MovieChat Forums > The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967) Discussion > I know it was made in 1967, but the acti...

I know it was made in 1967, but the acting...

posted 9 years ago by gorbals406
4 replies | jump to latest

...was so bad the actors shouldn't have taken money for it.

Jason Robards was so bad that he should've been embarrassed. He was so wrong for the part that it made me feel embarrassed. He looked TOO unlike Capone facially, physically, and even ethnically - totally unbelievable.

And George Segal played his part in the Alan Ladd style of wooden or cardboard cutout. I've never seen him in a movie where he looked so out-of-place. His bully was so over-the-top that it was cartoonish.

Ralph Meeker played the part of looking like Ralph Meeker perfectly. He was a touch less wooden than George Segal, but only because he was playing himself.

All in all, I found the acting was so bad because most of the characters were completely miscast in the first place. Although I did watch it from start to finish, I kept finding myself wondering who chose this cast of actors? I think it was the most miscast movie I've ever seen. It was supposed to be about mostly Italian/American gangsters and they couldn't even LOOK like them never mind play them.

[–] movies789 8 years ago

True, it wasn't King Lear. But it's one of those entertaining guilty-pleasure films I find myself watching every time it comes on.

[–] bloody-3 8 years ago

If you check the Trivia section for this film it shows that Orson Welles was originally cast as Capone with Robards as Moran. But Welles was dropped and Robards took over the role. He doesn't look like Al Capone that is the major problem in his casting.

[–] fbm72751 8 years ago

Oh thank goodness that never happened. Welles was 52 in 1967. Capone was 30 in 1929. I just couldn't see how they could make Welles into a much younger person.

[–] Tresix 8 years ago

I always thought Robards and Meeker should have switched roles. Segal acted as if he prepared for his role by watching James Cagney in "The Public Enemy" over and over again.

Annoying the world since 1960!