historyluvr Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Am I the only one who wonders why the great actor Ward Bond (is there a film that he WASN'T in!!) has not gotten the recognition he deserves on TCM? Why wasn't he chosen for the August salutes…why hasn't he been chosen as star of the month?! Come on TCM, give Ward a break and give all of us the opportunity to relish the incredible films that he was starred in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesJazGuitar Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Am I the only one who wonders why the great actor Ward Bond (is there a film that he WASN'T in!!) has not gotten the recognition he deserves on TCM? Why wasn't he chosen for the August salutes…why hasn't he been chosen as star of the month?! Come on TCM, give Ward a break and give all of us the opportunity to relish the incredible films that he was starred in. As you know Bond was an actor in 100 or so films and TCM plays films Bond is in all of the time. I would guess not more than a week goes by where Bond isn't in a film. To me the best tribute a station can give to an actor is showing the films they are in. As for Bond as SOTM; well, the 'S' is for star not supporting actor. But I as well as many others have been asking TCM to feature multiple supporting actors as SOTM during a month (i.e. NOT one for the entire month). Summer Under The Stars is more suited to featuring supporting actors. I assume Bond has been feature in SUTS in the past (but I don't keep records on that but others here do) . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scsu1975 Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Maybe TCM can showcase BOTM (butt of the month) with Bond and George Brent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HelenBaby2 Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 I checked the list that's under the Stickies forum and Bond wasn't listed as a SUTS honoree. I was surprised because like James said his movies are shown regularly. In fact, a few years ago I was curious about which actors had been in the most Best Picture Oscar winners, and Bond was one of those people. I think he'd been in at least 5. He always adds to whatever film he's in. A couple of my favorites are The Searchers & The Wings of Eagles. And I love to watch the old Wagon Train series where he played Major Adams. Really great character actor. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesJazGuitar Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 I checked the list that's under the Stickies forum and Bond wasn't listed as a SUTS honoree. I was surprised because like James said his movies are shown regularly. In fact, a few years ago I was curious about which actors had been in the most Best Picture Oscar winners, and Bond was one of those people. I think he'd been in at least 5. He always adds to whatever film he's in. A couple of my favorites are The Searchers & The Wings of Eagles. And I love to watch the old Wagon Train series where he played Major Adams. Really great character actor. You mean Bond has never been a SUTS honoree? (I know he wasn't for 2015 but I would hope he had been in the last decade). Either way, Bond is an actor like Donald Crisp that always gives a sound performance regardless of the size of the role. As far as actors that have been in the most Best Pictures Oscar winners; that is a niffy bit of trivia. I would love to see a list of that by actor as well as actress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Maybe TCM can showcase BOTM (butt of the month) with Bond and George Brent. LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HelenBaby2 Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 You mean Bond has never been a SUTS honoree? (I know he wasn't for 2015 but I would hope he had been in the last decade). Either way, Bond is an actor like Donald Crisp that always gives a sound performance regardless of the size of the role. As far as actors that have been in the most Best Pictures Oscar winners; that is a niffy bit of trivia. I would love to see a list of that by actor as well as actress. It's been quite some time since I did my research on that and I don't have it written down anywhere. One of the actresses was Diane Keaton and another actor was Morgan Freeman. Maybe Harry Davenport was in a few as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogie56 Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 I didn't know how far right of right wing Bond was until I read Joseph McBride's Searching for John Ford. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomJH Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 I didn't know how far right of right wing Bond was until I read Joseph McBride's Searching for John Ford. I understand that John Wayne was almost middle of the road politically compared to Bond. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet0312 Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 I recognize Ward Bond all the time. "Hey, isn't that...?" Hitler- Dead or Alive when Bond is firing at the enemy while standing in an open door of an airplane. What a man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesJazGuitar Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I understand that John Wayne was almost middle of the road politically compared to Bond. In the book Those Crazy Wonderful Years When We Ran Warner Bros. there is a funny conversation between Bond and Blayney Matthews, Head of Security at WB, due to a complaint a waitress made against Bond. It involved a steak the waitress served to Bond that he felt was overcooked that the chef claimed was rare and what Bond told the waitress to do with the steak. Funny but underneath the picture of Bond it says 'It ended up spelling trouble. No wonder Ward Bond has blood in his eyes". I wasn't planning on linking this story to Trump but,,, well, I didn't write the book! