Our pic today revisits the foreign intrigue potboiler Flight to Hong Kong (1956), directed by Joseph M. Newman. Diamond smuggler Tony Dumont (Rory Calhoun) enlists the aid of shady thug Lagarto at a dive bar in Macao.
Here is yet another of Timothy’s early films that deserves a proper commercial DVD release. You can, however, buy or rent it digitally at Amazon Instant Video.
Our pic today takes a long-overdue look at Flight to Hong Kong (1956), the low-budget international diamond-smuggling caper directed by Joseph M. Newman. It looks like something inappropriate is going on here, but it’s just Tony Dumont (Rory Calhoun) trying to get thug Lagarto out of the way so he can get a better look at a mysterious suitcase, as Cappy (Bob Hopkins) and another miscreant in the shadows look on.
Hopkins – and that’s Hopkins, not Hoskins – racked up many credited and uncredited bit parts in film and on television in his relatively short career. He died at the young age of 44 in 1962.
One day on my first Dragnet, I stepped outside the soundstage to have a cigarette with Jack [Webb] and Ben Alexander. As we were standing there, we heard a commotion and looked toward the front gate of the Disney lot, and through a chain-link fence we could see a couple of studio guards chasing a tall guy in our direction. The guy came flying over the fence and landed on our side of it and grabbed a-hold of Jack’s lapels and pushed him up against the wall, babbling, ‘You gotta use me on the show! You gotta use me on the show!’ It was frightening! Turns out it was a madman of an actor named Timothy Carey. With a crazy look on his face, he demanded that Webb let him appear on Dragnet and Webb, obviously hoping to calm him down and get him to let go, said, ‘Yeah, sure, you’re in the show, when do ya want to start??’ Jack assured Carey that he would be in a Dragnet, and that quieted him down; the guards arrived at that point and took him away.
Timothy Carey might have been a great Dragnet villain but he scared the shit out of us. He was nuts! Carey was an actor who would do anything to get a role; I once heard that he went into the Columbia Studios office of the producer of the motion picture The Caine Mutiny, pulled a gun on him and said, ‘You gonna give me a part in this show?’ When you have that burning desire to be an actor and be on the screen, some people will do whatever it takes.
– Paul Picerni, from Steps to Stardom: The Autobiography of Paul Picerni by Paul Picerni with Tom Weaver (BearManor Media, 2007)
Timothy with Rory Calhoun in the only film he and Picerni did together (no scenes together though), Flight to Hong Kong (1956)
Today we take another look at Flight to Hong Kong (1956), the foreign intrigue potboiler directed by Joseph M. Newman. Diamond smuggler Tony Dumont (Rory Calhoun) locates thug-for-hire Lagarto in a shady bar in Macao and enlists his services for his next evil plan. Lagarto is quite the fashion plate with his neckerchief and skimpy t-shirt.
Los Angeles native Calhoun enjoyed a long career as a dashing leading man in scores of films and television shows from the 1940s until shortly before his death in 1999. He became something of an “elder statesman” in his later years, taking roles that some may feel were beneath him, but which he seemed to enjoy and kept him busy and working. I’m especially fond of his performance in Kevin Connor‘s Motel Hell (1980). “It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent’s Fritters!”
And out of that binder full of Timothy comes our pic of the day! It’s another bizarre promotional still for Flight to Hong Kong (1956), with another shot that isn’t actually in the movie. Along with this one, I’m sure these stills were basically used as models for poster artwork.
Rory Calhoun pretends to land a punch on Tim as Bob Hopkins (on the left) and another unidentified actor (I’ll try and figure out who he is) look on. Hopkins and Tim both had small uncredited roles in I’ll Cry Tomorrow (1955).
Starting off the work week is another look at Flight to Hong Kong (1956), directed by Joseph M. Newman. Timothy’s sleazy thug-for-hire Lagarto and his pal Cappy (Bob Hopkins) are eager to open what Tony Dumont (Rory Calhoun) wants them to think is a suitcase full of diamonds. It isn’t.
Not much else to say about this one. Tim’s appearance is, as usual, brief but memorable. You can catch this one on Netflix Instant; it’s worth a look.
Our first official pic for 2012 is another from the international potboiler Flight to Hong Kong (1956). Tim is showing off his pearly whites to Rory Calhoun, who seems none too appreciative.
Again, there’s been no official release for this one, but you can snag an unofficial copy right here.
I know I’ve already posted a pic from this one, but I recently got ahold of this publicity still from the film, and it’s too weird not to post. Tim is barely visible as one of the gang beating up a shirtless Rory Calhoun.
The fellow in front is Bob Hopkins, whom I always think of as resembling Errol Flynn gone to seed. The weird thing about this photo is, there is no scene in the film that even comes close to resembling it. Tim and his gang never beat up Calhoun, and Calhoun keeps his shirt on throughout the film (unfortunately). You can see a weird little version of this on the poster for the film. It’s just one of those strange Hollywood moments, I guess.
Today’s pic (don’t forget to click to embiggen) is from Joseph M. Newman’s Flight to Hong Kong (1956). Tim is Lagarto, another low-life thug hired by Tony Dumont (Rory Calhoun) to steal a guy’s luggage. There are diamonds involved.
Paul Picerni, who also co-stars here, once related an incident that occurred a couple years before this film was made:
“One strange thing happened on the Dragnet set. Jack Webb, Ben Alexander and I were taking a cigarette break and all of a sudden we see a commotion by the front gate. We see this tall guy running and two security guards chasing him. And he runs toward us and he grabs hold of Jack Webb and pushes him up against the wall and yells: ‘You gotta give me a part in your show! You understand!’ And Jack says, ‘Yeah, of course, you got it, whatever you want!’ The guy was a madman. It was the actor Timothy Carey. They got rid of him, of course. He might have been a great villain, but he scared the shit out of us. He was nuts.”
That’s our Tim!
The Timothy Carey Experience 