cult film freak: 2012

Written by James M. Tate / 12/31/2012 / No comments / 2012 , bette midler , billy crystal , marisa tomei

PARENTAL GUIDANCE

2012, bette midler, billy crystal, marisa tomei

PARENTAL GUIDANCE

year: 2012 cast: Billy Crystal, Bette Midler rating: ***1/2 Remember in CITY SLICKERS when Billy Crystal's character turned 39 an...

Written by James M. Tate / 12/26/2012 / No comments / list

25 GREAT COMEDY FILM VILLAINS: ACTORS

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cbwS9j58N24/UG3Pv9LTFOI/AAAAAAAAOGg/mHb3ra7fDc4/s1600/harvey+korman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="430" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cbwS9j58N24/UG3Pv9LTFOI/AAAAAAAAOGg/mHb3ra7fDc4/s640/harvey+korman.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1) HARVEY KORMAN (BLAZING SADDLES)</td></tr>
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“Now go do… that voodoo… that you do… so well!” And no one has ever played a comedy villain as well as Korman in one of Mel Brook’s greatest films… Harvey’s Hedley Lamarr controls the screen with perpetual annoyance to everything and everyone under the sun… <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l_erqaiCuPU/UG3KLiO_FSI/AAAAAAAAODY/xnTRH33cdjw/s1600/jackie+gleason.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="472" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l_erqaiCuPU/UG3KLiO_FSI/AAAAAAAAODY/xnTRH33cdjw/s640/jackie+gleason.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2) JACKIE GLEASON (SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT)</td></tr>
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Perhaps the greatest crooked cop in the history of comedy cinema, Jackie Gleason stole the show away from Burt Reynolds and Sally Field, and by the third movie it was only Gleason and his dimwitted son (Mike Henry) – but let’s only center on the original where Jackie rules the road as Sheriff Buford T. Justice of Portague County…<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hpwZcjJX8OU/UG3KV7KBYeI/AAAAAAAAODg/U6xlvmWdhTs/s1600/ted+knight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="374" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hpwZcjJX8OU/UG3KV7KBYeI/AAAAAAAAODg/U6xlvmWdhTs/s640/ted+knight.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3) TED KNIGHT (CADDYSHACK)</td></tr>
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The world needs ditch diggers too… And as long as the rich stay rich and the poor remain caddies, the world of Judge Smails will stay in perfect order, even if Ty Webb (Chevy Chase) insists he "molests collies."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XimoGBYHqVw/UG3KliFuGVI/AAAAAAAAODo/Wwhp_gdmIpg/s1600/tmb_5050_480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="346" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XimoGBYHqVw/UG3KliFuGVI/AAAAAAAAODo/Wwhp_gdmIpg/s640/tmb_5050_480.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4) JOHN VERNON (ANIMAL HOUSE)</td></tr>
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No man could put a partying fraternity into “double secret probation” quite like Dean Wermer, played by John Vernon who, before this, was a heavy in serious films… And yet he plays it just as serious in this groundbreaking John Landis comedy…<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0RNcBWgnkZI/UG3Kr0qe1nI/AAAAAAAAODw/MAxjCn8JYu8/s1600/alan+alda.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="322" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0RNcBWgnkZI/UG3Kr0qe1nI/AAAAAAAAODw/MAxjCn8JYu8/s640/alan+alda.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5) ALAN ALDA (CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS)</td></tr>
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Well half of this sublime Woody Allen classic is comedy, and in that half, Alan Alda, as know-it-all millionaire TV producer Lester (based on Norman Lear?), the polar opposite of Woody’s jealous documentary filmmaker, is the guy that just can’t lose…<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WONpBHDiPMo/UG3Kx44L9pI/AAAAAAAAOD4/weLDamCLWc8/s1600/herbert+lom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="386" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WONpBHDiPMo/UG3Kx44L9pI/AAAAAAAAOD4/weLDamCLWc8/s640/herbert+lom.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">6) HERBERT LOM (A SHOT IN THE DARK)</td></tr>
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The recently departed Herbert Lom gave Peter Seller’s iconic Inspector Clouseau a run for his money… What wouldn’t those PINK PANTHER films be without the irritated police Chief Inspector Dreyfuss?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-llBLunpcZrg/UG3K7MmxitI/AAAAAAAAOEA/KmWxQVczoHo/s1600/spaceballs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-llBLunpcZrg/UG3K7MmxitI/AAAAAAAAOEA/KmWxQVczoHo/s640/spaceballs.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">7) RICK MORANIS (SPACEBALLS)</td></tr>
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Dark Helmet is far more than just a parody of Darth Vader… Upon his opening line, “Colonel Sanders!” – you’ll forget all about satire and embrace the pint-sized villain as his own entity… <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NYPK-ic0g64/UG3LRH_RPzI/AAAAAAAAOEI/jBY4UY9CzeQ/s1600/stripes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="448" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NYPK-ic0g64/UG3LRH_RPzI/AAAAAAAAOEI/jBY4UY9CzeQ/s640/stripes.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8) WARREN OATES (STRIPES)</td></tr>
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The loser troop’s boot camp big toe, Sgt. Hulka, orders his men in line: albeit a crooked line… Although John Larroquette is the real baddie, iconic actor Warren Oates keeps Bill Murray and Harold Ramis on their own toes... <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mScR6YNRbDE/UG3LaHVziqI/AAAAAAAAOEQ/DnUCi5nKAvg/s1600/duke+brothers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mScR6YNRbDE/UG3LaHVziqI/AAAAAAAAOEQ/DnUCi5nKAvg/s640/duke+brothers.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">9) RALPH BELLAMY AND DON AMECHE (TRADING PLACES)</td></tr>
