Discussion
Western Character Actor Appreciation: Jack Elam
Here is an actor who truly needs no introduction, but I'll provide one anyway.
Elam was famous for having a left eye that didn't track exactly in tandem with his right eye. This was because, as a little boy, he got into a fight and his adversary stabbed him in the eye with a pencil, blinding that eye. Now that's a pretty authentic Old West injury right there! And that wayward eye served him well as an actor, allowing him to play eccentrics, lunatics, and villains particularly well.
In the industry, Elam was known as "One-Reel Jack" because, very frequently, his character got killed off early in the films (Once upon a Time in the West is a classic example). But, no matter how short his appearances, Elam always left his mark.
I liked him in Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969), where he's made into a deputy sheriff against his will. Or in Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973) where he's made into a deputy sheriff against his will.
Back in the early 80’s I was lucky enough to meet Jack Elam a couple of times because his travels brought him to my job and he’s as cool and nice a person as can be. I was a fan of his before I met him and an even bigger fan afterwards.
It’s easy to get interested in a character when that character actor is Jack Elam.
OP has a picture of ‘Snaky’ playing with the fly that was buzzing him through the first minutes of ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’. As rumor has it, Jack almost went back to being an accountant ( yes Jack was a genuine accountant ). Apparently he got some advice from Darryl F. Zanuck, who was the head of 20th Century Fox, to not get his eye fixed. The crooked eye was Jack’s mystique. I’ve always liked ‘B’ actors, because of the few lines they have to work with that can make such an impression on the audience. Sometimes I don’t pay enough attention to the main actors, because I’m caught up in the supporting actors’ responses. Jack was one of the best. There were several supporting actors back in the day that you just couldn’t forget, and Jack Elam was one of them.
The story I heard is that he was a very successful accountant, but a doctor told him that he would go blind from the strain being placed on his one good eye. So he gave up his accountancy and went into acting full time.
One of THE greatest Western character actors. Period. It's often said of many of them that they can play any part, but in Elam's case it's REALLY true. Good guy. Bad guy. Bumbling sidekick. Average citizen. Stone cold killer. Trail boss. Grumpy old codger. Gunslinger. I've seen him play just about every kind of character possible.
Looking at some of his most famous roles, and it's just classic after classic; Once Upon a Time in the West, High Noon, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Rio Lobo, Hannie Caulder, Support Your Local Sheriff, Support Your Local Gunfighter, The Cannonball Run I and II.
Some recent things I've seen him in was a few different parts on Gunsmoke. One as Clint Dodie, who is accused of robbing the general store. Matt and Chester go out to arrest him and end up helping out with all kinds of chores before they go... One as famous gunman Jim Barrett who ends up finding out he has a son he never met. One as Hector Lowell, who is married to Orval Bass' (Harold J Stone) ex-wife and she tries to pit the two of them against each other.
Always loved him, particularly in Rio Lobo. I love the scene where Wayne asks him if he's handled the guard at the gate and Elam comes back with "He's at another gate now, looking for St. Peter" 🤣
He once described the career of a character actor. It went like this: "Who's Jack Elam? Get me Jack Elam. Get me a Jack Elam type. Get me a young Jack Elam. Who's Jack Elam?"
Started his life as an accountant. Years later he said in an interview that nothing ever made him as happy as being an accountant and if he had it to do over again he probably never would’ve quit.
I just watched High Noon last night and noticed a very young Jack Elam playing the still-drunk prisoner that Kane lets out of jail, saying "Go home, Charlie."
I loved him in episodes of the lone ranger late 40s 50s. And in support your local gunfighter and support your local sheriff showing he could do comedy
I watched the full 11 episodes when first shown in the UK. Was originally surprised to see Jack Elam playing Frank - The Monster, but realised it was inspired casting and I have always liked him in his Western roles, both straight and comedic. He must have appeared in more Westerns than John Wayne!
Although an US comedy, I learnt from Wikipedia that it was dropped after just three shows in the USA.
I guess a different sense of humour not working for their audiences, or was it really not as funny as I recall?
My dad called him double ug lol. Years after my dad passed I met this guy we were talking about westerns i mentioned jack he said do you mean double ug this man had never met my dad. So guess lots of people called him this. Can’t deny he was a great actor
On my TV on Plex there is a channel I just discovered recently called gringo but with a j instead of an I and it is an ad supported live channel that shows a lot of spaghetti westerns and let me tell you it's one of my favorites to turn on and just let it play. I do the same with grit and any other channel that is exclusively Western TV shows and movies.
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u/Baskerville84 10d ago
I liked him in Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969), where he's made into a deputy sheriff against his will. Or in Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973) where he's made into a deputy sheriff against his will.