Leading Men shorter than Richard Widmark

I saw this the other day on Twitter.

Really? That's a fact? I don't buy it. Okay maybe it's the case with Panic in the Streets (1950) where Richard Widmark is placed against all 6' 4" of Jack Palance but I refuse to believe that most leading men were over 5' 10". In fact, there were a lot of really short leading men who starred along even shorter leading women. Alan Ladd was paired with Veronica Lake and Mickey Rooney with Judy Garland for a reason people!

Here is a list of 30 classic film actors who were under 5' 10". I'm not even including those stars who were exactly 5' 10"! If you can think of any more, do let me know.

Mickey Rooney 5' 2"

Alan Ladd 5' 6-1/2"

James Cagney 5' 6-1/2"

Edward G. Robinson 5' 5"

Humphrey Bogart 5' 8"

Tony Curtis 5' 9"

Ernest Borgnine 5' 9"

Marlon Brando 5' 9"

Tony Randall 5' 8"

Jack Lemmon 5' 9"

Frank Sinatra 5' 7"

Gene Kelly 5' 7"

Bobby Darin 5' 8-1/2"

Dean Stockwell 5' 6"

Richard Barthelmess 5' 8"

Ramon Novarro 5' 6"

Paul Newman 5' 9-1/2"

James Dean 5' 8"

Steve McQueen 5' 9-1/2"

Peter Lorre 5' 5"

Buster Keaton 5' 5"

John Garfield 5' 7"

Kirk Douglas 5' 9"

Charles Boyer 5' 9"

Dirk Bogarde 5' 8-1/2"

George Raft 5' 7"

Peter Sellers 5' 8"

Claude Rains 5' 6-1/2"

Charlie Chaplin 5' 5"

Groucho Marx 5' 7-1/2"

Images shamelessly stolen from TCMDB and stats stolen from IMDB. Thanks to my Twitter friends for suggestions and to Carlos for helping me round out the list to an even 30.

20 Actors Movie Meme

It was inevitable after the 20 Actresses Movie Meme circulated among the blog world that an Actor one would follow suit. And I was ready! The men were much easier to select from than the women. While it's terribly easy for me to dislike an actress (she looked at me funny), I have high respect for many actors. This list was easy to order as well, since I have formed very strong attachments to certain actors and I could guage what number to put them at based on the strength of my feelings. I also use the giggle-mometer. Whenever I see any of these fine gentlemen onscreen, I let out a giggle. The higher-pitched and more annoying the giggle, the more I like him. I guess you don't want to be around me when I see my King Robert Mitchum on screen do you?

Robert Mitchum

Bobby Darin

Rock Hudson

(Kevin - This image is dedicated to you!)

Clark Gable

Kirk Douglas

Jimmy Stewart

Cary Grant

Richard Barthelmess

Lewis Stone

Buster Keaton
Laurel & Hardy

(Thank you Frank for this wonderful image!)

The Marx Bros.

William Powell

(image from Google-LIFE Archive)

Robert Montgomery

Sidney Poitier

George Sanders

Louis Calhern

Charles Laughton

Sterling Hayden

~Honorable Mention: 5 more to round it out to top 25~

Jack Lemmon

Dennis Morgan

Spencer Tracy

Chester Morris

Ramon Novarro

Now it's my turn to tag some folks, seeing as I tagged myself for this one. And the unlucky SOBs are....

Ibetolis @ Film for the Soul

Ginger @ Asleep in New York

Jonas @ All Talking! All Singing! All Dancing!

Casey @ Noir Girl

Joanne @ Zippin' Along

Out of the Past (1947) by the Numbers

Repeat viewings of Out of the Past (1947) have been part of my movie watching repertoire for years. It all started when I was an undergrad in college and decided it would be fun to watch movies for homework! So I took a film class. The Quiet Man (1952) almost made me turn my back on classic films forever when Out of the Past saved me. When I watched it, I was both captivated and confused. I swooned in the same way I do when in the presence of a highly charistmatic man. I was hypnotized. Repeat viewings have increased by love and adoration for the film. I've seen it in for homework and for fun. I've seen it alone and with other people. I've seen it at home and recently got an opportunity to watch it on the big screen for the first time at the Brattle theater with several Out of the Past virgins. That seminal film encouraged me to pursue my interest in classic films, to nurture a love for the past and to start this little blog, my little haven on this vast web that is the internet.

What I discovered about Out of the Past when I last viewed it on the big screen, was how many wonderful small details enrich the film. I thought it would be fun to do a project of listing some of these details by the numbers. It was quite an intense process and it was difficult to be so thorough, but I'm pleased with the results. Enjoy!

• 10 alcoholic beverages not paid for
• 2 manly chin dimples
• 36 cigarettes
• 9 matches lit
• 11 lighters lit
• 12 outfits worn by Jane Greer

• 6 dead bodies
• 2 slaps and several punches
• 5 instances of women being man-handled
• 10 beautiful metaphors
• 4 shots with the Golden Gate bridge in the background
• 6 scenes with Kirk Douglas and Robert Mitchum together (alone)
• 2 fishing rods
• 1 shot glass thrown into the fire
• 11 kisses
• 4 trenchcoats
• 6 times in which the word "cute" is used
• 131 lbs. - the weight of Eunice Leonard and the suitcases of Kathy Moffat
• 1 mean river

I'm sure I'm off by a couple of cigarettes, a slap and maybe a trenchcoat, but there you have it!