkey again in Shrek 2.  We’ll talk more about the Shrek franchise later.  For now, suffice it to say that Shrek 2 was for a time the highest grossing animated feature of all times.  Another family-friendly hit for Murphy.

Other than voicing Donkey, Murphy was not seen on screen between The Haunted Mansion in 2003 and Dreamgirls in 2006.  Dreamgirls, based on the Broadway musical, was a game changer for Murphy.  For once, he had a meaty supporting role instead of a bland leading role in a toothless family comedy.  Murphy was clearly energized by the material.

Not only did Murphy get the best reviews he had received in years, but he actually got some awards recognition.  After multiple Golden Globe nominations, Murphy finally took home the prize for Best Supporting Actor.  He also scored an Oscar nomination.  But instead of winning, Norbit happened.

If Dreamgirls opened doors for Murphy, Norbit came along and quickly closed them.  Norbit was called “ugly” and “vile”.  It was universally despised by critics.  And it embodied every criticism people had made about Murphy since the Nutty Professor.  It was lazy and crude.  Murphy hid behind make-up and a fat suit.  The “humor” relied on offensive stereotypes.

The timing couldn’t have been worse.  If Academy voters were thinking of rewarding Murphy for Dreamgirls, Norbit came along just in time to change their minds.  Whether or not Norbit actually cost Murphy an Oscar can never be known.  But there’s no doubt it didn’t help matters. 

Instead, Murphy won three Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Actor, Worst Supporting Actor and Worst Supporting Actress for the parts he played in Norbit. 

In spite of the toxic reviews, Norbit was a hit.  But it was a hit that would hurt Murphy’s career more than it helped him.

In 2007, Murphy cashed another big Shrek paycheck for Shrek the Third.  Shrek 3 made money.  But it was a disappointment when compared to the previous films.  The franchise was running out of gas. 

In 2008, Murphy returned to family films with Meet Dave.  Meet Dave has something to do with aliens.  And, if I understand this correctly, Murphy plays a space ship filled with tiny little aliens whom he also plays.  I could be way off base.  Frankly, this is one of those cases where I’m just not going to make the effort to figure out what Meet Dave was all about.

The point is, it was an embarssing flop.  It was Pluto Nash territory.  Meet Dave became a national punchline in much the same way.  Following the critical drubbing of Norbit, the last thing Murphy needed was a flop at the box office.  Especially one the critics also hated.

In 2009, Murphy made another very bland family comedy.  In Imagine That, he plays a stockbroker who figures out that if he pays attention to his daughter’s imagniary world, he can reap financial benefits.  Imagine That is one of those cookie cutter comedies about how workaholics need to stop and spend time with their kids.

Critics and audiences were bored.  While it fared better than Meet Dave, Imagine That was another flop for Murphy.

In 2010, Murphy appeared in what was billed as the final Shrek film, Shrek Forever After.  The Shrek series has been something of a sanctuary for Murphy and co-star Mike Meyers.  Both are gifted comic talents with prickly reputations.  And both Murphy and Meyers seem to have retreated into the regular paychecks of voice-over work for the Shrek series.

In 2011, Murphy teamed with director Brett Ratner and co-star Ben Stiller for the caper movie, Tower Heist.  Tower Heist had great “tracking numbers” and everyone expected it to be a hit.  People were buzzing about a comeback for Murphy.  Murphy’s buddy, Ratner, was hired to produce the Academy Awards and he hired Murphy for hosting duties.  The stars seemed to be aligning…

But then, nothing.  In spite of mostly positive reviews, Tower Heist did so-so box office.  To make matters worse, Ratner resigned from the Oscars in shame leading Murphy himself to bail out.  The comeback was cancelled before it even started.

In 2012, Murphy is slated to appear in the film A Thousand Words.  A Thousand Words has a high concept comedy premise in which Murphy will die after 1000 words.  So he has to learn to communicate non-verbally.  It is also directed by Brian Robbins, the director of both Norbit and Meet Dave.

Needless to say, expectations are not high for A Thousand Words.  To make matters worse, the film was actually completed in 2008.  Like Pluto Nash, A Thousand Words has been sitting on a shelf for years.  That’s never a good sign.

So, what the hell happened?  I think there were a number of contributing factors.  For one, Murphy shot to stardom overnight.  That kind of fame rarely lasts very long.

