10 thoughts on “July 13th – Harrison Ford is now 75….About Damn Time To….”

  1. 1 I disagree with the award of honorary Oscars as I regard them as somewhat ‘artificial’ and think the practice unfair to others not receiving them who may have for example given brilliant performances for which they were nominated without success.

    2 To me honorary Oscars are equivalent to someone being allowed to jump the queue because of exceptional fame for which he/she has already been amply rewarded in other ways. Conversely no brilliant actor who has not been a big box office star is ever given an ‘honorary’ retrospective colossal fee or made an ‘honorary’ Legend

    3 I have said before that I consider that Cary Grant’s fine work made him worthy of a proper Oscar but that is beside the point as many others are in the same boat and I do NOT feel that Harrison Ford is one of them. He is a likeable competent actor whom I regard as a cut above Dwayne the Rock Johnson and Jason Statham but who is certainly no Nicholson, Micklewhite or Day-Lewis. I do not regard it as appropriate that sentimental feelings toward a popular actor should be allowed to replace judgement by proper artistic standards.

    4 George C Scott and Marlon Brando rejected their Oscars for Patton and The Godfather respectively for different reasons. When the Queen of England awarded the Beatles each an Order of the British Empire (OBE) many soldiers who had risked their lives on the battlefield to earn such awards retured their OBEs to the Queen in protest. In my opinion Mr Brando should have considered returning his Waterfront Oscar if subsequently someone whom he regarded as undeserving was given an honorary one.

    5 Anyway I feel the honorary system is counter productive as it merely underlines the fact that a performer’s peers did not think him/her good enough to deserve the Real McCoy and I wonder if Ford would thank you for bracketing him with Jackie Chan. Perhaps therefore we should maybe content ourselves with a whip round for a birthday cake and send it to Harrison.

    1. 1 Further to my previous post I am reminded of the film True Confessions in 1990 with DeNiro & Duvall in which a prominent entrepreneur was so well in with the local religious authorities that he anticipated a lucrative church building contract.

      2 However the clergy decided to give the contract to someone else but told the
      disappointed businessman that they would compensate him by citing them as the religious layman of the year. At that he threw a massive tantrum and ranted at them that a ceremonial award was no substitute for a substantive one. Perhaps though he would have considered an ‘honorary contract WOULD have been a good substitute for the real thing.

      1. Hey Bob….I have only seen True Confessions once…..I have no memory of that scene….I need to re-watch that one for sure. Seems that is one of the movies you like to use to make your points. Good feedback.

    2. Hey Bob….well….we see Mr. Ford differently. To me he is one of my Top 10 actors…and will forever be an iconic actor. If you watch the video…you will see lots of stats that put Ford well ahead of Dwayne Johnson. Harrison Ford has been one of the most famous actors in the world for 40 years. As for the Honorary Oscar….it used to be one of my favorite parts of the Oscar show. Bringing out a Hollywood Legend…and letting him get his final Hollywood hurrah.

      Now they do not even give them the Oscar on the night of the Oscars….it happens months before the ceremony. They have been giving 3 to 4 people one for the last few years. I think Ford should have one.

      Yes Scott and Brando rejected their Oscars…but Brando was very happy and eagerly accepted his first Oscar for On The Waterfront. So I strongly feel that he should get more than cake for his birthday.

      Still…an enjoyable comment to read.

  2. There are a lot of great people didn´t won an OSCAR…Paul Newman, Alfred Hitchcock, for example. REAL STARS don´t need that thing…and Harrison Ford is a REAL STAR.

    1. Hey Christian…I agree he is a real star. Paul Newman won the Best Actor Oscar for The Color of Money…and got a Honorary Oscar in 1994. Sir Hitchcock got a Honorary Oscar in 1968. Recent Honorary Oscar winners have been Jackie Chan, Spike Lee, James Earl Jones, Steve Martin and Gena Rowlands. Certainly Ford is at least as deserving as those recent honorees.

      1. Yes, you´re right with Paul Newman ( sorry ), but he didn´t won for his real very great roles in his prime, but Hitchcock just won an Honorary Oscar. I think they will give Ford a Honorary Oscar in the future. But as I said, real Stars don´t need it.

        1. That is what I want for Mr. Ford…an Honorary Oscar….every great screen legend has at least an Honorary Oscar….hell…Cary Grant was 66 when he got his….Ford is 9 years older….what are they waiting for…..him to be in a wheel chair and having his kids having to hold the Oscar for him.

    1. So sad. Last year Jackie Chan got an Honorary Oscar. I hope he gets when while he can still hold it.

Comments are closed.