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One of the most memorable Western character actors of all-time, Jack Elam, has passed at the age of 84.
Throughout the '50s and into the '70s, Elam was in dozens of Westerns on the big and small screens, often as one of the disposable henchmen the hero had to dispatch on his way to the main villain. His wild, wandering dead eye (blind from a childhood fight) and his grisled features made him a natural for such work. Some of his many credits include The Man from Laramie (1955), The Far Country (1954), Vera Cruz (1954), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), Rancho Notorious (1952), Cattle Queen of Montana (1955), 4 for Texas (1963), Firecreek (1968), Rio Lobo (1970), Hannie Caulder (1971) and Pat Garret & Billy the Kid (1973), with numerous guest spots on the television plains of "Gunsmoke", "Bonanza", "Have Gun - Will Travel", "Wagon Train", "The Rifleman", "Rawhide" and just about all of 'em at one time or another, when the genre ruled the airwaves.
He also appeared in non-Oaters too, such as Kiss Me Deadly (1955), Kismet (1955), Baby Face Nelson (1957), Appointment in Hondouras (1953) and Princess of the Nile (1954).
Along the way, folks got the bright idea to juxtapose that shocking visage with comedy. In the Martin & Lewis vehicles Pardners (1956) and Artists & Models (1955), he was still doing his heavy thing, but with wackiness around him. By the wonderful Suport Your Local Sheriff! (1969) and Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971) along side Jim Garner, Elam was hysterical in his own right. This is the direction his career would take in the second half, as in the late '70s and through the '80s, the majority of the roles he was cast in were comedic. From the kiddie comedies Hawmps! (1976), Hot Lead & Cold Feet (1978) and The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979) to The Villain (1979), the Bette Midler dud Jinxed! (1982) and the first two Cannonball Run flicks (1981 & 1984), Elam's presence was always a boost. In 1986, he even tried his luck at a sitcom, "Easy Street" starring Loni Anderson.
But for me, as an enourmous fan of Leone's masterpiece Once Upon A Time in the West (1969), that's how I'll remember him first and best. As one of the three gunmen awaiting Chuck Bronson's Harmonica at the train depot during the brilliant opening credit sequence, Elam gets the best bits of business to do: trying to nap in the shade, pestered by a fly, then catching it in his gun barrel. In the sparsely spoken sequence (sparsely spoken movie, for that matter), Elam's would-be-killer (the only of the three with dialogue) sets up one of the very best lines. When Bronson, who hoped to meet and confront Henry Fonda's Frank, notices there are only three horses and not one for him to ride, Elam, laughing, explains "Looks like we're shy one horse." All three gunmen laugh, until a smiling Bronson shakes his head and replies, "You brought two too many." Followed by a lightning fast shootout....after some patented extreme closeups and blaring Ennio Morricone, naturally.
Elam had a face and voice you couldn't easily forget, and Western movie fans in particular never will.
Throughout the '50s and into the '70s, Elam was in dozens of Westerns on the big and small screens, often as one of the disposable henchmen the hero had to dispatch on his way to the main villain. His wild, wandering dead eye (blind from a childhood fight) and his grisled features made him a natural for such work. Some of his many credits include The Man from Laramie (1955), The Far Country (1954), Vera Cruz (1954), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), Rancho Notorious (1952), Cattle Queen of Montana (1955), 4 for Texas (1963), Firecreek (1968), Rio Lobo (1970), Hannie Caulder (1971) and Pat Garret & Billy the Kid (1973), with numerous guest spots on the television plains of "Gunsmoke", "Bonanza", "Have Gun - Will Travel", "Wagon Train", "The Rifleman", "Rawhide" and just about all of 'em at one time or another, when the genre ruled the airwaves.
He also appeared in non-Oaters too, such as Kiss Me Deadly (1955), Kismet (1955), Baby Face Nelson (1957), Appointment in Hondouras (1953) and Princess of the Nile (1954).
Along the way, folks got the bright idea to juxtapose that shocking visage with comedy. In the Martin & Lewis vehicles Pardners (1956) and Artists & Models (1955), he was still doing his heavy thing, but with wackiness around him. By the wonderful Suport Your Local Sheriff! (1969) and Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971) along side Jim Garner, Elam was hysterical in his own right. This is the direction his career would take in the second half, as in the late '70s and through the '80s, the majority of the roles he was cast in were comedic. From the kiddie comedies Hawmps! (1976), Hot Lead & Cold Feet (1978) and The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979) to The Villain (1979), the Bette Midler dud Jinxed! (1982) and the first two Cannonball Run flicks (1981 & 1984), Elam's presence was always a boost. In 1986, he even tried his luck at a sitcom, "Easy Street" starring Loni Anderson.
But for me, as an enourmous fan of Leone's masterpiece Once Upon A Time in the West (1969), that's how I'll remember him first and best. As one of the three gunmen awaiting Chuck Bronson's Harmonica at the train depot during the brilliant opening credit sequence, Elam gets the best bits of business to do: trying to nap in the shade, pestered by a fly, then catching it in his gun barrel. In the sparsely spoken sequence (sparsely spoken movie, for that matter), Elam's would-be-killer (the only of the three with dialogue) sets up one of the very best lines. When Bronson, who hoped to meet and confront Henry Fonda's Frank, notices there are only three horses and not one for him to ride, Elam, laughing, explains "Looks like we're shy one horse." All three gunmen laugh, until a smiling Bronson shakes his head and replies, "You brought two too many." Followed by a lightning fast shootout....after some patented extreme closeups and blaring Ennio Morricone, naturally.
Elam had a face and voice you couldn't easily forget, and Western movie fans in particular never will.
__________________
"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra
"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra
Last edited by Holden Pike; 09-30-07 at 10:34 AM.
