Open Thread Thursday

The great James Garner, from Maverik to Murphy's Romance, he was always reliable but so under-rated. My favorite scene of his is from The Americanization of Emily (staring at 6:20):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJpux_0tEN8

Thank you, Mr. Garner and you, too, Paddy Chayefsky for such memorable words delivered so memorably.

If it's the mid 60's to early 80's and I'm looking for a male lead to play with satirical humor yet straight when it call for it, Jim Garner is THE MAN. Top five actors in my book. The Rockford Files was and still is a must watch whenever it's on.

James Garner got better looking as he aged. Ladies, that is so unfair. We never get better looking with age.

My video today is a mini masterpiece. I emphasize the word mini.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7c95xkucu0

CZARFACE Barack Czarface Obama the Windy City Windbag

It's a mini Untouchables, Godfather parody.

Love this guy – Rockford Files was such a great show. Wish there were more actors like him, not more of those unappealing metrosexuals.

My grandfather was friends with and very praiseworthy of James Garner's family in New Mexico. He came from good stock. And I was a huge fan of "Rockford…" and all of his work I have been fortunate to experience.

If people want to see some really early James Garner, pick up on season 1 DVD of Cheyenne, a 1950's Warner Brothers western starring Clint Walker. You can also catch these on Encore Western Channel at 8:00 a.m. or 5:00 p.m. Garner is featured as a guest on several episodes and eventually spun off into his own western series, Maverick along with Jack Kelly and (later) Roger Moore. I love watching these shows and trying to pick out actors and actresses who later hit it big (Ellen Burstyn, Angie Dickinson, Dennis Hopper, Peter Brown and many, many others too numerous to list.) These shows had better plots than today's typical fare even though the sets and special effects were obviously not up to today's standards.

James Garner one of the great natural comedic actors, a real mans man, never really changed his shtick, always enjoyable.

I watched (and taped) a show about the actual "facts." And the Americans were in on it, but they were moved out of the camp before the tunnels could be used. The real story is even more unbelievable than the movie. http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/gre...

If you ever see this show scheduled, watch it. (I am going to save it to disc.)

Garner depresses my mom. Her exact words, "What happened, he used to be so beautiful." I'll have to take her word for it.

A: Big Papi

Jeter can suck it!

With all due respect, of course.

"Czarface"! LOL!

I remember seeing him in Twilight (1998) [not that steaming pile about sparkly vampires] and even though James Garner was probably old enough to be in Depends he still looked like he could kick your ass.

Also, a very underrated and underappreciated as a comedic actor.

"Sullivan's Travels"… tonight, 8pm EST, TCM.
http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=91851
Watch and enjoy.

Garner was absolutely BRILLIANT in "TGE", and in fact after watching it again, pretty much stole the entire movie in every scene he was in, even when he's just standing there. The scenes involving Pleasance's and Ganer's characters are absolutely brilliant…

Such as the chess scene after Garner steals the German's wallet.. or when Pleasance tries to convince the break-out personnel that he's still going on the escape even when they figure out he's gone blind… watch Garner as he just lies on the bed and doesn't say a word.

Probably Garner's greatest legacy is his TV work with Marverick and Rockford Files, but here's my top five films –

1) The Great Escape (Who expects historical accuracy from Hollywood? Still my favorite action film of all time, funny, exciting and poignant)

2) Support Your Local Sheriff (along with Support Your Local Gunfighter, among the best western spoofs ever made)

3) 36 Hours (Don't read or listen to anything about it before you watch this WWII film with a great twist)

4) The Americanization of Emily (Yeah, it's lefty, but very well written and acted)

5) Victor / Victoria (great to see him with Andrews again, and Robert Preston is always fun)

In our top five actors of all time…

The hugely underappreciated James Garner moved, effortlessly, between the big and small screen in an era when that was considered career suicide. Our list:

The Americanization of Emily
The Great Escape
Maverick
Support Your Local Sheriff
The Rockford Files
The Wheeler Dealers
Grand Prix
Darby's Rangers
Tank (the fist half, anyway!)

