Q: Monday would have been Lee Marvin’s 100th birthday. How about a list of a few outstanding movies?
A: Lee Marvin (Feb. 19, 1924-Aug. 29, 1987) was one of the great screen presences, especially when it came to conveying menace, as he often did. One close observer thought Marvin’s combat experience in World War II showed him “the depth of our capacity for cruelty and evil — and (he) was prepared to recount what he had seen down there.”
He won his Oscar for a combination of scariness and humor in a dual role in “Cat Ballou” (1965), but I wouldn’t rank that ahead of such movies as “The Killers” (1964), “The Dirty Dozen” (1967), “Point Blank” (also ‘67), “The Big Red One” (1980) or “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” (1962).
In that last film, the stars are James Stewart and John Wayne, but Marvin drives the story as the title character, with a portrait of unredeemable evil. “Point Blank” is another key role, the embodiment of what critic David Thomson called “a central, necessary, inescapable man of violence.”
There are also TV jobs, notably the series “M Squad” (1957-60). He made a lot of bad films, or puzzling ones (such as “Paint Your Wagon,” from 1969). But he still has a foundation of good to great work.
A short run
Q: I was wondering if Walton Goggins has ever been offered his own show. He is a great actor and he definitely deserves more.
A: Goggins is indeed an impressive actor in movies and on TV, often as part of ensemble series such as “The Shield” and “Justified,” and he received an Emmy nomination for best supporting actor in a drama for the latter show. He did have his own “The Unicorn,” an endearing comedy about a widowed father trying to restart his romantic life. The series ran for two seasons in 2019-21, and I wish it had lasted longer.
By the way, the two seasons of “The Unicorn” are available as downloads, including from Vudu and Prime Video.
