10.
A great chap from "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" who was minding his own business collecting Cacti in the desert when he happened upon the family of Hell headed by Ethel Merman ("Sylvester!"). Of course he is eagerly brought in to find the money hidden under the Big W. Who doesn't love that gap-toothed grin?
9.
Gilligan
Surprise!! Back in the 70's, much to my mom's chagrin, I would come home from school and watch "Gilligan's Island" followed by "Lost In Space". I think I drove her nuts. Who wouldn't love the stupid oaf who has not quite figured out that he has 2 hot babes (and I don't mean Mrs. Howell) that he could have his way with for many years. Nope! The dumb oaf would get all nervous and then knock himself out when Ginger tried to kiss him. He always caused some trouble and I do believe he was the Skipper's boy toy...just saying.
8.
Bond.....James Bond
Was he a bad boy that set women's lib back 500 years? Yup. Shouldn't he be dead by now from cancer from all the smoking he did? Yup! Shouldn't he be dead from cirrhosis of the liver? Yup! Shouldn't his penis (note the small gun) have gotten gangrene and fallen off from all the sex he has had? Yup..actually double yup! I can't get enough of this character and I do like Sean Connery the best. He showed arrogance, posh, swagger and all the other idiotic things that this character has in spades. I never miss a film and can't wait to find out what the main women characters are called (my favourite is Pussy Galore). If he came into my life with bullets blazing only to be dragged into a car being driven by him avoiding the bad guys and then be seduced and left in the dust,,, would I do it? Yup! Just call me Birgie Bosumbottom.
7.
Arthur "Cody" Jarrett
Now you have your psychos and then you have Cody played brilliantly by James Cagney. A man who adores his mom a bit too much and who suffers migraines when things just are not going his way. Now I don't think I would ever want to meet this nut but this character is so well-developed and brilliantly acted that you can't help but root for the crazy ass. Top of the world to ya!
6.
Gandolf
What's not to love about one of the best characters from a book and movie? He seems so sweet and not very strong but whoaaaa! He can kick some ass!! From his old pointed hat to the bottom of his ragged robes at the bottom, this Wizard commands respect and gets it and we know his underwear is in wonderful rainbow colours. He can stand the test of time and will.
5.
Rooster Cogburn
Forget about Jeff Bridges' horrible portrayal of this character (Yes I said this so blech-sticking out tongue). Nobody can make this character as wonderful as the Great John Wayne. He doesn't have to create a gravelly voice that sounds like he is trying to hard (sorry Jeff, I like you but not in this role). This character boozes too much, shoots first and asks questions later and can be quite ornery but has a heart that defys the man. He shows no fear and you want him beside you when you feel bullied. This is the best portrayal of this character, hands down. "Fill your reigns you son of a bitch!"
4.
Rod Serling
OK, OK, I am breaking, um, bending the rules here a bit but it just wouldn't be me otherwise. Rod Serling was a great writer who wrote "Requiem For A Heavyweight" but is best known for the TV series, "The Twilight Zone". He wrote many of the episodes and he introduced each episode. They were excellent shows that starred many great actors and were often quite eerie and thought-provoking. I can say it just would not be the same without his unique speaking and delivery. He also looked like a typical GI Man or Newsman so that just helped the series even more.
3.
Neal Page and Del Griffiths
Yup, Breaking...bending the rules again because these 2 go hand in hand...except when they are between 2 pillows:) It is like an updated Odd Couple with Steven Martin as the always in control, clean, happily married ad man on the road with John Candy's sloppy, good-hearted shower curtain salesman. Neal Page learns a thing or 2 from his new found friend Del and this has become one of my all time favourite comedies with a heart.
2.
Ethan Edwards
This is a famous scene with John Wayne paying homage to a great silent western star, Harry Carey who had passed away before this film was made. John Wayne made sure his wife and son had parts in the film. Ethan is a driven man who is racist and harbours a secret love for his brother's wife. When they are killed and their daughter is taken by the Indians, he goes on a 5 years search...quest actually, to find little Debbie, and bring her home...or does he plan to kill her instead? A haunted man who dreams of family but will never have one. Brilliant acting!
1.
