A thought experiment on movies

October 1, 2024 • 8:45 am

The main news is that Israel invaded Lebanon after a few preliminary forays, but for a day or two we’ll have lighter stuff. That includes this contest submitted by mirandaga.  His challenge is indented:

Here’s a little game you might share with the troops to lighten things up a bit. Think of a movie actor and movie character that are so inseparably linked that you can’t imagine anyone else playing that role. Here are five that come to mind (I can’t think of any female actors/roles, but perhaps others can):
Clark Gable as Rhett Butler in “Gone with the Wind”
Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch in “To Kill A Mockingbird”
Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs”
Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey in “It’s A Wonderful Life”
Gary Cooper as Will Kane in “High Noon”
Dan Akroyd and John Belushi in “Blues Brothers” (And yes, my age is showing.)

I’ll add these as my own choices. I’ll show a scene from each:

Marlon Brando in “The Godfather” series. The opening scene:

Sean Connery as James Bond (none of the other six actors who played Bond held a candle to him; they hadn’t the suavité).

Jack Nicholson in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. I can’t imagine another actor doing that part.

Humphrey Bogart in “Casablanca”. No comment needed.

Woody Allen in “Annie Hall” (I love this scene!)

James Cagney in “Yankee Doodle Dandy” (when I was a kid I used to watch this every Fourth of July, and this was my favorite scene). Cagney was a great dancer. Sadly, it’s no longer shown:

Another great scene from that movie: Cagney dances down the White House stairs after getting a medal from Franklin Roosevelt and then joins a war parade playing a song he wrote: “Over There”.

George C. Scott in “Patton”. Who can forget this scene?:

99 thoughts on “A thought experiment on movies”

  1. Oh man, too much fun –

    hear hear to peak Nicholson – how ’bout The Shining
    Likewise, opposite Shelley Duvall the pair are … irreplaceable…(?)

    Maybe Liam Neeson as Oskar Schindler

    Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny – perfection!

    Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta in Pulp Fiction again as an irreplaceable pair.

    Christoph Walz in Inglorious Basterds … the correct emoji, I believe, is ☠️ – a deeply excruciating, stunning evil.

    … ok last one – here goes :

    Harrison Ford – Indiana Jones.

    … I have no shame… though said nothing about Star Wars or Star Trek… oh!

    Nimoy/Shatner – Spock/Kirk!

    1. Yes, I was going to mention Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones. Spielberg’s first choice for the role? Tom Selleck, who would have been fine. By the way, I loved “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” It’s my third favorite of the five Indy pictures (you’ll have no trouble guessing what the other two are).

      2. I also loved the Dial of Destiny! I grew up on Indiana Jones movies and can probably recite Raiders off the top of my head.

        I would guess Raiders is your favorite (it’s definitely mine), and after Raiders most folks prefer the Holy Grail to the Temple of Doom maybe because Willie is such an annoying character. The feast scene from the Temple of Doom is genius though, and my brother and I would spend hours ranking the dishes for grossness as kids. The opening scene of the Temple of Doom is also phenomenal.

  2. I can’t think of a movie actor who “owns” a role—maybe Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates?—but for TV characters, Peter Falk as Lt. Columbo comes to mind.

    As for James Bond, Ian Fleming envisioned Bond as a “blunt instrument” (Fleming’s words), a gorilla-in-a-suit–type character, someone who’s thuggish and a bit scary. No actor captured that sensibility until Daniel Craig came along. So now Connery is my second-favorite Bond. Oh, and the best Bond movie ever? That would be “Skyfall.”

    1. Couldn’t agree more. The opening scene of Casino Royale really cemented Craig as the iconic Bond.

    2. I know we’re talking movies, but I can’t imagine anyone but James Garner as Jim Rockford. Or Gandolfini as Tony Soprano,

      1. Mr. Garner, Julie Andrews, and Alex Karras in all three of their roles in Victor/Victoria
        Gosh, and now that I realize on checking that Robert Preston was in it, … him too!
        I also agree that Daniel Craig is the best Bond.