Love the man, we do…

Now does that sound like something Obama would do? Do you think he would ever expose the coolness that is him to the withering controversy that would result from either decision? He likes to talk a lot about making "hard choices," yet it seems like those are always choices other people have to make, not him. Nope, I suspect while our soldiers are fighting and dying over there, he'll just keep doing inane things like "Latina Night" and patting himself on the back for his own greatness and how he lifted this country out of its backward, racist past and putting off any real decisions as long as possible.

On an unrelated note, just gotta give it a shout-out, The Office wedding is on tonight and I'm so excited …Best show ever!

I was wondering if some one would mention Support Your Local Sheriff. And yes, Victor/Victoria! Talk about a wild comedy, as I recall, pretty much every one turned out to be gay! Excellent movie.

and they do it for a very parochial reason- to divide us on purpose…

Both parties do it. And it is both cynical and expoiltative. But they get their desired outcome, namely turning good folk who basically agree on broad issues against each other because of a narrow take on others (Afghanistan. public option, etc) and vie for power.

While we are all the poorer for it…

Gotta love Jim Rockford! He always had me rooting for him. In addition to the many fine movies, I also thought he did a great job stepping in as the grandfather in Eight Simple Rules after John Ritter passed away. He played the part balancing the humor and the pathos very well. James Garner–a favorite at any age!

Style and substance. Always worth watching.

If you have the DvD Grand Prix, the Special Features alone are worth the purchase price. Think it was Bob Bonderant who said that of all the ctors he trained Garner would have made a decent professional driver. But I liked him best as Jim Rockford.

Another side og James Garner that need to be appreciated is his fight against Warner Bros. while he was starring in Maverick. Warners was the first major studio to go all-in with television, and like its attitude during the golden age of the studio system, the front office treated the talent as chattel. Like James Cagney, Olivia De Havilland, and Bette Davis, James Garner and Clint Walker fought against Warners' plantation mentality, even at risk of their own career. James Garner also went to the mat with Universal Studio over profits from Rockford Files. You have to admire and appreciate someone who steps up like that

My fav! Can't get enough of Garner

I know several Conservatives who are stuck-up, blood-sucking fat heads but I don’t think it is fair to say all Conservatives are stuck-up, blood-sucking fat heads. Most Liberals are patriotic and love this country and our constitution. FDR, JFK, Scoop Jackson, Warren G. Magnuson, Paul Wellstone, Dennis Kucinich, Ralph Nader, and so on.

if you have been following our comment stream over time you will see that we are in complete agreement. Thera are evil people on both sides. Classic liberalism is really quite conservative without the reactionary aspects. We might disagree with you on FDR- he was a puppet of the internationalists- but so was Bush 41. The rest we consider patriots- particularly the wacky but lovable Kucinich. So all we tried to do here was paint a correct picture of a particular hero of ours, Mr Garner.

Are we good on this now?

Yes, I do agree I had never thought of it, but yep, you are right.

No prob – live long and prosper

IntenseDebate Notification <DIV dir=ltr align=left>Yep….It's just like what the Dems did in southeast asia in the 60's. send the military then tie their hands. Politicians don't fight wars they just start them and then dictate what our soldiers can and cannot do.</DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left>It just makes me want to get rid of the whole damn bunch……well 2010 is coming and I just hope we don't get ourselves screwed up to badly by then.</DIV>
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Great list, and I agree on 36 hours, I have that DVD and just love watching it, knowing how it will end does not detract at all. Seeing the realization. . . okay no more, go see it!

So, what are you saying? That salary is the ONLY issue involving a baseball team? Are you suggesting that IF the Yankees win then it doesn't count because you and others FEEL that they pay everyone too much, but IF the lose then, it does??!!

While I agree that all professional athletes make perhaps too much. They're paid what the market allows simple as that. The Yankees do have an advantage of being able to pay top dollar and retain players, however the players play regardless, and you can't throw a checkbook out onto the field and expect results.

Best of luck to your Phillies Tennessee, they happen to be one of my favorite NL teams.

"So are you saying nobody could be a Democrat unless they were victim of some mind-control conspiracy? What Hogwash."

I agree. I'd say closer to about 30-45% of democrats are victims of mind control.

