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Weekend Discussion Thread: GOOD Performances by Actors in MSTed Movies

Picking between worst performances a while back was pretty tough. So many to choose from. But this week we’re going in search of rarer game: actually good performances.

This idea came to me because I was struck by Chester Morris’ performance in the movie we did this week for the episode guide: 808- THE SHE CREATURE. Maybe part of it was the contrast with Lance Fuller (who wasn’t acting at ALL), but it struck me that Morris was doing something we don’t see a lot of in our movies: actually acting pretty well! His acting was also obscured by the horrible print and the nonsensical plot but, still, ol’ Chester was giving it his all.

So, this weekend, let’s hear what actor you think really showed us some acting chops in a MSTed movie. (We’ll do actresses next week.)

126 Replies to “Weekend Discussion Thread: GOOD Performances by Actors in MSTed Movies”

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  1. dafs says:

    Well, obviously there’s Gene Hackman, who is good in everything.

    MST has made me into a fan of Bryant Haliday (The Great Vorelli). He actually seems like a pretty talented actor, who just happens to sign up for movies where he wears a diaper on his face. Also, Frank Finlay, who played Manfred in “The Deadly Bees” was nominated for an Oscar in the 60s for playing Iago (not the parrot). To tie him in to recent events, he was also in Roman Polanski’s Oscar-winning “The Pianist.” He’s got real chops, but I still crack up at the line “What do you think, bow tie?”

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  2. Gene Hackman in #401 Space Travelers, obviously, since, as “dafs” said, he’s good in anything.
    There was also Sid “Monkey Boy” Melton in #208 Lost Continent.
    And this may be a stretch, but I think John Reynolds as Torgo in #424 Manos, the Hands of Fate goes into that category (the only really “good” acting in a really bad movie).

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  3. MPSh says:

    This will probably be a minority opinion, but Tim Donnelly was very good as Richard in “parts: the clonus horror”. Sure was chidlike and simple, but in the story, he was raised to be that way. Richard’s befuddled bummed out faces fit in with his situation, having been taking out of his safe world into the big mean old city, etc.

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  4. Droppo says:

    Tim Van Patten in Master Ninja….just kidding.

    Good question, Sampo.

    Richard Crenna isn’t bad in Space Travelers (Hackman is).

    The dad in High School Bigshot, as bleak as his character is, does a fairly believable job. I think that’s a part of why those scenes are among the most depressing ever put on film.

    Sid Melton in Lost Continent gives a subtle, nuanced performance. Kidding, again.

    Wow. Only 2 performances? Is that possible? I’m sure I’m forgetting some.

    But, I can guarantee you the Bob Evil from Time Chasers is NOT on the list. Nor is the scientist in Track of the Moonbeast that declares: “it was inevitable.”

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  5. Fart Bargo says:

    I was just watching ‘The Giant Spider Invasion’ and the acting by virtually the whole cast was idiotic to loathsome. I did discover one part that can be a Best Supporting Actor nomination. The guy who did the preacher, Taine ?, was very convincing and I thought did a great job for a small role. Of course he had no competition but stood out just the same IMO. Too bad they didn’t expand his role but I guess they did not want him to stand out too much.

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  6. Semprini says:

    I’m going to nominate Toblerone from season seven. Sure, he’s chewing the heck out of the scenery but he’s doing it with such gusto and commitment that it’s hard not to get swept up in the excitement every time he’s on screen.

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  7. Glen BW says:

    Diane Mahree, who plays the role of Margaret in Manos: the Hands of Fate. I thought she shows some strong expressions when Torgo threatens to keep her as one of the Master’s wives(I can’t tell if she dubbed her own voice for that character as well) as well as her ‘powerful’, affectionate relationship with her husband and Debbie (really!). Also, I recommend some fine performances by the actress who did the Master’s first wife, as suggested by Tom Servo himself!

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  8. big61al says:

    Sorry I can’t think of anyone that gave a good performance. I am in the mind set that the badness of the film taints whatever good acting that may have been shown to the point it renders all acting, both good and bad into the same vat of goo. However, if one would take a mistied actor from a non mistied film then I would concider Gene Hackman the most talented actor from that list.