  3. Agree with Woody Allen in “Annie Hall”, and his personality is so distinctive that it’s easy to imagine that only Woody Allen could play “the Woody Allen role” in general, bit it’s interesting to see a very different actor take it on. A good example is Sean Penn in “Sweet and Lowdown”. Watching the movie, Penn’s character is so strong that you don’t even think about it and he seems perfect for the part, but as written it’s a classic Woody Allen role.

    The soundtrack is great, by the way!

        1. Indeed – likewise, check out Stephane Wrembel’s catalog – perhaps it’s Django fan music, but nothin’ wrong with that.

          I’m finding even the greats had only a small catalog – imagine if they were still playing – that’s what Wrembel brings, s’wonderful.

  4. I cannot imagine anyone but Owen Wilson as Dignan in “Bottle Rocket.”

    Jerry’s picks resonate with me more than the original 5 examples. As good as Anthony Hopkins was in Silence of the Lambs, I can imagine a variety of other actors or styles of acting that could have filled that role. And for Atticus Finch, any boring actor, or a broom in a hat and waist coat, could have pulled it off!

  5. Jeff Bridges (not John Wayne) as Rooster Cogburn in True Grit
    Frances McDormond as Marge Gunderson in Fargo (my all time favorite movie).

    More generally, there are a number of actors and actresses who have the ability to own rolls – Bridges, Gene Hackman, Meryl Streep, along with many of those mentioned by others.

    2. Totally with you on Fargo – one of my all time favorites. Much underrated. Marge Gunderson observing in the MN cold and carnage: “And its a beautiful day!” is priceless.
      D.A.
      NYC

  7. Clint Eastwood as Inspector Harry Callahan SFPD “A man’s got to know his limitations.”

  8. I was disappointed by Nicholson in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest;” after reading the novel. Randle McMurphy was a large, physically intimidating man, Jack is not. Even Ken Kesey thought so, and refused to see the movie.
    The other players were good, but I have never revisited the film.

    1. I think a book and it’s film should be judged independently. Both can be great in their own way. Some films are said to be much better than the book. Not sure, but I think Casablanca might have been one (having not read the book. Has anyone?).

    2. But if you don’t expect the movie to conform to the book, then what is the problem? I would argue that the quality of Nicholson’s portrayal of McMurphy is independent of the man’s size.

      1. One pivotal scene in the book is when McMurphy heroically tries and fails to lift a large machine; in the movie it just lays flat. I have loved Nicholson in most of his roles, but not this.

    3. Cuckoo is one of my top five favorite books. As played by Nicholson, McMurphy was still intimidating. His attitude came from his brain rather than his size.

      I saw a stage version with Christian Slater as McMurphy and enjoyed that too. Frances Barber was a terrific Nurse Ratched.

      Authors aren’t always the best judge about films. Anne Rice objected to Tom Cruise playing the lead role of Lestat in Interview with a Vampire. I didn’t think he would be very good as Lestat is tall and elegant. But when the film came out, she took out a full page advert in a Hollywood newspaper to apologise and say she was wrong. I enjoyed both the book and the film.

  9. Bruce Willis as John McClane

    Scarlet Johansson as Black Widow

    Uma Thurman as The Bride.

  13. Ian McKellen as Gandalf, especially in The Fellowship of the Ring. The later performances were worse, owing to the script and in the case of the Hobbit films, his old age. Christopher Lee as Saruman had less screentime, but also left a lasting impression.

    1. And while we’re speaking of film universes in which Christopher Lee was the second-tier bad guy: Ian McDiarmid as Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine in the Star Wars movies.

  14. Julie Christie in Dr Zhivago.
    Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
    Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada.
    Katherine Ross in The Graduate (or anything else she was in)

    1. Meryl Streep was also perfection as Julia Child in Julie and Julia.

      I recently saw BaT for the first time, and I agree – Audrey Hepburn was enchanting.

