Disastrous Demise: Our Sean is Gone...

You may be surprised to see the passing of Sir Sean Connery marked with my label for those beloved stars who helped contribute to the 1970-1980 cycle of disaster movies which changed my life. It's not something he is readily identified with. However, he did headline one of the entries in the genre, giving him a special place in my heart apart from his many other remarkable achievements. We did a pretty expansive photo essay on the physical charms of Connery quite some time ago (which bears revisiting!) if you wish to look him over carefully here. Today, we're going to touch on some of the (other) photos and projects that happen to be favorites of mine, though they may not be his most notable roles. Despite being known far and wide as the first James Bond, he had a remarkable range of movies under his belt when he passed away on Halloween, 2020 at the age of 90.

Born August 25th, 1930 in Edinburgh, Scotland, Thomas Sean Connery was 6'2" tall at age twelve. He joined the navy at age 16 and thereafter performed practically every job imaginable from lifeguard to milk deliveryman to artists model to coffin polisher! An interest in bodybuilding inadvertently led to a gig on stage in South Pacific and, from there, he worked on British TV and the occasional movie, honing his craft.

Connery had long since proven his virility whether it be taking on several members of a violent gang at once or tossing Johnny Stompanato onto his keister following some threatening behavior during Another Time, Another Place (1958) opposite Lana Turner. He had supporting roles in a few moderately successful films before landing the lead in the color Disney musical Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959.)

It was 1962's Dr. No, his debut as super spy James Bond, that really put him on the map, though. Seen here with sultry Ursula Andress, he amassed thousands of fan letters a week and could hardly walk along the street without being called out as the character (a fact that perturbed him.) Despite the risk of typecasting, even he couldn't deny the staggering success of the part and he proceeded to more films in the series.

To the delight of virtually everyone with their vision intact, he was often shirtless in the franchise and frequently taking a roll in the hay in-between thwarting bad guys.

In the midst of his time as Bond, he worked for Alfred Hitchcock in the psychological drama Marnie (1964), shocking the director by asking to see a script first. (He wanted to be sure he would be doing nothing "Bond-like" in the story.) Some less empathetic or more shallow viewers (such as myself!) had trouble understanding how Tippi Hedren could remain frigid while wed to the palpably sexy Connery.

Regardless of the international success of the James Bond movies, Connery was itching to move on and explore other types of roles. This, even though his latest, Thunderball (1965), was the highest-grossing one to that time and the number one money earner in the U.S. for that year.

Gracing the cover of Life magazine, Connery was now a household name. He walked away from the franchise following 1967's You Only Live Twice, replaced by George Lazenby. (I wonder if Burt Reynolds was in any way inspired by this photo when he opted to wear a torn up scuba top in Deliverance (1972.)

Many of his films from this stage were not barn-burners, but he was exploring different genres and settings, such as in the western Shalako (1968.) Many people dislike it and find there to be no chemistry between him and Brigitte Bardot, but I've always been fascinated by the movie. Perhaps it is because of the way the characters, in their European finery, are eventually deconstructed by some (very!) hostile Apaches. This is a trope that I always enjoyed in the disaster movies.

With The Anderson Tapes (1971), Connery finally scored a decent box office hit and established success outside the Bond franchise. He had, however, by then committed to make one more - Diamonds Are Forever (1971) - whereupon he flatly stated, "Never again!" I always enjoyed The Anderson Tapes, directed by Sidney Lumet, who was a favorite of Connery's.

Surely one of his most unusual roles (not to mention scantily-clad ones!) came with 1974's Zardoz. This part had initially been intended for Burt Reynolds, which one can sort of imagine (though I don't know that Burt could have properly pulled this look off either.)

Definitely pursuing new horizons on the opposite end of the "shaken, not stirred" spectrum.

Also in 1974, he worked for Sidney Lumet again as one of a train-full of suspects in Murder on the Orient Express, a much-beloved movie of mine. He proceeded on to sweeping historical films such as The Wind and the Lion (1975), The Man Who Would Be King (1975) and Robin and Marian (1976.)

On the heels of A Bridge Too Far (1977) and The Great Train Robbery (1978), Connery filmed his entry into the then-hot genre of the all-star natural disaster movie, in this case Meteor (1979.) Co-starring was a somewhat drab Natalie Wood, who accepted her part because it permitted her to speak Russian.

Although the movie wasn't cheap (and was directed by Ronald Neame of The Poseidon Adventure, 1972, fame!), it nonetheless had a cheap look, in particular where the title object was concerned. At least he was surrounded by a variety of esteemed performers from Karl Malden to Martin Landau to Brian Keith and even Henry Fonda, though most of them were far from their highest peak, career-wise.

