EVERY WHICH WAY: Acting 3: Supporting actors and the rest

[KC]

What do you think of the casting and performances of Geoffrey Lewis as Orville Boggs, Ruth Gordon as Ma, Beverly D'Angelo as Echo and John Quade as Chollo -- the leader of the Black Widows? Discuss favorite scenes or moments of these performances that you liked.

Also, discuss any other performances that you particularly liked or disliked that have not yet been mentioned in other threads.

[misty71]

I like Orville Beddoe a lot.One of my uncles look just like him, with the cap all crooked and everything.I think he was just a great character, and correct me if Im wrong, isnt this the only movie where Clint has a brother ?awesome performance. I like the way he turns his cap backwards when theres a fight, its so funny.

I liked Ma also (does she have a name?)Believe it or not, she reminds me of my grandma on my fathers side (whos actualy the mother of my uncle that looks like Orville) because shes so cranky, but shes nice underneath it all.

[Matt]

I like Orville Beddoe a lot.One of my uncles look just like him, with the cap all crooked and everything.I think he was just a great character, and correct me if Im wrong, isnt this the only movie where Clint has a brother ?

Okay, you're wrong.    (You said to correct you if you were wrong )

Orville is not Philo's brother.  His name is Orville Boggs, not Beddoe.  He is Philo's best friend.  Ma is Orville's mother, Philo only calls her "Ma".  Philo lives in a pad behind the house.  I always imagined he paid rent to live there, or at the very least he chips in to help with house repairs and other expenses (he mentions Ma needs a new roof in the sequel and wants to raise the money for it).  

As for whether or not Clint ever had a brother in a film... well, the only film I can think of would be only a possibility:  High Plains Drifter IF you believe Marshal Jim Duncan was The Stranger's brother, that is.

[misty71]

really?for some reason Ive always though Orville was his brother....Im all dissapointed here
This changes everything....Im shocked
Matt, youve just ruined my life

[Matt]

And besides, Misty... what are the chances that a woman of Ruth Gordon's stature (what is she, about 4'10"?) could give birth to 6'4" Clint?  

Well, I guess it could happen in the movies!  

[misty71]

LMAO!!!
I just got re-shocked!I had misread your first post, I thought you said ma was PHILO's ma, and not Orville's.
 I just re-read
I really am shocked!
 After learning that Orville aint Philo's brother,now I learn Ma aint his ma!!!!
 This is too much

I really have to re-watch the movie more carefully!

[Lilly]

  Wow!  I'm shocked too!  I'd always assumed they were brothers.  All this time I've been believing Ma was Philo's flesh and blood!

On reflection this new discovery actually adds to the story...if Ma isn't Philo's ma, who is?  Why has he adopted a new "family"?  Maybe he's had a rough time of it in the past, which perhaps would make his upset over Lynn more poignant.

[Matt]

Sorry to be the cause of such angst, Misty and Lilly.  

It does add to his "loner" qualities, doesn't it?  Like it's put so well in another thread, by author Minty Clinch, Philo Beddoe is a character of contradiction... he's essentially a loner, but is also surrounded most of the time by great friends.

[misty71]

I am not getting over this!
it changes everything! I mean, one of the things I liked the most about the film was I thought "finally, I see clint with a family, with a brother" and you know, I kinda liked the movie because of that.Not only because of that of course but still...
 ....it changes every thing. the movie will never be the same

[Matt]

I'm just curious here... I read that there were three orangutans that played "Clyde" (and I've seen a picture of Clint with the three of them together, very cool) but has anyone here noticed a difference in the way Clyde looks in different scenes?  And why is "Manis" the ape that got the credit if there were three of them?  (I figured if someone could answer the "what kind of watch was Clint wearing in The Bridges of Madison County" question, it couldn't hurt to ask this one. )

[KC]

This whole thread has actually strayed off topic ... because Geoffrey Lewis's performance as Orville Boggs was supposed to be discussed in the thread titled  "Acting 3: Supporting Actors." And it was surely an oversight on the part of the Moderators not to have included Clyde/Manis/Et Al in that thread as well ...  Supporting actor ... heck, he's practically the star! He certainly doesn't deserve being relegated to a thread titled "The others."

But being as how things have gone as they've gone ... Misty, I'd like to point out that one consistent feature of Eastwood's characters over the years is that they have just about never have close family members, either onscreen or referred to in their backgrounds. No fathers, mothers, brothers, aunts, uncles or first cousins ... no grandparents, great-aunts, second cousins once removed. One sister, and one nephew (both in Honkytonk Man, along with a passel of other nieces and nephews that don't even rate names) ... that is about it.

