The Tough Guy With Something Extra

For much of the 1930s, Humphrey Bogart played the third gangster in a movie. He was signed to Warner Bros. in those days, and they had the monopoly on crime movies. The top gangster during this time was everybody’s favorite little tough guy, James Cagney. Then came Edward G. Robinson, he was second. Bogart was either third or fourth, sometimes behind George Raft. It’s hard to imagine, but Bogart's career was tanking, and it needed a makeover. I mean, nothing says, “dispensable” like being a third gangster in a gangster movie. Your fate was sealed. If you didn’t get murdered in the first reel, you just might get punched out by Cagney in the end. That sucked! It wasn’t a bad career for a typical bit player, but Bogart was special. He was the tough guy with something extra. What saved Bogart from third gangster hell was the movie, Casablanca. The role made him a star, and he remained a star until his death.

     Most people have seen the classic Casablanca. In it, Bogart plays saloon-owner Richard (Rick) Blaine, a mysterious American expatriate living in French Morocco during WWII. The role is perfect for Bogart. He gets to play the rugged individual who “doesn’t stick his neck out for nobody.” He’s aloof, detached and locked in his own bitterness. Basically, the guy’s an introverted loner who needs a hug…badly!
     Now for the something extra, or the quality that Bogart brings to the role of Rick. His sadness. Nobody does this better than Bogart. It’s all in his eyes. You just feel it. I don’t need to tell you how uncool it is to see a man act like a drama queen on screen. It’s embarrassing. Bogart never does this. The character of Rick is filled with despair, but he never shows it. Not because he’s insensitive. Rather, Rick doesn’t want to unravel into an emotional mess. I respect that. It’s very manly and mature. In Casablanca, Bogart’s romantic, but never mushy. He’s lovesick, but he’s never going to give that woman the satisfaction by showing it to her.
     Only at the end of the movie does Bogart expose his true feelings, but by this time his broken heart has mended and he’s decided about his future. Bogart takes the high road. He sets his woman free and allows her to escape Casablanca with her husband. He finally takes a side in the war, and ultimately begins a “beautiful friendship” with his new best buddy, Louie. Not a bad fate for a third gangster.

Take The Advice. Leave The Cannoli.

In Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece, The Godfather, Don Vito Corleone is a respected, older, wiser patriarch of his family. Granted, it's a ruthless, despicable organized crime family, but you can't have everything! In the movie, Brando is pitch perfect as a father who knows his duty. He's a man who feels responsible for his family, and in his line of work, he doesn't survive unless he's shrewd and insightful. Ironically, it was unfortunate that he didn't recognize that his future son-in-law Carlo was such a scumbag. I guess that one got by him. Mamma mia! He could have saved a fortune on that lavish wedding!
     Throughout The Godfather, Don Corleone dispenses some great fatherly advice, and everybody listens or he claims he'll make you an offer you can't refuse. He says, "A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man," and "keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer." Brilliant advice. Short and direct. Everyone expects sage advice from the Godfather in a movie like this. Not because he's a crime boss who would kill you and eat your cannoli afterwards. No, it's because he's a strong-minded, serious dude who's seen it all and deserves to be heard.
     Years ago, I was working for a company, but I let it be known that I was itching to leave and start my own company. One day, as I was contemplating my exit strategy, a man stopped me in the hall. He was a wiser, older man who was prone to saying too much. I braced myself. I didn't want to hear what the old man was going to tell me. Instead, I was looking for some Don Corleone advice, and I suspected that I wasn't going to get it from this old codger. Anyways, he leaned in close to me and said, "If you're going to do it, do it NOW. Waiting for later in life is pointless." Then he walked away. It was the best advice I ever received. Short and direct. And the old man wasn't even Sicilian.

The Devil Inside

There’s an old saying that “the devil is in all men, but for some men it appears doubly so.” No, I’m not talking about Dick Cheney. This is a movie blog. Nor am I referring to the devil in that demon-possession movie where pea soup is projected like it’s coming out of a fire hose. I’m referencing what I call the naughty boy gene. It’s that devilish gene that brings out the bad boy in adult men, and no movie actor has ever embodied this wickedly amusing, “cat who ate the canary” screen persona more than Jack Nicholson.

     In Chinatown, when John Huston’s character tells Jack's Jake Gittes that he has “a nasty reputation” – you know exactly what he means! Many of Nicholson’s early roles could be characterized this way. I love it when a frustrated Jack clears the table in Five Easy Pieces, telling the waitress she can hold the chicken salad between her knees. (That waitress had it coming!) Nicholson’s nasty screen reputation was undoubtedly influenced by the anti-establishment movement of the 60’s. During this time, he often played a radical malcontent with a violent temper as in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Jack could also transform into the authority figure with a temper too. I think of Jack slamming his pistol down on the bar in The Last Detail and screaming, “I AM the mother-fucking shore patrol!” It’s pure devilishness!! Nicholson is terrific at playing the non-conformist. Nobody does it better. His most memorable characters are the fearless rebels who are not afraid to stand out, fall behind, run ahead or make a ruckus.

     There’s a lesson here. By playing the devilish character, it’s likely that some people won’t like you. That’s part of standing out. Nobody gets unanimous praise – ever. However, it’s actually a riskier strategy to be boring and likeable. Boring always leads to failure. Playing it safe is boring for a man, and Jack is never boring.

Movies Make The Man

If there's one thing I wish people would quit saying, it's that "there are no REAL men anymore." Well, that and "Would you like to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?" Both scream out, "Life is scary, and I don't know what the hell is going on!"     
     It's simply not true. There's male testosterone a plenty out there in this country. Think about it. There's more mindless, aggressive, tough-talk, posturing in the world right now than ever before. Have you seen the Fox News Channel? That's not the problem. Sure, real men need to be testosterone-filled, but they also need to be COOL like Steve McQueen, SOPHISTICATED like Cary Grant, HILARIOUS like Will Ferrell and DEVILISH like Jack Nicholson. So where better to find examples of REAL men than the movies? It's perfect...right? Take the classic film, Gone With The Wind. When Clark Gable finally shuts the door on that self-serving Scarlett and says, "Frankly, my dear. I don't give a damn"  - Doesn't that make you want to high five the guy next to you? You bet your Yankee-loving ass it does.
     As Steve Martin's character in the film Grand Canyon says, "You need to watch more movies. All the great riddles of life are answered in the movies!" So are the layered understandings of being a man.
     Granted, there are probably some people who would disagree. They doubt the impact that movies have on our lives - mostly the people who read books. They don't count. The world needs real, evolved, self-actualized men right now. Desperate times make for desperate people...and desperate people go to the movies.
     So, here's the thing. Read some blog entries. Look at the original artwork and photos. Decide for yourself what a real man is all about. Have fun, and repeat every few weeks.
      See you at the movies...

- Douglas Day