      The movie inspired me to read the book, and I was disappointed. The movie version was vastly superior to the source. (except for the Mickey Rooney casting. Just terrible)

    1. One reviewer wrote that Shelley Duvall was “born to play Olive Oyl” for Popeye. Will not argue that one.

      I’ll nominate Katherine Hepburn as Rose Sayer in African Queen. I can’t picture anyone else. That is a movie which should never be remade. Watch the original again.

  16. For women, how about Fay Wray in King Kong, and very topical, Maggie Smith in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.

  17. Now that I’ve watched the movie, thanks to Jerry calling attention to it here, it would have to be Dame Maggie Smith in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie!

    I would have said Gregory Peck also in Twelve O’Clock High, although Robert Lansing owned the role in the first season of the TV series. This progression, like the James Bond franchise, allowed us to evaluate different actors — three in the case of TO’CH—playing the same starring role, although Lansing’s awful replacement was intended to be playing only the new 918th Bomb Group commander, not the same character.

    It’s also hard for me to imagine anyone but John Lithgow playing any of the many supporting roles he’s done. As soon as his face appears, I think, “Of course!”

    How about John Wayne in his last role, in The Shootist?
    Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry Callahan, and then much later in Unforgiven (with Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman.)

  18. Morgan Freeman as Red. The line: “Maybe it’s because I’m Irish” was left in, and somehow works just as well!

  19. Peter Sellers in just about anything he did.

    Boris Karloff as Frankenstein.

    James Earl Jones as Darth Vader’s voice.

    I wanted to be snarky, so I will: The Beatles in A Hard Day’s Night.

    1. Correction: Boris Karloff as Frankenstein’s monster (Colin Clive played Frankenstein). Sorry for being a noodge.

    2. “I wanted to be snarky, so I will: The Beatles in A Hard Day’s Night.”
      Snarky: Ringo Starr as Frank Zappa in “200 Motels”. No one could play Frank Zappa like Ringo Starr!

  21. My first thought was the Wizard of Oz, as well, but Margaret Hamilton. Garland played Dorothy, and she is tied to the role, but Hamilton made the witch, in the same way the Nicholson made McMurphy.

    My second is Robin Williams in _____.

  23. In most cases one never gets to see other actors in the role, not even in audition.

    I have examples of films (including television) in which, even having seen other actors play the same role, there is a specific actor’s portrayal that I consider definitive.

    Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes (compared to Basil Rathbone and Benedict Cumberbatch).

    David Suchet as Poirot (compared to Albert Finney, Peter Ustinov, and Kenneth Branagh).

    Alec Guinness as George Smiley (compared to Gary Oldman and Denholm Elliott).

    Bruno Ganz as the Austrian-born former Chancellor of Germany, Adolf Hitler (compared to many other actors including Alec Guinness). There is the issue of language in this one, so the comparisons are perhaps not fair.

    I wish Ken were here.

        1. Basil Rathbone is my Sherlock Holmes. When I read one of Conan Doyle’s stories, I hear his voice.

  24. Many good comments so far! I immediately thought of Cabaret, one of my favorite movies—Joel Grey as the Master of Ceremonies and Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowles will forever define those roles in my mind. I have seen a couple of stage versions of Cabaret, and while I enjoyed them, I have trouble believing anyone else in those roles!

    1. I didn’t think it was possible for anyone to play the emcee better than Joel Grey. How could anyone be better than the best? And then I saw Alan Cumming in the role …

  25. I see someone added Robin Williams. Who else could have done any number of his roles?

    Some omissions, so far, that surprise me: Dustin Hoffman (Ray Babbitt in Rain Man; possibly several more); Paul Newman (Cool Hand Luke); Clint Eastwood (Josey Wales); Tom Cruise (Maverick in Top Gun; Joel Goodson in Risky Business); Sylvester Stallone (Rocky). Perhaps some of these simply suggest pop culture in my formative years and not being able to imagine the actor without the movie rather than the movie without the actor.