Heck, until True Crime, an Eastwood character never had a wife onscreen (other than for a few seconds at the beginning of The Outlaw Josey Wales) ... one he wasn't divorced from, leastways. Space Cowboys is Eastwood's only picture to date in which his character is happily married ... and he promptly gets about as far away from his wife as it's humanly possible to get.

The only exception to the above rule is children. Not counting The Outlaw Josey Wales, in which Little Josey is massacred along with Mrs. Josey in the opening moments ... I can think of four films in which he has children: Tightrope, Unforgiven, Absolute Power and True Crime. And in each of these, he is either divorced from the kids' mother, or she's dead ... up to True Crime, and in that one, he's divorced at the end.

[Matt]

Actually, KC... mgk wanted to have a thread on Clyde in the Acting section, and I flatly declined saying I was not going to have a thread on how well an ape acted.   What are we gonna say? That he fell down really well when Clint said "Bang!"  

So, that was my fault....  

[Matt]

Space Cowboys is Eastwood's only picture to date in which his character is happily married ... and he promptly gets about as far away from his wife as it's humanly possible to get.

 That's hysterical... and true.

[KC]

Well, I wasn't being entirely serious. But we had a thread for young T.J. Lowther in the Perfect World discussion ... and he probably shouldn't be given any more credit for his performance than Manis et al. should be given for theirs. Nor any less, of course ...

[misty71]

wow!I just found the most ridiculous article about clint and clyde.
You have to check this out
http://www.birdofprey.co.uk/cb003sep99.htm

isnt that an awful thing to print?

[D'Ambrosia]

There has been a lot of talk about Malpaso being in the habit of using familiar faces and going with the same actors for different roles in different movies lately.  Every Which Way But Loose is no exception.  On my research I found that the total number of actors that appear in this movie and had worked with Eastwood, before or after EWWBL, totals to a number of 19 and I'm probably missing a few  That's not counting the number of stunt people that went on to continue working for Eastwood.  Now that has to be some kind of record.  I will list them all and the movies they were in below.

1. Sondra Lockness Monster- The Outlaw Josey Wales-- Laura Lee/  The Gauntlet-- Gus Malley/ EWWBL and AWWYC-- Lynn Halsey Taylor /Bronco Billy-- Antoinette Lily/ Sudden Impact Jennifer Spencer.  

2. Geoffrey Lewis- High Plains Drifter-- Stacy Bridges/ Thunderbolt and Lightfoot Eddie Goody/ EWWBL and  AWWYC-- Orville Boggs/ Pink Cadillac Ricky.  
Lewis is such a likable guy it's easy to watch him on screen.  Next to Ned in Unforgiven hands down Eastwoods best bestfriend in a movie.  He is very funny too.  The way he turns his hat on backwards when trouble is in the air.  I like the part when the Black Widows asked him "Do you know what that is?  Them's Black Widows.  Do you know more people die from Black Widows and Rattlers every year?"  Orville-"Is that right.  Cause most of the people I know Pop! Squish 'em."  I remember seeing Lawnmower Man back in '92 and I was like, Hey, that's Eastwoods old buddy.

3.Crazy Bill McKinney- The Outlaw Josey Wales-- Terrill /The Gauntlet-- Constable/ EWWBL and AWWYC-- Elmo/ Bronco Billy-- Lefty Lebow /Pink Cadillac-- Bartender

4.John Quade- High Plains Drifter-- Jake Ross/ The Outlaw Josey Wales-- Comanchero Leader/ EWWBL and AWWYC-- Cholla, Black Widow Leader

5.William O'Connell- High Plains Drifter-- Barber/ The Outlaw Josey Wales-- Sim Carstairs, Ferry Operator /EWWBL and AWWYC-- Elmo  
I love his delivery when he says "Sh!t!  If he's the only one here let's have some fun!"  I also died laughing  when Clyde kissed him.

6.James McEachin- EWWBL-- Herb/ Sudden Impact-- Detective
This guy is funny as hell.  "Snakes, Apes, Alligators and Sh!t"  He's the guy in Sudden Impact who says to his partner  "Is that who I think it is?  Better call captain Briggs."  Someone mistook him for the Big Brute in Dirty Harry awhile back I think.

7.Roy Jenson- The Gauntlet-- Biker/ EWWBL & AWWYC-- Woody/ Honkytonk Man-- Dub

8.Walter Barns- High Plains Drifter-- Sheriff /EWWBL-- Tank Murdock/ Bronco Billy-- Sheriff
This guy also played football for the Eagles from '48 to '51 and I think his best role was as the Sheriff in HPD

9.Dan Vadis- High Plains Drifter-- Dan Carlin /The Gauntlet-- Biker/ EWWBL and AWWYC-- Frank/ Bronco Billy-- Chief Big Eagle

10.Gregory Walcott- Joe Kidd-- Sheriff Bob Mitchell/ Thunderbolt and Lightfoot-- Used Car Salesman/ The Eiger Sanction-- Pope/ EWWBL-- Putnam "Well kiss my ass..."

