35 thoughts on “Edmond O’Brien Movies”

1. Thank you, Bruce.

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   1. You are very welcome Nick. As always thanks for the suggestions.

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2. I have seen 26 Edmond O’Brien movies, including 14 of the top 15.

   The HIGHEST rated movie I have seen is The Longest Day.

   The highest rated movie I have NOT seen is Winged Victory.

   The LOWEST rared movie I have seen is The Rack.

   Favourite Edmond O’Brien Movies:

   The Killers
   D.O.A.
   The Barefoot Contessa
   The Hunchback of Notre Dame
   The Longest Day
   White Heat
   Julius Caesar
   White Heat
   The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
   Seven Days in May
   Birdman of Alcatraz
   Peter Kelly’s Blues
   711 Ocean Drive
   Shield for Murder – he co-directed this
   Fantastic Voyage
   A Double Life
   The Hitch-hiker
   The Last Voyage
   Up Periscope

   Other Edmond O’Brien Movie I Have Seen:

   The Girl Can’t Help It
   The Wild Bunch
   Fighter Squadron
   Under Capricorn
   Another Part of the Forest
   A Guy, A Girl and a Gob
   The Bigamist
   The Rack

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   1. That should read “PETE Kelly’s Blues’ NOT Peter.

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      1. Hey Flora. Currently on my phone, so I do not have access to the edit mode. So right now I cannot fix the error in your comment.

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   2. Hey Flora. Thanks for coming and visiting our leaders page. I have seen exactly half of the ones that you have seen. You’re 26 doubles my total of 13. I have seen 10 of your favorites. Not surprised the Wild Bunch is not on your favorites list, because I remember when you saw that and was so disappointed in it. My favorites would include White Heat, Liberty Valance, DOA and The Last Voyage. I actually think he gives one of the best performances in Julius Caesar. Good feedback as always.

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3. PART THREE This new page is highly “Voted Up” because (1) in both his early leading man days and his later ones in character parts I always found Ed a comforting actor to watch (2) as a sometimes lead/often support performer he was part of the backbone of Old Hollywood-even Mr Mumbles and Alexander Archibald Leach couldn’t be “all things to all men.” Indeed for once.

   The Master and I are of the same mind because in the 1983 Book that so often missed the mark he says “Edmond O’Brien had the appearance of a character actor rather than a star but his personality was so forceful that he often stole films from their leading players.”

   Ed in short is one of those Old Days actors whose range and brilliance although often beneath the radar in the bigger movies leaves a legacy which in my estimation puts to shame some of today’s more “showy” performers like the Stallones/Rock Johnsons/Stathams/and Vin Diesels and in effect illustrates how truly limited as actors those latter types of stars are. No wonder Tennessee Williams disowned Sly. Thomas Gray in his Elegy brilliantly summed up in more general terms the value of relatively ‘low key’ people such as Edmond in all walks of history.

   The applause of listening senates to command,
   The threats of pain and ruin to despise,
   To scatter plenty over a smiling land,
   And read their history in a nation’s eyes,

   Their lot forbade: nor circumscribed alone
   Their growing virtues, but their crimes confined;
   Forbade to wade through slaughter to a throne,
   And shut the gates of mercy on mankind,

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   1. Hey Bob. Good way to end your comments. Glad you and Joel and you see things the same way.Got it appreciate that when those rare times it happens. Thanks for the kind words your efforts are greatly appreciated. Stay safe and healthy

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4. PART TWO From about the mid-1950s Ed started to put on weight and concentrated on supporting/character roles. Some of them were routine such as The Cowboy of the Century’s commanding office in D Day the 6th June; and Edmond’s turn in Laddie’s Stampeded [aka The Big Land]. *

   However his later performances were always solid in my opinion; in the very-later years he was in the classic 1969 Wild Bunch with his old 1952 Turning Point co-star Golden Holden; and yet other characterisations of his I thought were spell-binding.

   I have previously given numerous examples to support my contention that if a thespian played a priest/nun or a drunk in Old Hollywood an Oscar was almost guaranteed before he/she even stepped onto the set.

   Ed was a drunk in both Liberty Valance and 7 Days in May* and secured an Oscar nom for the latter; but HIS drunks in both films were for my money based on clever and individualistic and even witty interpretations. To this day my brother [in Australia] will often quote from Liberty Valance the line in which Ed’s alcoholic Dutton Peabody is offered a beer and snaps back “Beer ain’t drinkin. Gimme a whiskey!” And Edmond’s boozy Senator Raymond Clark in 7 Days in May in staunch support of his President was intellectually partially pivotal to the task of unmasking Burt’s General Scott whom Kirk called “Judas” in the story.

   *Ed was also the town drunk in Laddie’s The Big Land/Stampeded and was nearly lynched trying to steal whiskey! The Master gives Ed’s 7 Days in May drunk 4 stars and the drunks in Liberty and Stampeded/The Big Land a respectable 3 stars each.

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   1. Hey Bob part two. Thanks for the information about your brother in the quote from Liberty V. Good to know that movie mean something to you two.It has been ages since I saw seven days in May, but I remember really enjoying it sadly he’s part is hard to remember even with an Oscar nomination to go with it. I did not realize he played a drunk so many times, apparently he had that issue off screen as well; but you know we don’t talk about the negative stuff here at UMR. More great information thank you for sharing.

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5. I loved watching Edmond in his early years when he was a top-billed leading man in a string of late forties/early 1950s films albeit of a largely routine and/or B movie variety that always seemed to be doing the rounds in our local cinemas before TV competition closed many of the latter. Here are some of the titles

   The Killers -Ed was top billed lead as Lancaster/Gardner were not stars then
   Fighter Squadron
   DOA
   711 Ocean Drive
   The Admiral was a Lady
   Two of a Kind
   Shield for Murder
   The Hitchhiker
   Man in the Dark
   A Cry in the Night

   China Venture co-starring Jocelyn Brando: here Ed joins Charlie Bill Stuart/ Bobby Duvall/ Richard Boone as one of the few thespians who got to work with BOTH Brando siblings- and in Ed’s case back to back as Marlon’s Julius Caesar and China Venture were made one after the other.

   The Bigamist-Ed had the title and lead role and was given special 3rd billing to Joan Fontaine and Ida Lupin who both were more prestigious stars than he. The Bigamist has been cited as the first film in which the female star of a film [Lupino] directed herself.

   And the westerns Warpath/Denver and Rio Grande/Cow Country and High Vermilion [aka Silver City]. I loved them all!

   Ed did though also turn in some fine supporting/character performances in this period such as Cassio in Shakespeare’s1953 Julius Caesar/Cagney’s nemeses in White Heat//ED’s Oscar winning one in Barefoot Contessa for which he gave top star Bogie a lot of the credit for on-set support and advice and from which Bruce has given us a nice little miniature above.

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   1. Hey Bob. Lots of information in your three comments on him. Part one. Excellent breakdown on his roles both leading and supporting ones. Seems most the ones I’ve seen his were later in his career versus early in his career. Looks like you have seen all aspects of his career. Thanks for the additional information on his television roles. Good stuff as always.

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