Another wooden performance in the woodpile that is Taylor's career. That's the biggest compliment I can pay him. Biased you say? Damn right I am. This is the same "patriot" who testified to HUAC in the 50's that there were communists in Hollywood. He and Reagan both did this, ruining many a career. Ethics-challenged rats the both of them.
In other words, he loved his country, something you would no nothing about if you think communists should be protected. You, probably, are one.
shareright on right on
shareAnd welcome to the ignorance that is America ladies and gentlemen. You're the kind of person who probably thinks Hitler was communist and that Nazis took over Germany.
Read a history book.
In other words, he loved his country, something you would no nothing about if you think communists should be protected. You, probably, are one.
rotfl are there seriously people still living who still believe McCarthy's with hunt was a patriotic pride parade?
You tell em, boy.
shareIs your "biased" opinion regarding the film UNDERCURRENT or Taylor's politics? Taylor took several years off at the height of his career to serve his country (John Wayne didn't). That said. My understanding is that the discussion should be about the film, not the politics of the film's star.
Taylor was one of the most underrated Hollywood film legends. Someday, he might get his due. Bob Taylor had a tremendous screen presence...Just watch his ROGUE COP, VALLEY OF THE KINGS, RIDE VAQUERO, THE BRIBE, or WESTWARD THE WOMEN. There are three scenes in Taylor's career that define him: In THE BRIBE, Taylor was arguably the only actor who dominated a scene from Charles Laughton without uttering a single word, just puffing away at a cigarette. In WESTWARD THE WOMEN, he slaps actress Denise Darcel twice: One for spooking the horse, and the second one for him. In RIDE VAQUERO, he allows Ava Gardner to give him a long kiss first before he slaps her for the cheating tramp she (i.e., her character) is.
You can't find one Hollywood actor today with Taylor's screen presence or good looks. What we have today are clowns: The Ben Stillers, Will Ferrells, Adam Sandlers, etc...And punks: The Tom Cruises, Johnny Depps, Brad Pitts. Today, we even have a guy who looks like an auto repairman or shoe salesman playing James Bond (Daniel Craig). The Gables, Taylors, and Coopers are an extinct breed.
Hugh Jackman, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Colin Firth come to mind. But all actors are different when it comes to screen presence, and we all have our own tastes in actors.
shareI have no sympathy for those who named names...under the circumstances the country, as it is now, lives in fear.
But that's another story...the story here to discuss is the 'undercurrent'.
Truly a story in search of a genre. It never quite knows which way to turn, mystery, suspense, thriller, film noir...there's enough diverse dramatic seasoning to spoil the flavor of the film and smell up the plot enough to consider it simply unbelievable.
The actors, production design, cinematography were all stellar but the above average writing, contrived plot structure and aimless direction serve to bury the story in a swollen melodrama. I found myself chuckling at some of the preposterous scenes we're meant to be swallowed whole.
Basically, it's all style without much truthful substance...real pity because of all the outstanding elements that were assembled here.
Just goes to show you that all the pieces can be in place but if the story is not believable, you don't have a memorable film.
Mr. Taylor testified before HUAC because he was subpoenaed. He didn't want to do it and made that clear to the committee in a letter written in September 1947. Linda Alexander dissects the whole episode thoroughly in her book "Reluctant Witness: Robert Taylor, Hollywood and Communism." I also go into it in depth in my blog Robert Taylor Actor. It's time to re-evaluate the unfairness done to Mr. Taylor.
shareTaylor's testimony was in the 1940s, not the 50s. You sound angry.
shareAlthough some people with cursory association with Russia/Communism had their careers cut short, the McCarthy investigations DID in fact, uncover a lot of moles, particularly in government, such as Alger Hiss.
We have to remember that immediately after the Russian Revolution, many American people equated the overthrow of the Czar with the American Revolution and sympathized with the Russian people. Also, the Soviet Union was our ally in WWII so. again, it was not shocking to be pro-Soviet. It was when Stalin came into power and the "purges" began that we began to see just how evil the regime could be and was.
That said, what if members of ISIS, for example, were thought to have infiltrated various segments of American society with the plan to undermine our very existence. What if YOU were called to testify if you knew of any suspected ISIS agents in your workplace or neighborhood. Would you? Or would you risk jail and/or loss of your career to keep silent?
That is exactly the position of many during the McCarthy investigations. Unless you are a student of history or were a mature adult during that time, it is difficult to judge how people acted or reacted at the time with 21st Century sensibilities. Communism was a real, terrifying threat; as evidenced in the Ukraine recently, it appears that it is becoming that once again.
The truth about the HUAC is not what is in the history books. Fact is, they started out looking for communists, but as the investigation continued up the food chain they began to investigate Non Governmental Organizations such as the Ford Foundation and the like, and the very wealthy and influential people that run these groups, and the high placed industrialists that contribute to them. Senator McCarthy continued on, not realizing the powerful toes he was treading on, naively believing the media would continue to support him, but instead he was scandalized and the HUAC was abruptly shut down. The result is the America we have today, a shell of it’s former self and on life support. One thing I’ve learned is that everything they teach us is a lie in one way or another. If your views on the HUAC are just a parroted version of that History Channel documentary you once saw, then I suggest you dig a little deeper into it. Always question authority and especially people the media claim to be experts. That goes double for lawyers.
shareWhat do Robert Taylor's politics have to do with the quality of this movie?
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Jim Hutton (1934-79) & Ellery Queen =