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The World Is 100 Times Less Cool... Richard Widmark passes away

Published at:  Mar 26, 2008 6:17:36 PM CDT

Hey folks, Harry here... This past year at Butt-Numb-A-Thon 9, I showed my personal favorite Richard Widmark film. A little movie he shot with Sam Fuller called PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET - I liked showing it knowing he was still alive... somewhere out there in the world. His Skip McCoy is one of the greatest heroic cads in the history of cinema. A pick pocket that's a Minnesota Fats with the pool table of life, knowing all the angles, or at least thinking he does. I've often said that Richard Widmark was a Warner Brothers character brought to life... A fully realized psychotic Daffy Duck... A worldly wise Bugs Bunny.... And even a weary Elmer Fudd.

Widmark is probably best known for his turn as Jim Bowie in John Wayne's THE ALAMO by the general public, while critics and cinephiles will never forget Widmark's first screen character... perhaps the greatest psychopath in the history cinema in KISS OF DEATH - I have the original one-sheet behind me now! Tommy Udo is easily right there with Cagney's Cody Jarrett.

But Widmark played in so many great films... Just check out THE STREET WITH NO NAME or NIGHT AND THE CITY or PANIC IN THE STREETS or the original NO WAY OUT. One of my favorite Widmark roles was in JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG and I'm a big fan of his Captain in CHEYENNE AUTUMN.

But honestly... the movie that introduced me to Richard Widmark wasn't any of these great films... It was the Oscar Nominated Irwin Allen "classic" - THE SWARM - in which Richard Widmark was cast as a general having to do battle with a billion evil bees - way meaner than those pussy Seinfeld bees. So, while I'd like to give the best to Widmark's family and friends... I'm angry he is not here... we are now at the bees mercy. Mankind is doomed. So sad.



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    Readers Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 6:19:18 PM CDT

    RIP

    by the knight

  • Mar 26, 2008 6:21:16 PM CDT

    I even loved him in "Hanky Panky"...

    by filmcritic3000

    Rest in peace, good sir. Your legend will live forever.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 6:27:53 PM CDT

    who cares

    by crazykrug72

    fuck him I'am i getting something from his will fuck Him

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 6:28:58 PM CDT

    RIP

    by palimpsest

    He was a good-un. A real sleazy bastard characters in some of his movies. KISS OF DEATH - that's the one.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 6:29:06 PM CDT

    I saw The Swarm in the cinema...

    by napolean solo

    I'm glad I experienced "The 'Mark" on the big screen.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 6:31:11 PM CDT

    The Frogmen has been on UK tv a lot recently

    by shoegeezer

    so I dug out some DVDs and had a bit of a Widmark season: To The Devil A Daughter, Panic In The Streets, Night And The City (wonderful) and Kiss Of Death. Ashamed to say I thought he died years ago, so many of his peers have already passed. A proper movie star (i.e. he could actually act!).

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 6:32:49 PM CDT

    The Bedford Incident...

    by boggycreekbeast

    I watch that movie every time it shows up on TCM. RIP, Mr. Widmark.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 6:39:47 PM CDT

    I am an asshole.

    by salamimansam

    I think it is sad that he has passed away, but he lived a long, long, long time. We should be so lucky, to live to 93.
    What is sad is that he spent his last months gravely ill.
    He is in a better place now.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 6:41:45 PM CDT

    Rest in Peace Mr.Widmark......

    by travis-dane

    thanks for some great movies.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 6:49:49 PM CDT

    The Long Ships

    by pixelplays

    I'll always remember him in that film with Sidney Poitier. Not historically accurate, but entertaining!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 6:57:21 PM CDT

    THIS MAKES ME VERY SAD

    by jaguart

    He could deliver the word "japanese" like no other.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 7:06:49 PM CDT

    He was a pretty cool dude..

    by nolan bautista

    ..in the Lee Marvin/Richard Boone mold..R.I.P.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 7:09:08 PM CDT

    Sad Loss

    by smallerdemon

    Thanks Harry for giving us b&w Widmark up on that big screen this year. It's a great memory. The guy was rogue handsome all the way. I remember Widmark mostly from his roles of the 70s as well. He was already missed from having truly retired from acting, but now he will be missed even more deeply than ever.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 7:25:31 PM CDT

    Pickup On South Street was one of the best movies of BNAT 9

    by knightshift

    Thank you for showing it Harry. I too watched it and felt good to know that Richard Widmark was still among us. Although, my all-time favorite Widmark movie is still the first one that I saw him in: The Long Ships. Yeah it's way over-the-top corny but you gotta love how he faced down those crazy Moors and their Mare of Steel. Years later when I saw Kiss of Death he scared the crap out of me! He was definitely one of the greats.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 7:39:03 PM CDT

    Lost a good relative today

    by nascentia

    He wasn't exactly a close relation and I never knew him, but he was a relative of mine. Definitely sucks.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 8:04:36 PM CDT

    Widmark was awesome

    by gungan slayer

    he will be missed

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 8:05:04 PM CDT

    any comparisions of Kiss of death to the joker??

    by theonecalledshoe

    just a thought.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 8:05:53 PM CDT