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Since they’re siblings, The Duke Brothers count as one… A single entity of racist monarchy and are likable somehow… Even after losing their money, a bright comeback awaits in the next John Landis/Eddie Murphy project, COMING TO AMERICA…<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eqRFkxL90Mw/UG3LhfWoSGI/AAAAAAAAOEY/uYukj-4MqkY/s1600/george+furth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eqRFkxL90Mw/UG3LhfWoSGI/AAAAAAAAOEY/uYukj-4MqkY/s640/george+furth.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10) GEORGE FURTH (THE CANNONBALL RUN)</td></tr>
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You get the feeling all the actors in this epic road race are having a great ol’ time, that is, except character actor George Furth as party pooper Arthur J. Foyt, who works overtime for the death of all things fun… In other words, of the entire ensemble cast, he seems to be the only one that really needs to perform… <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rMzesmbAPzc/UG3Lm1oC8XI/AAAAAAAAOEg/RUh2t7hb8QM/s1600/ted+mckinly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="508" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rMzesmbAPzc/UG3Lm1oC8XI/AAAAAAAAOEg/RUh2t7hb8QM/s640/ted+mckinly.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">11) TED McGINLEY (REVENGE OF THE NERDS)</td></tr>
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Okay, so he might have helped cause the downfall of several TV shows, thus becoming the grand patron of the Jump The Shark dot com site before TV Guide bought and destroyed it, but Ted was a premiere 1980’s villain in the classic nerd revenge picture…<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dqvNHWdi--c/UG3LyD9_U_I/AAAAAAAAOEo/WvZIsBVmn18/s1600/biff+back+future.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="496" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dqvNHWdi--c/UG3LyD9_U_I/AAAAAAAAOEo/WvZIsBVmn18/s640/biff+back+future.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">12) THOMAS F. WILSON (BACK TO THE FUTURE)</td></tr>
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Biff Tannan is the kind of bully that rules an epic science-fiction comedy… Although he’s downgraded to cartoon status in the awful sequels, his input in the fantastic original, in putting father and son through hell in a 1950’s small town, stops time in its tracks…<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lD-L9D1V5w8/UG3L3m6vJcI/AAAAAAAAOEw/0TGXRhHQm8c/s1600/gary+cole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="388" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lD-L9D1V5w8/UG3L3m6vJcI/AAAAAAAAOEw/0TGXRhHQm8c/s640/gary+cole.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">13) GARY COLE (OFFICE SPACE)</td></tr>
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“Hmmm, yeah,” drones Gary Cole’s Bill Lumbergh, the boss from hell… His presence makes the employees squirm and the audience anticipate his every word… <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rd-DurCmBhU/UG3L8efH9yI/AAAAAAAAOE4/H8jJLPle_dQ/s1600/jack+warden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="350" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rd-DurCmBhU/UG3L8efH9yI/AAAAAAAAOE4/H8jJLPle_dQ/s640/jack+warden.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">14) JACK WARDEN (USED CARS)</td></tr>
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Playing one good brother, the other bad… The bad one, Roy L. Fuchs, lasts longer and has more input in this Robert Zemeckis/Steven Spielberg comedy... <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i1EOEngljwQ/UG3MCHmdtRI/AAAAAAAAOFA/sv-tgxHa2Dc/s1600/dabney+coleman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="396" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i1EOEngljwQ/UG3MCHmdtRI/AAAAAAAAOFA/sv-tgxHa2Dc/s640/dabney+coleman.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">15) DABNEY COLEMAN (TOOTSIE)</td></tr>
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No one played a womanizing 1980’s jerk better than Dabney Coleman… While his chauvinist, groping boss in 9 TO 5 is the main antagonist, his side role as the philandering director in TOOTSIE gets the vote – because it’s a far better movie…  <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eCpCBaVFwJc/UG3MHm47WEI/AAAAAAAAOFI/UNib0VSF3tc/s1600/mark+metcalf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eCpCBaVFwJc/UG3MHm47WEI/AAAAAAAAOFI/UNib0VSF3tc/s640/mark+metcalf.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">16) MARK METCALF (ONE CRAZY SUMMER)</td></tr>
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Sure we could mention his screaming ROTC drill sergeant Doug Neidermeyer in ANIMAL HOUSE, a character that inspired the famous “What do you wanna do with your life?” spouting Twisted Sister video teacher, but why not give Mark top-villain status for this Savage Steve Holland follow-up to BETTER OFF DEAD starring John Cusack… Metcalf’s Aguilla Beckersted is so wicked he even punts a pooch…   <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NealkIYHQq4/UG3MQQv9htI/AAAAAAAAOFQ/kcIW1H45Cwc/s1600/wallace+shawn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="340" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NealkIYHQq4/UG3MQQv9htI/AAAAAAAAOFQ/kcIW1H45Cwc/s640/wallace+shawn.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">17) WALLACE SHAWN (THE PRINCESS BRIDE)</td></tr>
