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Gregory Walcott,in a scene from "Plan 9 From Outer Space".
Posted on 03/26/2015 9:59:23 AM PDT by massmike
Gregory Walcott, a character actor whose résumé included numerous television westerns, several Clint Eastwood movies and prestige films like “Norma Rae” — but who was probably best known as one of the stars of “Plan 9 From Outer Space,” often called the worst movie ever made — died on Friday at his home in the Canoga Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. He was 87.
He said in a 1998 interview that the “Plan 9” script “made no sense” but that he took the job because one of the producers was a friend of his.
“I thought maybe my name could give the show some credibility,” he said.
The film seemed destined to be no more than a footnote in Mr. Walcott’s busy career.
But “Plan 9 From Outer Space” slowly developed a following for its cheap effects, its stilted dialogue and a ragtag cast that included the one-name TV personalities Vampira and Criswell as well as Bela Lugosi, in footage shot shortly before his death in 1956. To Mr. Walcott’s embarrassment, “Plan 9” became a staple at bad-film festivals and the movie with which he was most often associated.
Mr. Walcott came to accept his bad-film fame with good humor. His last screen role was a cameo in Tim Burton’s “Ed Wood” (1994), about the making of “Plan 9” and its eccentric auteur. Mr. Mattox, his son, said that when a bar called Plan 9 Alehouse opened near his home in Escondido, Calif., last year, he gave the owners, with Mr. Walcott’s blessing, a copy of his “Plan 9” script to use as wallpaper in the men’s room.
“I didn’t want to be remembered for that,” Mr. Walcott told The Los Angeles Times in 2000. “But it’s better to be remembered for something than for nothing, don’t you think?”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Gregory Walcott,in a scene from "Plan 9 From Outer Space".
Featured an actress with a freakishly small waistline IIRC....
I used to think it was the worst movie of all time until my daughter had to walk out of Uma Thurman’s “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues.”
“Greetings, my friend. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember, my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future.”
That was the Ed Wood film wasn’t it?
Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger! Give me Cheeseburger!
“Now he belongs to the ages”.
Plans 1-8 got tossed out because they hinged on finding intelligent life on earth.
Is that Nancy Pelosi’s long lost Auntie Grace?
Plan 9 is one of my favorite movies of all time.
The scene where the alien man wearing a silk shirt has a hissy fit and stamps his feet and cries, “You humans! You’re all stupid! Stupid, stupid!!” is truly sublime.
RIP,Gregory!!
I really had thought that the ballistics industry had invented smokeless powder by 1959!
He was a regular on the tv-series “87th Precinct,” with Robert Lansing. And played lots of villains in westerns. He actually had a pretty decent career, DESPITE having “Plan 9” on his resume.
Always liked the guy. He had a Southern gentlemanly quality. Seemed genuine and unpretentious.
Oh, he’s a real stiff in this!
When I was young, this was shown on a regular basis at The Thalia - the legendary NYC flea pit - and kids would pour in and mimic the movie in hilarious ways. It’s actually one of the most entertaining movies ever made - although perhaps not as funny as “Glen or Glenda.”
It’s a great movie. Criswell!
I’ve seen worse movies.
I watched the highly acclaimed movie BREATHLESS (1960)directed by Jean-Luc Gadard which all the critics were falling down and having fits because it was so good!
Caught it on TCM one night. After seeing it, I wanted two hours of my life back! Amateurish filming.
Even Belmondo said he thought the film was terrible.
One of the worst si-fi movies I ever saw was EQUINOX (1970)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equinox_%28film%29
It looked like something done by a high school film group. It cost a whopping six thousand dollars to make.
He played the Marshall in Joe Kidd, too.
“All of you of Earth are idiots! “
Plan 9 wasn’t that bad. Some parts were even funny. There are plenty of movies far worse than Plan 9. “Patch Adams” comes to mind.
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