Van Williams

Tall Story

Director: Joshua Logan
1960

Recently we took part in a discussion devoted almost entirely to mysteries and unexplained phenomena, and just about everybody involved in the discussion eventually came to the conclusion that the single most compelling riddle of the past several centuries is why in hell didn't Van Williams become the biggest movie star of all time? He had the looks and he certainly had enough talent to compete for movie roles with Fabian and Tab Hunter and many of the others who went on to relatively long film careers. When Van Williams walked out of that shower in Tall Story and bared all to Jane Fonda and Anthony Perkins, his future on celluloid should have been assured. Does anybody remember anything else about that movie? And as long as we're asking idiotic questions, just what is it with all those edgy shower scenes in Anthony Perkins movies?


Van Williams     Anthony Perkins     Jane Fonda

Despite major success in movies, Van Williams did manage to turn up just about everywhere in television, including a memorable appearance on the Dick Van Dyke Show, where he played one of Laura Petrie's old flames. He had already achieved a certain degree of fame for his role as detective Ken Madison in the Warner Brothers series Bourbon Street Beat (1959-1960) and Surfside Six (1960-1962). His greatest TV success, of course, came with his starring role in the 1966-1967 series The Green Hornet, which co-starred the late Bruce Lee as Kato, the Hornet's faithful manservant. That series lasted only a season, but during that brief time a number of interesting performers turned up as guest stars-- including Ralph Meeker and Jeffrey Hunter. More than three decades later, the show still has a cult following and Van Williams still has loads of fans.

 

Van Williams as Britt Reid
aka The Green Hornet

 

Van Williams Gallery

Green Hornet:
Van Williams, Bruce Lee, and Dean Jeffries

The Dick Van Dyke Show:
Van Williams and Mary Tyler Moore

The Big Valley:
Van Williams



THE FILMS OF VAN WILLIAMS:

Tall Story

1960

Director: Joshua Logan
Cast: Anthony Perkins, Jane Fonda, Ray Walston, Marc Connelly, Anne Jackson, Murray Hamilton, Gary Lockwood, Elizabeth Patterson, Tom Laughlin, Van Williams.


Notes on Tall Story
-- Jane Fonda made her film debut in a starring role. She was fine, but she was a long way from Klute and Coming Home etc.
-- This was the film Anthony Perkins made right before Psycho.
-- Tall Story was adapted from a play by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, from a novel (The Homecoming Game) by Howard Nemerov.

 

The Caretakers

1963

Director: Hall Bartlett
Cast: Robert Stack, Joan Crawford, Polly Bergen, Susan Oliver, Diane McBain, Janis Paige, Constance Ford, Barbara Barrie, Sharon Hugueny, Robert Vaughn, Herbert Marshall, Ellen Corby, Van Williams.

Still: Susan Oliver, Van Williams, Janis Paige

Still: Van Williams, Polly Bergen, Robert Stack

Notes on The The Caretakers
-- Look at the various names in the cast and try to imagine a better ensemble. A movie with any one of those names would be worth watching. The mere presence of Constance Ford makes this one a must-see.

 

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story

1993

Director: Rob Cohen
Cast: Jason Scott Lee, Lauren Holly, Robert Wagner, Michael Learned, Nancy Kwan, Kay Tong Lim, Ric Young, Luong Wang, Sterling Macer, Van Williams.


Notes on Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
-- Paying homage to his own "Green Hornet" past, Van Williams is cast in a small role as "Green Hornet director."
-- Actor Forry Smith played Van Williams playing the Green Hornet.

 

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