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There are a few villains to choose from in this Rob Reiner directed cult classic about a, uh, Princess Bride… But Wallace Shawn’s conniving kidnapper Vizzini beats 'em all... <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0nDc4dU8bvo/UG3MXasGLyI/AAAAAAAAOFY/rRkCRBQtd9s/s1600/john+quade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="334" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0nDc4dU8bvo/UG3MXasGLyI/AAAAAAAAOFY/rRkCRBQtd9s/s640/john+quade.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">18) JOHN QUADE (EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE)</td></tr>
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Cholla is the leader of the Black Widows, a clumsy biker gang ruling the boulevard… But not when Clyde the orangutan stops Cholla with his “Right hook!” <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zNmc_6sHpbk/UG3MfP6-zBI/AAAAAAAAOFg/iKfw1SK-Tyc/s1600/blues+brothers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="454" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zNmc_6sHpbk/UG3MfP6-zBI/AAAAAAAAOFg/iKfw1SK-Tyc/s640/blues+brothers.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">19) HENRY GIBSON (THE BLUES BROTHERS)</td></tr>
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What would a villain list be without a Nazi? Comic icon Henry Gibson plays the leader of the Chicago Nazi Party with wry demented energy…<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QTaq4uul5nY/UG3Mkg1ZvLI/AAAAAAAAOFo/0FH2yBQZsFQ/s1600/richard+tyson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="464" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QTaq4uul5nY/UG3Mkg1ZvLI/AAAAAAAAOFo/0FH2yBQZsFQ/s640/richard+tyson.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">20) RICHARD TYSON (KINDERGARTEN COP)</td></tr>
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We should mention his greatness as the tyrannical bully in THREE O’CLOCK HIGH… but the lethal mama’s boy Cullen Crisp in KINGERGARTEN COP is so violent and formidable, he turns a comedy into a suspenseful action flick… <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pYJTtaRiP9A/UG3Mr33CM1I/AAAAAAAAOFw/K7zNZxQgxnk/s1600/jonathan+banks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="362" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pYJTtaRiP9A/UG3Mr33CM1I/AAAAAAAAOFw/K7zNZxQgxnk/s640/jonathan+banks.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">21) JONATHAN BANKS (BEVERLY HILLS COP)</td></tr>
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Since this third Eddie Murphy blockbuster mixes action and dramatic suspense along with plenty of laughs, perhaps Jonathan’s sleepy eyed killer, Zack, working for Steven Berkoff, shouldn’t count – but Banks deserves credit… His character gets the ball rolling and eventually winds up with food on his face… <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pMF-_r5ZrPw/UG3MxnzJVfI/AAAAAAAAOF4/m4dl0J16v1o/s1600/danny+devito.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pMF-_r5ZrPw/UG3MxnzJVfI/AAAAAAAAOF4/m4dl0J16v1o/s640/danny+devito.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">22) DANNY DeVITO (RUTHLESS PEOPLE)</td></tr>
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Known as the antagonizing Louie DePalma on the sitcom TAXI, Danny DeVito brings delicious villainy to the big screen as spandex mogul Sam Stone as he ignores his obnoxious wife’s kidnapping in order to land her millions…<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5RQRdbA308I/UG3M4SnmbCI/AAAAAAAAOGA/LDI5ykvoe8A/s1600/pee+wee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5RQRdbA308I/UG3M4SnmbCI/AAAAAAAAOGA/LDI5ykvoe8A/s640/pee+wee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">23) MARK HOLTON (PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE)</td></tr>
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Francis is the spoiled fat kid who gets everything he wants, even what isn’t his i.e. the most important object in the world for Pee Wee Herman…Years later Mark would play serial killer John Wayne GACY with the same expression shown above... <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SOBA-3KLCfs/UG3Nz8eRpSI/AAAAAAAAOGY/Y2Zcj7I0xWQ/s1600/christmas2-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="344" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SOBA-3KLCfs/UG3Nz8eRpSI/AAAAAAAAOGY/Y2Zcj7I0xWQ/s640/christmas2-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">24) ZACK WARD AND YANO ANAYA (A CHRISTMAS STORY)</td></tr>
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Like we did the Duke Brothers, both bullies count as one… Scut Farkas and Grover Dill are two bad little dudes and epitomize a youngster’s rough memories of youth…<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7DUpjiodYvM/UG36D0f1jWI/AAAAAAAAOJw/p9tiMcwdRd4/s1600/betterdead1-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="470" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7DUpjiodYvM/UG36D0f1jWI/AAAAAAAAOJw/p9tiMcwdRd4/s640/betterdead1-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">25) DEMIAN SLADE (BETTER OFF DEAD)</td></tr>
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You might not know him by name, but he’s the bicycling paper boy that wants John Cusack to pay “Two dollars!” and he won’t back down till the very end…<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8HGaINrdDHs/UG36PAjnkAI/AAAAAAAAOJ4/DK872CkeAck/s1600/two-dollars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="334" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8HGaINrdDHs/UG36PAjnkAI/AAAAAAAAOJ4/DK872CkeAck/s640/two-dollars.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">YANO ANAYA from A CHRISTMAS STORY plays one of Slade's minions</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A7cCR605m2w/UG3NGEa_uvI/AAAAAAAAOGQ/RRQYhm7XnUo/s1600/better+dead2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="470" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A7cCR605m2w/UG3NGEa_uvI/AAAAAAAAOGQ/RRQYhm7XnUo/s640/better+dead2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">COMEDY FILM VILLAIN LIST BY JAMES M. TATE</td></tr>
</tbody></table>

