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Post by cynthiagreen on Aug 27, 2019 21:31:12 GMT
One of the bitchiest comments I ever read on the old imdb 1 was from a poster who referred to Ryan O'Neal as the "Sonny Tufts of the 1970s" 
Just caught THE WELL GROOMED BRIDE and this confirmed my opinion that one of the great mysteries of classic Hollywood is why Sonny Tufts became a star - and for a few years at Paramount mid 40s he was one. There are many second/third string names from the golden age - Richard Denning, William Lundigan, John Lund, John Sutton... mostly dull types who did screen time as the "other man"......but most have something to be said for them and have some devoted admirers. I've never met anyone who admitted to even liking Sonny. He seems to diminish everything he is in.
An invite from a friend who knew a casting director was all it took for this bovine Yale grad to make it - cast as Paulette Goddard's romantic interest in the smash hit war drama SO PROUDLY WE HAIL he was a big hit and his fan mail considerable - a follow up with Goddard ( I LOVE A SOLDIER) and one with Olivia (GOVERNMENT GIRL) were also big hits and he was named number one star of tomorrow by exhibitors and "the find of 1943"(Jennifer's Oscar must have consoled her for being bridesmaid to Sonny here). HERE COMES THE WAVES with Crosby & Hutton was also BO gold, but after that audiences were less plentiful and the quality of his films and roles declined - he was second lead to Ray Milland by the time of WELL GROOMED BRIDE.... and in BLAZE OF NOON and EASY LIVING he was billed behind Holden and Mature respectively.....by the 50s his leading ladies were the likes of Barbara Payton. 
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CAT WOMEN OF THE MOON is a must... 
... but any Sonny fans lurking here want to go out to bat for him? Tell us why you love/like/admire him. What are the forgotten gems in Sonny's back catalogue?
Anyone recommend this? 
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Post by cynthiagreen on Aug 27, 2019 21:48:16 GMT
Hollywood’s newest sensation! Sonny Tufts!!?? Believe that publicity machine - he could be the new Ryan Gosling.... 
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Post by mattgarth on Aug 28, 2019 0:13:25 GMT
Actually he was pretty effective as Joel McCrea's pal turned rustler in THE VIRGINIAN in 1946.
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Post by marianne48 on Aug 28, 2019 1:37:53 GMT
I've only seen him in So Proudly We Hail, and I thought his performance was touching. I haven't seen anything all that great from Ryan O'Neal, so I guess Tufts is at least one up on him.
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Post by cynthiagreen on Aug 28, 2019 5:38:28 GMT
Actually he was pretty effective as Joel McCrea's pal turned bad guy in THE VIRGINIAN in 1946.  Matt - not seen that one - and didn't know he played a heavy - will check it out!
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Post by cynthiagreen on Aug 28, 2019 5:48:10 GMT
I've only seen him in So Proudly We Hail, and I thought his performance was touching. I haven't seen anything all that great from Ryan O'Neal, so I guess Tufts is at least one up on him. I think we have to give Ryan PAPER MOON, but with hindsight agreed there are not too many other goodies on his CV, despite him being considered more or less in the Redford/Reynolds/Voight major star bracket during the 70s.... but WHATS UP DOC was a big hit and LOVE STORY a global phenomenon. Ryan was also briefly in the top BO stars (second only to Clint in 73), which I don't think Tufts ever was.
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Post by cynthiagreen on Aug 28, 2019 6:11:11 GMT
My research has unearthed a few more Sonny facts
He really wanted to be an opera singer.
He was considered a pin up: This is for me the most incredible aspect of his success: 
I can't see him giving Gregory Peck or Turhan Bey any sleepless nights - can you?
I'm not alone in my low opinion -He has a whole chapter devoted to him in the Medved's THE GOLDEN TURKEY AWARDS - GOVERNMENT GIRL the winning film.
His drinking got the better of him and he was sued twice for biting women on the thigh! Can't imagine he tried that on Olivia. Barbara Payton I can see...
