26 thoughts on “Richard Harris Movies”

1. HI MR COGERSON Thank you for your attention to these exchanges. I have not read Robert Sellers’ book so you have the advantage of me but it sounds interesting.

   I am not sure whether you are implying that Mr Hirschhorn [or Joel as you affectionately call him] is in Mr Sellers’ eyes accurate in simply his description of the likes of Harris as true “hell-raisers” or/and the shared-perception of accuracy lies in the idea that bad behaviour is justified as a springboard for artistic success.

   If the latter, then naturally it can be argued that two people supporting something that is seen by others as offensive [eg a needless pugnacious approach to one’s fellow-man – Mr Hirschhorn’s words] doesn’t in itself make an offensive thing inoffensive.

   Many critics and journalists like other parts of the media often indulge in the most shameless sycophantic, glowing hype by which WHATEVER celebs do is shown up in the most excusable, positive and colourful light – ie somebody famous engaging in conduct that others might even be prosecuted for is seen as “a character”

   “We have to accept that Bud White can be a bit of a boyo at times.” James Cromwell’s Capt Dudley Smith excusing to Guy Pearce’s Lt Exley the thuggish behaviour of Russell Crowe’s character in 1997’s LA Confidential

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   1. Good points George. I like how you incorporated L.A. Confidential into your comment. That movie is sitting in a pile of movies to re-watch. Good points throughout. My last comment, pretty much sums up how I think that back then bad behavior was almost cool…while today bad behavior quickly derails your career. Good thing for Richard Harris that he did not live in the era of SmartPhones. Good stuff.

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2. I apologise for wrongly spelling Louis Jourdan.

   Louis Jordan without the U is a jazz singer, as you once were I understand

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   1. Hey George….I have since fixed your Jordan/Jourdan error. Never heard of Louis Jordan the jazz singer.

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3. To me it’s as broad as it is long. Either (1) Harris, O’Toole and the rest were hyped-up mountebanks who were conning the public with a false image that they thought would be “box office” – ie their activities were exaggerated or overblown in legend or (2) they truly DID “raise hell” all over the place, in which case they were an unpleasant, rowdy, often drunken and [to me] boring set of people who made a nuisance of themselves in the company of others.

   Those others were probably largely “little” people cowed by their star power or relatively timid movie personnel who had a vested interest in the careers of the “hell-raisers”. Certainly others with real power in society and exercised it seriously, or even ordinary people who were prepared to defend their own dignity or that of others [as in the Dublin example that Mr Roy quoted] would soon have put salt on the tails of Harris and his ilk.

   Certainly I feel that it is sad that a serious film critic such as you appeared to be acting as cheerleader for the “hell-raiser” thespian character where he DOES exist. However as the saying goes I would defend to the death the entitlement of you to write as you have and anyway – “Release to us Barabbas [the crowd demanded]. Now Barabbas was a robber.” You might therefore feel it appropriate that in 1949 the second film in the career Richard Burton [another reputed “hell-raiser”] was released and it is called Now Barabbas or Now Barabbas was a Robber, obviously inspired by that Biblical passage in john 18:40, the King James version of The Bible.

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   1. Hey George…good comment…have to say can’t really argue against what you wrote….so I will repeat….good comment.

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      1. HI JUDGE: It has been said that “liars [or those who invent things] need to retain a good memory” and so it was that when I looked down the flag-ups of the latest comments I wondered “Who the **** is George?” and then the penny dropped. Thanks for that correction to Jordan/Jourdan – a guy who idolised Brando deserves his own name treated with respect unlike say those who mis-spell Joel Hearsehorn’s name.

         I am glad we agree but was always confident that if you saw some millionaire drunk abusing harmless people in real life you would not approve or find it ‘entertaining’. However I would have to concede that it’s not fashionable to adopt too lofty a moral tone when the offenders are popular movie stars and the like because unfortunately bad behaviour can be box office and “money talks” loudly enough at times to drown out all kinds of moral considerations.

         For example tennis player John McEnroe used to throw tantrums on court and it drew crowds to his matches as much as his tennis did. I remember walking through Belfast one afternoon during the fortnight of the Wimbledon tournament and crowds had gathered outside a TV sales shop so I stopped to see what the attraction was. An active TV set on display in the window showed McEnroe in one of his tantrums furiously arguing with the umpire and insulting other ground officials, and it went on for some time.

         The onlookers were transfixed by all of this and whilst we over here were unfamiliar with some of the words that he was screaming, newspaper reports later explained that if we had been Americans we would have identified certain of his expressions as colloquial four-letter words in the States.

         In a recent interview McEnroe told of how when he quit the main tennis tour and played exhibition matches some sponsors would not sign contracts with him unless he agreed to throw tantrums once or twice during a match.

