Sunday, March 14, 2010

Oveur and Out

Or
Good Mourning, Mr. Phelps
(Stolen from James, who hopefully has not consulted a trademark attorney)

Or
His Name is His Address

Or
Looks Like He Picked the Wrong Week to Quit Breathing

Or
I just want to tell you good luck - we're all counting on you
(Cap tip to Monty)

Or
Gravesend
(Can I get a whoop whoop for Monty?)

Or
He learned almost too late that man is a feeling creature, and because of it the greatest in the universe. He learned too late for himself that men have to find their own way and make their own mistakes. There can't be any gift of perfection from outside ourselves. When men seek such perfection, they find only death...
Peter Graves, best remembered as the unflappable spymaster Jim Phelps, leader of the Impossible Mission Force, has died of a heart attack at the age of 83. After leaving the Army, James Arness’ little brother had a lengthy film career, most notably as Price, the time zone challenged barracks double agent Price in Stalag 17. Most of his films were not as good, but Graves had an earnestness in the face of ridiculous plots, dialogue and execution that made his films ripe for parody, and MST3K sank its teeth into It Conquered the World!, with Graves as a scientist trying to save the planet from a giant interstellar turnip, The Beginning of the End, with Graves as a scientist who inadvertently creates giant grasshoppers, then stops them from destroying a postcard of Chicago’s Sears Tower, and Parts: The Clonus Horror, as a politician benefiting from a private stash of unwitting organ donors. The MST3K-esque The Film Crew also took on Killers from Space, with Graves as a scientist defeating bug-eyed spacemen. That earnestness is what made him a perfect fit for the Zucker brothers and their different brand of comedy. Despite initial apprehension about a script that he called the biggest piece of junk he had ever seen, Graves’ perfect deadpan as Clarence Oveur, the gladiator film-loving, Turkish prison-frequenting pilot in Airplane! won him a new generation of fans. Later efforts included 1970s TV movies like The President’s Plane Is Missing, Where Have All the People Gone and Death Car on the Freeway, the Biography series, and Colonel John Camden, Eric’s father on Seventh Heaven.

Labels:

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home

Powered by counter.bloke.com