Old School today. What was Henry Fonda's signature role? (1 Viewer)

[badmojo1006]

So many movies, I missed a few.

But I went with Mr. Roberts. Such a great performance

 

[Ilov80s]

That's a tough one for sure. He was always great in Westerns but I suspect 12 Angry Men will win since it's the movie of his people are most likely to have seen. I went with Tom Joad though, I consider it his best performance and his best movie. 

Shout out to the Lady Eve though, it's fun to see him play a clumsy nerd in a screwball comedy. He was so versatile. 

 

[Scott Tenorman]

Once Upon a Time in the West

He was a great bad guy for a change.

 

[trogg78]

No Easy Rider?

eta: My bad, wrong Fonda.

 

[Joe Mammy]

Other-  Big Hand for the Little Lady

 

[rustycolts]

Ft. Apache and Cheyenne Social club were always two of my favorites.  Voted for Mr. Roberts though.

 

[Ilov80s]

Ft. Apache and Cheyenne Social club were always two of my favorites.  Voted for Mr. Roberts though.

Owen Thursday is such a punk ### ##### in Ft. Apache

 

[Eephus]

Went with Tom Joad because the role is emblematic of the decent everyman that Fonda often portrayed.  This could be used against type when he played more villainous or ambivalent characters.

 

[Ilov80s]

Went with Tom Joad because the role is emblematic of the decent everyman that Fonda often portrayed.  This could be used against type when he played more villainous or ambivalent characters.

Yeah but he’s not really all that decent. There’s a lot of darkness there that we would see fully come out later.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Once Upon a Time in the West

He was a great bad guy for a change.

Always like it when the hero type plays bad. 

 

[Leroy Hoard]

No Easy Rider?

eta: My bad, wrong Fonda.

No problem, we all know you were talking about Jane.

 

[wikkidpissah]

Wherever a guy questions that the greatest soliloquy in movie history doesnt determine a signature role, I'll be there

 

[Eephus]

Yeah but he’s not really all that decent. There’s a lot of darkness there that we would see fully come out later.

They were dark times

 

[Leroy Hoard]

They were dark times

When you would sell 4 apples for 2 dimes.

 

[jhib]

I'm going to go with Blue, the guy that died right before the lube wrestling match.  

 

[wikkidpissah]

hmmmm - 5:50 mark here, Fonda himself picks Mr Roberts

 

[Ilov80s]

Since we have been discussing signature roles and old movie stars, I have to bring up Robert Mitchum’a thoughts on this idea 

to paraphrase

Osborne: What’s the best Robert Mitchum performance?

Mitchum: I don’t know

Osborne:Isn’t there a performance of yours that you saw and thought was special?

Mitchum: I wouldn’t know, they didn’t pay us to see them 

 

[PIK95]

Who?

 

[NutterButter]

12 angry men is one of the GOATs.   Easy choice. 

 

[Don Quixote]

Results remind me to please never do an Alec Guinness one, or I might get banned.

 

[Eephus]

hmmmm - 5:50 mark here, Fonda himself picks Mr Roberts

Lemmon stole some scenes but part of what makes Fonda great is his generosity as an actor. 

 

[berndog]

Not sure it was his signature role but he was amazing in Norman in On Golden Pond. 

Watching my Grandfather have Alzheimer’s and then watching that movie was incredibly powerful and something I will never forget 

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

Not sure it was his signature role but he was amazing in Norman in On Golden Pond. 

Watching my Grandfather have Alzheimer’s and then watching that movie was incredibly powerful and something I will never forget 

I saw an interview with Jane Fonda where she got teary-eyed in describing how autobiographical much of the emotional stuff was between her and Henry in the movie. She quoted the line where she says "It seems like we have been mad at each other for a long time," and he responds with "I just thought we didn't like each other."

At the end of that scene, Jane reaches out and touches Henry's arm (it wasn't in the script) and he starts to cry. 

 

[Ilov80s]

I saw an interview with Jane Fonda where she got teary-eyed in describing how autobiographical much of the emotional stuff was between her and Henry in the movie. She quoted the line where she says "It seems like we have been mad at each other for a long time," and he responds with "I just thought we didn't like each other."

At the end of that scene, Jane reaches out and touches Henry's arm (it wasn't in the script) and he starts to cry. 

Apparently Henry hated all the “method” style Jane used and thought she wasn’t a real actress. He was pretty rough on her making that movie- often belittling her acting approach. She said Katharine Hepburn is what for her through the movie.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

She said Katharine Hepburn is what for her through the movie.

I read the exact same thing.

Hepburn had a long-time reputation as being cold, aloof, standoffish. Yet, she spent the duration of this movie trying to get Henry and Jane to reconcile. When they had downtime between scenes, she pushed them to simply talk to each other. At meals, she made sure sure they sat next to each other. 

She deliberately prolonged scenes with the three of them so Henry and Jane would have to work through their emotions. 

 

[Eephus]

TCM is showing The Wrong Man today at 1PM EST.  I haven't watched it for decades but I remember it as a dark little film about a man trapped by circumstances.  Fonda plays the title character.

Hitchcock made it during his late 1950s peak period which is as strong a half decade of work as any director has ever had.

 

[wikkidpissah]

TCM is showing The Wrong Man today at 1PM EST.  I haven't watched it for decades but I remember it as a dark little film about a man trapped by circumstances.  Fonda plays the title character.

Hitchcock made it during his late 1950s peak period which is as strong a half decade of work as any director has ever had.

Saw it again a few wks ago and meh. Those two 1956 flix, this and Man Who Knew Too Much, he was clearly mining something about terror & the family that just didn't register w me.