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Jack Gilford

RUINED EVERYTHING he was in.

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by Anonymousreply 53June 7, 2019 1:12 PM

I hated him on Golden Girls (hated that whole stupid storyline) and hated his character in Cocoon.

by Anonymousreply 1May 15, 2019 2:41 PM

Hambo

by Anonymousreply 2May 15, 2019 2:42 PM

He was supposed to be good in DIARY OF ANNE FRANK on Broadway -- he debuted the role of Mr. Dussel . I remember as a kid seeing him in All in the Family, as a guy who invents a remote doorbell ringer. He has a heart attack and dies on Archie's sofa.

by Anonymousreply 3May 15, 2019 3:58 PM

He killed my show

by Anonymousreply 4May 15, 2019 4:04 PM

Ugh, god, he's in an episode of "Taxi" as Alex's dad and he's absolutely rotten. He does this impression of pea soup where he just makes funny faces and the audience went wild.

Did they not know what humor was in the 1970s?

by Anonymousreply 5May 15, 2019 4:07 PM

He is why I switched to Poppycock

by Anonymousreply 6May 19, 2019 2:46 PM

Nonsense he was absolute genius in the Cracker Jack's commercials

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by Anonymousreply 7May 19, 2019 2:52 PM

And I ask this as a child of the 70s...

WHO?!

by Anonymousreply 8May 19, 2019 3:16 PM

I just realized that we have never seen Rue with long hair. Huh.

by Anonymousreply 9May 19, 2019 3:17 PM

You silly people are confusing a great actor with the cheap, shitty, lowest-common-denominator television dreck on which you were all raised. The man turned in a lifetime of great performances in New York theater. Television is the problem. Not Jack Gilford, for God's sake.

by Anonymousreply 10May 19, 2019 3:21 PM

He died on All In The Family, and that was right.

by Anonymousreply 11May 20, 2019 4:06 PM

I adored him in everything when I was a child. Why, he was in Once Upon a Mattress with Miss Carol Burnett! Legendary!

He ranked right up there with my other most beloved character actor, Wally Cox.

by Anonymousreply 12May 20, 2019 4:24 PM

The 70s had many loud, obnoxious vaudeville and radio era comedians mugging their faces and over-projecting their voices on TV.

by Anonymousreply 13May 20, 2019 4:33 PM

I never did vaudeville or radio.

by Anonymousreply 14May 20, 2019 4:36 PM

That's OSCAR NOMINATED Jack Gilford, thank you. Great in "Save the Tiger".

by Anonymousreply 15May 20, 2019 4:49 PM

He's wonderful on the OBC recording of "Cabaret" singing " It Wouldn't Please Me More (Pineapple)" and "Meeskite", the latter a lovely song which hasn't been done in revivals of the show. His performance is very touching. He's also wonderful on the OBC recording of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" as Hysterium.

I saw him as a kid as a replacement on Broadway in "The Sunshine Boys" as the Walter Matthau character, and he was great.

by Anonymousreply 16May 20, 2019 5:00 PM

At least he was hot.

by Anonymousreply 17May 20, 2019 8:47 PM

Gilford's promising young career suffered a major blow when he was blacklisted in the 50s. He slowly came back on TV and film in the 60s and then had a busy career until his death at age 81 in 1990. He was a versatile actor, playing younger or older than his age, and adept at comedy and drama.

I liked him in the movie version of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He and another hard-to-cast actor, Zero Mostel, were excellent together. The movie was critically panned at the time, but it has held up well over the years.

I agree that his Golden Girls role was dreadful, but the whole idea for the episodes was distasteful. But if that's the only thing you've seen him in, then you are not getting the true picture of his talent.

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by Anonymousreply 18May 20, 2019 9:17 PM

He was a lovely man, and a terrific actor.

by Anonymousreply 19May 20, 2019 9:40 PM
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by Anonymousreply 20May 20, 2019 9:43 PM
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by Anonymousreply 21May 20, 2019 9:47 PM

Lol what a random actor to decide to hate.

I like him in Save the Tiger.

by Anonymousreply 22May 20, 2019 9:47 PM

Barbara Thondyke is the OP.

by Anonymousreply 23May 20, 2019 9:51 PM

Thanks, R7, I was going to say the same.

Old Guy: What'd you learn in school today?

Little Boy: Sharing.

Old guy: reluctantly hands over Cracker Jacks

And...scene.

by Anonymousreply 24May 21, 2019 2:54 AM

Oh, take a pill, OP. I respected him. Loved his appearances on Soap and Mama's Family.

by Anonymousreply 25May 21, 2019 4:12 AM

Sammy Shore passed away a few days ago at the age of 92. Physically, he reminded me of Jack Gilford.

