MovieChat Forums > Combat! (1962) Discussion > Rick Jason 'talking out of the RIGHT sid...

Rick Jason 'talking out of the RIGHT side of his mouth'

posted 11 years ago by rs203618
16 replies | jump to latest

I've notice thru MANY EPISODES that Rick Jason is not opening the left side of his mouth fully when he speaks". Does ANYONE know if he had a tooth infection that was malingering or if his Jaw was broken in a bar room fight as was common in Hollywood in those days when REAL vets resented HOLLYWOOD TV veterans playing heroes?
I was just curious, did any other COMBAT FANATICS LIKE MYSELF notice this?
And also, no SLIGHT ON RICK JASON-MAY HE REST IN PEACE.

[–] nicemissouriguy 11 years ago

I have not really noticed this about Rick, but I will watch for it now. What I have noticed is how Natural and "at ease" Vic Morrow is, compared to Rick Jason. It was wrote in TV guide that Vic Morrow is an actor, and Rick Jason is a movie star! I also find this to be very true. When Rick went to hollywood, he would not be in any "B" movies or play any character actor parts, only lead roles. I think thats why his acting career was not as popular as it could have been.

[–] rs203618 11 years ago

I REALLY BELIEVE WHOLE HEARTEDLY THAT VIC MORROW. carried the lead role. Evidenced by his mastery of emotions when called upon. I think, with all due respect to Rick Jason,that he was more content with giving the orders ( and demanding more time of the producers to go on his PERSONAL HUNTING TRIPS while Vic WAS COMBAT. RIP VIC -- ur alive 4 ever thru your children and on COMBAT

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] surface6669 11 years ago

Vic Morrow is definitely the star of this show IMHO. I like Rick Jason's character enough, but Jason's acting leaves something to be desired on occasion.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] corinnacarpenter 10 years ago

I'm glad Morrow was not cast as the Lieutenant. It would've been a mistake.

C.C. Loves B.G.

[–] davidwile 11 years ago

Hey RS,

For the life of me, I remember seeing one episode recently where Hanley was injured and certainly speaking out of one side of his face. It almost seemed like he was a stroke victim. I seem to think his head was injured during an artillery barrage. I went through all the episode descriptions, but I could not identify which one it was. I hate getting older and older.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

[–] davidwile 10 years ago

Hey RS,

I just watched Rescue which was the 29th Episode from Season 2 and originally aired 31 March 1964, and this episode matches your description of Rick Jason talking out of one side of his mouth. A captured Hanley is trying to get back to his own lines when a German smacks him across the right side of his face with a rifle butt. From that point on, the right side of his face does not move, and he is really talking out of the left side of his face. By the end of the episode, it is even further exaggerated, and I thought the left side of his face had "fallen" and looked like he had a stroke.

I know you said he was not opening the left side of his mouth and what I described above is just the opposite. I also know you said you noticed it in "many episodes" of the show. I do not recall seeing this in any other episodes, but I did remember this episode exhibiting what you described exactly - other than it being on the opposite side of the face.

Try to find this episode on YouTube and see if it looks like what you had in mind. It does almost look like Jason got a tooth problem during filming and the rifle butt to his face was put in to allow for a real problem. If that were actually true, I would have to say they did make the actual blow look pretty realistic.

I did not want to tell anything of the plot since there are a number of twists in this episode, and it is one of my favorites.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

[–] corinnacarpenter 10 years ago

I'll have to watch the episode again. I just got the complete series for $99 on Amazon.

C.C. Loves B.G.

[–] Fatal_When_Swallowed 10 years ago

Rick Jason's autobiography, Scrapbooks of My Mind, is online here: http://www.scrapbooksofmymind.com/ It's a very good read; I recommend it highly. He had serious back trouble at some point. It's been awhile since I read the bio, but perhaps that was part of the reason for his stiffness as Hanley and appearing to be in pain. He also suffered from depression, as most of his fans found out after he committed suicide.

[–] rls154 10 years ago

Yes, people noticed Rick Jason talking out of the side of his mouth and many retakes were done because of it. Seems it was a habit he picked up prior to the Combat series and was done to project a "tough guy" image. Many of the directors of Combat would have to stop a scene and say: "Rick you're talking out of the side of your mouth again"...

[–] tec_4 9 years ago

I read an interview with Rick Jason where he said he did it for no real reason, and once he realized, he made an effort to stop it.

[–] jobeem1 9 years ago

I notice that it seemed to happen more when the Lt. was yelling at the men.

[–] rs203618 8 years ago

You are a TRUE FAN and RESPECTFUL MAN. Thank you for not making any belittling comments as others have about some of my posts.

[–] davidwile 8 years ago

Hey Richie,

I just noticed your post of 8 April, and I thank you very much for your kind words. I much prefer to keep my words civil with folks, and it is downright depressing to see so much hostility to be found on the internet. Please take care and...

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

[–] Clintessence 8 years ago

Yes indeed. David is a gentleman and a scholar (and there are so few of us).

Clintessence