Sepiatone Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Yesterday was JERRY ORBACH's birthday( he would have been 81) and the DECADES channel did a rather poor "profile" of him as some sort of "honor". But it was sorely lacking. Like for instance, they focused mostly on his LAW AND ORDER tenure. They went on to claim he first got noticed from his role as "Baby's" Dad in DIRTY DANCING! And some small smattering of his history on the stage. They showed a quick shot of a "Promises, Promises" playbill. Oh, and also voicing the candlestick in the animated BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. NO mention of the Tony awards he won, his winning one for his role as SKYE MASTERSON( Brando's role in th movie) in a 1965 revival of "Guys and Dolls", OR his being the original BILLY FLYNN in "Chicago". Or that the first time ANYBODY heard the song, "Try To Remember" it was HIM singing it as an original cast member of THE FANTASTIKS back around the early '60's. OR that he was an uncredited extra in both the movies GUYS AND DOLLS and MARTY. The first, as an extra in the barbershop scene in "Guys", and as an extra in the ballroom in "Marty". His first speaking role was as a gang leader in the movie COP HATER starring ROBERT LOGGIA in 1958. He was the mob leader in the movie FX, and Richard Pryor's minor league baseball team coach in BREWSTER'S MILLIONS and a supporting player in several other flicks BEFORE "Dirty Dancing". They could have done a MUCH better "profile" of Jerry. He certainly deserves one! Sepiatone 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scsu1975 Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Or that the first time ANYBODY heard the song, "Try To Remember" it was HIM singing it as an original cast member of THE FANTASTIKS back around the early '60's. I heard that song about a week ago on my car radio and I was trying to recognize the voice. Then the announcer mentioned it was Orbach. Who was the woman singing with him ... she has the all-important, repetitive, and boring lyrics "follow follow follow follow ..." I kept saying "shut up shut up shut up shut up ..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Kimble Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 he was an uncredited extra in both the movies GUYS AND DOLLS and MARTY. The first, as an extra in the barbershop scene in "Guys" I just recently read about this. Regardless of what IMDb says, I'm pretty certain that's not him in G&D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dargo Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 I heard that song about a week ago on my car radio and I was trying to recognize the voice. Then the announcer mentioned it was Orbach. Who was the woman singing with him ... she has the all-important, repetitive, and boring lyrics "follow follow follow follow ..." I kept saying "shut up shut up shut up shut up ..." Excuse me here Rich, but I hope you know music such as this should ONLY be listened to while riding in elevators and NEVER while you're driving your car! (...nope, that's what classic rock is for, dude) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GGGGerald Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Often times that has more to do with the costs of showing clips and the probably small staff a channel like "Decades" probably has. Frankly, I would be pleased someone at all did anything for a man with such a long and distinguished career. For example, I have seen docs on the Rolling Stones yet, not one Stones song played during the show. They would play "sound alikes" but, I guess they chose not to pay the rights fees to the real music. I bet that has a lot to do with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GordonCole Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Wasn't he in Prince of the City? I also have a vague remembrance of him in that wacky John Goldfarb, Please Come Home film. Probably more famous to people familiar with stage work in some instances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceA Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 He starred in The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight back in 1971 with a pre-stardom Robert DeNiro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepiatone Posted October 22, 2016 Author Share Posted October 22, 2016 A bit of a sidetrack here in response to GordonCole.... Many people probably are unaware of several actors and actresses portfolios due to their limited exposure to them from other sources. Like HERSCHEL BERNARDI. Most probably only know him from the old TV show PETER GUNN and his own TV sit-com ARNIE from 1970. I admit guilt of this. It wasn't until some radio station played a recording of Bernardi singing "If I Were A Rich Man" from "Fiddler On The Roof" off of a disc of a prodution in which Bernardi played Tevya did I know of his powerful, rich singing voice and realize he had a much varied background. I'll admit this too about Orbach. Until I saw his name in the "voice credits" in the Disney animated BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and soon after read he originated Billy Flynn on Broadway. When Jerry started on LAW AND ORDER, I immediately remembered him from several earlier movies, as I did when I first saw DIRTY DANCING at the show. Sepiatone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misswonderly3 Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 He also played a small but key role in Woody Allen's Crimes and Misdemeanors, a great film, and Orbach's performance in it is a stand-out. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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