PeteLeo
04-15-2007, 01:00 AM
We should note the passing last Friday (April 13) of longtime leading man and often "friend of the star" Barry Nelson. For some, he never achieved the recognition that would bouy him beyond the, "I know his face, but . . ." category, yet Nelson handled his roles with a polished ease that was always welcome.
At home in drama (THE HUMAN COMEDY, '43), comedy (THE FIRST TRAVELING SALESLADY, '56), sci-fi (THE BRAIN EATERS, '59), adventure (AIRPORT, '70), and even horror (THE SHINING, '80), Nelson extended his active career well past the half century mark.
Barry was also a titan of the trivia world for a single portrayal more than five decades ago. Who can tell me what iconic character whose adventures continue to draw big bucks in today's theaters was first played by Barry Nelson in a one-hour television version in the middle-Fifties?
(Here's a hint: this same character was later embodied by leading men who also appeared in movies as diverse as THE KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE, HELL HUNTERS, DARBY O'GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE, THE LAWNMOWER MAN, THE KING'S WHORE, THE CANNONBALL RUN, LAYER CAKE, THE LONGEST DAY, METEOR, THE LION IN WINTER, and THE LAST TIME I SAW PARIS, among many others.)
PeteLeo.
At home in drama (THE HUMAN COMEDY, '43), comedy (THE FIRST TRAVELING SALESLADY, '56), sci-fi (THE BRAIN EATERS, '59), adventure (AIRPORT, '70), and even horror (THE SHINING, '80), Nelson extended his active career well past the half century mark.
Barry was also a titan of the trivia world for a single portrayal more than five decades ago. Who can tell me what iconic character whose adventures continue to draw big bucks in today's theaters was first played by Barry Nelson in a one-hour television version in the middle-Fifties?
(Here's a hint: this same character was later embodied by leading men who also appeared in movies as diverse as THE KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE, HELL HUNTERS, DARBY O'GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE, THE LAWNMOWER MAN, THE KING'S WHORE, THE CANNONBALL RUN, LAYER CAKE, THE LONGEST DAY, METEOR, THE LION IN WINTER, and THE LAST TIME I SAW PARIS, among many others.)
PeteLeo.