Connery reportedly lost his shit once when a deluge of disgusting mud was unleashed onto him before he was expecting it, which is rather understandable.

Nonetheless, most of the on-set shots from the movie seem to depict a happy experience. The day this climax was filmed, an impish Connery pretended that he was going to drag a visiting Dinah Shore into the muck with him! The movie is not terrific, but I love every one of these films, which sparked my childhood imagination incredibly.

After filming Cuba (1979), Connery was off-screen for two years when he returned with a new look in Outland (1981.) A reworking of High Noon (1952) in outer space, he sported a scruffy beard and a close-cropped hairpiece.

The still-handsome, still-virile remained in demand as an actor (though shooting overruns on Outland cost him a featured role in Chariots of Fire, 1981, a Best Picture Oscar-winner.) In 1983, he would do something he swore he'd never do...

In 1983, Connery was coaxed back to the role which made him famous, James Bond, in the aptly-titled (and suggested by his wife) Never Say Never Again. Made by a rival company of the one who produced the franchise, it was a remake of Thunderball, a property partly owned by said rival. While reasonably successful, it was a highly-troubled production and that truly was the end of Connery in the role.

Mr. C was aging handsomely and lent his authoritative and commanding presence to various films including, as seen here, Highlander (1986.) He could still star in a picture (such as The Name of the Rose, 1986), but more often than not he was a prominent costar for much of the time now.

In this portrait from Highlander, he somewhat resembles Stanley Baker, a Welsh actor on whose film he worked way back in 1957.

The Untouchables (1987), in which he lent some heart to the Brian De Palma redux of the famed television series, copped him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar and he parlayed that into a wave of new high-profile roles. Here, he's seen as Harrison Ford's father in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989.)

Among many other hit movies of this period was The Hunt for Red October (1990), in which he helped bolster Alec Baldwin's debut as Jack Ryan in what would become a series (though Harrison Ford took over the next two entries, none of which contained Connery again.) He remained a sought-after performer up into the millennium until The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) soured him on the process and he retired. A decision to decline the role of Gandolf in The Lord of the Rings trilogy (claiming not to understand the script) cost him an estimated $450 million! But Connery virtually always did things his way.

Easily one of the most notable movie actors to come out of Scotland, Connery had come from delivering milk on a truck route to enjoying international superstardom. Sadly, his final years were affected by the onset of dementia, one of life's more cruel diseases.

He's now at rest, but left behind one impressive resume of stirring movies. (I guess I could have cropped out these bottles! But, hey, like many actors and others he liked a drink or two after work...)

The End!

Hold Still While I Tux You In...

Today, we're going to have a photo essay devoted to that classic men's formal wear staple, the tuxedo. (Demonstrated at left by William Powell.) If I'm being honest, it's really just a way to put a fresh post up while I row behind the scenes in the galley, preparing for another more involved one!  Nevertheless, you may find yourself admiring some of the pictures and/or the men in them.  It's interesting how women's formal fashions have changed dramatically many times over the decades, but no one has ever really found a way to top the classic black and white tuxedo on the men.  It's simply the most striking and stylish way for a man to present himself for a special occasion.

One of the masters of elegance and understated flair when it came to clothing (not to mention movement) was Mr. Fred Astaire, a dancing institution all to himself.

In nearly the same sort of get-up, we see Bela Lugosi in his Count Dracula mode.  When you stop to think of it, how many movie "monsters" have ever been done up this stylishly?!

French acting and singing icon Maurice Chevalier is spiffed up here, as was often the case.

Here we see "The Great Profile" himself, Mr. John Barrymore, looking very dignified.

This is a (very) young Errol Flynn, who idolized Barrymore and who, strangely enough, really didn't put on tuxedos all that often.

One accoutrement that has almost completely fallen by the wayside over the years is the top hat to go along with tails, but Clifton Webb looks pretty good in his.

Speaking of looking good, do you recognize this fella?  He has the top hat and even a cane to complete his ensemble.

That is a young and dashingly handsome Mr. Walter Pidgeon!  Who knew?

Every once in a while, John Wayne would even trade in his boots and chaps for a penguin suit.

What about this eye-scorcher?  Dan Dailey fitted out for a sparkling musical.

Seemingly born old, but always dressed stylishly, was David Niven.

Frankie Sinatra near the beginning of his lengthy career...

The King of Hollywood, Clark Gable, towards the end of his...

Tyrone Power, rocking the pinky ring.

Perhaps the epitome of elegance and style when it comes to film actors, Cary Grant.

Another well-heeled gentleman, French actor Louis Jourdan.