I estimate about 95% of all people I know, knew, or ever met are/were democrats. They come basically in two flavors. Most proudly state they are democrats, and when you sit them down and have a reasonable, logical debate, they will, at least agree, they haven't seriously studied issues, and will review their positions. These are more traditional democrats, hold overs from back when the democrats were a serious and del;deliberative party.

The other 30 – 45% are bat shit cray moon bats, who are too stupid to even realize they are brain dead. I actually had a debate with a couple of them a while, who both slapped each other on the back, congratulating themselves for beating me in the debate because I was too dumb to realize Al Gore owned the Naval Observatory in Bethesda. (The debate was over visitor logs, and they said Al Gore did not have to produce them because when he was VP, it was his private residence.)

Unfortunately, that insane segment of the party happens to be in charge of the party and the nation at the moment.

If you're a democrat, I would like to ask you, when the hell are the adults in that party going to take back control and toss the spoiled brats out the door?

geez – lighten up spinal, I am ribbing Yankee fans. Looks like someone might be a tad sensitive.

I hear those "hip", "cool", "multi-cultural" Obama's are going to host a Latina Night next week at the White House. I'm all for multi-culturalism, but if I see those two, Mo and Bo, fist-bumping, grinding, and jiving one more time, I might throw up my spleen. Is this really the time for this kind of B.S.? How about a strategy in Afghanistan? With our soldiers dying right and left, blown to bits and overrun by the Taliban, can this group get any MORE CLUELESS? Could they even PRETEND they care?

Just read an article (on CNN) about one soldier who was just home on leave in early September. He sat on his father's couch, and told them that his base was surrounded by the Taliban. He knew he was in grave danger, yet he went back, and sure enough, was killed. Get these men some help, and a plan that doesn't SUCK or get them the HELL OUT!

Ed some of my best friends are Mets fans. I've spent many nights and quite a few Sundays at Shea. I guess I'm one of the few who'll miss Shea.

A-Rod may have — MAY HAVE — turned the corner. Two hits, two RBIs — in a PLAYOFF GAME!

Could this be the first time in history that a celebrity girlfriend is having a POSITIVE influence on an athlete's on-field perfomance?

If so, may God bless Kate Hudson.

"His politics reflect the reality of working in Hollywood…"

So are you saying nobody could be a Democrat unless they were victim of some mind-control conspiracy? What Hogwash.

I liked Garner as a former president with Jack Lemmon as another former president and Dan Aykroyd as the sitting president in "My Fellow Americans"

From Wikipedia:
Garner is a strong Democratic Party supporter, contributing over $7,500 to Democrats running for Federal office the past seven years, including Dennis Kucinich (for Congress in 2002), Richard Gephardt, John Kerry, Barbara Boxer, and various Democratic committees and groups. Since 1982 Garner has given at least $29,000 to Federal campaigns, and over $24,000 of that has been to the Democrats.

For his role in the 1985 CBS miniseries Space, the character's party affiliation was changed from a Republican (as in the book) to reflect Garner's personal views. Garner said: "my wife would leave me if I played a Republican".

Jesus spent 40 days and 40 nights in the desert. The Mets play 160+ games. The only consolation is the Washington Nationals.

It's that bad.

Geeze, half of them came down with swine flu. You just know there are higher powers at work here.

Garner is adorable at any age.

Support Your Local Sheriff is absolutely one of my favorites and it shows his wry humor at its best. (Bonus Jack Elam, Bruce Dern, and Walter Brennan reprising a kinder, gentler version of his "My Darling Clementine" patriarch…but I digress.) Back in the day before it became fashionable for everyone (conservatives and liberals alike) to bash George W. Bush–who by the way kept us safe after 9/11/01–I thought it was a good metaphor for his foreign policy.

But what do I know?

Don't forget Chuck Connors, too!