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by Anonymousreply 26May 21, 2019 4:19 AM

R20 That was DL fave Anita Gillette playing Fraulein Schneider opposite Gilford in that clip. She was one of the replacement Sally Bowles in the original Broadway production of "Cabaret" and was supposed to be have terrific.

by Anonymousreply 27May 21, 2019 4:39 AM

Since they tried having Max Weinstock live with them while he was married to Sophia and it didn't work out, those two [italic]Golden Girls[/italic] episodes he was in explain why Dorothy's pilot episode pact that "no matter what happens, even if we all get married, we'll stick together" was ultimately doomed, making it all the more ironic that she herself was the one to break that particular pact.

by Anonymousreply 28May 21, 2019 5:10 AM

He was great in the all-but-forgotten 1967 movie The Incident, about group of subway passengers terrorized by a pair of drunk youths (Tony Musante and Martin Sheen). DL Dave Thelma Ritter, in her final film appearance, plays Gilford's wife.

The entire film is on YouTube.

by Anonymousreply 29May 21, 2019 6:07 AM

The irony of the film of [italic]Forum[/italic] is that they brought back some original Broadway cast members but only a third of the score.

by Anonymousreply 30May 21, 2019 6:08 AM

That would be DL FAVE Thelma Ritter...

by Anonymousreply 31May 21, 2019 6:08 AM

with Lou Jacobi, Betty Walker and the gang ..... recorded circa '65

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by Anonymousreply 32May 21, 2019 6:30 AM

I liked him on "Get Smart" as "Simon the Likeable."

Or maybe I just thought I liked him.

by Anonymousreply 33May 21, 2019 6:49 AM

He used to pat me on the ass between scenes.

by Anonymousreply 34May 21, 2019 9:24 AM

He was like me, if I were marginal, which I wasn't.

by Anonymousreply 35June 2, 2019 3:45 AM

r12 I saw Jack in Once Upon a Mattress, and he was sweet and delightful.

by Anonymousreply 36June 2, 2019 3:52 AM

I saw Gilford in the obc of Cabaret and the hit revival of No No Nanette, and he was marvelous in both.

Silly to fault an actor for occasional TV appearances.

by Anonymousreply 37June 2, 2019 4:01 AM

Thank god wisdom has prevailed - Jack Gilford was great

by Anonymousreply 38June 2, 2019 4:14 AM

Only know him from the film of Forum and on stage in NNN. Yeah he was terrific in both.

A wonderful NY actor. I think I saw him as well with DL fave Hope Lange in The Supporting Cast. Yes one of those people from a long time ago you enjoyed seeing on stage.

I miss actors like him tremendously.

by Anonymousreply 39June 2, 2019 5:01 AM

He is a ruiner all right

by Anonymousreply 40June 4, 2019 3:49 AM

[quote]Gilford's promising young career suffered a major blow when he was blacklisted in the 50s.

He was named by none other than DL fave Jerome Robbins! Gilford and his wife were both called to testify before HUAC and were subsequently blacklisted for much of the '50s.

by Anonymousreply 41June 4, 2019 3:58 AM

When they premiered the restoration of Judy's "A Star is Born" for one night at Radio City Music Hall in 1983, I bought a single ticket and ended up sixth row orchestra surrounded by many famous show biz types. I sat in front of Helen Hayes and James Coco, and Jack Gilford and I had a short conversation in the aisle during intermission. He thought the evening was "Sensational, huh?" He was very friendly to me, some teen-aged nobody!

by Anonymousreply 42June 4, 2019 4:02 AM

FF OP Troll.

by Anonymousreply 43June 4, 2019 4:04 AM

What about Marty Allan?

by Anonymousreply 44June 4, 2019 4:50 AM

I preferred him in Cocoon over Don Ameche (who I have otherwise enjoyed...but he should never have won for that role).

by Anonymousreply 45June 4, 2019 4:53 AM

He is the reason why Poppycock passed Cracker Jack

by Anonymousreply 46June 5, 2019 1:40 PM

R45 I concur. When I first watched COCOON several years ago and learned that it had won Best Supporting Actor, I assumed it was Gilford. He had more scenes, more to do, was a bit of an antagonist, and the situation with his dying wife was heartbreaking, especially that pool scene.

Don Ameche really didn't do much of anything, except romance Gwen Verdon in a few scenes and break dance (which was really a stunt double).

by Anonymousreply 47June 5, 2019 2:45 PM

Yeah, that scene carrying his wife to the pool was pretty amazing. Though the one with the dying alien made me cry more. Loved that movie at the time (I was a boy).

I think Ameche was one of those people loved from the old days like Ralph Bellamy. So nice way to honor him right before he died. Wish they'd done the same thing with Farnsworth for "Straight Story" actually (Crowe could have and should have won the next year anyway).

by Anonymousreply 48June 5, 2019 8:12 PM

R48 Farnsworth lost to Kevin Spacey... and then he died. Six months or so after the Oscars, he shot himself to death. He had prostate cancer.

by Anonymousreply 49June 5, 2019 8:17 PM

Thanks, sorry, I thought Farnsworth was "Gladiator" year. My bad. Spacey would've been much tougher to beat that year.

by Anonymousreply 50June 5, 2019 8:19 PM

Ruiner

by Anonymousreply 51June 7, 2019 12:58 PM

Jack Gilford just wants you all to be happy.

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by Anonymousreply 52June 7, 2019 1:07 PM

Now listen stretch, if it wasn't for Max Weinstock, we wouldn't have had me!

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by Anonymousreply 53June 7, 2019 1:12 PM
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