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  9. Craig says:

    Jack Palance gives a brave performance in Outlaw, second only to Crow’s impression of him throughout the movie.(“I brought the wrong bowl…”), then of course there’s Jack’s headgear, which I’m sure Jack used to draw out his character into the well rounded individual we see on screen. I smile everytime the camera’s on Jack. Bravo! I’m not even going to mention Angel’s Revenge, clearly Jack hadn’t gotten out of bed yet…

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  10. Satan's Jockstrap says:

    Terry Thomas as the Minister of Finance in episode 1013 – Diabolik.

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  11. Nicolletta says:

    Gregorio Sala as Johnny Longbow in “Track of the Moon Beast”. He was a smart and likable character. Too bad it was his one and only film role.

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  12. I always liked Beverly Garland in “It Conquered The World” She handled her part well, even when being strangled by a giant pickle monster. We wouldn’t see another strong female character in a science fiction movie until Ripley in “Alien”.

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  13. Leslie says:

    Well, Gregory Peck was in 401 Space Travellers, so he is my choice.

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  14. Sitting Duck says:

    Personally I thought Maximillian Schell did a fairly decent job in the title role of Hamlet. The performers they had for Horatio and Ophelia weren’t too bad either. The rest of the cast sucked though.

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  15. Gary Bowden says:

    Beverly Garland in “It Conquered the World” and “Gunslinger”.Joyce Meadows as Carrie in “The Girl in Lovers Lane”..Of course you can’t go wrong with Gene Hackman and Gregory Peck in “Space Travelers”..

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  16. Mr. B(ob) says:

    I’m going to avoid the obvious ones, the big name actors who were good even in the worst movies and point out some of the sincere and convincing performances by less famous actors that get overlooked because they’re in such cheap movies.

    – The young female lead, Dawn Bender as Betty, in Teenagers From Outer Space. Her performance is honest and convincing, even in the most ludicrous of scenes and even with the wooden acting of nearly everyone else around her.
    – The young female lead, Joyce Meadows, in Girl In Lover’s Lane. It’s one of the reasons the movie is hard to watch. The script and story have their flaws, but the performances of Ms. Meadows and other fine actors like Jack Elam mean we get into the movie enough to really be annoyed at the horrible, downer of an ending.

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  17. Nicias says:

    Funny, I can think of a number of actresses who did decently, but I guess they’ll have to wait for next week. Not many truly good actors stick out to me, but I was able to come up with a few.

    I’m going to extend on Droppo’s comment regarding High School Bigshot, but I think the best performance there was Tom Pittman, who played Marv. While he was playing a strange, awkward role, he did it convincingly. I totally believed him as the nerdy, cowering, socially awkward, but probably brilliant, angst-filled high school student. The way his demeanor changes when he’s confidently planning the heist, but reverts back to awkward stammering when he’s with Betty, is a nice touch and shows he has at least some range as an actor. So I’m making him my #1 acting choice.

    My second choice is Richard Carlson as Tom Stewart in Tormented. Since I already like this film, he was a natural choice. It’s a pretty tall order to act like a schizo when your only visual aids are Bert I. Gordon special effects, but he does so convincingly. His scene at the end where he seems to be contemplating, if just for a moment, murdering the little girl, puts him over the top for me.

    I’ll also put out a couple of honorable mentions. Peter Graves may not be the world’s best actor, but he always put in competent performances despite landing in some pretty ridiculous films. I also think that Brett Halsey as Bix Dugan (aka Big Stupid) in Girl in Lovers Lane (another film I’ve mentioned previously that I like) does a competent job. It probably won’t come as much of a shock next week when I pick the actress who played Carrie for her performance.

    Those are my picks; I’m probably forgetting some other decent performances, but I’m sure others will have a diversity of choices to share.

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  18. adoptadog says:

    I thought this would be an easy question to answer – then I started looking through the episode guide….

