James Edwards: He Paved the Way for Poitier and Washington

Intellectual Conservative ^ | 16 February 2005 | Nicholas Stix

[Rutles4Ever]

He had a nice touch to his jump shot, too.

[squirt-gun]

Tinseltown (otherwise known as Hollyweird) turns out junk for couch potatoes who spend most of their lives vicariously living through the "acting" and "artistry" of others....black, red, white, brown and all of the above.

Its a pity.

[Rummyfan]

John "Papa" Ford made Rutledge with Strode in mind, with whom he would develop a surrogate father-son relationship. (I don't know what was worse -- having Ford for a real father or as a surrogate!)

Ford was truly an SOB but he made great movies. He tried to make Strode a star with SGT RUTLEDGE but had to settle for him being a character actor (he also appeared in LIBERTY VALANCE for Ford).

[AuH2ORepublican]

"He had a nice touch to his jump shot, too."

---

Yes he did. Too bad that The Buddha never did care for offensive rebounding.

[dakine]

Yeah, I was thinking "Buddha", also...

[Rutles4Ever]

Goldwater Republican - great handle.

[Sam the Sham]

Strode was before his time. He was too masculine, too magnetic, to be anyone's asexual perfect model black. There is no one today like him.

[mrustow]

He had a nice touch to his jump shot, too.

Delayed ROTFL. It took me so-o-o long to figure out who the heck you were talking about. Pistons.

[mrustow]

Tinseltown (otherwise known as Hollyweird) turns out junk for couch potatoes who spend most of their lives vicariously living through the "acting" and "artistry" of others....black, red, white, brown and all of the above.

Its a pity.

Since that's always been the case, I fail to see how it's a pity. No vicarious thrills, no Gary Cooper, no John Ford, et al.

I'm not at all ashamed to say that I have no desire to face down a gang of bad men, and drill 'em full of lead, while seeing my bride almost get killed. But I love watching Coop, who by the way also did not have gunfights with bad guys in real life, do just that in High Noon. Do you have gunfights, or do you live "vicariously through the 'acting' and 'artistry' of others"?

[mrustow]

John "Papa" Ford made Rutledge with Strode in mind, with whom he would develop a surrogate father-son relationship. (I don't know what was worse -- having Ford for a real father or as a surrogate!)

Ford was truly an SOB but he made great movies. He tried to make Strode a star with SGT RUTLEDGE but had to settle for him being a character actor (he also appeared in LIBERTY VALANCE for Ford).

Strode benefited from Ford being as established as he was at the time, or he might not have had his way with casting Strode. But it cost Strode that his acting career just started making strides as those tough, brilliant, old SOBs like Ford (Henrys Hathaway and King, Howard Hawks) were slowing down, retiring, and dying off. By the 1970s, Strode's credits read like "Forgettable and Foregettabler."

[mrustow]

The "Buddha"? I guess I wasn't enough of a basketball fan to know that. But Rodman caught his share of ORs.

[mrustow]

James Edwards Zing!

[mrustow]

James Edwards Zing!

[mrustow]

James Edwards Zing!

[mrustow]

James Edwards Zing!

[mrustow]

James Edwards Ping!

[johnny7]

Quite a story. Thanks for putting me on the list.

I remember him in Patton... that's about it. Woody Strode was the 'brooding' black man in 'Pork Chop Hill' I believe... maybe not... been a long time since I've seen it.

He was the subservient 'Pompi' in 'Man/Valance'... also was in 'The Professionals'.

[lepton]

and can tell you that Freeman is every bit as good as his press

The only thing I've seen Morgan Freeman in that he didn't shine was The Electric Company. He even looks good in bad movies.

[truth_seeker]

Go watch Jamie Foxx portray Ray Charles, in "Ray."

Now that's some real fine acting!!