George Bailey
Yeah...like you didn't know:) If anyone knows me they know this is my favourite film and Jimmy Stewart is my favourite actor. Believe ,me it pains me to have just 1 character portrayed by Jimmy Stewart on this list because I can easily do 10 and Hawkins, his short-lived TV show, would be on this list. George Bailey is flawed-he is a man who always wants to leave his hometown to see the world and resents his entire life that he built. Due to his loyalty and his inability to say no, he keeps the Bailey building and loan alive to fight evil Potter. He reluctantly gives in to his passion( one of the best passionate scenes he ever had) and marries Mary and he creates new homes for people to get out of the slums built by Potter. He never sees what he has until he is pushed to the brink of suicide and an angel intervenes. He is the everyman we all want to have as a neighbour, employer, friend, marriage partner and dad. What is not to love?
So this is my list. Can you name all the men who played Bond? I would love to know if some of you out there in blogland would love to make your own list..how about it? Alex Cavanaugh(Mr. Ninja), Stephen T McCarthy, Mr. Shady Del Knight, Cherdo by the Flipside, and anyone else...love to read what you pick. My women's list(save the best for last-hahahaaaa) will be next Monday.
When I saw your picture of Bob Denver my first thought was Maynard G. Krebs from Dobie Gillis. I loved that character perhaps more than Gilligan. Also love the movie IAMMMMW. Best part is Merman ending up in the trash can.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen Dobie Gillis even though I am aware of the show. I love that movie and Ethel Merman was so great in that film
DeleteInteresting, most of those characters don't mean a thing to me although I always enjoyed some of the actors. I always thought Sean Connery made the best Bond of the lot.
ReplyDeletehahahaaa I think one has to be a TV and film addict like me. I hope you get to see It's a Mad, mad, Mad, Mad World one day as I find that comedy one of the best
Deleteyep you cracked it...John Wayne,Jimmy Steward...Mark Harmon....my mind is buzzing...busy making my list! xxxxx
ReplyDeleteOh great! Let me know if you see any of these films:)
DeleteConnery was the best bond indeed. Planes, Trains and Automobiles was a great one. Gilligan sure had more than a three hour tour.
ReplyDeleteGilligan should have been fired the first day but that was not meant to be
DeleteSuch a diverse list. I distinctly remember seeing Planes, Trains and Automobiles in the theater and laughing so hard I was in pain, but I had no idea what the characters names were... The Professor was always my favorite on Gilligan's Island. It always bothered me that he didn't have a name.
ReplyDeleteI believe the Professor's name was Roy Hinkley:) It is mentioned in one of the first episodes. I had a crush on the Professor
DeleteI laughed when I saw Gilligan was on your list. :)
ReplyDeleteI don't think I could create a list like this because I would never be able to limit myself to 10. I know me...
It's tough and I could have made my list so much longer. I loved Gilligan's Island so much and still laugh at it
DeleteI was thrilled to see Gilligan and Gandolf make your list, Birgit. :)
ReplyDeleteI have fond memories of Gilligan's Island. Gandolf is one of the best characters ever!
DeleteI recognise John Wayne, Gandolf and 007. Only John Wayne gets away with - Life is tough but its tougher if your'e stupid. LOL.
ReplyDeleteLove that quote! Very true...maybe. They may be too stupid to know that life is tough
DeleteConnery will always be the best bond.
ReplyDeleteSpacerguy, I've always liked that quote!
he is a great Bond!
DeleteOkay, I'll take up the challenge and wrap my head around who are my 10 favorite characters on screen, big or small. It'll be a wonderful distraction from figuring a boring tech problem today. I like John Wayne's Rooster more than Bridge's, too. I couldn't understand what Bridge was saying a lot of the time. I have a favorite John Candy character, too. When it comes down to it, he is among my favorite actors.
ReplyDeleteBirgie Bosumbottom, lol! Maybe Gilligan wouldn't have resisted you. Interesting thought though about him being the Skipper's Boy Toy. What about the Professor? Why didn't he ever go for the gals?
I will look forward to your list! I always wondered about the Professor too. He was always too much into the books. What I always laughed at is they went for a 3 hr cruise but brought enough clothes and stuff with them to last a 3 year cruise.
DeleteOkay, let's see if I can do this without Wikipedia...
ReplyDeleteConnery
Moore
Lazenby
Dalton
Brosnan
Craig
Does Woody Allen count?