    1. Hoffman as Ratso Rizzo in Midnight Cowboy.
      (Steve Buscemi would have been good there though.)

  27. I’ll go with Sterling Hayden as Brig. General Jack Ripper in Dr. Strangelove. There’s something about him smoking a cigar and holding a large machine gun, telling Peter Sellers, “Feed me,” that makes me think only he can do that role.

    I’m glad a few women have shown up on this list. I was bothered by the fact that few, other than Judy Garland playing the role of Dorothy, came to my mind.

  28. Andrew Robinson as the deranged killer, Scorpio in Dirty Harry
    R. Lee Ermey as SGT Hartman in Full Metal Jacket
    Christopher Reeve as Superman – watch the scene where Clark Kent is about to reveal his secret identity to Lois Lane, then changes his mind.

    1. This doesn’t have as much to do with an actor/character as it has to do with the movie the character is in, but the scene where Peter Sellers is being chauffeured in Shirley McClaine’s limo to Biltmore House in “Being There”, while the Cheech & Chong song, “Basketball Jones”, is playing has to be worthy of an Oscar.

  30. Julianne Moore was good in Hannibal (the movie) but it’s hard to replace Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling. However, I thought Mads Mikkelsen’s portrayal of Hannibal Lecter was superior to that of Anthony Hopkins (I have no strong memory or impression of Brian Cox’s performance of Lecter).

    Chevy Chase is the definitive Fletch, even though Jon Hamm’s portrayal was arguably more similar to the Fletch of the books.

  31. Thanks for the distraction! Most fun I’ve had while proctoring an exam, probably ever! I was born in the late fifties but love classic old movies. Agree with other postings, here are some of my favorites, trying not duplicate other folks, but got beat the punch by others. Could do this all day!

    Katherine Hepburn: The Lion in Winter (Eleanor of Aquitaine), The African Queen (Rose Sayer), Bringing Up Baby (Susan Vance)

    Errol Flynn: Robin Hood (no one else comes close, except maybe Douglas Fairbanks), also for Captain Blood and the Seahawk, who is a better pirate?

    Henry Fonda: Mr. Roberts (and many others!)

    John Belushi Animal House (Bluto)

    Peter O’Toole Lawrence of Arabia, but my favorite O’Toole movie is My Favorite Year

    Peter Sellers: Being There (Chance the Gardener), Dr, Strangelove, The Party (Hrundi V. Bakshi)

    Couples:

    McLintock (Maureen O’Hara & John Wayne), albeit misogynistic and sexy, but hilarious

    The Thin Man (Myrna Loy & William Powell)

    1. forgot (how could I!)

      Paul Newman: Judge Roy Bean (my favorite of his movies)

      Bill Murray: Steve Zissou (The Life Aquatic)

    2. McLintock (Maureen O’Hara & John Wayne), albeit misogynistic and SEXIST, but hilarious

  32. I agree with all your choices, except I haven’t seen High Noon.

    More men come to mind, but here are a few roles that I couldn’t imagine being played by any other actress….

    Kathy Bates, Misery
    Better Davis, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
    Diane Keaton, Annie Hall
    Better Midler, The Rose

    A few more guys….

    Bruno Ganz, Downfall
    David Bowie, The Man Who Fell to Earth.
    Peter Sellers, Dr Strangelove

    1. When I read the novel Misery, I pictured Conchata Ferrell in the role. I agree yhat Kathy Bates was excellent.

      1. I had to google her, she looks like the mature figure that Kathy Bates played.

        I prefer to read a book first, but sometimes when a film doesn’t match the casting in your head, it can be irritating. I got annoyed at Draco Malfoy in the first Harry Potter film when his hair was blonde and not the black that I’d imagined 😁 But later, I realised that the book said he’s blonde, and my imagination had overruled JKR when I read the book 🤦‍♀️.

  33. This IS super fun.

    The first one that comes to mind is Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow – maybe it’s because of my pirate obsession which never resolved like it was supposed to at the age of 9 (same goes for fascination with dinosaurs).

    As a millennial I also can’t imagine a Kevin McCallister (Home Alone) who is not played by Macaulay Culkin. Damn, I guess my mom is right and I did stay a child in many ways.

