SAGWatch – Observing the Screen Actors Guild and AFTRA

9 Comments

1. mike says:

   July 2, 2009 at 1:54 PM

   Harve Presnell, from “Paint Your Wagon”

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkmvwCpcZlM
2. Matthew says:

   July 2, 2009 at 2:08 PM

   I remember Harve as Mr. Parker on “The Pretender” when I was growing up; heck of an actor and I’ve heard his great singing as well. I hope the Grim Reaper takes the holiday weekend off as he’s been overworked lately. Preferably a long sabattical.
3. Tom Ligon says:

   July 2, 2009 at 2:25 PM

   Harve – a tough one for me.
   “Paint Your Wagon.”
   Always a gentleman and a total professional.
   Gents – to those of you with The Hair Problem.
   After struggling with it for years,
   when Harve tossed the rug aside
   he hit his actor’s stride.
   “Sexier that ever,” K.C. said.

   Tom Ligon
4. Cruiser says:

   July 2, 2009 at 2:28 PM

   I loved him in “FARGO” as William H. Macy’s disapproving father-in-law. The way he slightly mispronounced McDonald’s derisively as MacDonald’s (as if the fast food chain was another annoyance intruding upon his world). It was just a minor, fleeting reference, but it sticks with me as a memorable bit of flavor he added to that character.
5. geo says:

   July 2, 2009 at 2:40 PM

   “They Call the Wind Maria”, for my money, is right up there with the most beautiful songs and performances in movie history.
6. Dr. Giggles says:

   July 2, 2009 at 3:32 PM

   and MOLLY BROWN…yes, a great legacy
7. Voiceguy says:

   July 2, 2009 at 5:07 PM

   My wife and I saw him and Debbie Reynolds reprising their roles in Unsinkable Molly Brown here in LA at the Pantages Theater about ten years ago — twice (we bought new tickets and went back because it was so good). Both of them were fabulous. At one point in the show, petite Debbie Reynolds jumps up into Harve Presnell’s arms. During one of these performances, after doing this jump (to the astonishment of the audience), she turned to Harve and said, “It gets harder every day, doesn’t it?” It brought the house down.

   He had such a lovely singing voice. The song “Colorado My Home” from Molly Brown is just so spectacular when he sings it. While Molly Brown never reached the level of popularity and acclaim of Meredith Willson’s most well-known show, The Music Man, I think it’s fair to say that Presnell was as closely identified with the Johnny Brown character in Molly Brown as Robert Preston was with Harold Hill in Music Man — and for that matter as Rex Harrison was with Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady. He was an aficionado’s performer, kind of a Jimmy Stewart-Howard Keel hybrid, that audiences fell in love with. He will be missed.

   VG
8. Michael F. Blake says:

   July 2, 2009 at 6:06 PM

   I briefly worked on THE CHAMBER in Mississippi and he playe dthe Govenor in the film. We were shooting nights in front of the MS State Prison and it was in the upper 30s. The cast (& some of us crew) would seek refuge in the Visitor’s Center.

   Harve was sitting in there, by himself and I approached him and told him how much I loved his work in WAGON and MOLLY BROWN. For the next 15 minutes he told me stories about working on those films, patiently answering my questions.

   He was a true gentleman.

   RIP Rotten Luck Willie.
9. Neil Hassman says:

   July 2, 2009 at 8:13 PM

   Wow, VG, thanks for reminding me of that moment. Either you and I were at the same performance, or DR did that more than once (but it sure seemed spontaneous, didn’t it? Pros!).

   Growing up in NY, my mom was a “chorine” (albeit, a tad older than most wich worked for her…); she sang and hoofed in a lot of B’way choruses. Mr. Presnell was a favorite to work with, she would always speak of how he treated the “little folk” in MOLLY BROWN, and regaled and encouraged them with stories of when he was starting out and people he’d worked with.

   He was a good man, a great talent, and will be missed…