list

25 GREAT COMEDY FILM VILLAINS: ACTORS

1) HARVEY KORMAN (BLAZING SADDLES) “Now go do… that voodoo… that you do… so well!” And no one has ever played a comedy villain as well a...

Written by James M. Tate / 12/25/2012 / 3 Comments / brian de palma , charles durning , interview , jennifer salt , seventies

JENNIFER SALT ON SISTERS WITH CHARLES DURNING

brian de palma, charles durning, interview, jennifer salt, seventies

JENNIFER SALT ON SISTERS WITH CHARLES DURNING

Jennifer Salt and Charles Durning in SISTERS You and Charles Durning investigate Margot Kidder's apartment in Brian De Palma's S...

COME HERE, YOU... MERRY CHRISTMAS

lorraine bracco, mob, nineties, ray liotta, robert deniro

COME HERE, YOU... MERRY CHRISTMAS

Robert De Niro at the post-heist Christmas party "Hey, come here, you..." Merry Christmas... Don't buy a new car or fur c...

Written by James M. Tate / 12/24/2012 / 1 Comment / eighties , jack klugman , TV

A CHRISTMAS EVE TOAST TO THE LATE JACK KLUGMAN

eighties, jack klugman, TV

A CHRISTMAS EVE TOAST TO THE LATE JACK KLUGMAN

Jack Klugman with a beautiful lady on QUINCY, M.E. It's Christmas Eve, and not entirely merry... A great actor has passed away. JA...

OLIVIA BARASH AS 'SYLVIA' ON 'LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE'

