MovieChat Forums > The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) Discussion > Tim Holt - magnificent!

Tim Holt - magnificent!

posted 9 years ago by jojomack2006
6 replies | jump to latest

No one ever mentions Tim Holt. In my opinion he stole the picture. You don't know my friend Brett Norman but he's exactly like the Tim Holt character; good, and kind, and true. He never worried about who was gonna gun him down (greed is an ugly thing). Tim Holt was an angel until the end. Too bad he didn't get more parts like this, Tim Holt could have been a major star. He had the pedigree; his dad Jack was a major silent star. His sister Jennifer was quite popular in the B Westerns, but alas Tim just didn't have the luck. I don't believe in luck. But in the case of Buck Jones and Tim Holt it's true, they just didn't have the luck. Buck produced his own film "the Big Hop", it flopped then he put a Wild West Show on the road and lost everything. He crawled to Hollywood for $300 a week (when he made thousands!) then WHAM!! The Singing Cowboy hit him and Buck was done. No luck. He died in the Boston Coconut Grove fire, probably a Blessing. And poor Tim Holt, he became an RKO B cowboy but it was too late (end of 40's, early 50's). I think Tim Holt is somebody!! Especially in this movie. It would have been half the film (2 stars instead of 4) without him.

PS What's with all the snarky people on the web??? Last night I read about Dorothy Lamore and someone dismissed her as "average". Shame on you! Didn't your mom raise you, "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all".

I don't want to read stuff like that. John

[–] kbarada 9 years ago

I think Tim Holt is somebody!! Especially in this movie. It would have been half the film (2 stars instead of 4) without him.

Thanks for the background on Tim Holt Jojo (John). I've wondered about why we did not see more of him after the TTOTSM. This movie needed the type of character he played to round out the great cast and he played it perfectly. His portrayal of a decent, kind, trusting person is absolutely necessary to the whole story. I especially liked his thoughts toward the widow of Cody about finding her and giving her a share of the treasure.

Yeah, lots of snarky people on these message boards. A lot of it is just the generation gap (sometimes two generation gaps). Many younger viewers of this and other classic films just don't get it as they come at them from different perspectives and life's experiences. Now that is OK with me, but I do wish they could express their thoughts a little better.

[–] etsis 9 years ago

I agree. Holt was great in this film. He's sort of the glue that holds it all together. TTOTSM wouldn't have been nearly as good without him.

[–] Toshi51 9 years ago

I agree this movie would have been quite different without Tim Holt's "Curtain" character. He brought a kind of straightforward moral certainty, the honest simple man who works with his hands, knows what he is doing and where he is going. When I first this movie at age 18, "Curtain" was the kind of man I wanted to be. His performance was that good.

His father, Jack Holt, was also a fine actor. He is in John Ford's memorable movie- "They Were Expendable". He played the Brigadier General left behind by MacArthur to organize the defense of Bataan.

Tim Holt had a fine pedigree, was a capable and personable actor, and should have gone farther in his career.

[–] Sewaat 8 years ago

I just loved Tim Holt's character. I really did. I was rooting for him during the entire film.

I watched Sierra Madre for the first time about a week ago and I was enormously happy when Curtin was revealed to be alive. I was even happier when he got away to safety. The third act was gloriously well done. It was so suspenseful, I was invested in every second of Dobb's descent into insanity.

It said a lot about his moral compass that even though Dobbs betrayed him, shot him and left him to die, Curtin doesn't give up or lose that optimistic spark. As soon as he makes it back to Howard and recovers, he's right back on the horse again. Literally! A part of me had hoped that we would see one final confrontation between him and Dobbs. But now I understand that it wasn't in Curtin's character to exact revenge. Curtin stayed good and decent, right until the last frame. He could have just as easily succumbed to the gold fever. But he did not. He resisted it because he had the conscience which his partner lacked. He was a very inspiring character. I look at him and think to myself: "This is the kind of person I want to become." Similar to what someone else already said here, but it's worth repeating.

Dobbs started out as the hero, but became the villain and got exactly what he deserved in the end. Curtin on the other hand, began as a humble side character and rode off as the hero in the final scene. It was a character shift that I couldn't have been happier with. This film has some genius writing going for it. I can see why it's regarded as such a classic.

[–] liscarkat (16543) 5 years ago

Spoiler alert...

I like Holt and his character, Curtin. However, don't forget that Curtin was about to help Dobbs and Howard murder an innocent man (Cody) just because he was inconvenient when the bandits showed up and interrupted them. His moral compass wasn't quite flawless.

[–] NotoriousRio (12927) 4 years ago

He reminded me of a 90's Russell Crowe, it's too bad Tim Holt didn’t get bigger roles, after numerous B movies he retired from acting in the 70's managing a radio station.