  35. Charlie Chaplin as the iconic TRAMP – favorite movie?… all of them.
    warm regards

    1. Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump – never a movie with no logic was so popular.
      warm regards

  36. Angela Lansbury as Eleanor Shaw in The Manchurian Candidate.

    Madeline Kahn as Lili Von Shtupp in Blazing Saddles.

    Sigourney Weaver as Ripley in the Alien franchise.

    Sharon Stone as Catherine Trammell in Basic Instinct.

    Jane Darwell as Ma Joad in The Grapes of Wrath.

    Bette Davis in just about every role she played. Judy Garland, too.

    1. Madeline Kahn in Young Frankenstein too. Also Peter Boyle as the monster in it is classic. Plus the hilarious Marty Feldman as Igor. He died far too young. Then there’s Cloris Leachman as Frau Blücher. So many unique characters in one film.

      Darn, I’ll be singing ” Putting on the Ritz” for the rest of the day now.

  38. Rutger Hauger as Roy Batty in Blade Runner.

    Dennis Hopper as Frank Booth in Blue Velvet.

    Dog as Lassie in Lassie.

    2. I remember reading in TV Guide that Lassie’s real name was “Friend”, (a he.) But then TV Guide told me that Mr. Ed could really talk, so who knows?

  39. Woody in every film he made between “Take the Money and Run” and “Annie Hall”.

    Orson Welles in The Third Man”

    Peter Sellers and Sterling Hayden and George C. Scott and Keenan Wynn and Peter Bull in “Dr. Strangelove”.

    Cate Blanchette in “Blue Jasmine” and any number of other parts, including some in otherwise not outstanding films.

    Meryl Streep also in many different films.

    Every cast member in “The Death of Stalin”.

    And, of course, Groucho Marx in everything.

    1. +++ The Death of Stalin

      Another one where I’d say ‘every cast member’ is JoJo Rabbit. I don’t often watch a film more than once but I bought JoJo as I loved it so much. Taika Waititi as Hitler is perfectly manic, and despite not liking, child actors much the wee boy it was excellent. As was Sam Rockwell.

  40. My wife came up with Geena Davis in both Accidental Tourist and Beetlejuice, Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction and Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovitch. We also thought of Kathy Bates in Misery and I see Joolz has flagged her so +1.

    Not a movie but I can’t imagine Happy Valley (anything but) without Sarah Lancashire as Police Sgt. Catharine Cawood.

  42. Glenda Jackson in pretty well anything but “A Touch of Class” (film) and “Elizabeth R” (TV) must be her go to’s….

  43. My go to answer for this question has always been George C. Scott as Patton, which Jerry already mentioned. To this day seeing him in any other movies just seems sort of weird.

    John Lithgow as Lord John Whorfin in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. If you’ve never seen this movie, and you like quirky comedies, give yourself a treat and watch it. Lots of fun all around, but John Lithgow crushes it.

  44. Talking of James Bond, if you have never compared Ian Fleming’s fictional James Bond to a real spy check out a news article dated 13 September 2024 in TheBurlingtonFiles website. Sadly for Fleming’s Bond, reality like exploding pagers and walkie-talkies is leaving espionage fiction in the ashtray of history. Why not forget about fictional agents like Bond and Bourne dashing to save the world from disaster and forget about CIA and MI6 officers reclining on their couches dreaming up espionage scenarios to try and thrill you. Check out what a real MI6 and CIA secret agent does nowadays. Why not browse through TheBurlingtonFiles website and read about Bill Fairclough’s escapades when he was an active MI6 and CIA agent? The website is rather like an espionage museum without an admission fee … and no adverts. You will soon be immersed in a whole new world which you won’t want to exit.

  45. I would like to include Jack Nicholson also as Cnel Jessep in the final stage of “A Few Good Men”, Al Pacino as Cnel Slade in “Perfume of Woman”, and Jeremy Irons as John Tuld in “Margin Call”.
    .#

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