Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Bethel Leslie

Had she stayed on the Broadway stage, Bethel Leslie might have been more well known, as she was a truly gifted actor that Hollywood just didn't know what to do with. She appeared in some movies at the beginning and end of her career, but it was the early days of television where she really was able to flex her acting muscles.

Without ever having a signature role, this wonderful talent appeared and thrived regularly on many of the live television anthology dramas of the 1950's like The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse, The Prudential Family Playhouse, Kraft Theatre, Broadway Television Theatre, Pepsi Cola Playhouse, Philip Morris Playhouse, Studio One and Playhouse 90, just to name a few.


As television experimented with different formats, the anthology programs would eventually fade away as audiences found more interest in weekly characters than they did with completely different dramas each week. This turned Bethel Leslie into a television guest star where she appeared the next three decades in such shows as Perry Mason, Have Gun Will Travel, Gunsmoke, Mannix, Kung Fu and The White Shadow.

Bethel Leslie was extremely talented and had she been born thirty years later she just might have had the career that Meryl Streep now owns. Fortunately, the record books will never forget her as she did win an Emmy for her work on The Richard Boone Show, which was a critical hit, but failed with audiences in its attempt to bring back the anthology format.

Sadly, this wonderful talent is largely forgotten today, but should one ever stumble across some of the old shows from the Golden Age of Television, it will become very clear that Bethel Leslie is Not Very Famous...but should be.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

James Baskett

Controversy is the last thing I want on this blog, and with the mere mention of the 1946 Disney film, Song of the South, controversy is bound to turn her head. I'm willing to take that chance though, because of the wonderful performance in that film by actor, James Baskett.

The film portrays a very cheerful view of African American life right after the Civil War. And while a positive attitude is always a plus, the singing of Zip-a-dee-doo-dah will never change the fact that African Americans (free or not) to this day are still experiencing horrific treatment. And to sugar coat the lives of former slaves (even for a kids film) is a disservice to an entire race.


That being said, Uncle Remus was the signature role for James Baskett and by Disney keeping Song of the South buried in their vaults, means that his work is buried as well. Is this fair? Well, what is fair?

Was it fair that James Baskett was not allowed to attend the premiere of Song of the South in Atlanta because of segregation laws? Was it fair that he was given an honorary Oscar for his performance because in 1946 the Academy was afraid to nominate a black man in a leading role? And is it fair that an actor's best work is not available for the world to see?

No answers. Just questions. And any opinion one has will bound to be disagreed upon by someone else.The only thing I know for sure is that James Baskett is Not Very Famous...but should be.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Craig Richard Nelson

Although he never had a leading role, Craig Richard Nelson was often times the one actor that would be remembered long after the final credits. Often cast as the snobbish outsider, his characters brought conflict and tension to many movies and television shows throughout the 1970's, '80's and '90's.

His first film role was as the mean-spirited law student, Willis Bell, in the Oscar nominated, The Paper Chase, and from there he managed to bounce back and forth from film to the small screen with memorable moments from many popular movies and television shows like My Bodyguard, Square Pegs and Star Trek: The Next Generation, just to name a few.


However his best work was with director Robert Altman where he had supporting roles in three of his films, with his most memorable, the little seen, A Wedding, where he played a pivotal part in one of the most powerful shower scenes since Psycho.

On his IMDB page, Craig Richard Nelson has been known to talk to his fans, so Mr. Nelson, if you should happen to discover this little blog, we hope that you can chime in and tell us a little about your experiences in Hollywood and why we haven't seen you in anything new for the last ten years. We miss you.