Thanks for the post……I'm sure there are a large number of moms, dads, aunts, uncles, gp's and gm's out there who are holding their breath until their sons and daughters are out of that hell hole. I read this morning the Afghans won't even fight the Taliban and those that do are considered turn coats. What a bunch of losers,
They can't be trained, they have no discipline, they're illiterate, they're tribal, and if they won't die for their freedom why should our sons and daughters?? We should bring our people home let the Taliban have that cesspool with the understanding that if have to come back because of terrorist activity we will annihilate them ALL, every man woman and child, and that there will be not one of their kind to carry on their race or their religion so if they want a free safe country they need to fight for it now because later "wiil" be to late.

I agree. Now that our leader's have changed the "rules of engagement" to protect more civilians, our military has their hands tied! They're sitting ducks waiting to be overrun, because the cowards are hiding in mosques and wearing civilian clothes. I'd hate to see the deaths of women and children, but if their Afghan families are putting them in harms way by using them to restock ammo, and using them as human shields, well…. I'm sorry, then they're fair game. I agree with you. Get out, and let that medieval piss hole crust over. If we're not going to do that, then bomb the shit out of it and kick some a$$. At least let our soldiers have what they need to do the job, and leave them alone to do it!

"So are you saying nobody could be a Democrat unless they were victim of some mind-control conspiracy? What Hogwash."

I agree. I'd say closer to about 30-45% of democrats are victims of mind control.

I estimate about 95% of all people I know, knew, or ever met are/were democrats. They come basically in two flavors. Most proudly state they are democrats, and when you sit them down and have a reasonable, logical debate, they will, at least agree, they haven't seriously studied issues, and will review their positions. These are more traditional democrats, hold overs from back when the democrats were a serious and deliberative party.

The other 30 – 45% are bat shit crazy moon bats, who are too stupid to even realize they are brain dead. I actually had a debate with a couple of them a while ago, who both slapped each other on the back, congratulating themselves for beating me in the debate because I was too dumb to realize Al Gore owned the Naval Observatory in Bethesda. (The debate was over visitor logs, and they said Al Gore did not have to produce them because when he was VP, it was his private residence.)

Unfortunately, that insane segment of the party happens to be in charge of the party and the nation at the moment.

If you're a democrat, I would like to ask you, when the hell are the adults in that party going to take back control and toss the spoiled brats out the door?

That is one of the great skills of this actor: getting the message across even when he doesn't say or do anything. I'd forgotten that part of TGE: it kind of sums up his whole excellent role in the movie. Well, that and his sly thievery

There are so many good tips of what to watch in this thread – thanks!

I checked the IMDb "Rockford Files" – they've got 69 episodes on line. Don't know if we're allowed to post URLs here, but if so, it's at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071042/videogallery . This morning, I watched "Four Pound Brick" from the first season and just had to correct my first post a bit: it is Noah Beery *Jr* and he did a lot of acting in the series, too, not just sitting back and relaxing. This particular episode showcases that quite a bit.

I presume you weren't alive through the 1960s, 1970s, or early 1980s, then?

Of course everyone should take a good look at the picture of the man on the $10 bill the next time they have one and bear in mind that the man depicted on that bill, one of the Founding Fathers, was shot to death in a duel by a sitting vice president over things Hamilton had written about Burr during the 1804 New York gubernatorial race. And let's not forget the country tearing itself apart during the Civil War, which resulted in the death of over a half-million Americans, over political and social issues. So the idea that American political discourse has always been just a friendly difference of opinions until it was recently despoiled by some foul villain like Rush Limbaugh is absurd. Equally absurd is that people on the left don't realize that Ann Coulter's schtick is that she simply talks about the left the way the left has been talking about the right.

Partisian hostility has always been there, sure, and I was stating that it seems more hateful now than in recent generations.

quite frankly, the first half of 'Tank' -we did make the disclaimer- is better than all of 'Skin Game' which is passable at best…

The special features was fascinating – it was also said that Yves Montand, one of the stars, had a spinout and was so terrified at driving his car was actually towed in scened like Monza. Steve McQueen, who was a neighbor of Garner, was so incensed that HE didn'
t get Garner's part in Grand Prix that 5 years later we went on to make LeMans – both Films today are considered the pinnacle of car racing films and couldn't be remade today fopr a variety of reasons.

It is a kick to see Grand Prix and see cameos of the racing greats there like Jim Clarke.

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