Tag Archives: millard kaufman

Pic of the Day: “Convicts 4” revisited

Posted by Marisa on

In honor of today being the 84th birthday anniversary of the late great Ben Gazzara, today’s pic is another from Convicts 4 (1962), directed by Millard Kaufman. John Resko ponders his predicament after unexpectedly meeting up with his childhood friend Nick in the prison yard at Dannemora.

Convicts 4

Tim and Gazzara would meet again in John Cassavetes‘ The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976). Unfortunately Tim only garners a passing mention in Gazzara’s autobiography, In the Moment: My Life as an Actor (2004). I was hoping for some great stories! Gazzara’s presence on the silver screen is highly treasured and greatly missed.

Video of the Week: “Convicts 4”

Posted by Marisa on

This week’s video is a compilation of scenes from Millard Kaufman‘s Convicts 4 (1962). The fellow who posted it doesn’t think much of the film or Timothy’s lock-jaw acting technique, which I admit is pretty over-the-top.

Tim’s scenes begin at about 3:55. Enjoy with a huge slice of cake and a bean sammich!

Pic of the Day: “Convicts 4” revisited

Posted by Marisa on

After stuffing ourselves yesterday, we deserve a rest. And where better to put up our feet than in the clink? We close the holiday week with another look at Convicts 4 (1962), Millard Kaufman‘s prison biography of artist John Resko (Ben Gazzara). Unbeknownst to Resko and his old pal Nick, they’re about to have an unfortunate encounter with Iggy (Ray Walston, with his back to the camera), not one of Resko’s favorite people.

Convicts 4

Award-winning Walston was one of the most beloved character actors around, working steadily from the 1950s up until his death in 2001. I’m sure we all know him best from his role in the comedy series My Favorite Martian (1963-66). He, however, wished that we didn’t. “I never should have done My Favorite Martian,” he told USA TODAY in 1995. “I didn’t work in TV or film for three years after. Everyone thought of me as a Martian. Do you know what it’s like to go to Madrid, Spain, on vacation and have a guy yell out, ‘Hey, Martin!’ and put antennas behind his head? When that happens, you know your career is dead.”

Quote of the Week

Posted by Marisa on

Sure, this is a true story, but writer/director Millard Kaufman (who penned BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK) turns it into B-movie pabulum, right down to a groan-inducing finale. The actors try hard, but it’s a lifeless gig. In fact, the only humor comes from the always-reliable Timothy Carey in an all-too-brief role as inmate Nick Pukalski – talking through clenched teeth and with his eyeballs spinning, he steals every scene as a pal from Resko’s old neighborhood. Location scenes were filed at Folsom Prison, but that’s the closest this ever gets to hard-hitting realism.

– Steve Puchalski, review of Convicts 4 (1962), Shock Cinema magazine #19 (Fall/Winter 2001)

Convicts 4

Video of the Week: “Convicts 4”

Posted by Marisa on

Today, the eighty-third birthday anniversary of the amazing Ben Gazzara, we present again a clip from the prison biopic Convicts 4 (1962), directed by Millard Kaufman. It features Timothy’s first appearance in the film, and it is certainly memorable.

As we all know, Tim and Gazzara appeared together again fourteen years later in John Cassavetes‘ The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976). I think they made a great pair.

Pic of the Day: “Convicts 4” revisited

Posted by Marisa on

It’s time to revisit Convicts 4 (1962), aka Reprieve, directed by Millard Kaufman. Genial convict Nick welcomes his old pal John Resko (Ben Gazzara) to The Hill.

Convicts 4

Timothy’s teeth-clenching pseudo-Kirk Douglas delivery really gets a workout here. Keep your eyes open also for a fleeting appearance by the supremely creepy Reggie Nalder. As we all know, Tim and Gazzara met up again in The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976).

Pic of the Day: “Convicts 4” revisited

Posted by Marisa on

Our pic of the day is another promotional still from Convicts 4 (1962) (aka Reprieve), the prison drama written and directed by Millard Kaufman. The big cake-eating scene is about to begin.

The notation on the back is worth quoting:

27. PRISON PARTY—Roland LaStarza, Tom Gilson, Ben Gazzara, and Timothy Carey on Dannemora Prison’s “hill of courts” in this scene of Allied Artists’ “Reprieve.” Gazzara plays John Resko, famed “prison Rembrandt.”

Notable trivia: Kaufman was the co-creator of Mr. Magoo! LaStarza was a professional heavyweight boxer for many years. He gave Rocky Marciano quite a run for his money in 1953 (I always thought Tim should have played a boxer at some point). This was Gilson’s last feature film; he was shot in self-defense by his estranged wife, model and actress Saundra Edwards, during a domestic dispute.

Pic of the Day: “Convicts 4” revisited

Posted by Marisa on

Our pic of the day (and you remember about clicking for embiggening) is a nice promotional portrait of Timothy from Convicts 4, aka Reprieve (1962), one of my latest eBay finds. I’m still not sure if that’s a hearing aid or a transistor radio he has there. He used a similar device in House of Numbers (1957), also while portraying a prisoner. Hmm.

The typewritten notation on the back of the photo is worth sharing:

84, 85. TIMOTHY CAREY, remembered for his hit performance in “Revolt in the Big House” a few years ago, plays a convict ringleader in Millard Kaufman and Ronald Lubin’s “Reprieve,” Allied Artists production starring Ben Gazzara, Stuart Whitman, Ray Walston, and guest-starring Vincent Price, Rod Steiger, Broderick Crawford, Dodie Stevens, Jack Kruschen, and Sammy Davis, Jr. Carey is currently being hailed for his independently made “new wave” film, “The World’s Greatest Sinner.”

Video of the Week: “Convicts 4”

Posted by Marisa on

This week we feature Tim’s first appearance in Convicts 4 (1962), originally known as Reprieve and written and directed by Millard Kaufman. Tim is an affable convict by the name of Nick. You gotta love this guy.

Tim and Ben Gazzara would meet again in 1976, in John Cassavetes‘ The Killing of  a Chinese Bookie.