I’ve spent much of my time this month writing about actors and, specifically, due to the month, horror actors. Now, as we wind the month down on this Halloween’een, I must ask, “Who is horror for you?” It’s a question I’ve asked myself a few times this month and as a bonus, I’ll even throw in some other genres as well. Sure, it’s October but why let horror have all the fun? Besides, I got some wine recommending to do (that’s foreshadowing) and the broader range I have, the easier it’s going to be. Let’s get started.
On today’s slate at TCM there’s mummies, vampires, cat people, mad scientists, leopard men, and body snatchers and some of the biggest names in horror to accompany them: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and Boris Karloff. Now, it’s a sure bet that when you think of any one of those names, you think of horror. Just like if you heard the name “Hitchcock,” the first to come to mind may well be “suspense.” But when you think “horror,” who’s the first actor that pops into your head? Who is the actor that, above all others, signifies horror to you? Certainly, any of the three I mentioned above would work for a lot of people. When I think about horror cinema, none of those three are far from my thoughts and another guy named Bela isn’t too far behind either. But the fact is, most likely based on the fact that he was in 90 percent of all horror movies I watched as a kid, Vincent Price is the first and foremost actor that comes to mind when I think of horror. He is my horror actor. No matter how many horror movies I see without Vincent Price in them, he will remain the name and face that immediately pop into my head whenever the horror genre gets brought up. From House on Haunted Hill to Tales of Terror to Theatre of Blood, and so many others in between and after, he’s the horror actor for me. And my favorite.
Okay, how about westerns? Well, that’s easy, right? I mean, who doesn’t think of John Wayne first when they hear the word “western?” Well, me actually. Again, blame it on the movies I watched as a kid but Clint Eastwood is westerns to me even if I must admit that Wayne is probably my favorite. Yes, I think I love Stagecoach, Red River, The Searchers, Rio Bravo, and several others more than I love A Fistful of Dollars, The Outlaw Josey Wales, and Unforgiven and maybe even a lot more. Still, when I think westerns, I think Eastwood.
Musicals? Now, here’s one where I absolutely know my favorite. I know my favorite like the back of my hand. He’s a great dancer and his musicals are considered among the best. Strangely, that other guy always comes to mind first. Happened again just now. Really, it did. Now I could be talking about one of two guys and I am. I’m talking about Gene Kelly, my favorite, and Fred Astaire, the guy who always pops into my mind first. Why? I think because Astaire and Ginger Rogers, along with Maurice Chevalier and Jeannette MacDonald, really defined what a musical performer could be in the earliest days of sound. While there were famous musicals before and during their reigns, it was those four primarily, and Astaire for me most of all, who really set the bar for musical performers. Nonetheless, Kelly’s my favorite.
Here’s one where I won’t define a genre so much as a type: The Tough Guy Role, be it a gangster film, cops and robbers, or a solid noir, who represents the tough guy to you? To me, it is always Humphrey Bogart. There’s no question Jimmy Cagney and George Raft and even actorly Paul Muni, to a lesser degree, have arguments to be made for them but Bogart will always be the tough guy extraordinaire in my book. He’s representing the type and standing alone at the top as my favorite. Oddly, Jimmy Cagney is more of a favorite as an actor overall. Go figure.
Now a tough one: Science Fiction. I don’t have one. As I wrote this, no one popped into my head. A few movies came to mind (Things to Come, Forbidden Planet, Plan 9 from Outer Space – hey, what comes to my mind comes to my mind, okay?) but I never thought, “Ah, yes, Raymond Massey, he’s sci-fi to me!” In fact, the more I think about it, the more the name “Arnold Schwarzenegger” pops into my head. I don’t know, maybe it’s because I saw The Terminator, Running Man, Predator, and Total Recall about a dozen times each on cable back in the day. So, I guess Schwarzenegger represents sci-fi to me. Who knew?
Melodrama. Well, I’d like to say Barbara Stanwyck, since she’s such a personal favorite and maybe even for Stella Dallas alone, but when you’ve got Dark Victory, Now Voyager, and Mr. Skeffington on your resume, not even Babs, or Irene Dunne or Greer Garson, can take the crown away from Bette Davis or stop her from being the first and foremost to pop into my head any time I even hear that term. And Davis is an actress I love and admire so much, I can’t be upset about that.
There are a lot of sub-genres I’ve left out and if you like, include them in the comments. For now, I’m going to look back over this list and think about all the great movies I could watch with each of these actors and think of more sub-genres to put up below. And tomorrow, I’m going to crank up my Vincent Price collection and watch one after another because my wife and I have always watched Vincent Price movies on Halloween. The Corman movies, in particular, fit our mood perfectly on that day. Especially Tales of Terror. It is our favorite for one of the vignettes and one only, The Black Cat. The biggest reason why is the great Peter Lorre and the great Vincent Price get to play one of the greatest, and most ridiculous, drinking contest scenes ever. Raiders of the Lost Ark doesn’t even hold a candle to it. And since TCM has decided to start up a wine club, what better way to recommend a wine for your viewing pleasure than to let these two battle it out? Take it away, gentlemen.
Hello, all, Fortunato Luchresi here! I realize that a rich and bold red wine is exactly what one should recommend for a splendid fall night of horror tales of treachery and deceit, but why not be rich and bold in choice and recommend something lighter, a white wine for instance, for those in love for whom every day is spring? Why if that were the case, I would extol the virtues of Ca’Vescovo, a Pinot Grigio, vintage 2014 from Northern Italy. With vibrant lemon and apple notes, and an almond finish, what better wine for a couple in love?
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Montresor Herringbone here. Don’t listen to that idiot. For starters, that true love he’s talking about is my wife. And furthermore [swigs entire glass of port in one gulp], he wouldn’t know how to recommend a wine if his life depended on it, even though I will admit that Ca’Vescovo is an excellent wine. But let’s not pretend here. It’s fall and the wind will soon turn cold and dry and when that happens, trust me, you want a Pinot Noir like Le Champ des Etoiles. It’s a champ, like me (I beat Luchresi in a tasting competition, even if I wasn’t able to walk away from the table)! It comes from southern France, in the Cote d’Or region of Burgundy. How can you top that?! Here’s to fall, black cats, and rich wine. Cheers!
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