11.Chuck Hicks- EWWBL-- Trucker /The Enforcer-- Huey

12.Joyce Jameson-The Outlaw Josey Wales-- Rose/ EWWBL-- Sybil, head waitress
"If you want to talk take a walk.  If you want to eat have a seat..."

13.Lloyd Nelson- EWWBL-- Bartender/ Escape From Alcatraz-- Guard /Bronco Billy-- Policeman /Honkeytonk Man--  Radio DJ /Sudden Impact-- Desk Sergent/ Tightrope-- Patrolman/ Pale Rider --Bank Teller /HeartBreak Ridge-- Deputy/ The Dead Pool-- Sgt Naldman/ The Rookie-- Freeway Motorist  

14.George Orrison- EWWBL-- Fight Spectator /Escape From Alcatraz-- Guard  /Bronco Billy-- Cowboy at Bar/ AWWYC-- Double/ FireFox-- Leon Sprauge/ Honkytonk Man-- Jailbird /City Heat-- Thug/ Pale Rider-- Station Master/ Bird-- Patient /The Dead Pool-- Mafia Guy, bodyguard/ The Rookie-- Detective Orrison/ Unforginven-- The Shadow/ Perfect World-- Officer Orrison/ Bridges of Madison County-- Café Patron/ Absolut Power-- Airport Bartender
Also did stunts for 15 different Eastwood Movies

15.Al Slivani- EWWBL-- Tank Murdock's Manager /The Gauntlet-- Police Sergeant

16.Jan Stratton- EWWBL-- Waitress/ The Enforcer Mrs. Grey

17.Chuck Waters- EWWBL-- Biker /Bronco Billy-- Bankrobber (stunts)

18.Jerry Willis EWWBL-- Biker/ Bronco Billy-- Bankrobber (stunts)

Stuntmen
George Wilbur-- EWWBL, City Heat, High Plains Drifter/// Scott Dockstader-- EWWBL and Sudden Impact/// Orwin C. Harvey-- EWWBL, AWWYC/// Gene LeBell-- EWWBL and City Heat
All of these individuals performed stunts in the movies listed above  

Special mention goes to Ruth Gordon, 19.Hank Worden, George Chandler, and Beverly D'Angelo.

Ruth Gordon is hilarious in this movie.  The scene when she is corresponding with the police is in the running for my favorite of the movie.
She is so animated it's great.  "HIS APE!  Stealing all my Oreos, Craaaaping all over the place, twelve ribs my ass."

George Chandler, who plays the DMV guy at the end who ends up giving Ma her license goes way back and has a total of 346 screen appearences and 39 TV guest spots.  Wow!

19.Hank Worden who plays the Trailer Park Manager (Gas Station Operator In Bronco Billy) Always plays the old coger type and looks like a turtle.  And moves about as fast as one too.  He played Mose Harper in the Searchers with John Wayne.

Beverly D'Angelo as Echo.  Well what can I say about her.  Making Columbus proud.  "Ten Points."  Infact I had a run in with her dad several months ago and noticed a piece of paper he had with the name Al Pacino on it with a phone number and a New York area code!

[Matt]

I renamed this thread since the original "Supporting Actors" thread, which was set aside to discuss Geoffrey Lewis, Ruth Gordon, Beverly D'Angelo and John Quade's performances kept getting overlooked and we wound up discussing all those performances in this thread.  So, I deleted that and reworded this one to include everyone except Eastwood and Locke's performances.  

D'Amb, I enjoyed reading that list you compiled.  Some of the actors I knew I'd seen before and never placed them, and I never took the time to look them up on IMDb to see where else they appeared.  The one that surprised me the most was this one:

12.Joyce Jameson-The Outlaw Josey Wales-- Rose/ EWWBL-- Sybil, head waitress "If you want to talk take a walk.  If you want to eat have a seat..."

I just never put it together that it was the same actress.  

[D'Ambrosia]

Yeah Matt, I found some good ones here...

How about the Sheriff in High Plains Drifer was the same guy who played Tank Murdock.  I had never put that one together up until now...

I had a lot of fun with the list.  I wish Jay74 would take a look at it.

[Matt]

How about the Sheriff in High Plains Drifer was the same guy who played Tank Murdock.  I had never put that one together up until now...

I knew Walter Barnes was the sheriff in Bronco Billy and Tank Murdock in Every Which Way But Loose, but I didn't place him as the sheriff from High Plains Drifter either.

You can add another for George Orrison... he was "Stationmaster Whitey" in Pale Rider.  

[mgk]

Thanks, everyone! This thread is now locked.  Please post any additional thoughts you have on this topic in the General Discussion forum.