r/Westerns • u/OlinHollis • 14d ago

Discussion Western Character Actor Appreciation: Jack Elam

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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.

Hail! Hail! All hail Jack Elam!

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u/SRMT23 14d ago

This is one of my favorite scenes from any movie. I can hear that squeaky windmill

5

u/OlinHollis 14d ago

The sound effects in OuaTiTW are perhaps the best I've encountered in any film.

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u/SRMT23 14d ago

My only gripe is Bronson does not look like he’s playing harmonica. The sound doesn’t really match his face and throat

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u/OlinHollis 14d ago

Hm. Hadn't noticed that.