As I was relaxing tonight I happened across an old movie 'Race with the Devil' with Warren Oates, Peter Fonda and Loretta Swit. I watch a lot of westerns and have always liked Warren Oates. I happened to read his biography awhile back and he had a pretty interesting career. Woeked with Sam Peckinpah a lot and was in Stripes.

He served in the Marines went to college and became an actor and a pretty under rated one one of my favorite movies is 'Bring me the head of Alfredo Garcia' He plays a down and out piano player trying to make the big time.

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Stan

He has been one of my favorites for a long time. He was (is) a good'un.

One of my favorite movies. "Lighten up, Francis"

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jj

You're right, underrated. Did some good work on television too. Guest shots, some of them on good shows and some...well, he did one episode of "Lost In Space". But he's been dead for over thirty years, so we can forgive that.

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Oh well, what the hell.

One of the best character actors. My favorite is Strother Martin, and the still kickin' L.Q. Jones is right there with them. I believe Oates lived around Livingston, Mt. and can be seen briefly playing harmonica with Jimmy buffet for about five seconds in the great obscure movie Rancho Deluxe with Jeff Bridges.

My favorite Oates movie is "The Wild Bunch", but I loved him in "Two Lane Blacktop".

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I'm with the banned ...

Hardly one of Oates' memorable movies, but I like Dixie Dynamite. That is the one where Steve McQueen was an anonymous extra in a motorcycle race. Then there is Two Lane Blacktop where Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys was one of the co-stars. Warren Oates; he left us much too soon.

He was a VERY under rated and under appreciated actor. He was brilliant in Stripes. I guess talent doesn't count for very much. You need to look like Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise to get anywhere in Showbizz.

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Real men love cats!

He was all over for very many years but when I hear his name the first think I think of when he was the 'Fried Egg Monster' with the big bulgy eyes on the 'Outer Limits. It was kinda shocking when he took of his goggles and "YAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"

He played a great bad guy in Barquero with Lee Van Cleef.

"Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia" is a great film. Warren Oates is definitely underrated, it's a shame that character actors like him have become a thing of the past, as super expensive headlining actors/actresses gobble up screen time to justify their cost. Shame, really.

That's my favorite role of his.

It's an excellent portrayal of a guy who knows he's starting out on a dubious venture that goes downhill from there, but he sticks with it anyway... kind of like the director, Sam Peckinpaugh who at the time was circling the drain as surely as Oates's character. Given the portrayal of Mexico in the film, it's interesting that the place has gotten much MORE violent and anarchic than it's portrayed in the movie.

In line with the other thread on "Encore Westerns", they showed "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia" as a western, which for the most part it is. Afterward, they showed a documentary on Peckinpaugh, which went into a lot of detail on "Garcia", as well as "The Wild Bunch" and some of his other films.

Forgot all about "Two Lane Blacktop!"

He was a great actor. Enjoyed him in all of the above.

Wasn't he in an obscure version of or a little known TV remake of "True Grit?"

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Cheers, Charles
SWCA #2442

[QUOTE=forindooruseonly;137326204 Warren Oates is definitely underrated, it's a shame that character actors like him have become a thing of the past...[/QUOTE]

Fortunately I can't entirely agree that character actors have become a thing of the past. Philip Seymour Hoffman is one of the best I've ever seen. Paul Newman became a wonderful character actor in his old age. Paul Giamatti and Harvey Keitel can hold their own with anyone, as can Gary Oldman and Gary Sinise. Steve Buscemi and James Woods apparently will always play creepy types, but they qualify. These aren't the stereotypical mega-star types like Cruise and Washington and Meryl Streep, though Streep can disappear into any character role the way Hoffman can and is, I think, the greatest living actress. Two Kevins, Spacey and Cline, can do anything from comedy to Shakespeare's history plays--Cline as Sir John Falstaff was amazing, garish and pathetic.

I think there's more good character acting these days than good movies, from the reviews I've read.

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Oh well, what the hell.

Very talented.

Anybody remember "The Hired Hand" with Peter Fonda?

He had some memorable lines in that one.
As I recall them:
"She got any teeth?"
"you can always tell when a man has something on his mind- he talks to people he don't know...."
"most folks do, ma'am..."

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

I get that, I guess what I should have said is that it's a shame that character actors don't get as much screen time as they used to.

"Bring me the head of Alfredo Garcia" is a riot, although meant to be serious. Kind of a retired gringo-run-amok in Mexico.