    But I have three I’d like to mention:

    1. Bruno Vesota in Gunslinger (or The Undead, or Daddy-O). He always struck me as a decent actor who knew he was in less-than-stellar movies, and still chose to do his best. A nice character actor.

    2. Hugh Beaumont in The Mole People; compare his performance with that of John Agar, and it’s on another level altogether, (as in acting rather than “ACTING!”).

    3. David Shark (Brad) in Soultaker. I doubt I’ll have much support for this choice, but I think he really did a nice job. Though what Crow refers to as his Billy Idling while driving was somewhat over the top, overall he had a strong performance.

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  19. Nicias says:

    Not to come down on anyone, but Sampo asked for MALE performers only this week. He said we’d do actresses next week.

    That being said, we must think alike Mr B(ob)! The actress who played Carrie did a fine job.

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  20. Mr. B(ob) says:

    D’oh! Once again, didn’t read the “fine print”. Also, it’s a lot harder to come up with good performances by lesser known male actors in these movies. I tried to think of some to put on my list above and couldn’t think of one. On further reflection, I’d have to say:
    – Myron Healey as the hero undercover cop in The Unearthly, and of course John Carradine. Fine actors with decent performances in a dreadful movie.
    – Godzilla in Godzilla vs. Megalon. Yes, this is tongue-in-cheek, but the actor in the suit did turn in an entertaining performance in what is essentially a children’s movie.

    Seriously, in the worst of the worst movies sometimes used on the show, it’s a lot easier to find convincing female performances by actors (not movie stars) than it is to find good male performances. I don’t know why that’s the case, but in my opinion it definitely does seem to be the case.

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  21. Rob says:

    I’d have to disagree with Sampo’s choice of Chester “Carlo Lombardi” Morris, I don’t think anybody in The She Creature gave a good performance. Anyways, I’ll go with John Forsythe in Kitten with a Whip.

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  22. monoceros4 says:

    OK, I’m going to say it: Joe Don Baker acts well in Mitchell. Mitchell may be an unappetizing, unsympathetic, chunk-headed slob, but Joe Don Baker makes him a convincing chunk-headed slob.

    I can’t get behind Bryant Haliday. The most charitable thing I can say about him in Devil Doll is that perhaps the role didn’t give Haliday a chance to prove he can act. Still, was he compelled never to change facial expressions or his tone of voice?

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  23. Nicolletta says:

    Gregorio Sala in “Track of the Moon Beast”. Johnny Longbow was a smart and likable character. Too bad it was Sala’s one and only film role.

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  24. Nicolletta says:

    I’d also like to add Roddy McDowall in “Laserblast”. Dr. Mellon appeared to be the in person in that film who had half a brain in his head.

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  25. ck says:

    I thought John Ireland did well in Gunslinger.

    Max Schell in Hamlet-although he’s the teensiest bit over the top :smile: [and I just saw a Charley Rose bit on PBS where CR had vignettes of actors discussing doing Hamlet] (oh, I do prefer MS in The Freshman :mrgreen: ) and, of course, The Odessa File.

    And as a supporting role, I thought the biker repair shop partner to that magnificent bastard Rommel in Sidehackers brought some not over the top feel to the role.

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  26. Cabbage Patch Elvis says:

    This is a tough one. I just have to remind myself that in this case, GOOD should not be confused with GREAT, and that the term ADEQUATE might be more appropriate. Adhering to the “Gene Hackman is good in anything” concept (Superman IV, anyone?) I find myself thinking primarily of “good” actors whose films just happened to wind up on MST3k. John Saxon does okay in Mitchell, but he’s just being John Saxon. Pretty much the same guy in every movie, but I like him. So looking beyond that kind of performance, I guess I’d nominate Jody and Mr. Strickland from Touch of Satan. They seemed to be fairly believable for the most part anyway. I’d say the same goes for the happy chef guy in I Accuse My Parents, or Mr. Hargrove from the Deadly Bees. I really don’t care for Bryant Haliday in Projected Man, but DO like him alot as the Great Vorelli (you ugly dummy!). And I feel I would be remiss in my duty if I did not mention that Aldo Farnese IS Mr. Krasker!

