voice of authority

I seem to remember reading an interview with Leslie Nielsen in which he was often asked to do fundraisers, pr for corporations, voiceovers, etc. The people who originally approached him wanted an actor who radiated seriousness and authority. My favorite early Nielsen films are FORBIDDEN PLANET and THE SHEEPMAN.

Peter Graves, Lloyd Bridges and Robert Stack all had that same voice of authority.

If you want to see a weird scene with Robert Stack, watch HOUSE OF BAMBOO in which he plays an undercover Army officer to Robert Ryan's Japan-based gangster. Ryan according to the commentary track had the idea of playing his character as a homosexual, but nobody informed Stack. Stack gets very uncomfortable when Ryan lays his legs across Stack's lap.

HOUSE OF BAMBOO is a remake of THE STREET WITH NO NAME in which Richard Widmark played the villain.