Jack Lemmon..And Other Stars Who Could Do It All

Didn't you see on Golden Pond? The Rounders? Mr. Roberts (with Jack Lemmon) to name just a few.

Was "On Golden Pond" considered a comedy? I did see that one. I must confess that I've never seen "The Rounders" or "Mr. Roberts" but I did remember, after posting that, seeing Mr. Fonda in "Yours, Mine and Ours" with Lucille Ball.

My favourite Jack Lemmon performance would be probably "Missing" (1982) with Sissy Spacek. He epitomises the god-fearing patriotic middle class American who discovers his own trusted government has been involved in the murder of his son, the pain and disillusion in that role is palpable! The film earned a Palme d'or award at Cannes.

Re: Jack Lemmon..And Other Stars Who Could Do It All


I rate Jack Lemmon very highly, if I had to pick just one film that was his best performance (which is impossible) I would have to go for Glengarry Glenross.

Not only was Jacks character a masterpiece the whole film was a masterpiece.

I was thinking of "Missing" too, Paaskynen. The quiet disbelief leading up to the total shock and all-consuming heartbreak...Trying to use reason to deal with the unreasonable.

Glengary Glenross...that was gloriously painful! What a performance. You could "smell" the desperation on, in and around him.

And what a cast! When you have Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino and Alec Baldwin in a film...you can't miss!

Although I'm not English, my two nominees are- Charlie Chaplin and Noel Coward. In addition to being actors who did comedy and drama- "Modern Times", "The Great Dictator", "Limelight" for Chaplin; "In Which We Serve" and "Blithe Spirit" for Coward. Also, both were award winning writers, directors, and composers.

Yep, you're right, flyboy -- it's hard to beat the one-man band, can-do-it-all person that was Charlie Chaplin.

BTW, I saw a documentary a few days ago about Steve McQueen -- actually, I missed the first part of it -- but I had forgotten what strong performances he'd done in some of his films. Papillion, for instance. There's no doubt he was not just another pretty face!

But, to tell you the truth, as eoe said upthread, I'm having trouble thinking of any comedic roles that he played. But just from watching him in other films, I think he would definately have had the range to do a comedy.

I've been trying to catch that McQueen documentary. I understand that they explore his quiet coolness, amongst other things.

The closest thing to a comedy that I can remember for him is a movie he did with Jackie Gleason, "Soldier in the Rain." They were schemers in the army and McQueen played a good ol' southern boy, accent and all.. But it wasn't exactly a comedy. I think Gleason died in the end.

It was a good documentary, eoe. Very interesting. It also featured a motorcycle stunt that McQueen did in one of films that was...Wow!! just very impressive.

Apparently, McQueen died from some form of cancer. It was really sad, he had been such a robust man and just seem to wither and fade away.

As far as his flics, I'd also have to say that in "The Cinncinnati Kid," he had some little "light" moments.... not exactly comedy, as you said...in fact, not really comedy at all...just "lighter" moments that came through.

Maybe it was just a dramatic character in a dramatic film, but with little bits of humor and poignancy so that the character was "shady" but still "likable."

All great, nearly irrefutable answers. I'd also weigh in with Robert DeNiro and Jack Nicholson. Both of their careers have gone the gamut from heavy drama to light comedy. They've both even sung <although admittedly, DeNiro's turn in "Analyze That" as the singing incarcerated mob boss is a stretch and Jack's turn with the pipes in "Tommy" and "On A Clear Day" can only charitably be referred to as warbling>.

My mother would so agree with your Jack Nicholson pick, Allen!! He's one of her all time favorites.

Me: Want to go to a movie, Mom?

Mom: Is Jack Nicholson in it?

And yes, he's always played those characters who are sort of "out there" but no matter if it's drama or comedy, he always brings a great performance to the table. He can literally "make" an otherwise mediocre film.

I really liked and even more, appreciated, his performance in "Wolf." It could have been so cheesy but he brought a sincerity and a realism to it that made it special.

deleted

Jack Nicholson, that is.