John Gavin

[NipkowDisc]

was there ever any tribute from Tcm for this guy? yeah, Alfred Hitchcock called him 'the stiff' but so what. tcm broke it's own rule about showing TV fare by airing Duel just because steven spielberg directed it.

well why not show Gavin's excellent made for TV western Cutter's Trail which was based on an episode of Gunsmoke. I remember watching first in primetime 50 years ago then later on the CBS Late Movie. Gavin gives a much overlooked low-key heroic performance.

tcm coulda at least shown that to honor Gavin if they weren't so cheap. another thing, Cutter's Trail has a good music theme by John Parker. this movie does not deserve to be so underneath the radar.

 

[Sepiatone]

I remember that TV flick.  Not(to me) all that impressive.  Neither was the score.   But can't fault Gavin for any of that. 

With no extensive filmography, there still seems to be enough film, and enough variety of genre to put together a fair tribute.  In more recent years, and also due to his good looks, I've heard some refer to Gavin as "the straight Rock Hudson".

Meantime, make do with this.   

Sepiatone

 

[Vidor]

Sentient block of wood

[Vautrin]

I always thought of Gavin as the poor man's Rock Hudson. Of course he disliked being compared to

Hudson all the time. Yeah, he was pretty wooden much of the time, but he did appear in a few decent

films and was okay in them. 

[filmnoirguy]

Imitation of Life, Spartacus, Psycho, Thoroughly Modern Millie.  President of the Screen Actors Guild.  And then he became  U.S. Ambassador to Mexico.

[kingrat]

He was surprisingly good in A Time To Love and a Time To Die. Unfortunately, I've only been able to see this on a full-screen VHS tape. TCM did show another of his films the other night, Midnight Lace.

[Dargo]

3 hours ago, Vautrin said:

I always thought of Gavin as the poor man's Rock Hudson. Of course he disliked being compared to

Hudson all the time. Yeah, he was pretty wooden much of the time, but he did appear in a few decent

films and was okay in them. 

Close here Vaurtin, but I always thought of him as a poor man's Cary Grant, but without any of Cary's charisma or comic timing.

And, something of which I always assumed Hitchcock would soon discover after it appeared he attempted to use Gavin as his "Cary Grant replacement" at about the time Grant was ending his own movie career.

Hitchcock would however use him a couple of times during the mid-'60s (or more likely it was either his producer Joan Harrison or Norman Lloyd who'd cast him) in The Alfred Hitchcock Hour anthology television series.

(...yep, one of the best looking actors to perhaps ever grace the silver and small screens, but almost no charisma at all)

[Swithin]

I worked on a project with Gavin's wife, the talented and beautiful actress/singer Constance Towers. She was one of the most generous, kind, and lovely artists I ever worked with.

[Dargo]

They DID sure make a handsome couple, alright.

(...and word is they charmed a lot of people down in Mexico City in the early-'80s, too)

[Vautrin]

4 hours ago, Dargo said:

Close here Vaurtin, but I always thought of him as a poor man's Cary Grant, but without any of Cary's charisma or comic timing.

And, something of which I always assumed Hitchcock would soon discover after it appeared he attempted to use Gavin as his "Cary Grant replacement" at about the time Grant was ending his own movie career.

Hitchcock would however use him a couple of times during the mid-'60s (or more likely it was either his producer Joan Harrison or Norman Lloyd who'd cast him) in The Alfred Hitchcock Hour anthology television series.

(...yep, one of the best looking actors to perhaps ever grace the silver and small screens, but almost no charisma at all)

I always thought he looked more like Hudson and I believe they were both at Universal for a while.

Not to knock either, but to me they fell a bit short of Cary Grant's polish and urbanity. I've been

watching The Alfred Hitchcock Hour on Daily Motion for the last few months and I'm a little over

a third way through. I saw Gavin in an episode a few weeks ago where he played a trigger happy cop

who relocated to a small town and he still got into a mess. I don't recall if Gavin was Hitchcock's choice

or whether Hitch had to take him. It is hard to imagine Cary Grant as the owner of a small town hardware

store.