Warren Oates was also great as a Confederate PW in: Major Dundee-opposite Ben Johnson. Also, my favorite 30 minute Twilight Zone episode called: "The 7th is made up of Phantoms" had him as an Army Corporal and 2nd in charge of his Stuart tank.

I watch anything Warren Oates played in. Some real good ones as mentioned above and some not so well known. I liked him. Sorry he is gone. What we have to pick from now is pretty slim.

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James
On the Llano Estacado

I think that was the best movie Peter Fonda was ever in, but Warren Oates really carried the story.

I have seen versions of Hired Hand with a couple of crucial scenes deleted. That was a real shame, as it made the rest of the movie incomprehensible.

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You're shy a few manners.

The Wild Bunch:

I'm with you on all three,but you got to put Jack Elam in the mix.
f.t.

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South Carolina-God's country

Thanks for posting these photos, especially the first. "The walk" might be my favorite part of The Wild Bunch

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Cheers, Charles
SWCA #2442

My favorite Warren Oates performance was Ninety-two in the Shade, again opposite Peter Fonda, screenplay by Thomas McGuane (there's that Livingston/Paradise Valley connection again).

Oates was one those faces many my age recognize, but can't identify. Seems he was too often cast in a supporting role.

I'm one of the few that actually read credits, so his name and face both recognizable for me. He was truly a versatile actor.

The first role that came to mind when reading the subject here was Sam in 1967's "In The Heat Of The Night."

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GOA
USA Shooting Supporter

I just realized that Warren Oates was only 54 years old when he passed.
Kind of humbling when you think about it...

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Halfway and one more step

Wyatt Burp mentioned Jimmy Buffett (rancho deluxe). There's another link: Thomas McGuane was Buffetts brother in law.

92 in the shade was (is) a favorite book.

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Halfway and one more step

Surprised nobody remembered "Stoney Burke" With Jack Lord.

Dont get me started on Jack Elam--he was great in everything I ever saw him in--the first being: Rio Lobo as the Christopher Mitchum's characters Father.








Couldnt find the exact images I wanted but--these willl do.

Warren Oates was great for sure, the man with the permanent 5 o'clock shadow. He played Dillinger, too.

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Wayne
Torn & Frayed

Pics of Jack Elam should highlight "the eye".



f.t.

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South Carolina-God's country

My pleasure and, that is one of my favorite parts of the movie as well. Great Actors all of them.

Only the creator could come up with anything like Jack Elam..You could make a wax mold of his face, but it would melt before you could display it.

Back in the mid 60s I came out of a establishment in north hollywood or van nuys and jack elam was sitting in a old cadillac, even old for the day, he was parked in front of a doughnut shop and was attacking some doughnuts. I had to walk right by his car and he gave me that same look, it was almost like he was dareing me to say something!

Imagine a shootout between Elam and Marty Feldman. No, on second thought, you don't want to.

Never mind...

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Oh well, what the hell.

Thats similar to how I met James Cagney. I was 15 at the time and he was sitting at a table at a sidewalk cafe reading a newspaper and drinking a cup of Joe. My Parents pushed me into going to meet him and we all wound up taking with him for about 15 minutes. That is something ill never forget. Also, we had just left a tourist trap shop on Van Nuys-turned the corner and started walking down the street-when my parents stopped and started talking about a white-haired Gent at a table across the street saying it had to be him.

Being I was 15 at the time and never had an opportunity till recent-to become a fan of his-having seen him only in; Mister Roberts as the Captain--till I recently saw him in the 2nd movie with him in it: The Fighting 69th--it was because of that movie I became a fan of his. Anyway, long story short--I had just bought 15 or those 8x10 black and white photos of actors from the shop we left-and one of them was a photo of Cagney.

On walking to his table-he lowered his paper and looked at me with his glasses low on his nose and asked me my name. I was start struck--and couldnt remember my name-and he said he could remember his and said he was James Cagney. He then asked what I had in the bag and i handed it to him and he took out the photos and looked through them. He stopped and grinned when he saw I had one of him and asked me why I had his? and I told him because I finally saw him in something other than Mister Roberts-and it made me a fan of his. He actually asked me if he could sign the photo and I gladly "allowed" him to sign it.

He commented on the other pictures as around 12 of the 15--were all John Wayne, the rest were of Clint Eastwood. He made a comment on both saying he wished he had worked with both of them and regretted never doing so-but that he was good friends with them both.

Sorry for off subject again.