Wednesday, February 10, 2010

To the Stars that Hollywood never gave a chance to:

Hollywood makes the stars but some actors with the talent, sometimes never make it big. Here is just a small sampling of those particular actors. With the talent and the good looks, if Hollywood just gave them a break, then maybe they would be more well-known today and their memory wouldn't be forgotten. Of course, this is just a sampling of actors that are forgotten today. There are numerous actors and actresses out there, whose talents were lost and forgotten about, that I will write about in a future post.



Marc Platt -

Born: December 2nd 1913

Marc Platt was a gifted and an extremely talented dancer, who appeared in several well-known musicals but his career never made the jump up from side actor. While his dancing was memorable, his performances were usually overshadowed by the lack of air time he had. Marc Platt has appeared in such films as "Tonight and Every Night"(1945), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers(1954), and "Down to Earth"(1947). Platt was in the original Broadway production of "Oklahoma" as the Dream Curly but when the film was made in 1955, his role in the film was minimized drastically and he just appeared as 'dancer' in the film.


Patric Knowles-

Born: November 11th 1911
Death: December 23rd 1995


Patric Knowles was more well-known for playing Errol Flynn's sidekick than anything else but there was more to this actor, than being a sidekick. Patric appeared in several successful films such as "The Wolf Man"(1941), "How Green was My Valley"(1941), and "Kitty"(1945). With the acting abilities to put to shame many other actors, Knowles impressed in several films, such as "The Charge of the Light Brigade"(1936). Unlike the short career of Marc Platt, Knowles continued to work up until 1973 at the age of 62. His most successful years for acting was during the late 1930's and into the 1940's. By the 1950's, Knowles career was more onto television than where he got his big break in the movies.



Jeffrey Lynn

Born: February 16th 1909
Death: November 24th 1995


Jeffrey Lynn was so good at playing the good guy, he was usually stuck playing them. When he got the chance to play Kurt Franken, a nazi soldier in "Underground"(1941), it showed the audience that he could act and he was more versatile than once thought. When names were being passed around for the role of Ashley Wilkes in the epic hit, "Gone With the Wind"(1939), Lynn seemed to be a top runner but because of being rather unknown, they tossed him aside and gave the role to Leslie Howard, who felt that he was too old for the part. Just imagining, if he had gotten the role, he might be better remembered today. Aside from "Underground", Lynn excels in the "Four Daughters"(1938,1939, and 1941) films and makes any girl watching, fall for him. When Lynn went off to fight for his country, it seemed Hollywood forgot him and his chance at getting a juicy role was lost forever.



Phillip Reed

Born: March 25th 1908
Death: December 7th 1996


Phillip Reed was a character actor, who occasionally would get bigger role in his 32 years in the film and television industry. He was most notably known for playing the villain but in "The Last of the Mohicans"(1936), Reed played Uncas, a gentle and sweet Native American who steals the entire film away from Randolph Scott. His versatility was rarely shown but when you did get a chance to see it, you were immediately enthralled by his performance. Because of his dark looks, Reed often played characters of ethnicity such as his role as Uncas or his role as Red Hawk in "Davy Crockett, Indian Scott".




Because they never were able to have a chance at fame, I'm going to be one of the people to remember their legacies and to keep on watching their performances. True talent was in these four men but the opportunity to show it was never accomplished. So the next time, you are watching a movie and an actor comes on the screen and you are unfamiliar with them, do a little research and find out who they were. A little attention pressed upon them, when their performances are amazing, means a lot to the fans of them and probably would mean a lot to them too.

11 comments:

Meredith said...

what a lovely thought. i image they would all appreciate this post very much. :)

The Siren said...

Awesome idea for a post, that I might even steal down the road...but not without proper credit to you, I promise! Jeffrey Lynn I remember well as the gentle man Bette Davis winds up with in All This and Heaven Too, and Jeanne Crain's rather self-centered husband in A Letter to Three Wives. Patric Knowles was in Kitty which was on last week, a charming film. This would be a good series, I will certainly follow it.

Artman2112 said...

i think the problem with Knowles and Lynn was they tended to be a bit on the bland side. Could you realistically see either of them carrying a film the way Flynn, Bogie or Cagney could? personally, i dont think so but they were very good in supporting roles and were in some incredibly great films.

of course this doesnt explain the enormous popularity of George Brent who was probably more bland than any of them, lol! but i like him too.

i figure i'll get called out on the carpet for this comment but that's OK, wont be the first time.

KC said...

This is such a nice idea! If it weren't for you, I don't know that I'd have ever noticed Jeffrey Lynn. You are right about him though. I saw his screen test for GWTW and he was far more appealing than Leslie Howard.

Artman2112 said...

Leslie Howard was so miscast in that. i think he's a fine actor, but a Southerner he aint!

Sally said...

Wonderful post! I have several favorites that go in this category, myself. I haven't seen all of these actors but I do love the ones that I have seen (Patric Knowles and Marc Platt) are tremendous. Great idea for a post. I loved reading this!

Raquel Stecher said...

Have you ever read the book The Star Machine? It explains to some extent why perfectly talented and charming actors and actresses don't make a splash or aren't as famous as other folks. They are missing the x-factor which can't be pinpointed, can't be predicted, can't be developed, just is.

Thanks for doing this post. You are doing a great service by keeping these talented people's memories alive!

Jeanie said...

I know this particular post is several years old, but I thought I would add a little something. The young man in the first photo...Marc Platt...celebrated his 100th birthday in December, 2013. He lives in a nursing facility in California close to his daughter. Mr. Platt remained active in local theatre until well into his 90's. In addition, he & many other classically trained dancers were the subject of a documentary The Ballet Russe, the famous ballet company of their younger years. The film provides a fascinating peek into the lives of these marvelous dancers. Its available for streaming. Happy vintage film watching!

Jeanie said...

Update on Marc Platt: sadly Marc Platt passed away March 29, 2014 in California. He was 100 years old & truly amazing. He will be missed by his family very much.

Unknown said...

I have a letter Mr phililp reed write in January 22 1973 to a fan, stated that he not a celebrity.

Brian said...

Thank you for a great post on these four actors. I have seen all four in several films, and I believe that they all deserved more attention than they received during their working years. I am a great fan of Hollywood's Golden Era, and anything which is published or posted about those years is always of interest and merit to me. Thanks again.