Yup You got almost all of them:) There is another
DeleteHi, dear Birgit! My list would include a bunch from your list and I am being totally honest about that. I remember going to see It's a Mad, Mad Mad Mad World in the theater upon its release. I never laughed harder or more often as I did that day. I loved Terry Thomas as J. Algernon Hawthorne, especially when he had to deal with Ethel Merman's brash character. Terry had more than his share of great rambling speeches including this observation about American men and women:
ReplyDelete"As far as I can see, American men have been totally emasculated. They're like slaves! They die like flies from coronary thrombosis, while their women sit under hairdryers, eating chocolates and arranging for every second Tuesday to be some sort of Mother's Day!"
I'll pick Bob Denver before he was Gilligan, back when when he played beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. "WORK!"
Sean Connery was the definitive Bond and I never missed a 007 movie that had Connery in the lead role. I was so profoundly influenced by that ladies man/man's man that I imitated his behavior whilst attending the Shady Dell. (I must have missed a few nuances of the character because I didn't have nearly as much success with the ladies. :)
Rod Serling was another major influence on me during my youth. I never missed an episode of The Twilight Zone.
My favorite Jimmy Stewart role was as lawyer Paul Biegler in Anatomy of a Murder. I will add to that Paul Newman as lawyer Frank Galvin in The Verdict.
How about smart aleck Eddie Haskell on Leave It To Beaver?
I loved Charles Martin Smith as Terry the Toad in American Graffiti and I will reserve my praise for Richard Dreyfus for his role as Roy Neary in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I pick two characters from my #2 ranked movie of all time, The Last Days of Disco. They are Chloë Sevigny as Alice Kinnon and Kate Beckinsale as Charlotte Pingress. Last but not least, my Pick To Click is Ashley Judd as Ruby Lee Gissing in my all time favorite movie Ruby In Paradise.
This was fun, dear BB. I hope you recognized and liked a few of my choices. Enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend!
OMG-I love that line from Mad World-lol Terry-Thomas says that perfectly. I have never seen Dobie Gillis believe it or not! They never showed these reruns in my part of town:) Do you know that this is one film of Jimmy Stewart's I have yet to see and it is in my top 5 to actually see this year. I will bump it up and see it this month, well July. Good ole Eddie Haskell-Even though i am fond of the Beave I never had that rascal Eddie in my top 10 but he is a great choice. I have not seen "The Last days of Disco" or "Ruby In Paradise" so I will put this in my book of films to see. "American Graffiti and Close Encounters are great character pics especially in American Graffiti where I would actually choose Michelle Philluips
DeleteGilligan's island might seem cheesy by today's standards, but I always thought Gilligan was funny.
ReplyDeleteIt's cheesy and dumb and I love it
DeleteHaha, I always suspected the Captain meant something sexual every time he said "Come on, little buddy."
ReplyDeleteHahahaaaaaaa-yes and remember the Skipper liked Gilligan on top
DeleteBIRGIT ~
ReplyDelete>>... how about it? Alex Cavanaugh (Mr. Ninja), Stephen T McMarthy, Mr. Shady Del Knight, Cherdo by the Flipside, and anyone else...
OK, this is SO "ON!", even if you did spell my last name wrong. Think: "Car", as in a 1959 Cadillac. Even if it's "mar"red, it's still a great "car". Amiright?
Alright, this will take some thought (when you've seen as many movies as I have...).
There are multiple ways one could approach this:
Top 10 male movie actors; Top 10 TV actors
Top 10 female movie actresses; Top 10 TV actresses.
Or, Top Ten male leads (Movies and TV) and
Top Ten female leads (Movies and TV).
I guess I'll follow YOUR lead and put the males and females together in two groups - BOTH movies and TV - which is a major feather in your cap, since I rarely "FOLLOW" anyone else's lead.
I need to think about this... The males will be "harder" than the females because I generally think, in the performing arts, men are better than women (no sexism intended, just a pure, honest opinion).
And should I make these separate blog bits on my own blog? Or just list them in YOUR comment section, after I've carefully thought about it? Any suggestions from you regarding this? I'll certainly listen and consider.
