The Ultimate Heavy (Happy Birthday Jack Palance)
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Back in the heyday of mom and pop VHS video store rentals, I used to pick up a lot of videos based on the classic monsters (Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, and so on).
One day as I was searching through titles with my parents in the new releases area and I in the horror area, (and proud of it!) I came across a version of "The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" that I was unfamiliar here with in The States. It was a Canadian-American made for television adaptation. This was my first bit of exposure to the late, great Jack Palance.
Not only did I get a riveting (and in my opinion underrated) version of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic, but a splendid performance from Mr. Palance. It was also a joy to know he was one of a handful of actors to have played the iconic bloodsucker Dracula.
For many of the younger generation (if they even know him at all), he's the old man that accepted a Best Supporting Actor Oscar doing one-handed push-ups. Truly a bizarre display but a well deserved award for an actor who constantly gave his all in performances.
He was everything from a boxer, football player, and served his country in the Air Force before he made his debut on Broadway in 1947 in "The Big Two." A few years later he started a long career bouncing between film and television. He was nominated twice for the Oscar in The '50's with 1952's "Sudden Fear" and 1953's "Shane" but was known mainly for playing gangsters and bad guys, solidifying his image and the ultimate heavy.
Decades later he would be a part of blockbuster hits like 1988's "Young Guns," 1989's "Batman," and "Tango And Cash." Quite the varied career...and one to be proud of.
Another memory I have of him from my video store days was of a fantasy film called "Hawk The Slayer." Very cheesy compared to the spectacular effects-driven fantasy films we have nowadays, but I used to love '80's fantasy (still do). And because of these great memories I also have fond memories of the man himself. I may be one of the last Jack Palance fans but I really am proud of it. Here's to a life well lived.
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