    The first Joker..

    by jfp2007

    His turn in Kiss of Death was kind of a Joker-like character. He even kind of dressed the part.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 8:27:37 PM CDT

    Another sad day...

    by metaluna

    If you watch how intense Heath Ledger was on screen, well Richard Widmark was like a sun about to go nova compared to Ledger's ascending comet. I say this not to belittle Heath Ledger, but to show that if you've never seen a performance by Richard Widmark, well... the cinema screen misses him. What a great screen actor he was.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 8:29:42 PM CDT

    WHEN THE LEGENDS DIE WAS FUCKIN' AWESOME!!

    by southside_2010

    'Nuff said about my favorite Richard Widmark joint of all time.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 8:30:44 PM CDT

    "Are you wavin' the flag at ME?"

    by spanksteroflove

    Great quote from Fuller's "Pickup on South Street". The smirk on Widmark's face when he spits out those words...priceless. My personal Widmark fave is "To the Devil...a Daughter", but that's mainly because of Nastassja Kinski's nude scene. I like boobies, so sue me. RIP, Mr. Widmark.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 8:57:13 PM CDT

    Big fucking deal...

    by tenaciousdoc

    He played make believe in in front of a camera, he didn't cure cancer.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 9:05:21 PM CDT

    Is this the sameguy?

    by orionsangels

    who pushes an old lady in a wheelchair down a flight of stairs, I think the clip was shown in bad boys. sean penn's bad boys that is. that guy was crazy!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 9:18:16 PM CDT

    Against All Odds...

    by redd

    He stole every scene he was in.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 9:31:16 PM CDT

    Yeah Orionsangels...

    by 23greatwoundsallgotinbattle

    He was the guy. "Y'know what I do with squealers? I give 'em one right in the belly so's I can watch 'em roll around and think about it for a good long time." He was awesome. Had no idea he was still alive. Who said Paul Scofield died? I didn't know that...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 9:42:49 PM CDT

    "Hell and High Water," "The Long Ships" and "Madigan"

    by uncapie

    What a consumate actor. Versatile and captivating in every role he portrayed. Mr. Widmark created his roles in film as an artist creating a masterpiece. He was a an actor that was from a caliber of men that are rapidly disappearing. A class of actor that we will sadly never see again. And to the children that post their petty, infantile comments on this site trying to get a rise out of us and disrespecting Mr. Widmark as well as his family; you'll never know the greatness this man had and what he stood for. He's a better man in his passing than your are living in your shallow lives.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 9:48:08 PM CDT

    I wonder what Uncapie does

    by tenaciousdoc

    that makes his life so fucking worthwhile?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 9:52:55 PM CDT

    TenaciousDoc...

    by uncapie

    I make the rise every morning.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 9:54:24 PM CDT

    Tenacious Doc

    by paul bucciarelli

    Congratulations! You helped educate a child today. My girlfriend's kid asked me what a douchebag was and I let him read your posts. He now knows exactly what one is. Thanks now run along and try to think of some asinine shit to say.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 10:04:40 PM CDT

    Sam Kinison link

    by hallmitchell

    Always love that story how Sam's trademark coat was actually Richard Widmark's. Sam stole it for good luck. He got access to it because he was going out with his daughter.

    RIP.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 10:17:34 PM CDT

    "Don't Bother to Knock"

    by cherryvalance

    It's one you didn't mention that I really liked. It's the only time I saw Marilyn not completely acting like Marilyn. And I thought they had a great chemistry together. "Yellow Sky" is another great one. I'm definitely going to miss him.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 10:50:47 PM CDT

    Favorite Widmark Role

    by aquatarkusman

    Had to be in Jules Dassin's original Night and the City (1950)... perfect portrayal of an antihero. It's got a great Criterion edition, as does Pickup on South Street, so check 'em out.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 11:06:32 PM CDT

    Angry he's not here? Mankind is doomed?

    by scorecard

    God, dude relax a bit... You'll give yourself a hernia...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 11:08:09 PM CDT

    i've been waiting for the paul scofield obit

    by troutpencil

    Clearly you bastards forgot him, and I was excited to see someone recommend "the train" as a lost treasure that we hadn't seen and we should seek out, fucking impostor nerds at AICN don't know shit, fuck you for ignoring Scofield's death.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 11:27:30 PM CDT

    THE INVENTOR OF THE EGG MCMUFFIN??

    by tenaciousdoc

    Now there is someone who really contributed to society, unlike this Richard Skidmark guy.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 11:34:42 PM CDT

    Dick Skidmark

    by tenaciousdoc

    You will be missed.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 11:41:49 PM CDT

    Herb Peterson

    by tenaciousdoc

    You are my hero, and obviously Harry is a big fan of yours.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 26, 2008 11:47:04 PM CDT

    Herb Peterson-Rest in peace, good sir. Your legend will live for

    by tenaciousdoc

    I would like to dedicate my second heart attack to you.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 27, 2008 3:06:10 AM CDT

    Really bad news

    by cuervojones

    There are no real men left in cinema. He´ll kick ass in Heaven.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 27, 2008 3:07:56 AM CDT

