Posted by
AJH on Saturday, February 14, 2009 11:20:34 PM
What one finds at the Dollar Tree is usually somewhat surprisingly hip, in a Jack Benny cheap sort of way. I especially like rummaging through a boatload of DVD knockoffs which have probably been sitting in the store for ages, and before that in warehouses and cargo ship containers from Los Angeles to Shanghai and beyond.
There is so much much “lost” television programming out there that it is sad to think of all the fascinating performances that have been neglected. Of course, a lot of this material, including the early years of Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show, has been lost forever, unless some smart fellow somehow tracks down the original broadcast signals floating about in the far reaches of space.
Recently I found two movies on one disc, The Beatniks with a young Peter Breck (Nick on The Big Valley) and Wild Guitar with a very young Peter Boyle and a nice head of hair, too. In fact, both of them have impressive hair as does the lead in Guitar, Archie Hall Jr.
Boyle is probably best known for his curmudgeonly role on Everybody Loves Raymond coupled with Doris Roberts. He plays the “monster” in Young Frankenstein, which is a terrifically funny flick. This was Mel Brooks at his best. I am not really a fan of his other work, which partly explains why it took so long for me to get around to seeing Frankenstein. The opening scene with Gene Wilder really gets me laughing every time. Another Wilder vehicle that I happen to adore is Silver Streak.
I have never seen a Boyle performance I didn't like. He was superb on The X-Files, both funny and sad in The Dream Team, and a joy to watch as Frank Barone.
Peter Breck, on the other hand, hasn't done much film at all. He seems to prefer the stage. Breck currently lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he teaches the art of acting in workshops at his own self-styled school, known as the Breck Academy.
He has reportedly said: “I love doing theatre — any kind of theatre — anywhere. Some theatre was carnival or small town circus. I have never not worked. I never went hungry. As long as there were restaurants available, I would eat. Of course, I worked in those restaurants. I wouldn't want to do it again but if it has to be done, you do it!”
Two wonderful gentlemen named Peter.
AJH