~ D-FensDogG
'Loyal American Underground'
Incidentally, I want to add that 'PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES' is quite possibly the funniest movie OF ALL TIME! "Overall", that's maybe the funniest "movie".
DeleteFor me, the FUNNIEST SCENE of all time is probably that entire sequence where Ralphie visits Santa Claus in the department store in 'A CHISTMAS STORY'. No matter how many times I've seen it, I ALWAYS wind up rolling around on the floor hysterically laughing - seriously! ("Seriously" because I ALWAYS watch TV while lying on the floor, and that segment always gets me rolling... and laughing... loudly!)
But "Laughs-Per-Minute", 'Planes, Trains, And Automobiles' might be #1 for me.
~ D-FensDogG
Oh gosh dabbit! I hate when i screw up people's names...forgive me. Oh yes I would love to see your pics on your blog and I know what you mean about trying to narrow them all down because I could have kept going. I am also totally understanding how the men are harder to choose who would be in the top 10 because there are so many great contenders. I left off Cary Grant character from Arsenic and Old lace never mind Peter Lorre! John Wayne in The Quiet Man. Jimmy Stewart in the Cheyenne Social Club.I can keep going. There is Frasier and his brother Niles, The Cartwright boys, well except for Adam:) I love so many moments in Planes, Trains. A Christmas Story is hilarious and so is Bad Santa in a very bad way. I just hope you don't pick Meryl Streep because the academy is always giving her some nomination even if they film her coughing up a fur ball. All is good in the long run though
DeleteBIRGIT ~
DeleteNo problem about the name. I was just teasing you a little.
With BOTB and a 2-part blog bit about Reno in the works, it's probably going to be awhile before I get to this (also I need to think up a couple songs to tie into the post, because my blog has a musical theme).
But I will eventually get to it and I'll make certain to inform you when it's posted.
Hokey-Smoke! Lots to think about, and it's real tough when Movies AND TV shows are combined. Not to worry about Meryl Streep though. She won't be gettin' nuttin' from me - I find her on the boring side.
~ D-FensDogG
She is boring-never understood the love for her. Oh yes no problem and I will love to see what music you bring into the mix. OMG I forgot about Rick from Casablanca!!! I love him:)
DeleteThis is such a great list of classic characters from movies and TV shows. My favorites include: Rod Serling from The Twilight Zone, and Steve Martin and John Candy from Planes, Trains and Automobiles. You're right that one of the best moments involved the "in between two pillows" line!
ReplyDeleteJulie
That is a great movie and the music in it just sets the tone so much. I can hear the music from that "special" morning
DeleteLoved seeing your list. As always you have some characters I know and some that are new to me. :) Love finding out about new characters too! I am obsessed with the show MASH- so I would have to add some of my favorites from there. Narrowing it down would be hard (I am currently rewatching the whole series on Netflix in order and hoping to find a show I missed over the years. Before this I watched it almost daily, but out of order). :)
ReplyDelete~Jess
OMG-I am addicted to MASH as well and watch it daily on the History Channel. It is so well written and acted. I think my favourite is Klinger before he went GI. I loved it when he thought he could hand glide out of the country in his housecoat and pink slippers
DeleteWhat a beautiful #1 choice! Love it...and love seeing such variety here...from Gilligan to Cody!!!!
ReplyDeleteOh they are all dear to my heart
DeleteBirgit, sweet Birgit: You have been given an award on my blog today! Stop by and check it out when you can and congrats!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cherdoontheflipside.com/2015/06/creative-blogger-award.htmld
That is so very sweet and thank you:)
DeleteWhat an eclectic mix, Birgit. The older guys sure brought back some sweet memories. I remember rushing home to watch Giligan and catching every rerun Dobbie Gillis... somehow Scooby fits into that mix too (Fred, Daphne, Velma and Shaggy!) Planes Trains... I still laugh thinking of it. Has to be the funniest movie ever! Can't wait to read your top 10 women.
ReplyDeletehugs Asha
I must be one of the few who never saw Bob Denver as Dobie Gillis. Oh gosh yes-Scooby Doo!! I never thought about it until years later that these for hippies who played music were travelling around in a psychedelic van chasing ghosts...where were their parents??:)
DeleteGreat post. I'm also looking forward to the list of females!
ReplyDeleteYup the list is being made as we speak
Delete