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dargo Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Two of my personal favorite Ward Bond film performances are his turn as the heavyweight boxing champ John L. Sullivan in GENTLEMAN JIM (1942), and as the quick-tempered leader of the Mormons during their travels to Utah via wagon train in WAGON MASTER (1950). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogie56 Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I think Bond's best ever film performance was in the bit part he had as 'Yank' in Ford's The Long Voyage Home (1940). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swithin Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Ward Bond's sexiest scene is the big wet kiss he gets from Edna May Oliver in Drums Along the Mohawk. It think it would be great if Bond was SOTM. What an incredible variety of films and great performances. I think it's time for so-called supporting players to get the SOTM treatment -- I mean each should have his/her own month. I'm tired of all the star-f**ing. Time to celebrate the backbone of the classic films. And by doing so, you still get the so-called leads in the picture. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomJH Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 My favourite performance by Ward Bond was when he played heavyweight champ John L. Sullivan in GENTLEMAN JIM (1942). "I can lick any man in the world," he bellows to the cheers of those surrounding him. This is the sensitive scene when a defeated Sullivan shows up unexpectedly at the celebratory party of his ring conqueror to offer his congratulations. All the previous bombast is now gone from Bond's character. He plays the scene with a graciousness and the quiet dignity of a man putting on a brave face while his heart is breaking. It's a lovely screen moment, and one of the true highlights of the actor's career. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomJH Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 This is the Ward Bond with whom I grew up, as Major Seth Adams in Wagon Train. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I have trouble recognizing Ward Bond when he appears on screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogie56 Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I understand that John Wayne was almost middle of the road politically compared to Bond. You should be in the diplomatic service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElCid Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I watched Topper the other night and was reminded that Ward Bond played one of the chauffeurs in it. Another one of those actors who is easily recognizible. I still believe TCM needs to do a SUTS without featuring any "star" who has been in it in the last 10 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tikisoo Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I would guess not more than a week goes by where Bond isn't in a film. Not A DAY. Like the aforementioned Donald Crisp and ubiquitous Thomas Mitchell, they were in EVERYTHING. How about honoring movies that had BOTH Ward Bond & Thomas Mitchell...like GWTW and It's A Wonderful Life? Wonder how many there are? Awhile ago, hipsters on the internet liked using the stupid phrase "Word is bond". I used to counter with, "No....Ward Bond" with his picture and no one knew what I meant by that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I would guess not more than a week goes by where Bond isn't in a film. Not A DAY. Like the aforementioned Donald Crisp and ubiquitous Thomas Mitchell, they were in EVERYTHING. How about honoring movies that had BOTH Ward Bond & Thomas Mitchell...like GWTW and It's A Wonderful Life? Wonder how many there are? Awhile ago, hipsters on the internet liked using the stupid phrase "Word is bond". I used to counter with, "No....Ward Bond" with his picture and no one knew what I meant by that. For some reason Crisp and Mitchell were always very recognizable to me. Not Bond. Maybe because he was primarily in Westerns, and that is not one of my genres. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomJH Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 One of the reasons that Ward Bond appeared in so many films over the years, I'm sure, is that he could play either good guys or bad guys with equal conviction. Here he is in 1941 playing the good hearted loyal pal of Sergeant York. Yet that same year he added immeasurably to the effectiveness of director Jean Renoir's Swamp Water. Here he plays a loud mouthed bullying bushwacker. Bond has a particularly effective scene in the film after a friend has a sudden and horrible death. All the loud mouthed bluster from Bond's character is suddenly gone, as he falls to the ground in shocked disbelief at what he has just seen. He is suddenly as meek as a kitten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesJazGuitar Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 One of the reasons that Ward Bond appeared in so many films over the years, I'm sure, is that he could play either good guys or bad guys with equal conviction. Here he is in 1941 playing the good hearted loyal pal of Sergeant York. Yet that same year he added immeasurably to the effectiveness of director Jean Renoir's Swamp Water. Here he plays a loud mouthed bullying bushwacker. Bond has a particularly effective scene in the film after a friend has a sudden and horrible death. All the loud mouthed bluster from Bond's character is suddenly gone, as he falls to the ground in shocked disbelief at what he has just seen. He is suddenly as meek as a kitten. Yes, Bond was very versatile. He could play a hard man, a ruthless one, a kind soul, a foolish sidekick,,,, and appear natural in all of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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