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  27. nekouken says:

    I just watched “The Room” last weekend, so I think every male actor in every episode does a fantastic job in comparison.

    Seriously, though: I feel that it is possible to ignore a lack of appeal in a movie, character or actor and actually find decent and compelling performances where you wouldn’t notice them because the movie is so bad.

    Walter Brooke as Dean in “Bloodlust!” was actually a very compellingly performed character. His motivation was rich, his passion for Sandra entirely believable and his drive to escape real — his and Sandra’s capture and death would have been utterly tragic if not for the utter stupidity of the trophy room.

    I’m going to second John Forsythe from “Kitten With a Whip.” He (and Ann Margaret) did a fantastic job with that ham-fisted material, unfortunately surrounded by boring, ridiculous and flat-out awful performances.

    Douglas Kennedy did a pretty good job as Joey Faust in “Amazing Transparent Man.” He was incredulous, furious and occasionally smug, and I believed every bit of it.

    Ed Nelson, I thought, did a good job as one of the Steves in “Night of the Blood Beast.” Corman’s worst habit was casting his best actors in the smallest, stupidest roles — like Dick Miller, who would have torn up the screen as Quentis in “The Undead,” but despite showing up on time to rehearsal every day was saddled with “Suspicious Leper.” Nelson was not as good as the elusive Robert Denby, but that may have just been the taint of Ben Murphy.

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  28. nekouken says:

    Cabbage Patch Elvis is right! I forgot George Lloyd as Al Frazier in “I Accuse My Parents!” He was so good even the Brains clearly loved him. That right there was an iconic performance.

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  29. Iggy Pop's Brother Steve Pop says:

    For some reason, the one that immediately popped to mind was Leonard Hicks as Kimar in Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (if I’m thinking of the right character… the father/leader). It may not be the best performance in the world, but I have to admire an actor who can project a certain dignity and down-to-earth/marsness in a movie like that, while wearing green facepaint and wire antennae.

    Another performance that stands out for me by contrast with the film it’s in was Richard Kiel in the title role of Eegah! While everyone else is stiff, Kiel is always believable. And I’m not just saying that because he looks the part. He even gives some pathos to the sequence after Roxie et al escape.

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  30. Johnny Ryde says:

    I’ll second John Ireland in Gunslinger. He’s one of my favorite B-movie actors…

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  31. trickymutha says:

    I like Michael Pataki as JC in the Sidehackers- maybe he learned something from Shatner from his spot on Tribbles. (for that matter- Tribbles had three MSTIE actors- Stanley Adams (#618), Pataki and William Schallert #511)- compare and contrast Pataki’s performance with the one he gave in “It lives by night” and I think he isn’t too bad. His role in “Superdome”, however, was overshadowed by one of my favorites- Bubba Smith.

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  32. jedzz says:

    I know it’s actors only this week, but because I have a hard time separating them, I’m going to nominate John Miljan and Vivienne Osbourne as the parents in “I Accuse My Parents.” In fact, except for lead whiner Jimmy, the acting in this movie is competent all around. While we’re at it, despite the fundamental flaw behind the premise of the entire film, I think “I Accuse…” may be arguably the best overall MSTied movie.

    I also always liked Frank Finlay as Manfred in “The Deadly Bees.”

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  33. DrChadFeelgood says:

    Pretty much everybody in “Space Travelers” but then it’s the only movie they riffed that was actually a “real” movie – “Marooned.”

    And by that I mean a movie not made on a bet (“Manos”), filled with Japanese men in rubber suits (pick one), processed 50’s sci-fi (thanks, Universal!), Ed Wood, Roger Corman or Coleman Francis (watched “Beast of Yucca Flats” for the first time the other day….shudder….).

    But all in all, many of the performances in many of the films have the POTENTIAL of being good performances. It’s just that combined with all the other crappy elements of their crappy films, it’s hard to see the quality of an actor’s work.

    I mean, Christopher Lee, Roddy MacDowell, Raul Julia – these are no slouches when it comes to acting. But I want to smack each and every one of them in the face with half a grapefruit when I see them in the pieces of….highly entertaining entertainment they’re in.