By all accounts, Murphy is an extremely talented and intelligent guy.  Reportedly, he has a Quentin Tarantino-like knowledge of film.  I think after his easy success, he expected to be able to tackle every genre of film.  He has said in the past that he expected The Golden Child to be his Indiana Jones.  But obviously, it wasn’t.

Partially, this is Murphy’s fault.  He picks lousy scripts.  He collaborates with friends rather than strong film-makers.  I frequently say that the secret of Tom Cruise’s success is that he works with all of the best directors.  Murphy is the opposite.  He keeps making films with hacks.

But also, I think audiences just weren’t willing to accept Murphy in those kinds of roles.  They embraced him in those early comedies and they wanted him to stay that guy.  Some of his fan base came along for the romantic comedies, but not enough. 

When audiences rejected Murphy’s attempts at growth, he got bored.  It shows in his performances.  You can tell when Murphy is phoning it in.  He does it a lot.  And yet, audiences rarely seem to mind.  They reward him for sleep-walking through these bland family films.  So you can’t really blame Murphy for continuing to make them.

Also, I think race did play a factor.  In Do The Right Thing, a racist character admits that Eddie Murphy is his favorite actor.  In his words, Murphy and Prince were “black, but not really.  They’re more than black. It’s different.”  I think this was the attitude of a lot of audiences when Murphy was at the peak of his career.

But in the early 90′s, Murphy started making movies with predominantly black casts.  And I think there was a perception that movies like Harlem Nights and Boomerang were “black movies”.  They were still successful.  But they didn’t enjoy the mainstream success of movies like Beverly Hills Cop.

For the most part, I think Murphy just got bored with the parts that made him a star.  And audiences wouldn’t accept him in a variety of parts he wanted to play.  Mix in some poor scripts and directors and you have a recipe for a career implosion.

Of all the careers I have followed in this series, Murphy’s may be the most interesting.  He rocketed to super stardom, crashed and burned, rose from the ashes, crashed again and then reinvented himself in a completely different genre.  He’s a talented guy who is always threatening to come back in a major way.  But he also seems content to keep voicing a talking donkey for a living.

What the Hell Happened to Kim Basinger?

What the Hell Happened to Sharon Stone?

What the Hell Happened to Mel Gibson?

What the Hell Happened to Michelle Pfeiffer?

What the Hell Happened to Kevin Costner?

What the Hell Happened to Winona Ryder?

What the Hell Happened to Kathleen Turner?

What the Hell Happened to Alicia Silverstone?

What the Hell Happened to Rick Moranis?

What the Hell Happened to Meg Ryan?

What the Hell Happened to Sean Young?

What the Hell Happened to Val Kilmer?

What the Hell Happened to Elisabeth Shue?

What the Hell Happened to Michael Keaton?

What the Hell Happened to Mena Suvari?

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The Assassination of a High School President is a cult move.  It just hasn’t been discovered by enough people to form a cult around it yet.  I’m here to change that.

Odds are, you’ve never heard of The Assassination of a High School President.  It’s distributor, the Yari Film Group, filed for bankruptcy before the picture met its release date.  Sony, the studio that owned the home video rights, went ahead and released it straight-to-DVD.  Which is a shame because this movie is better than that.

Since you’re probably not familiar with the movie, how about we watch the trailer?

Are you picking up that film noir vibe?  The Assassination of a High School President is an homage to Roman Polanski’s Chinatown which was an homage to the film noir genre.  “High School President” plays like Chinatown set in a 21st century high school.

Even if it had received a wide release, I have a hard time believing this film would have caught on with a mainstream audience.  To really appreciate the film, you have to be familiar with noir.  Bobby Funke is practically the reincarnation of Nicholson’s Jake Gittes.  And every girl he encounters right down to the school nurse is a femme fatale.

“High School President” is a satire.  But it’s one that plays it straight.  There are plenty of laughs.  Bruce Willis (and most of the adult cast) plays a cartoon caricature.  But the teens all play it straight.  If you’re not familiar with the source material, you might miss some of subtle humor.

Even if you have never seen Chinatown or any noir, the movie still works.  But it works better if you have a background in noir.  And really, if you’ve never seen Chinatown, what are you waiting for?  Watch it.  You’ll thank me later.

Like Gittes, Funke (pronounced Funk by himself and Funky by everyone else) is a bit of a loser.  He starts an investigation for less than altruistic reasons.  But then he finds himself in over his head.  There are layers upon layers to this conspiracy.  Part of the joke is that the film’s mystery is every bit as dense and convoluted as a 40′s crime thriller.

