Sidestepping is what politicians do they just don’t do it with the same panache as Durning did onscreen. I still think of Durning almost each and every time I hear/see politicians being interviewed on TV, which has been quite a lot lately, given that we’ve just come through a nasty election year. I’ll let the experts argue about whether an actor who steals scenes can really be considered “supporting.” All I know is Durning’s stint makes audience members sit up and take notice of a fierce talent. When Durning was named one of the finalists, I was pleased though not the least bit surprised. Okay, when I first saw Durning break into his clever song and dance–at the long gone AMC Prestonwood 5–I had an instant hunch that I was watching a likely Oscar nominee. The movie version of The Best Little Whorehouse…is a mixed bag though Parton, Reynolds, and even Jim Nabors all have their moments, but ask just about anyone: as the Good Ole Governor, Charles Durning pretty much steals the show in one little amusing number entitled ‘The Sidestep.” Indeed, his performance in the film earned him the first of his two Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominations. This is the movie in which Parton re-introduced her famous ballad “I Will Always Love You,” which both she and Linda Ronstadt had previously recorded–and which Whitney Houston would immortalize a decade later in The Bodyguard…but I digress. The movie was retooled as a starring vehicle for Parton–and Reynolds–by director Colin Higgins with whom Parton had enjoyed major box-office success in 1980’s 9 to 5. He also earned, as noted, a whopping nine Emmy nominations, including a pair for his work on the once popular sitcom, Evening Shade starring Burt Reynolds–with whom Durning co-starred in Starting Over (1979), Sharky’s Machine (1981), Stick (1985), and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982).Īh yes, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, big screen version of the Tony winning stage show–originally co-directed and co-choreographed by Texas’s own Tommy Tune–that fictionalizes the story of a real-life house of prostitution that operated illegally for decades, with the complicit cooperation of local law enforcement, to clarify, until its demise became the objective of a zealous news reporter. Durning was a four time Golden Globe nominee, taking home one of the Hollywood Foreign Press trophies for The Kennedys of Massachusetts (a 1990 mini-series about America’s most fascinating political clan). He had key roles in a few movies that I adore that almost everyone else despises, The Man with One Red Shoe (1985) and V.I. His credits also include a pair of Coen titles, The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) and O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000). In between, he appeared in scads and scads of offerings, including The Sting (Best Picture, 1973), Dog Day Afternoon (a 1975 Best Picture nominee), David Mamet’s State and Main, the original creepfest When a Stranger Calls (1979) along with a made for TV knockoff, When a Stranger Calls Back. His most recent credits include Scavenger Killers (still in production) and the well-received Dennis Leary series Rescue Me (for which Durning earned one of his nine Emmy nominations). Per the IMDb, his filmography includes 207 appearances in movies and on television, going all the way back to the old You are There TV series from the 1950s. The second actor to pass away on the 24th is Charles Durning. Additionally, he also garnered a Tony nomination for his role as Herbie in the original Broadway production of the long-running musical Gypsy. His first Emmy came years before The Odd Couple when he appeared on The Defenders in the early 1960s. He earned a total of 10 Emmy nods not only for The Odd Couple but also for the long running Quincy M.E. Klugman won two Emmy awards for his performance in the TV show. Klugman actually portrayed the show’s slobby sportswriter Oscar Madison on Broadway when original star Walter Matthau left the cast. Jack Klugman, revered for his work with Tony Randall in the TV adaptation of Neil Simon’s popular The Odd Couple, passed away at the age of 90 on December 24th. Two great American character actors passed away earlier during the week while we were all finishing up our last minute Christmas shopping, etc. Charles Durning won the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008, a fitting tribute to a true professional who gave many memorable performances in a variety of genres not only in films but also on stage and on television.
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