    I mean, that wheelchair scene...

    by cuervojones

    That was grande!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 27, 2008 3:26:30 AM CDT

    rip

    by bacci40

    like many have posted, the pushing the old lady in a wheel chair down the stairs, is one of the most memorable scenes in all of filmdom...a mans man

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 27, 2008 3:30:01 AM CDT

    Rollercoaster

    by skitch

    That and the I Love Lucy episode is where I first saw him...class act and sorry to see him go...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 27, 2008 4:22:23 AM CDT

    richard widmark

    by swartztessier

    Don't forget his role in "Judgement at Nuremburg" and also the passing of it's Oscar winning screenwriter, Abby Mann

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 27, 2008 8:20:43 AM CDT

    TenaciousDoc...

    by lordporkington

    Any chance of your second heart attack coming soon? I'm gutted the first didn't wipe you off the face of the planet, but there's always hope. Anyway, back to the topic of Mr Widmark's passing. Just because he didn't feature in any recent blockbusters, or is maybe an actor you haven't heard of, doesn't mean he should be disrespected. I'll always remember him from Judgement At Nuremburg, he'll be missed.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 27, 2008 9:21:49 AM CDT

    a huge loss

    by duanejones

    tho' richie was 93 -- he had a very full life, and a classic career. if anything, the scary lunatic of _kiss of death_ was toned down almost immediately into an emotional tonality that was more rueful, troubled; his madigan was the perfect guilty cheating husband, e.g. now he and paul scofield can appear in an afterlife production of _love letters_...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 27, 2008 9:55:31 AM CDT

    I first saw him on an episode of I Love Lucy

    by tacom

    It was in the Hollywood episodes and Lucy sneaks into his house. I'll be honest and didn't know he was still alive. I thought he was awesome in everything he did. He was a great psychopath but he also played a hero in the Viking movie, THE LONGSHIPS. He played the victim in MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS and he deserved to die!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 27, 2008 10:06:25 AM CDT

    Favourite Widmark film: The Bedforrd Incident

    by theycallmemrglass

    Man, Widmark ruled as an overconfident captain of a destroyer ship during the cold war as he descends into madness, the film had me staring at the screen a good ten minutes after it finish in shock reflection. Widmark has been so criminally overlooked by all the movie awards establishments, he should have at least got a lifetime achievment award. RIP Richard Widmark

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 27, 2008 10:36:55 AM CDT

    They always die in threes...

    by cruel_kingdom

    Scofield, Minghella, and now Widmark. Two Oscar winners and an Oscar nominee drop within a week. Fucking shame.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 27, 2008 10:58:50 AM CDT

    Riley Martin, I completly agree

    by reel american hero


    It is a sad thing when someone, when anyone passes on. But I don't think that it's as sad when an actor, filmmaker what have you that hasn't done anything in like twenty, thirty or more years dies.

    They've lived a full life, and made some classic stuff in their time but that's all in the past. It's sad to see a life end, but it's not a tragedy when the person has lived a full life.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 27, 2008 12:24:23 PM CDT

    HOT

    by graceg

    The Long Ships

    great legs - even competing with Russ Tamlin

    as long as we still have the films we still have him - thank God

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 27, 2008 1:17:00 PM CDT

    Point of order

    by ziggy5yrs

    There is no original No Way Out, if by original you're referring to the Kevin Costner remake. No Way Out (Costner's) was a remake of a movie called The Big Clock, based on the novel by Kenneth Fearing.

    The No Way Out with Widmark is a completely different movie.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 27, 2008 2:10:57 PM CDT

    Great Actor

    by tcsailor

    Like many of you, I loved his acting in "The Bedford Incident" (having been stationed on a destroyer for 5 years) and "The Long Ships". Many others as well....hell, come to think of it, I can't think of him ever doing a bad job in any role.

    Bummer. All the bad-ass real men actors seem to be gone. Now all we have are preening pretty boys who think taking off thier shirt gives them cred.

    I will miss your characters, Mr. Widmark. I guess you can tear up the streets up there with Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson and crew.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 27, 2008 2:25:19 PM CDT

    Sad to see him go...

    by lang the cat

    I know many of the people who post here will not have seen much of Mr. Widmark's work, certainly it shows from some of the comments. Realize that he was an excellent actor and one of the last of his generation still with us. While I look back at the films he did and appreciate the hell out of them, I am reminded of a film he did not do, Viva Max. If you have ever seen this film, it will give you an idea how popular Mr. Widmark was, even in a film that was not a success like The Alamo.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 27, 2008 5:40:55 PM CDT

    The Bedford Incident

    by shoegeezer

    was on UK telly this afternoon. Yep, it's prety amazing alright.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 28, 2008 1:51:53 AM CDT

    HANKY PANKY!

    by negator76

    Widmark was awesome... He is permanently burnt into my brain as the bad guy in Gene Wilder's 'Hanky Panky'.... Does that movie hold up? I haven't seen it since I was eight years old, but it was one of the first movies in heavy rotation on HBO when I was a wee lad. RIP, sir. You were a scary motherjumper.

    Reply to Talkback

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