 

[Dargo]

15 minutes ago, Vautrin said:

I always thought he looked more like Hudson and I believe they were both at Universal for a while.

Not to knock either, but to me they fell a bit short of Cary Grant's polish and urbanity. I've been

watching The Alfred Hitchcock Hour on Daily Motion for the last few months and I'm a little over

a third way through. I saw Gavin in an episode a few weeks ago where he played a trigger happy cop

who relocated to a small town and he still got into a mess. I don't recall if Gavin was Hitchcock's choice

or whether Hitch had to take him. It is hard to imagine Cary Grant as the owner of a small town hardware

store.

 

Yeah, I watched that particular episode of the Hitchcock Hour the previous time it cycled into MeTV's programming of that series. Maybe a year ago or so, and I have to say I thought Gavin was pretty believeable as the fearful trigger-happy cop. Didn't seem quite a wooden as I remember him mostly being.

(...I know most of his career was on the small screen starting in the early-'60s, and always assumed it was because his big screen career seemed to fizzle a bit after that time)

[Vautrin]

1 hour ago, Dargo said:

Yeah, I watched that particular episode of the Hitchcock Hour the previous time it cycled into MeTV's programming of that series. Maybe a year ago or so, and I have to say I thought Gavin was pretty believeable as the fearful trigger-happy cop. Didn't seem quite a wooden as I remember him mostly being.

(...I know most of his career was on the small screen starting in the early-'60s, and always assumed it was because his big screen career seemed to fizzle a bit after that time)

The good thing about Daily Motion is that they show the episodes "uncut and commercial free"as the saying goes.

Of course I watch them on a computer but they can go full screen so it's not too bad. I agree that Gavin did a solid

job in that episode. There was a spooky one a few weeks back with June Lockhart and John Anderson where she

played a modern mail order bride and he was a stolid silent type living in a bare bones home. Very effective with

one of those surprise endings that were more prevalent in the half hour episodes.

[Vidor]

I think that Rock Hudson was the poor man's Cary Grant and John Gavin was the poor man's Rock Hudson.  Or maybe John Gavin was the homeless man's Cary Grant.

[chaya bat woof woof]

I see what people are saying about the three men (and think Towers makes a much better Helena Cassidine than Liz Taylor did; however, I think of them separately.  Cary Grant was never given kudos for None But the Lonely Heart, Gavin was Leigh's love interest in Psycho (and was Turner's paramour in the remake of Imitation of Life - Fanny Hurst?), and liked Hudson when younger, but both he and, supposedly Grant, were stifled by studios etc. for their sexual orientation.  Gavin was, I believe ambassador to Mexico for several years.

[Sepiatone]

Actually, as I recall it, the country( nay, the world) was shocked when it was revealed that Hudson was dying of AIDS and that he was indeed a homosexual.   After all, his reputation was built on his appearance in so many "he-man" movie roles.   Never seemed to me that he was "stifled" in any way as far as his career was concerned, so I don't get that statement.  Any more than I get the statement that Grant too, was "stifled" due to HIS sexual orientation,  which was straight according to all who knew him and family members.  That he and another "he-man" actor Randolph  Scott shared living quarters together meant nothing except to  those who jumped to the wrong conclusions.  That "fact" was even included in some books about one or the other at the time.  But then too, both DAVID NIVEN and ERROL FLYNN  shared a beach house together, but somehow no homosexual speculations were made about that.  

Sepiatone

[Vautrin]

Now the question is Who is the poor man's John Gavin?

[Hibi]

21 hours ago, Dargo said:

Close here Vaurtin, but I always thought of him as a poor man's Cary Grant, but without any of Cary's charisma or comic timing.

And, something of which I always assumed Hitchcock would soon discover after it appeared he attempted to use Gavin as his "Cary Grant replacement" at about the time Grant was ending his own movie career.