There are direct parallels to Chinatown.  Instead of having his nose sliced open, Funke is instead assaulted by a Willis’ principal for the crime of chewing gum in school.  Most of the humor comes from the fact that we are dealing with the low stakes of high school politics but everyone in the movie treats it as though it was a story of far reaching political corruption.

Any time I watch a dark comedy set in a high school, I am reminded of Heathers.  “High School President” has some of the same DNA as Heathers, but it’s not another Heathers clone.  At its best, it’ a wickedly funny satire.  I don’t know if it’s always quite as clever as it thinks it is.  But it’s definitely worth checking out.

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I would rather watch this version of the show than more of what AMC aired in season 2!

Regular readers (and most anyone who knows me) know I have been planning my family’s next trip to Walt Disney World for quite some time.  Typically, my “planning for the next trip” process starts on the ride home from the current trip.  My wife calls it an obsession.  I quibble with her word choice, but I can’t argue too strongly.

Our last trip was in the spring of 2010.  By my standards, a long time ago.  But I am told that a 2 or 3 year break between trips to Disney World is not at all unusual.  Point is, I am jonesing to go back. 

At one point, the most popular article on this site was this one in which I speculated about returning to Disney World in 2014.  That was back in the days before I started writing about washed up A-listers.  But my Disney World obsession still has a presence on the site.  Most recently, I made a New Year’s Resolution to prepare for a return trip in 2012.

Truthfully, I didn’t expect the trip to happen in 2012.  I just wanted to be ready in case things came together to allow the trip to happen.  My expectation was that I would hold off until spring break of 2013.  I prepared myself mentally for 2012 to come and go with no trip to Disney World.

But recently, I have been getting a lot of pressure from the kids.  Kara is in the throes of princess-mania.  She asks my wife and I just about every day whether or not the castle is open and when can she go hug Sleeping Beauty.  This has caused Mindy to switch her stance from “I never want to go to Disney World again” to “my baby needs to go to Disney World right now!”  I’m not the only one with an obsession, you see.

Josie likes Disney World.  But what she likes best about it are the pools, the gift shops, the hotel vending machines.  All stuff we could experience cheaper at just about any other vacation destination.  When she asks about going back to Disney World, I always ask her what she wants to do there.  The answer almost never has anything to do with attractions.  And when it does, it’s because she is telling me what I want to hear.

The other day, Josie started grilling me about when we were going back to Disney World.  She wasn’t letting up.  She wanted to get on a plane and leave right then and there.  Between her insistence and Kara’s daily expectation that she was going to hug a princess, I reconsidered my 2013 time tables.

Going to Disney in 2012  has some drawbacks.  Disney is set to open the Fantasyland expansion in stages throughout the year.  The first stage, the Storybook Circus section of the park, should be opening around March.  While I will appreciate the shorter lines for Dumbo, Storybook Circus doesn’t really excite me all that much.

The big draw for my family will be the Little Mermaid ride.  No one knows exactly when this will open.  It could be as early as the summer or as late as Christmas.  I have even heard rumors that it may not be ready in 2012 at all.  My girls (especially Josie) are really looking forward to experiencing this attraction.  And I would hate to miss it by a matter of weeks or months.

The third stage of the expansion which is expected to open in 2012 is the Beauty and the Beast section.  This part of the expansion consists mainly of restaurants and shopping.  I expect the Beast’s castle and Gaston’s Tavern will be wonderfully immersive experiences.  But if we miss them, I will be okay seeing them on a future trip in say 2014 or so.

But uncertainty about the Voyage of the Little Mermaid has me questioning my plans.

Disney is also building the Art of Animation Resort.  Those Little Mermaid rooms at Value prices appeal to me quite a bit.  But odds are they won’t be available until very late in the year if at all.  Disney is focusing on completing the more profitable family suites.  So there’s no point planning around the Little Mermaid rooms in 2012.

Instead, I have turned my attention to the Royal Guest (“Princess”) rooms at Port Orleans Riverside.  These rooms were originally supposed to be available right about now.  But they have been delayed until March.  This is the sort of sliding timetable that has me worried about the Fantasyland expansion. 

No doubt these rooms would be available in the fall when we are thinking about traveling.  It’s not a matter of availability for these rooms.  It’s a matter of cost.

