WALLACE FORD ROCKS! That's right, I said it! No one really talks that much about ole Wally (1898-1966) but he's been in one heckuva lotta good genre films so I love him! Here are just a few of the reasons why:
Freaks (1932) directed by Tod Browning
Night of Terror (1933) w/ Bela Lugosi
The Lost Patrol (1934) w/ Boris Karloff
The Mysterious Mr. Wong (1934) w/ Bela Lugosi
The Man Who Reclaimed His Head (1934) w/ Claude Rains
One Frightened Night (1935)
Rogues Tavern (1936)
The Mummy's Hand (1940)
Murder By Invitation (1941) w/ Marian "Svengali" Marsh
All Through the Night (1942) w/ Humphrey Bogart
The Mummy's Tomb (1942) w/ Lon Chaney Jr.
Shadow of a Doubt (1943) directed by Alfred Hitchcock
The Ape Man (1943) w/ Bela Lugosi
Spellbound (1945) directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Probably his most famous role was as the strong man in Tod Browning's 1932 cult classic "Freaks" but he's also co-starred along with Lugosi, Karloff,Chaney Jr., Claude Rains and George Zucco as well as having been directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Most of his career he spent wisecracking his way through films including such poverty row classics (and personal faves of mine) as Rogues Tavern, One Frightened Night, Murder By Invitation and The Mysterious Mr. Wong. 
He's what we call a "character actor" and that means essentially that he's more interesting than the stars of the movie more than half the time! If it wasn't for character actors, most of the films ever made would probably be unwatchable. So let's here it for Wallace Ford - - and all the other character actors who liven up the silver screen!
He was in Freaks!!!
ReplyDeleteI love that movie.
"We accept her, one of us..."
'The Man Who Reclaimed His Head' sounds like the coolest movie ever. i must see it! and i do remember him in freaks. one of the bestest films of all time. (johnny eck was my favorite.)
ReplyDeleteGooble gobble Gooble gobble!
ReplyDeleteSadly I only like about half of Freaks since I find the first half generally exploitative and distasteful consisting as it does of scene after scene where we just stare at the "freaks" without advancing the plot a bit. However, (and I actually DO own the DVD so I kinda like the film) the film picks up in the second half. Tod Browning is certainly not one of my favourite directors (unlike most I in fact LOVE the 1931 Dracula but Freaks is only half a good movie as I've said, Mark of the Vampire only has a few good scenes and The Devil Doll is a hot mess!).
My dear Ms. Henri, I myself have actually never seen The Man Who Reclaimed His Head but I do have the "remake" called Strange Confessions starring Lon Chaney Jr. from his Inner Sanctum film series. The Man Who Reclaimed His Head was a huge Broadway hit when it was made into a movie so I would certainly love to see it; the Chaney Jr. version is a little (OK a LOT) slow and only really proves interesting in the first few minutes and the last five. Everything in the middle is a little too much like watching Penny Serenade without Cary Grant.