         The massively popular mega singing star Maria Carey was staying at an hotel and two young ladies were in the rest room when two massive female bouncer employees of Maria burst in and unceremoniously bundled the girls out into the corridor saying “Miss Carey wants to come in. She likes privacy when she powders her nose.” It’s worth repeating: “release to us Barabbas [the crowd demanded]. Now Barabbas was a robber.”

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         1. Hey Bob….I agree with lots of what you have written. Today Harris, O’Toole and Burton’s behavior would be caught on a Smart Phone….after a few times, those celebrities would be checking into a rehab facility. Back then, there almost seemed to be a certain degree of “glory” to be a drunk out of control person. I think it is much better now than back in Harris’ “hellraising” days. Good point on Barabbas. Good stuff.

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4. In my opinion you are in fact glorifying the concept of the “hell-raiser” as an effective role model for a movie star to foist on the public, on the grounds that, it seems, to your mind that Richard Harris’ supposed “rugged, pugnacious” [ie thuggish] off-screen tendencies were an acceptable artistic springboard for Mr Harris’ screen performances.

   What makes your condoning such tendencies ironic to my mind is your savage condemnation of Mr Brando for purely ARTISTIC and commercial failings that you feel you identified in Marlon – ie wanting too much money and not working hard enough.

   Marlon had his own failings but certainly he did not appear to need to draw on a personal pugilistic trait in his character [if such existed – and I for one never witnessed it] to give a good performance.

   For some reason though you never seemed to be able to warm to a number of Brando performances that many others in the critical set and within the movie industry found not only good but influential –

   1/“When Brando hits the acting jackpot you know that nobody else on the planet is capable of giving that performance.” [Jack Lemmon]

   2/Brando is the Don Quixote of actors – always tilting at windmills to find paths in acting that the rest of us can follow in safety.” [Louis Jourdan]

   3/”Who is America’s greatest actor? you ask – Bud [ie Marlon] when he wants to be.” [Henry Fonda]

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   1. Hey George….well the book Hellraisers:The Life and Inebriated Times Richard Burton, Richard Harris, Peter O’Toole and Oliver Reed by Robert Sellers….pretty much backs up Joel’s description of Harris. Good quotes on Brando from Jourdan, Fonda and Lemmon.

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5. Hey Bob. Good defense of Mr. Brando. As the judge of these proceedings….I have to say that having Trevor Howard, Marlon Brando and Richard Harris together on the set nightmare set, was liking mixing gas and fire. Amazingly, only feelings got hurt during the filming. So in the end, we are dismissing this case of Harris vs Brando…lol.

   Good story about Mitchum and Harris. I think Harris did not get along with many people. Seems he was really close with Peter O’Toole, Robert Shaw and Howard….everybody was not with bothering with…..even my favorite…Sir Caine was disliked by Harris. Not thinking many people do not like Caine….he is generally beloved by his fellow actors. Yet….Harris really said some pretty ugly things about Caine.

   As for your mistake….hard to give you a hard time about making mistakes…when the house I live in, is made of very easily broken glass. If anything…this page on Harris, got me to take my Brando book off of the book case….it has been sitting there for awhile without getting any attention. Good feedback as always.

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   1. HI JUDGE! Thanks for your response. In the interview that I saw Harris did categorically stated that (1) he didn’t like the company of movie stars but preferred to socialise with theatrical performers and (2) the only movie star that he had ever liked was Sir Sean.

      Perhaps Harris regarded O’Toole as part of the theatre set as Peter had quite a distinguished stage career. Shaw too was involved with the theatre and maybe Harris recognised in Howard a kindred spirit – ie a fellow drunk- who was acceptable company in their cups together but who didn’t come into the equation at other times.

      In the latter respect Burton and Lee Marvin made The Klansman together and apparently went on benders with each other after the day’s shooting and were drunk most of the time too even when filming. It is reported that years later neither could remember EVER having met the other or at least wouldn’t admit to it!

      Anyway I find it vulgar for celebs to parade their likes and dislikes in public and it shows as well that perhaps they have an exaggerated sense of their own importance – I mean in the grand scheme of things does it matter whom Harris did or didn’t take to? Lifestyle gurus caution you if you let someone else get inside your head, as Harris and Burt Reynolds did their dislike of Brando, that person has “won” – ie Brando won.

      Certainly as I have always regarded this site as a great respecter of the rights of others and if it was not all hot air and Harris did make life miserable for others as the tag “hell-raiser” would imply, it would disappoint me if such behaviour was condoned here even if it did improve Harris’ acting as Hirsch implied

      PUGNACIOUS – Joel’s description of Harris. Definition in dictionary- inclined to quarrel or fight readily; quarrelsome; belligerent; combative.

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