Jack Palance dies, May He R.I.P

[kikibalt]

[GorDoom]

What most people don't know is that Palance used to be a fighter. But not a very good one. My old man sparred with him as they trained at the same gym

My dad said he was a tough s.o.b. as he took beatings regularly in the gym - Stillman's if I recall correctly. He also said he was a real nice guy & my dad took pride in the fact tht he helped beat him out of boxing & send him into acting.

& Palance was one helluva actor.

R.I.P.

GorDoom

[Mikey Capp]

Very sad to hear that Jack Palance has passed on, another great actor from a time when you had to have substance more than good looks to be successful in show buisness.

Jack Palance also starred in the original Playhouse 90's version of "Requiem for a Heavyweight" Rod Serling's riveting story of a journeyman pug and the exploits sorrounding the end of a fighters career.

Rest in Peace Jack Palance.

Regards Mikey Capp

[Chuck1052]

My parents were attending Stanford University when Jack
Palance was there. According to what I have heard,
Palance worked in a job on campus while being a student.
I hope that Palance's family, friends and fans accept my
condolences.

- Chuck Johnston

[gregbeyer]

you did good jack...RIP.
greg

[mike]

did a great job in reqiem for heavyweight.some nice guys dont finish last.

[Sharkey]

As a kid when I first saw "Shane" I was totally transfixed by Palance's weird portrayal of the western desperado. Whenever he got off that horse in that exaggerated way it sent chills up a little kid's spine.

Overracting worked for Jack Palance.

[werewolf]

Oh yeah, he was terrific in "Shane" (that's the photo up above). I liked his early work best. He was one ominous-looking dude! My favorite is his role as Blacky in "Panic In The Streets", 1950 I think.

Another scary-looking vegetarian is wrestling legend Killer Kowalski!





rrb

[werewolf]

I used to do 1-arm pushups just like that - until I pulled a groin muscle once, doing them without warming up at all.

[werewolf]

Boxrec only lists one fight of his:

http://www.boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=41420




Wikepedia says he had a more extensive boxing career:

"In the late 1930s, Palance started a professional boxing career. Fighting under the name Jack Brazzo, Palance reportedly compiled a record of 15 consecutive victories with 12 knockouts before losing a decision to the future heavyweight contender Joe Baksi.

With the outbreak of World War II, Palance's boxing career ended and his military career began. Palance's rugged face, which took many beatings in the boxing ring, was disfigured when he bailed out of his burning B-24 Liberator while on a training flight over southern Arizona, where he was a student pilot. Plastic surgeons repaired as much of the damage that they could, but he was left with a distinctive, somewhat gaunt, look..."


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Palance





ww

[TKO11]

This weekend one of the movie networks showed "Young Guns", which I thought was an interesting role for Palance. It's one of the very few times he played someone who wasn't really menacing at all - his character was smarmy, weasely and hid behind others when shooting his mouth off. That he pulled that role off so well was a real change from his usual in-your-face toughness.

Anyone else remember a TV movie of "Dracula" from ages ago? I caught it on a TBS or WGN weekender many years ago, with Palance playing the old count himself. Dracula is meant to be scary, but not THAT scary. Jack did this things with buggy eyes when he was on the prod for blood that left you feeling Dracula was not only a terrifying bloodsucker, but an utter psycho as well.....

[thumper3852]

My favorite roles he played were in Shane and his role in Barabbas with Anthony Quinn; he played a truly repugnant, sadistic gladiator boss.