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Monday, December 12, 2011

Will Kane and Michael Logan...My # 1's

Regular readers of my blog already know that while I enjoy alot of different actors, my real loves are William Holden, Robert Ryan, and Gary Cooper.  Those three guys are my #1's, which is quite evident to all, I'm sure, since I am so often reviewing one of their films or just plain gushing about them.  Gal-wise, Bette Davis is my #1, with Susan Hayward and Barbara Stanwyck following in her footsteps. 

Movie-wise, I've already shared that Now, Voyager has #1 status, with Casablanca, A Place in the Sun, Sunset Boulevard, and Madame X rounding out the top 5.

So far, though, I've never shared with my blog readers which movie characters are my favorites, and I felt it was high-time I did so.  As with my actors, though, I can't decide on just one---I have two favorite movie characters.





First there's Marshal Will Kane...my beloved Gary Cooper's role in High Noon.  Though High Noon is nowhere near being my favorite Coop film, Will Kane is, without question, my favorite Coop role.  While I totally love his characters in Ten North Frederick and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (my 2 favorite Coop movies),  I love Marshal Kane even more.  Though I'm not a huge fan of Westerns, I have watched several of Coop's, and High Noon is definitely a movie I enjoy.  I'll be generous and call it a 4-star film, though if I'm really not in a Western mood, it can become a 3-star.  Beyond a shadow of a doubt, though, Will Kane is a 5-star character. His willngness to do the right thing---even if he is the only one doing it---showed him to be a man of honor and integrity.  To me, Marshal Kane is THE quintessential Gary Cooper!!





My other favorite movie character, similarly, is a man who is bound and determined to do the right thing, no matter what the cost to himself.  That man is Father Michael Logan, Montgomery Clift's character in Alfred Hitchcock's I Confess (my favorite Hitch film).  As a priest, he had taken a vow to keep in confidence those things told to him in the confessional, and even if it meant his own arrest, Father Logan wasn't going to break that vow.  Again, a man of integrity and commitment.

Though I Confess is my favorite Alfred Hitchcock film, it is not my favorite Montgomery Clift film...that would be A Place in the Sun.  However, Father Logan IS my favorite Clift character.

Anyhow, although I love many characters in many different movies, when pushed to choose an absolute favorite, these two men are the ones that stand out.  What about y'all?  Who are some of your favorite classic movie characters?  And what is it about them that makes them your favorite?

Thanks for sharing!!