Rather rare to see Dana Andrews with a mustache, but he looks handsome in his tuxedo.

Opera star and movie actor Mario Lanza.

Marlon Brando (the time he decided to actually accept his Oscar.)

Here's a man you rarely saw dressed in a tuxedo, the rebel himself James Dean.

Legendary piano-playing vocalist Nat King Cole.

Snappy singing sensation Bobby Darin.

Film-actor-turned-TV-icon Robert Young.

Look at still wet-behind-the-ears Robert Redford during an appearance on Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Beauteous hunk and eventual governmental ambassador John Gavin.

Singer and actor Dean Martin.

James Coburn during his tenure as Derek Flint in Our Man Flint (1966) and In Like Flynt (1967.)

Legendary (and legendarily old) funnyman George Burns.

Burt Reynolds sporting a white coat in the film debacle At Long Last Love (1975.)

A few (chiefly) television personalities, starting with Don Adams of Get Smart.

Bob Newhart, who starred in a couple of successful sitcoms bearing his name.

Mr. Television, Milton Berle.  Note the appearance of a ruffled shirt, a late-'60s and 1970s staple.

The same is evidenced on Jack Klugman of The Odd Couple.

Even Roddy McDowall (in his Planet of the Apes guise) has them on as he stops by The Carol Burnett Show.

Insult comedian Don Rickles shows off the larger bow ties which also punctuated that era.

Sherman Hemsley of The Jeffersons takes tuxedo variation to a whole new level!

Sometimes the color was shifted completely from black (as shown by Lee Majors), a look I cannot say I am fond of.

The '80s were a time when the visible bow tie band and a stand-up collar came back into vogue, as evidence by Jon-Erik Hexum (i.e. God!)

Don Johnson, who parlayed Miami Vice into a renewed movie career, is shown here tuxed-up.

Dynasty brought glitz to the airwaves from 1981 - 1989, frequently placing its male stars in tuxedos (seen here:  Gordon Thomson, John Forsythe, Michael Nader and John James.)

This additional shot of Gordon Thomson is for you NotFelixUnger...

My own first impressions of tuxedos were as a goggle-eyed seven year-old watching The Towering Inferno (1974), so the soon-to-be-dated ruffles and color variants never seemed as horrid to me as they did to so many other people.  Here we see Robert Vaughn from said film.

And this is Mr. William Holden, whose coat was red (seen at bottom), but in this black and white photo you can see the pattern of the fabric more clearly.  Ahhh, the '70s...

Costar Richard Chamberlain sported a ruffled beige shirt that would up getting quite filthy as the disaster wore on.

This isn't from Inferno, but is of that movie's star Paul Newman at an awards ceremony.  (The title conflagration kept Newman from being able to don his tuxedo in the movie!)

Cinematic tuxedos were a staple of the James Bond series of films.  Mr. Sean Connery got things rolling...

Here he is in color.

His immediate replacement (for one film only) was former model George Lazenby.

Next came suave Roger Moore...

...followed by the comparatively rugged Timothy Dalton.

Back to a more elegant Bond with Pierce Brosnan.

The most recent James Bond, Daniel Craig, is, in my opinion, quite wonderful in the role, unlikely as he may have seemed at first.

Here are some other contemporary actors decked out in their tuxedos, starting with Richard Gere.

Handsome Ralph Fiennes

An atypically well-groomed Johnny Depp.

The latest Superman, Henry Cavill.

The nearly always put-together Hugh Jackman.

Actor-turned-esteemed-director Clint Eastwood.

Behold the solid handsomeness of Mad Men star Jon Hamm.

One of my favorite contemporary actors, Javier Bardem.

Typically well-turned-out Leonardo DiCaprio, who seemed to understand the importance of dressing well while still a young man.

Two others who "got the memo" early in their careers to dress right for the occasion are Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, seen here collecting Oscar statuettes back in 1998 when they were all but puppies!

Compare them to the ill-fitting, cattywampus get-up that flavor of the moment Justin Beiber is wearing here.

Then there's Channing Tatum and Alex Pettyfer sporting only the barest remnants of the tuxedo in Magic Mike (2012.)  (Perhaps I should do a photo essay on this look next time!)

My own personal favorite man in a tux is Mr. George Clooney, who always looks stunning no matter what variety of suit he is wearing or whatever type of facial growth or hairstyle his movies dictate him to have at any given moment.

Ever since he burst forward on the hit show ER, he tossed aside all the crazy clothes he favored as a youth (it was the '80s after all) and began to emerge as a fashion icon in the classic tradition.

I have had the pleasure of being within ten feet of this man and he is truly a star, in or out of a tuxedo.  That's it til next time, my friends!