I decided to start doing some paintings of supporting stars (yes, I know, this isn't a painting... I felt like sketching tonight instead. But tomorrow, when the painting bug is sure to bite, this sketch will magically appear on my blog transformed into a pop art painting) Anyway! I decided a long time ago that I was going to do this series, and I have the most incredibly fantastic stupendous name for the series-- actually my dad came up with it-- thanks Daddie! -- are you ready? It's really good!!! First Rate Second Bananas!!
Now you may be thinking to yourself, "second bananas... supporting stars... but what about M and Mad Love and the Mr. Moto series? Peter Lorre was no second banana, he was a STAR!" and you are very right. But in my book, you don't have to be one or the other, you can be both. While Peter Lorre WAS the star in a huge amount of films, he is probably better known for his outstanding supporting roles, like Joel Cairo in The Maltese Falcon, Ugarte in Casablanca and Dr. Einstein in Arsenic and Old Lace. In these films, he was really a first rate second banana.
My personal favorite of Peter Lorre's supporting performances is as Dr. Einstein in Arsenic and Old Lace. Arsenic was actually one of the very first movies I saw after my conversion to classic film. Not long after becoming enamored with the movie, my parents treated me to tickets to see a live stage version of the movie. I've seen only a handful of theatrical versions of my favorite movies, and usually I am very underwhelmed. I just expect the actors on stage to be as good as the actors on film and that is a really, really hard expectation to meet. At Arsenic and Old Lace, I was mildly satisfied with the lead actors, but the absence of Peter Lorre created a gaping hole in the production. While his part in the film is relatively minor, this play made me realize how much his presence means to the overall story. Without him, it just wasn't nearly as good.
Peter Lorre's name is barely known today outside of classic film devotees like you and I. If he is known, it is merely as the pop-eyed guy in Casablanca. Unfortunately, this one role puts him at an advantage over hundreds of other character actors who are almost entirely forgotten. Edna May Oliver. Fay Bainter. William Demarest. Roscoe Karns. Jessie Ralph. May Robson. Eric Blore. Eugene Pallette. Charles Coburn. We may know these names and the faces that go with them, but not many others do. Hopefully my First Rate Second Banana series will help aquaint people "on the outside" with these wonderful personalities. If I can convince one person to become a fan of Eric Blore, my life has been worthwhile :)
0 Yorumlar