The Moderate Resorts fit our budget pretty well.  The Deluxes are far out of our range.  And Mindy balks at the smaller rooms in the Value Resorts.  So, we’re a Moderate family by default.  I priced the Royal Guest rooms to discover that the cost was about an extra $200 for the week we are considering a trip. 

On the one hand, $200 is a lot just to have some princess-themed decor in your room.  On the other hand, the girls would love it.  The rooms are newly refurbished with queen beds.  And the location of the rooms is somewhat preferable to being stuck at the far end of Aligator Bayou as we were on our 2010 trip.  So, I am prepared to fork out $200 for the upgrade.

The problem is that I don’t yet know whether or not these rooms will be discounted.  Technically, I don’t know that any Disney rooms will be discounted because Disney hasn’t yet announced discounts for the second half of the year.  But realistically, I’m pretty sure Disney will offer massive discounts during that time of year.  They have done so historically.

But these princess rooms are shiny and new.  Disney might not have any problem filling them at rack rates.  And I’m not prepared to pay Disney rack rates princess decorations or no.  If it’s a choice between a discounted room at a moderate resort or a decorated room at rack rates (plus a $200 upcharge for princess decor) I’m going to opt for the room that includes the free dining plan or a 25% mark down.

But as of this moment, I don’t know what will be offered.  And it’s kind of driving me crazy.

Another area of uncertainty is Josie’s school schedule.  I batted around the idea of traveling in late August to avoid Josie having to miss school.  But when I compared the crowd calendar for late summer with the predictions for the fall, I decided we’d miss a few days if need be.  Lower crowds and moderate weather trumped education just this once.

However, I still want to minimize the number of days missed.  Unfortunately, the school schedule for next year hasn’t been released yet.  Josie goes to a Catholic school which includes a number of random “in service” days.  But there’s no way to know when they will be until the school schedule is released.

There are a few days I can count on.  Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving…   All of these are terrible times to go to Walt Disney World.  The crowds will be horrific and everything will cost more.  Disney actually charges a holiday service charge on meals these days.  And room rates are at their peek. 

 However, there are a couple of days I can count on that are not typical vacation days for everyone.  One is Dec 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.  Seems like a great reason to celebrate at the Magic Kingdom, right?  Unfortunately it falls on a Saturday in 2012.  So, I can’t count on a day off for immaculate conception this year.

The other unusual day is Nov 1 – All Saints Day.  In 2011, it fell on a Tuesday.  This resulted in the school taking offf Monday as well.  In 2012, All Saints’ Day falls on a Thursday.  So I am hoping for another 4-day weekend in 2012. 

That would result in Josie missing only 3 days of school if we took a week-long vacation.  And one of those days would be dominated by the Halloween party and a parade in which the kids dress up as their patron saints.  Since there is no Saint Josie, I don’t mind missing this one bit.  Long story short, we’re targeting this week for our travel plans.

But even that is up in the air.  It’s possible (though unlikely) that Josie’s second grade teacher will balk at the idea.  It’s also possible Disney will announce that the Little Mermaid ride’s opening date won’t be until December and that will cause us to reschedule.  Or maybe we’ll see the final school schedule and another week will be deemed preferable.  Heck, anything is possible.

And that’s where my frustration comes in.  I’d like to be able to nail down the details right now.  But I can’t.  Between discount codes, school schedules, air fare prices and Fantasyland expansions, I can’t really count on much of anything at all.  It’s more than a little overwhelming.

I’m sure the information I am waiting on will become available in the coming months.  When that happens, my plans will come together rather quickly.  But for now, I’ve got no answer when my 2-year-old asks when the castle will be open.

More on Disney World

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Reblogged from xxadverbxx:

So Lebeau’s recent list of Top 10 Best Super Hero Movies made me start thinking about not just my favorite movies, but my favorite actors/actresses as superheroes. …

“He called me an idiot…so I yelled at him.”

John Fiedler’s “Juror #2″ in “12 Angry Men” starts out as part of the problem. He seems timid and eager to go along with the crowd. Nobody takes him seriously and he knows it, and as a consequence he lets other members of the jury bully him. This is a guy in dire need of a friend. By the end of the film he may be the same gentle soul, but one gradually inspired by the fact that his voice matters as much as anyone else’s in the room. He stops being part of the problem and ends up being part of the solution.

You know John Fiedler. Yes you do. Yes you do. He is adored by millions. He may, in fact, be more famous than Henry Fonda. In his way. Would you like to know how you know John Fiedler? Click below to find out.