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  34. thunderbird12 says:

    I’d have to agree with the nomination of John Forsythe, who did about as well as he could in “Kitten with a Whip” with that particular role (the same with Ann Margaret, though the original question was about male leads).

    I thought Robert Vaughn did a pretty good job in “Teenage Caveman”. He tried to deliver a serious performance in a role where it would have been easy to simply chew the scenery (though maybe it would have been better if he had just camped it up, given how dull the movie was). He has gone on to have an interesting career, being nominated for an Oscar a year after Teenage Caveman was released (for “The Young Philadelphians”) and appearing as one of “The Magnificent Seven” two years later. before settling in as a prolific B-list and TV actor.

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  35. MeMyselfand! says:

    I think the acting in The Black Scorpion was decent, across the board.

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  36. Stephen says:

    I’ll second John Forsythe in Kitten With a Whip. He’s a very sympathetic protagonist, which makes that movie, even in MSTied form, very uncomfortable viewing.

    I’ll also go way way WAY out on a limb and nominate Dick Contino in Daddy-O. He throws himself like a ton of bricks into that role, and his performance is just as graceless and blunt as “ton of bricks” might imply. And yet, he’s so magnetic on screen — try not watching him in any scene he’s in — and that magnetism becomes an intensity and devotion that better actors might not have been able to bring to the role.”Wait’ll I Get You Home Girl” in particular is almost violent in its sexual tension.

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  37. Ted H. says:

    There were some pretty big talents in Space Travelers, so I think many of those are a given.

    I will also give a nod to most of the cast of Rocketship X-M. Lloyd Bridges, Noah Beery Jr, Hugh O’Brian, and John Emery all did pretty good in a pretty boring movie.

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  38. John says:

    I’d go with Frank Gerstle who was Dr. Otto Frank in 518-Atomic Brain. He was a competent character in the film, I thought. (Though he WAS locked in a radioactive chamber by a cat.)

    I also liked Roddy McDowall’s (sp?) performance in 706-Laserblast.

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  39. SimonArk says:

    Ok, I totally second Beverly Garland in both Gunslinger and It Conquered the World, (Actually, Peter Graves too in that last one, but he ALWAYS at least tried…) No to Joe Don Baker in Mitchell, (he’s incomprehensible half the time for crying out loud!) But I shift the credit for basic competency to Martin Balsam, who really DOES feel like a guy who is trapped in a repellent, humiliating situation by obligations he can’t really control. I wonder what he was channeling.

    Donald Pleasance in Warrior of the Lost World. A god-awful movie, but he… sincerely makes his dialogue work, he carries off a feeling of real menace, and unlike literally EVERYONE ELSE in that lobotomized cesspit of a film, you feel he earned his money.

    Steve Reeves as Hercules. Compared to EVERY OTHER ACTOR we had to sit through playing Hercules, you really do appreciate that he brought something to that part.

    And finally most of the cast of The Magic Sword are pretty decent.

    Rathbone and Winwood both earn their paychecks.

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  40. I’m going to second Roddy MacDowall in Laserblast. Terrible film, but Roddy didn’t let that make him apathetic towards his performance. He was really the only good actor in that one.

    I’m also going to second John Reynolds as Torgo in “Manos, the Hands of Fate.” It is, as a poster already stated, a bit of a stretch. After all, his lines are dubbed by another actor. Still, despite supposedly being strung-out on drugs (or perhaps due to it?) his physical performance really isn’t bad at all, and it looks even better compared to, well, everyone else in the movie. I say that perhaps his performance’s quality may have been due to his unfortunate drug habit because he was playing a lecherous, mentally-addled space-case of a man; so maybe he was just really high and wasn’t acting. Either way, his emotions and movements (casting aside the dub and looking at his performance as one would if “Manos” was a silent film) are very convincing and do a nice job of portraying a decidedly creepy and memorable character. I’m of the view that despite the ineptitude in its execution, one thing Manos does get right, or at least gets close to getting right, is setting a creepy atmosphere. I think the reasons for this are the graininess of the footage (not intended, of course, so no points for even a small bit of film-making talent), the isolated look of the sets, and the performance of John Reynolds as Torgo. He’s disgusting, repulsive, and yet somehow weirdly sympathetic and also extremely memorable; he might be the strange, misunderstood goat-legged weirdo in all of us.