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Post by teleadm on Aug 28, 2019 6:47:18 GMT
I can agree that he was acceptable in The Virginian 1946.  He was pretty bad as the man Tom Ewell's character thinks is having an affair with his wife, in The Seven Year Itch 1955 |
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Post by cynthiagreen on Aug 28, 2019 7:19:32 GMT
I can agree that he was acceptable in The Virginian 1946. He was pretty bad as the man Tom Ewell's character thinks is having an affair with his wife, in The Seven Year Itch 1955 and ITCH is probably his best remembered film... although for sure he was not what audiences remembered. Almost the end of his career bar a couple of horror leads and a couple of B westerns in the 60s. He's the poor man's Wayne Morris 
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Post by geode on Aug 28, 2019 16:51:03 GMT
He got his own category in "The Golden Turkey Awards" by Michael and Harry Medved, "Worst Performance by Sonny Tufts"... He won for "Government Girl"... link |
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Post by cynthiagreen on Aug 28, 2019 18:41:10 GMT
He got his own category in "The Golden Turkey Awards" by Michael and Harry Medved, "Worst Performance by Sonny Tufts"... He won for "Government Girl"... linkYes it was quite an influential book I think - big big seller .....HURRY SUNDOWN one of its targets (a great favourite of mine)  . I wish I had a quid for every buff who said that one didn't deserve the bad rep... .Was it Raquel Welch who won the distaff prize? Oh to be paired with Sonny forevermore in Cinematic legend! I think Candice Bergen was a nominee (suspect the book dates from prior to her STARTING OVER renaissance.)
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Post by snsurone on Aug 28, 2019 19:06:27 GMT
HURRY SUNDOWN was one of the entrants in the Medved's book "The 50 Worst Films of All Time".
As for the Golden Turkey Awards--yes, Raquel Welch did win as Worst Actress, but the Worst Actor Award went to Richard Burton.
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Post by cynthiagreen on Aug 28, 2019 19:59:36 GMT
HURRY SUNDOWN was one of the entrants in the Medved's book "The 50 Worst Films of All Time". As for the Golden Turkey Awards--yes, Raquel Welch did win as Worst Actress, but the Worst Actor Award went to Richard Burton. Oh thanks snsurone - I was conflating two books ... yes - I can understand people not liking HURRY SUNDOWN - subtle it ain't - but Worst 50 movies of all time? I don't think so.. most classic movie buffs would wet their panties at the cast alone...
... that is harsh on Burton but I assume a late 70s provenance? - EXORCIST 2, ABSOLUTION, MEDUSA TOUCH, CIRCLE OF TWO, THE KLANSMAN, etc... the 70s were not kind to him.... but hell Sonny is more deserving ! 
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Post by Doghouse6 on Aug 29, 2019 0:37:43 GMT
He was considered a pin up: This is for me the most incredible aspect of his success:
I can't see him giving Gregory Peck or Turhan Bey any sleepless nights - can you?
Well, y'know, tastes change. Today's hunks may be preferred on the leaner, more defined side, but that beefy, barrel-chested and even slightly weathered, been-around-the-block look was considered an ideal of male pulchritude by many in the '40s - '50s (think Victor Mature, Jeff Chandler and the like). And the relatively youthful photo in your OP makes Tufts look rather like Alan Ladd (whose boyishly pleasant looks also didn't last very many years). Hubby and I have lately been revisiting Perry Mason episodes of the late '50s - early '60s, and the parade of graying, droopy, paunchy actors being passed off as babe magnets is hard to fathom, even for those of us who grew up in that era.
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Post by telegonus on Aug 29, 2019 2:36:19 GMT
He was considered a pin up: This is for me the most incredible aspect of his success:
I can't see him giving Gregory Peck or Turhan Bey any sleepless nights - can you?
