Jim the Serious Thespian
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Jim Backus
theowinthrop — 21 years ago(March 18, 2005 03:13 PM)
Jim Backus was amazed that he became a popular culture icon by being the voice of a nearsited eccentric cartoon character, and a shipwrecked eccentric millionaire (with his wife). Up until Quinc5b4y Magoo and Thurston Howell III popped up he had a long, steady career in straight acting. I saw an early example of it today on the Turner Movie Channel: "A Dangerous Profession", which starred George Raft, Pat O'Brien, Ellen Raines, and Roland Winters. He played an honest police Lieutenant who is temporarily estranged from his old comrade in arms Raft who has become a possibly crooked bail bondsman. A good performance in a straight supporting role. He had other examples. Most people recall him for the whimpish, but likeable father of James Dean in "Rebel Without A Cause", but there was his bewildered military aide to Kirk Douglas in "Top Secret Affair" and Lon Chaney Sr.'s (Jimmy Cagney's) agent and friend in "Man of a Thousand Faces". He also had a nice little role in that lovely little comic gem "Boys' Night Out", as the apartment house agent.
Some of these not as over the top as his wealthy drunken plane pilot in "ITS
A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD", but they demonstrate ability as an actor too overlooked watching the wackier side of the man. He had more in him than going to bed with his teddy bear on that island with Nathalie Shaefer, or talking to a bouy in the ocean, thinking it was a lifeguard. -
scottythefield — 19 years ago(July 09, 2006 12:07 PM)
Not entirely on topic, but I just have to point out that some of my favourite Backus voice work was in that pair of Warner Brothers cartoons he did in 1948-49, "A Lad In His Lamp" and "The Windblown Hare". Backus and Mel Blanc played off against each other wonderfully; and, strangely, both died within the very same week in 1989.