February 3, 2011

Here are those other members of the Apes jury. What strikes me here is how
often, even with brow makeup, the actors in these simian roles are still recognizable. In the middle is James Whitmore, whom I mostly knew then as the ant-crushed cop from "Them!", and "The Next Voice You Hear", where his family and the world hear the voice of God on the radio, (always belatedly, or from a transcript, et cetera) so he's shamed into finally getting along with his pis headed crank of a neighbor (Art Smith) and has to get over being married to Nancy Davis (Reagan).

On the left, as 'Dr. Maximus', is Woodrow Parfrey (1922-1984), who was adept at playing varying degrees of mean-to-craven wheedlers who easily cracked when pushed, to reveal their yellow lachrymosity. According to imdb Woodrow was a P.O.W. after the Battle of the Bulge, the assumption being that he observed such behavior close at hand. Anyway, he was great at it, the epitome of such, to my mind, probably via his many television appearances, particularly episodes of "Mannix".

On the other end, again and of course, is 'Dr. Zaius, Dr. Zaius'. (Maurice Evans).

But, they all look like themselves! Here is Woodrow Parfrey in a rare happier role in "Dirty Harry". See? Now you know who it is. And you can readily see it's him in that orangoutang makeup.




My personal favorite, tho'---small town banker 'Harold Young' in "Charley Varrick".

Here's a lousy shot of an engrossing scene: the late great, lofty pain-in-the-ass John Vernon laconically intimidating "Harold" to the point of nausea over lifted mob money supposedly safely hidden in the bank, but now stolen unexpectedly in a stylish but ordinary heist by 'Charley Varrick' (Walter Matthau). Vernon is obliquely comparing "Harold" to the cows in the nearby field, stupidly waiting for a colorful slaughtering. He more than gets the message.

With Parfrey's 'Apes' connection and 'Varrick' now on my mind, to take this further, I wondered just what were the real perameters for casting those apes? It seems to have been mostly men with a certain type of uncertain accent, usually a bit shorter (excepting some gorillas and extras) than six feet.

But why shouldn't they have included others? How about a Clint Walker gorilla? Or Billy Barty? I woulda watched them. Or Alan Hale, Jr.??

Or to take some of the others in the "Charley Varrick" cast, Matthau would've made a great old chimpanzee. Or even Andy Robinson some sort of 'urban' funlover ape. Sheree North's appeals would have been mostly wasted in the '70s makeup and army tent clothing, but as a chimp she certainly would be better than the bizarre Mrs. Burton's Michael Jackson lookalike in the remake.


But, what about Joe Don Baker (whose 'Molly' is a real piece of work)?

Maybe those parameters were a good thing. Unless he could be some cracker albino gorilla visiting from the mysterious 'Southern Zone'. "Day-um!! It's hot!"

January 26, 2011

The only gum card from this set I've so far owned was this one dropped
into my (1968?) Halloween bag by an older neighborhood kid on the next
block.

No doubt, for him, merely one of his 'dupes', it was loosely covered in one
of the wrappers the cards came in, which I didn't hang on to. Eagerly
unwrapping it, and trying to see it in the dark I was a bit let down by seeing
only the back of Dr. Zaius. (Presumably not a double).

He should turn around---well, turn it over and he sort of has, only as a
drawing. But, the text cautiously adds the bit about lobotomy, so, I was
still sufficiently staggered.

I was a bit too young to know about the first movie when it came out, so
could only rely on my aunt's recall of the cornfield scene, which I also
caught on the otherwise highly avoidable Academy Awards show on one
of our three TV channels. I went on to get my paws on the Gold Key comic
of 'Beneath' and from then on spotted the rest in the paper in time to go
see and sit throo twice. A drive-in marathon and the TV series pretty much
moved me to satiation. By then I was a teenager, and they were doing it
all to death with the (very) limited animation cartoon and the over extended
Mike Ploog run in the Marvel magazines.

I often forget that Dr. Zaius' other council members are standing nearby up
there for a dramatic little three way 'loom down' at the smelly, raving human.