Hitchcock would however use him a couple of times during the mid-'60s (or more likely it was either his producer Joan Harrison or Norman Lloyd who'd cast him) in The Alfred Hitchcock Hour anthology television series.

(...yep, one of the best looking actors to perhaps ever grace the silver and small screens, but almost no charisma at all)

Yes, he was in 2 of the A.H. Hours including the last episode aired. (the better of the two, Off Season, I think it was called.

[Dargo]

7 hours ago, Vautrin said:

Now the question is Who is the poor man's John Gavin?

Just a wild guess here, but maybe Guy Madison?

[Vautrin]

1 hour ago, Dargo said:

Just a wild guess here, but maybe Guy Madison?

Sounds good. I haven't really started thinking about it yet. Someone who was a contemporary of

Gavin and was less popular, or what's a poor man for. Maybe I'll come up with someone after

I give it a little thought, though it was partly a tongue in cheek question.

[Aritosthenes]

On 3/22/2021 at 8:03 PM, Swithin said:

I worked on a project with Gavin's wife, the talented and beautiful actress/singer Constance Towers. She was one of the most generous, kind, and lovely artists I ever worked with.

I'm Not Meaning to be a PigHead about this.. ..but why the Past Tense ☝️ ,? ...

 

 

If.. ... my smidgen of research is Correct Madam Towers is (Still) (Very Much) With (the Proverbial) Us, Today (? .?? .? ..

[Swithin]

5 hours ago, Aritosthenes said:

I'm Not Meaning to be a PigHead about this.. ..but why the Past Tense ☝️ ,? ...

 

 

If.. ... my smidgen of research is Correct Madam Towers is (Still) (Very Much) With (the Proverbial) Us, Today (? .?? .? ..

I know Connie is still with us. My comment referred to the time I worked with her, which was many years ago.

[Aritosthenes]

2 hours ago, Swithin said:

I know Connie is still with us. My comment referred to the time I worked with her, which was many years ago.

Awesome. Thank You,. And (i know im repeating myself..),; Thanks. 🙏

🙏🙏🙏 🙏

 

 

 

 

Sincere Apologies for that.

I Hope That that didnt come off as an irreverent think to remark upon,.

 

 

And ..im JEALOUS,.

...in A .. .... Polite. Friendly. Ammicable Type of Way,.🙏😐😬😎🙏🙏🙏🙏

🙏🙏🙏

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That Sounds..

... . ..Like a LOVELY Time,.

🙏

[Sepiatone]

19 hours ago, Vautrin said:

Now the question is Who is the poor man's John Gavin?

It would have to be someone tall and good lookin'.  And of course, more contemporary(current) than Guy Madison, whose career ended around sometime in the '80's.  So, my best choices would be...

JOHN HAMM

DYLAN McDERMOTT

And those two are also starting to get long in the tooth.

Sepiatone

[Swithin]

2 hours ago, Aritosthenes said:

Awesome. Thank You,. And (i know im repeating myself..),; Thanks. 🙏

🙏🙏🙏 🙏

 

 

 

 

Sincere Apologies for that.

I Hope That that didnt come off as an irreverent think to remark upon,.

 

 

And ..im JEALOUS,.

...in A .. .... Polite. Friendly. Ammicable Type of Way,.🙏😐😬😎🙏🙏🙏🙏

🙏🙏🙏

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That Sounds..

... . ..Like a LOVELY Time,.

🙏

No need to apologize, and irreverence is welcome!

[Vautrin]

5 hours ago, Sepiatone said:

It would have to be someone tall and good lookin'.  And of course, more contemporary(current) than Guy Madison, whose career ended around sometime in the '80's.  So, my best choices would be...

JOHN HAMM

DYLAN McDERMOTT

And those two are also starting to get long in the tooth..Sepiatone

I meant a contemporary of Gavin as Gavin was a contemporary of Hudson. Sorry, Don Draper.

For a second I thought of James Garner, but as Garner had a more successful career than Gavin

that takes out the poor man's criterion.