But first, let’s take a look at some of his other stuff. We’re going to do this chronologically.

John Fiedler was born in Platteville, Wisconsin in 1925. His brother claims that John always knew that he wanted to be an actor. He staged plays starring the other children in his neighborhood in the garage. But, like many other men his age, John’s dreams were put on hold by World War II. When he graduated from high school in 1943 he enlisted in the Navy and served until the end of the war.

Once he was free to follow his passion, Fiedler moved to New York City, where he joined the Neighborhood Playhouse. He performed on stage succesfully in New York, landing a big break in a production of Chekov’s “The Seagull” which starred Montgomery Clift.

John Fiedler boasts a single screen credit prior to his turn in “12 Angry Men.” Here it is: 

The 5’4″ tall actor appeared as Alfie Higgins in 2 episodes of the 1950′s television program “Tom Corbett, Space Cadet.” This looks like the sort of thing Saturday Night Live would have produced as a parody. I wonder if it was funny in 1954. 

Just 3 years later, we get Fiedler’s wonderful work in the object of our obsession, “12 Angry Men.”

That same year, he turned in a tiny (and uncredited) part as a hot dog vendor in another masterpiece: the Burt Lancaster/Tony Curtis powerhouse “Sweet Smell of Success.” But that’s a flick for another day…

In 1961, Fiedler joined the cast of the film version of “Raisin In the Sun,” starring Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, and Louis Gossett Jr. Fiedler played Mark Lindner, housing committee rep, the same role he had played in the Broadway production of the same show. Fiedler would go on to play Lindner again in a television production in 1988. He would very nearly pull off a similar triple play with another American classic.

In 1965, Fiedler joined the original Broadway cast of Neil Simon’s blockbuster comedy “The Odd Couple” as Vinnie, one of Oscar and Felix’s poker buddies. This production starred Walter Matthau as Oscar, Art Carney as Felix, and also included Paul Dooley (“Sixteen Candles,” “Popeye”) as Speed. Fiedler would again play Vinnie in the 1968 Matthau/Jack Lemmon film version (which the included pictures are from) and would make an appearance in another role in the television version of “The Odd Couple” which starred Jack Klugman and Tony Randall. 

1968 would bring John Fiedler’s biggest claim to fame. That was the year that Walt Disney released the first of their “Winnie the Pooh” animated shorts, and Fiedler had been personally selected by uncle Walt himself to provide the voice for Pooh’s nervous little friend…

Piglet.

Fiedler would go on to be the only actor to voice Piglet from that first short, “Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day” to 2005′s “Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie” video release. This included at least 24 different shorts, videos, television programs, and feature films. See, I told you that you knew John Fiedler.

His unique screen presence would continue to get him work in multiple supporting roles, including as Lawyer Daggett in 1969′s John Wayne classic “True Grit.” He would also appear in “The Great Bank Robbery” (1969), “The Fortune” (1975), “The Shaggy D.A.” (1976), as Bobby Taylor in “Harper Valley P.T.A.” (1978), “The Cannonball Run” (1981), and “Sharky’s Machine” (1981).

Meanwhile, Fiedler made guest appearances in dozens of television shows as varied as “That Girl,” “Star Trek,” “Bewitched,” “Columbo,” “Gunsmoke,” “Alice,” and even “Cheers.” His most memorable recurring character was nervous patient Emil Peterson on “The Bob Newhart Show.” Fiedler showed up in this role 16 times from 1972 to 1978. Episodes of Bob Newhart’s first TV program are available on Hulu. I’d recommend them. They capture the mid to late 70s extraordinarily well. And they’re funny. Unfortunately, the only picture I could find of Fiedler in the show is below. See if you can find him…

…and here he is in a 1989 episode of “The Golden Girls” with Rue McClanahan and Betty White.

Fiedler would also expand his participation in voice-over work for cartoons, providing voices for “Robin Hood” (1973), “The Rescuers” (1977), “The Fox and the Hound” (1981) and “The Emperor’s New Groove” (2000).

(Oh, and strangely enough, he voiced the Sub-Mariner in a Captain America record album.)

In 2003, Fiedler would get his first lead role, when Disney released “Piglet’s Big Movie.”

Unfortunately, the following year would see Fiedler diagnosed with cancer and admitted to the Lillian Booth Actor’s Fund Home in New Jersey, where he passed away in June of 2005. 

Fiedler was never a big star or an instantly recognizable face for millions, but in his own way, he had a very enviable career as an actor.