Pic of the Day: “Across the Wide Missouri” revisited

It says “revisited,” but it’s the same pic I posted over a year ago. That’s because this is it! This is only shot of Timothy in his grand film debut in William Wellman‘s Across the Wide Missouri (1951). He appears as the corpse of fur trapper Baptiste DuNord. Yes, that’s right –  the corpse.

Across the Wide Missouri

“The first time I worked was in a Clark Gable film in Colorado,” said Tim in the Psychotronic interview. “… And I was sent one time in New York by an agent who used to handle Clark Gable by the name of Chamberlain Brown. I was just an extra in Across the Wide Missouri (MGM, 1951). Gable had a home up there they rented for him. I went there and said I was working on the picture. They invited me in and gave me tea and crumpets and were very hospitable to me. I started working on the show three days later and he was a little embarrassed that he wined and dined an atmosphere player at his home. I worked on the show, I played a dead man in it, it was a great part! You could only see my back, I was laying in the water. I’ll never forget the director (William Wellman), he was a great director, a tough director. I had two arrows in my back laying in the water. I couldn’t hold still, it was so cold and my teeth were chattering. The director said, ‘Keep that jerk still, he’s supposed to be dead!’ I had just come from dramatic school in New York. I thought I was a great actor, I’m the only one who did.”

2 responses to “Pic of the Day: “Across the Wide Missouri” revisited

    • That’s very true! Tim said in the work-in-progress documentary that his son is putting together that he saw Errol Flynn at one of the studios when he first arrived in Hollywood. I think he even got his autograph!

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