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--5WxUuC2ReE/UBaEQcR3puI/AAAAAAAAJuQ/6LCibIFhNr0/s1600/215119_10150545503045594_5690768_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--5WxUuC2ReE/UBaEQcR3puI/AAAAAAAAJuQ/6LCibIFhNr0/s400/215119_10150545503045594_5690768_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>year: 1981 cast: Olivia Barash, Matthew Laborteaux rating: ****1/2</u></td></tr>
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Don’t let the flowery title fool you: LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE can be intense, gruesome, and downright creepy...<br />
<br />
And this two-part episode, named after the title character… a young girl who’s raped by a mysterious man wearing a clown mask… epitomizes all this – in droves.<br />
<br />
Olivia Barash, as “Sylvia,” a sweet pre-teen exuding a haunting, docile innocence, has “blossomed” early – causing the locals, including bad boy Willie Oleson and good boy Albert Ingalls, to take interest. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2VQbkluuNbo/Ut4ZEClKvBI/AAAAAAAAciw/S6oJUpFu2PY/s1600/mimerapelittlehouse-568x337.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2VQbkluuNbo/Ut4ZEClKvBI/AAAAAAAAciw/S6oJUpFu2PY/s1600/mimerapelittlehouse-568x337.jpg" width="147" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>The Infamous Mime Mask</u></td></tr>
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Her father, played by veteran actor Royal Dano, blames her for the chaste curiosity and impending sexual assault: the latter a harrowing (though implied) scene mirroring theatrical early-eighties horror films, but being in a kid-friendly TV show, it’s that much more shocking. <br />
<br />
A sweet-natured love story between Sylvia and Albert plays within an ominous, foreboding backdrop... Although we never know the rapist’s identity till later, there’s a good chance it’s blacksmith Richard Jaekal, no stranger to dramatic villain roles.<br />
<br />
For Michael Landon, who wrote and directed the episode, SYLVIA is a risqué feature film in itself, sublimely balancing old-fashion romance with calculating terror. But it’s child-actress Olivia Barash (who’d grow up to star in racy cult flicks REPO MAN and PATTY HEARST) that really makes it work, brandishing every possible emotion within a two-hour frame.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jUHIs9BeqeQ/VEV-VFvkSXI/AAAAAAAAkNU/xI3tpVP76KI/s1600/ob3_Small_.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jUHIs9BeqeQ/VEV-VFvkSXI/AAAAAAAAkNU/xI3tpVP76KI/s1600/ob3_Small_.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Olivia Barash</u></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dXhjBaEUAzA/UQ4L6jphS8I/AAAAAAAAV6s/zn_nB9rWCvM/s1600/217055_10150545503005594_978921_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dXhjBaEUAzA/UQ4L6jphS8I/AAAAAAAAV6s/zn_nB9rWCvM/s320/217055_10150545503005594_978921_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Interview Selection with actress OLIVIA BARASH</u></td></tr>
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<b>Was it difficult filming such intense subjects at a young age?</b><br />
<br />
Nothing
  on that set was difficult because Michael Landon was directing. One of
  the best directors I’ve ever worked with. He would emote me by crying 
 behind the camera in the rehearsals as well as the shooting of the  
intense scenes.<br />
<br />
That particular cast of actors was  
amazing to work with! From Matthew Laborteaux, to Royal Dano, who played
  my abusive father, to Richard Jaeckel who played the rapist. All,  
highly professional, veterans and genuinely good people.<br />
<br />
<b>How did you play the death bed scene? </b><br />
<br />
I
  put myself<i> in</i> Sylvia’s heart. I believed in that moment that I wanted 
 to marry Albert more than anything else. I also just recalled the  
emotion that Matthew Laborteaux put forth for and with me in that scene.
  It was so hard not to cry after my character died, when Albert layed  
his head on me, sobbing.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tBGzXXWwCTI/UQ4M-UKZo5I/AAAAAAAAV64/NYXqqsaXrdk/s1600/katy+kurtzman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tBGzXXWwCTI/UQ4M-UKZo5I/AAAAAAAAV64/NYXqqsaXrdk/s320/katy+kurtzman.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>title: LITTLE HOUSE: THE MUSIC BOX year: 1977 </u></td></tr>
