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8:01:00 AM EDT
Gone... but Never Forgotten
December 26, 1914 - March 24, 2008
This is not a post I am happy to do. I've adored Richard Widmark, it seems forever. I just heard on the news that he passed away.. on my birthday. I could never forget his birthday because it was the day after Christmas.. and now I will never forget his passing on my birthday.
I've collected his movies (mostly vhs taping off of AMC or TCM over the years) and just in general never missed watching any of his movie when they'd appear on tv. Over many years as I collected his movies I would write to Mr Widmark. (I'd call him Mr. W) I think I wrote him once a month or every other month for nearly 10 yrs. I knew before I began writing to him that he never wrote or did autographs if someone wrote to him, but I wrote anyway. I never asked for his signature, but I would tell him about which of his movies came on television and which ones I now had in my collection.
Then I moved to California. While living there, and since I was taking care of DeForests Star on Hollywood Blvd.. and because it was only a block away, I also took care of Richard's star!
One year for his Birthday (which was the day after Christmas) I took the following photo.. plus one was taken of me cleaning the star. I sent them to him along with a Birthday card. ( I sent a card each year, this was the only year I sent photo's)
Sometime after I received this note..
We won't go into how shocked I was... but I did call his agent because I couldn't believe it was real!
Once while in Hollywood I went to see his hand prints...
I think I would find it hard to not believe that, at some time, everyone has seen something on television that Richard Widmark did.
His career took off when he had a small part in a movie called The Kiss of Death where he played a really horrible guy who ties an old lady up in her wheelchair and then pushes her down the stairs while he give a villainous laugh. The Laugh would get him an Oscar nomination for his very first movie.
(he was a real sweetheart... not!) (below are some of the photo's I've collected of Richard. ... not all of them, but a few!)
Oh, and I do have to tell you this one thing.. the evil laugh that Richard had.. was real! My friend DeForest worked on a few westerns with Richard and he said one day when they were having a break doing a movie he heard this laughter behind him and achill went up his back.. when he turned to see who was laughing... it was Richard!
There wasn't much in the way of movies that Richard didn't do.
He did gangster and war movies..
He played detectives and a sailor..
He did quite a few westerns!.....
(yes, that's DeForest with Richard Widmark)
I will miss Mr. W. I know I can watch him anytime I want by slipping a tape into the machine...but I know it will be a while before I can enjoy his movies again... It's strange how someone you never met personally can effect you so when they are no longer there. As they say.. life goes on. It's just not quite the same.
Credit List:.... (The ones with the asterisk are movies I have of his on vhs, mostly just taped from the television ...see for yourself if you have seen him in a movie!)
Lincoln (1992) (TV) (voice)
*True Colors (1991)
*Cold Sassy Tree (1989) (TV)
*Once Upon a Texas Train (1988) (TV)
*A Gathering of Old Men (1987) (TV)
*Blackout (1985) (TV)
*Against All Odds (1984)
*Who Dares Wins (1982)
*Hanky Panky (1982)
National Lampoon Goes to the Movies (1982)
*A Whale for the Killing (1981) (TV)
All God's Children (1980) (TV)
*Bear Island (1979)
*The Swarm (1978)
*Coma (1978)
*Rollercoaster (1977)
The Domino Principle (1977)
*Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977)
*The Sell-Out (1976)
*To the Devil a Daughter (1976)
*The Last Day (1975) (TV)
*Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
"Benjamin Franklin" (1974) (mini) TV mini-series .... Benjamin Franklin
Brock's Last Case (1973) (TV)
"Madigan" .... Sgt. Dan Madigan (6 episodes, 1972-1973)
- The Park Avenue Beat (1973) TV episode .... Sgt. Dan Madigan
- The Naples Beat (1973) TV episode .... Sgt. Dan Madigan
- The Lisbon Beat (1973) TV episode .... Sgt. Dan Madigan
- The London Beat (1972) TV episode .... Sgt. Dan Madigan
- The Midtown Beat (1972) TV episode .... Sgt. Dan Madigan
*When the Legends Die (1972)
*Vanished (1971) (TV)
The Moonshine War (1970)
*Death of a Gunfighter (1969)
*A Talent for Loving (1969)
*Madigan (1968)
*The Way West (1967)
*Alvarez Kelly (1966)
*The Bedford Incident (1965)
*Cheyenne Autumn (1964)
*Flight from Ashiya (1964)
*The Long Ships (1964)
*How the West Was Won (1962)
*Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
*Two Rode Together (1961)
*The Secret Ways (1961)
*The Alamo (1960)
*Warlock (1959)
*The Trap (1959)
*The Tunnel of Love (1958)
*The Law and Jake Wade (1958)
Time Limit (1957)
Saint Joan (1957)
*The Last Wagon (1956)
*Run for the Sun (1956)
*Backlash (1956)
*The Cobweb (1955)
*A Prize of Gold (1955)
*Broken Lance (1954)
*Garden of Evil (1954)
*Hell and High Water (1954)
*Take the High Ground! (1953)
*Pickup on South Street (1953)
*Destination Gobi (1953)
*My Pal Gus (1952)
*O. Henry's Full House (1952)
*Don't Bother to Knock (1952)
Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Night Life (1952)
*Red Skies of Montana (1952)
Screen Snapshots: Hopalong in Hoppy Land (1951)
*The Frogmen (1951)
*Halls of Montezuma (1950)
*No Way Out (1950)
*Panic in the Streets (1950)
*Night and the City (1950)
*Slattery's Hurricane (1949)
*Down to the Sea in Ships (1949)
*Yellow Sky (1948)
*Road House (1948)
*The Street with No Name (1948)
*Kiss of Death (1947)
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Very nice entry Pat. He was a handsome man and I remember that swoon-y feeling I used to get when I would watch his movies years ago. LOL
Happy Belated Birthday!
3/27/08 9:55 PM
Happy Belated Birthday, hope you enjoyed it!