Well, y'know, tastes change. Today's hunks may be preferred on the leaner, more defined side, but that beefy, barrel-chested and even slightly weathered, been-around-the-block look was considered an ideal of male pulchritude by many in the '40s - '50s (think Victor Mature, Jeff Chandler and the like). And the relatively youthful photo in your OP makes Tufts look rather like Alan Ladd (whose boyishly pleasant looks also didn't last very many years). Hubby and I have lately been revisiting Perry Mason episodes of the late '50s - early '60s, and the parade of graying, droopy, paunchy actors being passed off as babe magnets is hard to fathom, even for those of us who grew up in that era. Yes, I watch Perry a lot, too. Odd seeing the hangdog Harry Townes as a philanderer (I'd rather use an old-style word like that than new one), as he didn't seem the type. Fine actor though he was, credible as a chick magnet he was not.
But then aside from his agreeable disposition, his bonhomie, Bill Hopper's Paul Drake never struck me as good casting, either. Hopper pulled it off, though, due mostly to his good on-screen rapport with other series regulars.
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Post by BATouttaheck on Aug 29, 2019 2:46:55 GMT
And the relatively youthful photo in your OP makes Tufts look rather like Alan Ladd Whoa .. talk about cross continental mind melds ! I was just looking at Alan Ladd pictures to confirm that Sonny did indeed look like Alan Ladd ...the nose and mouth not so much maybe but the general look and eyes and hair … soy-tin-lee ! As a result of the Tufts/Ladd search, am thinking about making a thread with pictures of famous folk that don't look like themselves in their publicity photos … some of the Alan Ladd pictures look like anyone but him... but there I go GeorgeHamiltoning again ..
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Post by cynthiagreen on Aug 29, 2019 6:45:23 GMT
He has a few pages in Parish's HOLLYWOOD PLAYERS THE FORTIES.
I'm quite warmng to him.
For his Paramount screen test he spoofed Boyer in LOVE AFFAIR (Now that I'd love to see), which so impressed Mark Sandrich that he replaced Richard Denning with Tufts in SO PROUDLY WE HAIL.
He got amazing reviews for a couple of years - from Bosley Crowther down. James Agee was of view he could have been as big a crooner as Crosby, but Paramount not interested in promoting him as such.
He stayed sober for a year hoping to land the Jim Bowie part in THE ALAMO but lost to Widmark.
He did well as a guest on the likes of LAUGH IN and Merv Griffin on TV, sending himself up with good cheer.
" Today the name Sonny Tufts may evoke a smile or comment on his ambitious but limited acting ability or even be used as a whimsical barometer for dubious talent" JR Parish 1976.
And best of all SERPENT ISLAND is on dvd!!!! in a CREEPY CREATURE DOUBLE FEATURE release! £19 seems pricey but serious Sonny fans won't begrudge that. For the avoidance of any doubt the still below is not thought to be of Sonny on a day when he didn't look like himself: 
Of the rest of his CV unseen SWELL GUY sounds likely to be OK, and he was in the UK GIFT HORSE with Trevor Howard, Richard Attenborough and Dora Bryan!
Sonny Tufts and Dora Bryan - together at last! 
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Post by cynthiagreen on Aug 29, 2019 6:48:36 GMT
re the thread about people who don't look like themselves - Sounds great ! I'll be there 
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Post by cynthiagreen on Aug 29, 2019 10:25:27 GMT
He was considered a pin up: This is for me the most incredible aspect of his success:
I can't see him giving Gregory Peck or Turhan Bey any sleepless nights - can you?
but that beefy, barrel-chested and even slightly weathered, been-around-the-block look Slightly weathered?
Been around the block? 
He's more weathered than the Ancient Mariner or the Flying Dutchman... and suspect he dates from before the block was built... but to each his own I guess
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Post by BATouttaheck on Aug 29, 2019 14:59:34 GMT
re the thread about people who don't look like themselves - Sounds great ! I'll be there good .. there will be at least two of us then … it's on the back burner right now .. but it will be coming to your local cfb one of these days.
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. I wish I had a quid for every buff who said that one didn't deserve the bad rep... .Was it Raquel Welch who won the distaff prize? Oh to be paired with Sonny forevermore in Cinematic legend! I think Candice Bergen was a nominee (suspect the book dates from prior to her STARTING OVER renaissance.)