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  41. smallerdemon says:

    I am fan of Peter Graves in IT CONQUERED THE WORLD. He and Lee Van Cleef, and of course Beverly Garland, make the best of the silliness of the ultimate climax in the movie and I think they do it well.

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  42. Sean says:

    The dog from 12 to the Moon. Seriously though, am I the only one who almost wept when the young astronaut said goodbye to the pooch?

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  43. Big Daddy 320 says:

    I think that Steve Reeves in Hercules is an all around good performance. He is miles ahead of other chunk heads who have lead roles in action movies. Besides, I think that is actually a good movie that looses a lot when edited to fit MST’s format. Probably one of the few watchable unmistied movies too.

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  44. The the Eye Creatures says:

    Well if you need someone who can stare and walk with his mouth open you can’t get any better than Tor Johnson. Also if you need a little girl to defeat the devil you can’t go wrong with Lupita. Seriously though Gene Hackman and Peter Graves would probably be the best ones.

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  45. The Professor says:

    Am i really going to be the first one to mention Peter Breck? He does a decent job in the Crawling Hand but his turn as Mooney in The Beatniks is sublime. Sure, he’s a bit over the top but it works for the character. When I first watched the episode, i was pretty drawn into the movie by the time the final showdown occured…and mostly because of Breck’s manic preformance.

    I also have much love for Bruno Vesota, a man I feel had enough talent to break out of B-movies. He’s a great character actor and his role in Daddy-O is just one of the many reasons why I like that movie.

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  46. Kenneth Morgan says:

    I’m not sure about this one. As others have noted, you can have an actor turn in a good performance only to have it obscured by the movie itself being an utter wreck. For example, Christopher Lee did a good job as Fu Manchu in a movie that he readily admits was awful.

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  47. Miss Mary says:

    Richard Kiel did a decent job in “Human Duplicators” – he was playing an android, and that’s exactly how he acted!

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  48. Zee says:

    -He’s not really acting, but Little Richard is great in “Catalina Caper”.

    -I’m going to nominate Clu Gulager for “San Francisco International” and “Master Ninja I”. I’ve been a fan of Clu since “Return of the Living Dead” and I like his relaxed, borderline-mumbling performances. James Karen from “Return of the Living Dead” has a non-embarrassing small part in “Being From Another Planet”.

    -Miguel Angel Fuentes as Vadinho in “Puma Man”: A simple yet likable and serious performance in such a goofy-ass movie, and I like that the sidekick is really the hero (like in “Big Trouble in Little China”).

    -David Warner in “Quest of the Delta Knights”. I enjoy Warner in anything and he looks like he’s having fun playing two colorful parts in this awful movie.

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  49. adoptadog says:

    The Professor,#45, I’m glad to see you also appreciate Bruno VeSota, but I dunno about Peter Breck in The Beatniks. I’ll grant you his performance in Crawling Hand, but I can’t watch his turn as Mooney without a hefty shot of tequila. I do agree, though, that he threw himself wholeheartedly into the part, and was not afraid to put himself out there.

    Maybe I just need more tequila.

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  50. The Toblerone Effect says:

    I always thought Tom Pittman’s portrayal of Marvin in High School Big Shot was well done. As someone here already mentioned, his character covers the gammit between confident con man when dealing with mobsters, and a bright yet insecure teenager trying to impress the prettiest girl in school. Pittman gives a very convincing performance as both, and had his life not been cut short, I’d be willing to bet he would have had a decent career as a character-actor.

    I’d also like to throw a vote to Peter Breck’s portrayal of Bob Mooney in The Beatniks. Yes, he had his moments of being over-the-top, but there was something about Mooney that was impossible to ignore. Compare that to his straight-laced, sleep-inducing character in The Crawling hand, and it’s as if two different actors were playing two seperate parts.

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