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In a standout episode of LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, that
 infamous rich bitch Nellie Oleson has a music box and poor little Laura
 Ingalls really, really wants it. It’s that simple? You wish!<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-my5jC7-P85A/VEV8Sj-Cy1I/AAAAAAAAkM0/YoSzumY8cfs/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-my5jC7-P85A/VEV8Sj-Cy1I/AAAAAAAAkM0/YoSzumY8cfs/s320/1.jpg" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Melissa Sue Anderson & Katy Kurtzman</u></td></tr>
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Laura, 
after swiping the box from Nellie’s bedroom during a private club 
meeting, hides it in her barn. And whenever needing a “fix,” she goes 
inside and listens to the chiming, metronomic tune that, after hearing 
it a dozen times, might drive you crazy. It sure does Laura… as the tune
 permeates into surreal, creepy, guilt-driven nightmares connecting herself to what looks like the Salem Witch Trials. <br />
<br />
The standout 
guest star is Katy Kurtzman, who in the next season would play a young 
Caroline Ingalls… Here she’s a sweet stuttering prairie girl named Annie
 who Nellie keeps from joining her club because… she’s just not normal 
enough, in Nellie's estimation, to belong. During one scene Nellie 
recites an impromptu poem that seems written by Mohammed Ali: “A chicken
 can squawk and a butterfly can flutter… But Anna can’t talk… All she 
can do is stutter!” This (and other classic Bad Nellie moments) makes 
for a classic episode: Especially after "The Prairie Bitch" Nellie catches Laura with the Music
 box and blackmails her into a form of mental slavery. And as Laura 
conceals the truth, she breaks poor Anna’s heart... All leading to a 
climactic emotional scene that proves Katy Kurtzman, who stutters and 
cries at the same time, was one talented child actress.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zFdYMYeRQ70/UHtRYcVV7UI/AAAAAAAAOh8/i8u6duX4T-c/s1600/200576_431875170196521_601748243_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zFdYMYeRQ70/UHtRYcVV7UI/AAAAAAAAOh8/i8u6duX4T-c/s1600/200576_431875170196521_601748243_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>title: CHILD OF GLASS year: 1978 cast: Steve Sims, Katy Kurtzman, Olivia Barash rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
While
 it's perplexed adults for centuries, the children in Disney films seem 
to have grasped the Meaning of Life… at least in their eyes: When 
something needs discovering, discover it!<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HSnrI-9EbDw/VEV8arZCxBI/AAAAAAAAkM8/lERIyNnn8Ak/s1600/2_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HSnrI-9EbDw/VEV8arZCxBI/AAAAAAAAkM8/lERIyNnn8Ak/s1600/2_.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>DVD Cover... Where's Olivia?</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In this made for TV movie, a 
family moves into an antebellum mansion once owned by a river pirate. 
The mother and father are about as important as those mushmouthed 
teachers in Peanuts cartoons – this is all about the curious son 
Alexander, played by the late Steve Shaw, who meets the niece of a local
 palm reader.<br />
<br />
And as the young adventurous "Blossom Culp," Katy Kurtzman
 creates a memorably quirky tomboy: Donning glasses and dressed like a 
traveling orphan, she determinedly riles Alexander into seeking the 
truth behind the mansion's history. But he gets the prime directive on 
his own with the help of a blue-hued ghost.<br />
<br />
The daughter of the 
mansion’s former owner, “Inez Dumaine” died mysteriously and, to acquire 
eternal rest, provides a riddle that desperately needs solving. Cult 
actress Olivia Barash, as the lovely little wraith holding a fluffy dog,
 makes sporadic yet important appearances, and at one point turns human 
for a heartfelt slow dance during a party, later providing a dog/cat 
chase to add some lightweight hijinx to the underlying spooky vibe… 
especially with the dependably villanious Anthony Zerbe on board. But 
even with the suspenseful chills, it's a great movie for kids, 
especially creative ones.

eighties, michael landon, olivia barash, richard jaekal, romance, royal dano, suspense