Pic of the Day: “A Time for Killing” revisited

Posted by Marisa on September 12, 2014

Ending the week is another look at Phil Karlson‘s A Time for Killing (1967), the Civil War melodrama starring Glenn Ford. Billy Cat, “the Yankee from Missourah,” barks out some orders while Lt. Shaffer (Harrison Ford in his first credited screen role) looks confused and Col. Harries (Emile Meyer) watches in the background from the safety of his horse.

Meyer enjoyed a long career as one of Hollywood’s most dependable tough guys. Occasionally he did step out of the tough guy role, most memorably in Stanley Kubrick‘s Paths of Glory (1957), as the priest who accompanies Timothy to the firing squad. Tim told Grover Lewis in the Film Comment interview, “Emile Meyer, the guy playing the priest when we are being executed, also didn’t like me. He wanted to punch me because in my death scene I was biting his arm, saying, “I don’t wanna die, I don’t wanna die” [laughs].”

Pic of the Day: “Paths of Glory” revisited

Posted by Marisa on July 11, 2014

Turner Classic Movies is observing the 100th anniversary of World War I all this month. Tonight they are airing Stanley Kubrick‘s Paths of Glory (1957), 5:00 p.m. PST, 8:00 p.m. EST.

Pvt. Ferol makes his painful way to the firing squad, accompanied by Father Dupree (Emile Meyer). You owe it to yourself to see this magnificent film if you haven’t already, or even if you have. It’s timeless.

Video of the Week: “A Time for Killing”

Posted by Marisa on June 11, 2014

This week’s video is another clip (it says trailer, but it isn’t) from A Time for Killing (1967), the gritty Civil War drama directed by Phil Karlson and an uncredited Roger Corman. This one pretty much picks up where the previous clip I’ve posted here ends. Timothy actually has some lines in this one!

Featuring Tim’s Paths of Glory co-star Emile Meyer, Glenn Ford, Kenneth Tobey, George Hamilton, Harry Dean Stanton, Inger Stevens, and young Harrison Ford in his first credited screen appearance. This one is definitely worth your time.

Pic of the Day: “The Outfit” revisited

Posted by Marisa on November 20, 2012

Today we take another look at John Flynn‘s The Outfit (1973). Ill-tempered thug Jake Menner is not too happy about Earl Macklin (Robert Duvall) interrupting his card game. I am not 100% certain who the actor sitting next to Timothy is.

Many of Tim’s previous co-stars appear in this great film, including Robert Ryan, Elisha Cook Jr., Marie Windsor, Tom Reese, Roland LaStarza, Emile Meyer, and Roy Jenson. Flynn also directed the cult favorite Rolling Thunder (1977), the inspiration for Quentin Tarantino’s short-lived film distribution company.

Quote of the Week

Posted by Marisa on October 21, 2012

GL: So you had a lot of trouble with other actors.

TC: A few of them didn’t like what I was doing, yeah. I did a show with Bob Ryan once – he was great, but he wouldn’t allow a lot of takes. “This is it,” he’d say. Adolphe Menjou didn’t care much for me, either. He was a man of the old school, and when we were in Munich shooting Paths of Glory, he thought I’d disgraced the company with my behavior. I had a toy monkey with me, and I was walking around with holes in my shoes.

GL: James Harris, the producer, told me you embarrassed the crew, that the Germans wanted to throw the whole company out of the country.

TC: Harris fired me. He made sure I’d done all my scenes, then fired me the next day. Emile Meyer, the guy playing the priest when we are being executed, also didn’t like me. He wanted to punch me because in my death scene I was biting his arm, saying, “I don’t wanna die, I don’t wanna die” [laughs]. Kubrick pulled me aside and said [menacing whisper], “Make it good, Tim. Kirk doesn’t like it.” When he fired me, Harris said, “You’ve already stolen all the scenes!”

– Grover Lewis, “Cracked Actor”, Film Comment Jan/Feb 2004; interview conducted in 1992

Pic of the Day: “Bloodhounds of Broadway” revisited

Posted by Marisa on December 16, 2011

Ending the work week is another pic from Bloodhounds of Broadway (1952), directed by Harmon Jones. Tim doesn’t have a whole lot to do in the uncredited role of Crockett Pace, Mitzi Gaynor‘s hillbilly suitor, but it was one of his first speaking parts.