ARCHIVE FAVES - RICHARD WIDMARK

A new occasional series on The Archive in which we will look at actors, writers, artists, musicians, comedians that mean something to us, those that have everlasting appeal. Each entry will give a potted overview of the subject's life and times. First up it's Richard Widmark who sadly passed away in 2008 and the age of 93.

It was a evil laugh that launched Richard Widmark into the big time - a hysterical, psychotic chuckle as he pushed a wheelchair bound old lady down a flight of stairs in 1947's Kiss of Death. The scene remains shocking to this day and the intensity of the acting in Widmark's eyes is as powerful as it ever was. The director, Henry Hathaway didn't originally want Widmark for the role of Tommy Udo but the studios pushed Widmark, then an established stage actor, on him. Widmark said in his biography that initially there was animosity between himself and the director but when he confronted him, threatening to push him down the stairs no doubt, they became firm friends. Indeed Widmark was actually a pallbearer at Hathaway's funeral.

Widmark played flawed characters very well - The Street with no Name (1948) saw him in great form as a gangland mastermind, the same year also saw him play a psychotic in Road House, Pick Up on South Street (1953) saw Widmark in great form as a down market grifter. But there was more to the versatile actor than tarnished heroes - he appeared in some great westerns and of course played Jim Bowie against Wayne's Davy Crochett in The Alamo. Indeed in 2002 Widmark was entered into The Western Performers Hall of Fame.

There's a great indepth article HERE that looks at Richard Widmark's contribution to noir cinema.

Even when success came his way Widmark refused to slow down his workload and he made several radio shows in the 1940's - it was actually radio that had given him his first break when he appeared in 1938 in Aunt Jenny's Real Life Stories. He would also return to radio in 1979 as the voice of the host in Sears Radio Theatre.

Television also looms large in Widmark's CV - In 1954 he was a guest on, What's My Line (clip of his appearance embedded below) and the following year he appeared as a guest in I Love Lucy, playing himself and trying to fight of Lucy's affections. He had an Emmy nomination for his role as the American President in 1971's TV-movie, Vanished. And he reprised his cinema role as the PI Madigan for several 90 minute TV movies for NBC. And in the 1980's Widmark made several TV movies but these are not among his best films.

When the actor died he left behind an impressive filmography where the classics outweighed the turkeys easily - mind you, he does hold the distinction of appearing in what is possible the worse of the Disaster Film cycle with 1978's The Swarm.

Below is a short clip from Widmark's 1954 appearance on What's my Line. Interestingly he claims to be under 40 in answer to one question - well he was but only just, when the show was recorded he was merely months away from that milestone. It is worth noting that after the video plays several other clips from the quiz featuring Hollywood icons will come up. All are worth watching, the Kirk Douglas one is hilarious.