No, of course I don't watch movies just because an obscure actor I like is in it for three minutes. WHY WOULD I DO THAT?!
Okay. I'm sorry. I can't help it. When you're madly in love with various actors that APPARENTLY NO ONE ELSE APPRECIATES, very often you find yourself watching low-budget, over-the-top '60s movies to catch a glimpse of unheralded genius.
Looking back at just this month, I noticed quite a few of these instances:
Sherry Jackson
The Monitors -- which I slightly fell asleep in, but am totally still gonna finish.
Peter Brown
I totally watched Kitten With a Whip for him. Not gonna lie -- it was an awesome movie. LOOK AT HIS HAT. He played a punk gangster teenager who majored in philosophy and minored in political science. As he was beating people up, he often said things like: "Cool it, creep and co-exist!"
Gardner McKay
Okay, I actually may have told Casey (who lent it to me) that I wanted The Pleasure Seekers for Gene Tierney (and I totally did and her one scene was stinkin AWESOME), but I really just wanted it for Gardner McKay. The fact that Carol Lynley was in love with BRIAN KEITH instead of Gardner....was rather confusing. In fact, I sent a text to Kate at 3:08 AM that read, and I quote, "Ewwww. This girl is in love with Brian Keith instead of Gardner. Let me repeat that: BRIAN KEITH. O_O"
You know what's even more odd? Kate actually responded. I'm always sending Kate nonsensical movie texts at all hours -- AND SHE RESPONDS!
Brett Halsey
This is what I watched last night. Girl In Lover's Lane. Clearly the worst film ever made. Clearly awesome.
Martin Milner
MARJORIE MORNINGSTAR. After I watched the movie, I did my customary IMDb checks. And I realized that apparently it's a sad ending (that every person who has ever viewed it has cried profusely during) because Gene Kelly and Natalie Wood's characters were a part of some epic love story or something. I didn't even realize it. All I saw were Martin Milner and his awesome glasses.
And we're not even gonna TALK about the weird movies I watch for Hayley Mills. Like The Sinking Aunt.
There are actually dozens of other random, obscure actors I will watch anything for (Bradford Dillman, I'm looking at you!); these were just a few examples from the past month.
And, of course, dozens of well-known actors too (I am nothing, if not always an obsessive fan). But, I always find it the MOST fun to carefully track down awesome, obscure actors' films (search YouTube, Netflix, random Russian sites, and then when I find nothing -- go ask Kate or Casey if they have it!). You watch these (often horribly WOWZIE KAZAM) movies, and you realize, you're probably only the 38th person to ever actually view this. That's an awesome feeling. You're no longer an idiot for watching junky '60s movies that were made for less than $50 -- YOU'RE A HERO. You're persevering through junky '60s movies that were made for less than $50, so that no one forgets Michael Callan's comedic genius.
This is the ultimate goal of students of Mind-Smushing Entertainment: to find genius in fifth-rate Beach Party knock-offs.
I have nothing more to say. I leave you with this:
{Yes, I once watched an episode of Twilight Zone (which is actually high-quality, ESPECIALLY compared to the rest of the stuff here) for the sole reason of seeing Sue Randall wearing awesome glasses.
That's a valid reason.}
-Meg
originally published on ClassicForever on August 26, 2011