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Post by Richard Kimble on Jan 27, 2023 20:20:52 GMT
He had a distinctive personality onscreen: a sly smirk that was clearly hiding something, but magnetic enough to draw you in anyway. Along with Anthony Quinn and Jack Palance he succeeded Brando as Stanley Kowalski. He had a very curious film career. Establishing himself at MGM in the early '50s, he returned to Broadway to play the lead in Picnic. Paul Newman was his understudy. At this point Meeker made a disastrous career mistake. He turned down the lead in the film of Picnic, as he didn't want to sign a long-term contract. He would never get an opportunity like it again. Around this time he played Mike Hammer in the cult film Kiss Me, Deadly. And two years later he play a strong supporting role in his best film, Kubrick's Paths Of Glory. But by the next year he was doing guest shots on TV westerns like The Texan and Wanted Dead Or Alive. I recently watched these episodes, and he's quite good in them. But I have no idea why someone of his stature was playing parts that really should have gone to Richard Devon or Leo Gordon. Today I learned he starred as an army investigator in a short-lived TV series called Not For Hire (1959), which I'd never heard of before. Like Scott Brady, the post- Zorro Guy Williams, and the post- Texan Rory Calhoun, Meeker had trouble finding a TV vehicle worthy of him. He spent the '60s in TV guest shots and film support. His natural beefiness gradually became fat, and this limited his roles. But he was probably never meant for leading man status anyway. However he could easily have made a career out of playing the leading man's friend (third billed after star and leading lady) who sells him out in the last act. For whatever reason, this never happened.
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Post by politicidal on Jan 27, 2023 21:16:02 GMT
He's very good in Kiss Me Deadly and The Naked Spur. Saw Paths of Glory but admittedly don't remember him much at all.
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Post by Richard Kimble on Jan 27, 2023 21:25:00 GMT
Last night I happened to watch him in the Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode "Malice Domestic". He's very good playing somewhat against type as a suburban husband whose wife is apparently trying to poison him.
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Post by Old Aussie on Jan 27, 2023 23:42:18 GMT
Mainly remember him in - Kiss Me Deadly / The Naked Spur / Paths of Glory / Jeopardy
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Post by Old Aussie on Jan 27, 2023 23:46:04 GMT
checked his filmography and will add famous tearjerker The Dirty Dozen.
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spiderwort
Junior Member
@spiderwort
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Post by spiderwort on Jan 29, 2023 1:30:13 GMT
Here's a youtube clip from original the stage version of PICNIC with Meeker dancing with Kim Stanley (age 28) as the young sister, Millie, and then Janice Rule (age 22) as the older sister, Madge. Presented on "The Ed Sullivan Show." Sullivan's intro is good, as is his conclusion. The play starts about 2 minutes in with Meeker dancing with Kim Stanley, then Rule appears about 5 minutes in. It's great to see the cast of that show it performing live. Oh, I so wish I could have seen this play on Broadway!
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Post by stryker on Jan 29, 2023 4:51:29 GMT
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Post by mikef6 on Jan 29, 2023 5:25:04 GMT
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