Favorite "Before They Were Famous" Appearance

[KeithE4]

The Talking Heads' "Wild, Wild Life" music video (1986 or so) features John Goodman, a couple of years before he became Dan Connor on Roseanne.

He was already somewhat well-known as the coach in Revenge of the Nerds (1984). That was probably his biggest role up to that point.

 

[anotherguyTN]

On Tuesday night, TCM ran a movie called Countdown that had James Caan and Robert Duvall in early starring roles as astronauts, and Ted Knight in a supporting role as a member of the support crew in Houston.

 

[Corky Marlowe]

On Tuesday night, TCM ran a movie called Countdown that had James Caan and Robert Duvall in early starring roles as astronauts, and Ted Knight in a supporting role as a member of the support crew in Houston.

Did Caan's character bemoan the fact that he didn't have a wartime command module pilot?

This is another thought that might be in the old thread box out in the garage, but someone mentioned Jean Stapleton here. She had a bit role in the movie "Damn Yankees" where she and another person (I think, anyway; been forever since I've seen it) were going to testify in court. It was kind of a dry run for Edith over a decade before "All In The Family", right down to her screeching the line "We're mateeeerial witnesses!"

 

[BD Sullivan]

In a December 1962 episode of The Defenders, Stapleton appeared in court to try and get a criminal arrested--who happened to be Carroll O'Connor..

 

[LKellerIII]

Did Caan's character bemoan the fact that he didn't have a wartime command module pilot?

This is another thought that might be in the old thread box out in the garage, but someone mentioned Jean Stapleton here. She had a bit role in the movie "Damn Yankees" where she and another person (I think, anyway; been forever since I've seen it) were going to testify in court. It was kind of a dry run for Edith over a decade before "All In The Family", right down to her screeching the line "We're mateeeerial witnesses!"

Ted Knight had a brief uncredited walk on role as a cop in one of the concluding scenes of the Hitchcock film Psycho (1960) after Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) is arrested.

I'd like to see Stapleton in that role on The Defenders. Though she may have "screeched" a line, her real-life speaking voice was rather deep, nothing like Edith Bunker's.

 

[installLSC]

Ted Knight had a brief uncredited walk on role as a cop in one of the concluding scenes of the Hitchcock film Psycho (1960) after Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) is arrested.

I'd like to see Stapleton in that role on The Defenders. Though she may have "screeched" a line, her real-life speaking voice was rather deep, nothing like Edith Bunker's.

For example here's her appearance on "Patty Duke" (skip to 20:55)

 

[BD Sullivan]

Many of Robert Redford's early TV roles had him playing against type, Besides the aforementioned neo-Nazi on Naked City, he also played:

Route 66: A boyfriend whose girlfriend inadvertently falls to her death running away from him. He then says nothing until cracking at the end.
Twilight Zone: Death in the form of a policeman.
The New Breed: A serial killer of women.
Dr. Kildare: A medical intern helping during forest fires who wants to do research instead of tend to patients.
Breaking Point: A verbally abusive group therapy patient.

Supposedly, Redford had been offered one of the starring roles in Breaking Point, but had no interest and did the one-off to appease the producers.

 

[ShawnHill1]

I'd like to see Stapleton in that role on The Defenders. Though she may have "screeched" a line, her real-life speaking voice was rather deep, nothing like Edith Bunker's.

Even earlier episodes of All in the Family had Stapleton (as Edith) speak in her more-normal voice, until at least season two, when the Edith character spoke in the more-familiar higher pitch we were accustomed to in the rest of the series. I liken it to Rob Reiner--it was clear that in seasons one and two, his hair was thinning, and went to the bowl-shaped toupee perhaps no later than the third season.

 

[seatownmedia]

Even earlier episodes of All in the Family had Stapleton (as Edith) speak in her more-normal voice, until at least season two, when the Edith character spoke in the more-familiar higher pitch we were accustomed to in the rest of the series. I liken it to Rob Reiner--it was clear that in seasons one and two, his hair was thinning, and went to the bowl-shaped toupee perhaps no later than the third season.

I also noticed the Stapleton character did indeed have a different persona in the earlier episodes, most of season one. The "dopey screech" was in place by season two, but remember season one was just a short season from January 1971 to April 1971. Season two started in September 1971.

 

[seatownmedia]

George Clooney early sitcoms

Deleted duplicate

 

[seatownmedia]

George Clooney early sitcoms

Small parts in Facts of Life, The Golden Girls, and E/R in the 80's before anyone knew him. They did know his Aunt, Rosemary, however.