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An Interesting Career -- One Decade as a Movie Star

posted 2 years ago by ecarle (14979)
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An interesting career.

Rod Taylor got to be a movie star for exactly a decade....from The Time Machine in 1960 through Darker Than Amber in 1970.

He had a TV show called Hong Kong in 1960...and returned to TV with a show called Bearcats in 1971.

There would be a few more movies after he went back to TV -- The Train Robbers with John Wayne for one(where he was rather a sidekick and given little to do) but his "true" and legitimate movie stardom was 1960 to 1970.

It seems that every movie star at any level(Rod Taylor was "second tier") got one or two hits or classics to be remembered by. For Rod Taylor, they were The Time Machine(1960) for George Pal, and The Birds(1963) for Alfred Hitchcock. Two effects-driven films. Taylor loved George Pal ("A sweet, nice man") but didn't much like Hitchcock -- who rather ignored and belittled Taylor on The Birds.

Taylor had to take second leads in the 60's behind James Garner (36 hours) and Rock Hudson(A Gathering of Eagles) and Liz/Dick (The VIPS) but got enough of his own stand-alone movies to draw a fan base.

My favorite is "Hotel" (1967) in which Taylor got to lead a "sort of" all star cast in a very sophisticated multi-story tale about the goings on in the New Orleans hotel that Taylor manages for grand old owner Melvin Douglas. The movie has a great emotional score(backed by New Orleans jazz), a good script, and a great look.

Taylor got to switch in for Rock Hudson in two Doris Day comedies: the rather dull "Do Not Disturb" and the rather silly-trendy "The Glass Bottom Boat," which at least packed its spy tale with 60's comedy talent in support.

"Chuka" is a tough Western about a group of cavalry men trapped in a fort about to be overrun by Native Americans; slaughter is on the menu and the tale has a tragic inevitability to it. Also a great fight -- not to the death -- with Ernest Borgnine for Taylor.

"Dark of the Sun" is an ultra-violent 1968 movie -- much beloved by Tarantino -- where Rod has a vicious fight to the death with a neo-Nazi that broke new ground in screen payback (Rod breaks the guy's arms and tortures him in other ways before killing him.)

And "Darker than Amber" was a good swan song with ANOTHER great fight (not to the death) between Taylor and very brawny William Smith. Taylor was playing Florida private eye Travis McGee here, too bad it didn't go to "movie series."

Not a bad decade. Taylor worked for Hitchcock and he worked for John Ford(who directed SOME of Young Cassidy) and he left behind a few good movies and an overall good reputation.

[–] huwdj (4562) 2 years ago

I always thought him a bigger star - perhaps because when I was growing up even his lesser films were regularly on TV and I still watch The Time Machine and The Birds occasionally. Though for me Yvette Mimieux and Tippi Hedren are two good reasons to do so.

[–] ecarle (14979) 2 years ago

I always thought him a bigger star - perhaps because when I was growing up even his lesser films were regularly on TV

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I read somewhere that the coming of Turner Classic Movies in the 90s -- which played a lot of his movies -- brought Rod Taylor a whole new fan base. Given that he hailed from Australia as did Mel Gibson -- and looked a bit like him -- Taylor was dubbed "The Mel Gibson of the 60's" in some quarters. And Quentin Tarantino used him in Inglorious Basterds all the way in 2009. Taylor played Winston Churchill and looked pretty bad BUT..you could see and hear Rod Taylor in there. It was Taylor's final film.

I saw a lot of Taylor's movies in the 60s and I always thought he had good star quality. I was a bit surprised when he went back to TV and stayed there.

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and I still watch The Time Machine and The Birds occasionally.

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They ARE good movies, and they've kept Rod Taylor vital for new generations who see them.

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Though for me Yvette Mimieux and Tippi Hedren are two good reasons to do so.

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Oh, yeah. Rod Taylor was a handsome man and so he was often cast opposite beautiful women. He worked with Mimleux twice, in 1960's The Time Machine and in the macho and ultra-violent Dark of the Sun. Thanks to The Birds, Taylor and Tippi Hedren became a classic film couple and remained friends for years.

And you can see Rod canoodling in the 60's with babes like Jill St. John, , Catherine Spaak(Hotel), Lucianna Palazzi(sp?), and, I think, Claudia Cardinale. Plus some really hot British chick in Darker Than Amber.

[–] liscarkat (16434) 2 years ago

"Given that he hailed from Australia as did Mel Gibson -- and looked a bit like him..."

Not a bit, other than both being white guys.

[–] mikethemartian (6050) 2 years ago

I wonder if he was ever considered for James Bond even though he was Australian and not from Great Britain.

[–] Mrmojo4700 (20392) 2 years ago

Dark of the Sun - I recently got the DVD and have watched it twice. I’m convinced crucial to the story scenes were cut out of the fight to the death at the end. I believe Rod Taylor ate the heart of the nazi guy but the scene was never filmed or was not included. Earlier in the film the practice of eating your foes heart to gain his strength is talked about. Then at the end Rod’s 2nd in command refuses to walk with him after what he’s done, which is not shown on screen. What do you think?