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R.I.P. William Smith

 
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Pow
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Location: New York

PostPosted: Fri Jul 09, 2021 3:25 pm    Post subject: R.I.P. William Smith Reply with quote

I was very, very saddened to read today that one of my all-time favorite actors has passed away today.

William (Big Bill) Smith, March 24, 1933~July 5, 2021.

I first became aware of Bill on his television western series for NBC. "Laredo" ran for only 2 seasons from 1965 to 1967 but it became one of my favorite westerns.

It was about the Texas Rangers in Company B out of Laredo in the post-Civil War era. Bill played Ranger Joe Riley.

It had as much humor and laughs as it did action and adventure making it unique among the usually serious & straitlaced westerns on TV. The Virginian TV show aired the episode "We've Lost a Train" as a part of their series.

The episode also was a spin-off pilot for Laredo which starred Bill, Neville Brand, Peter Brown as Texas Rangers and Philip Carey as Captain Parmalee. Robert Wolders would join the cast as Ranger Erik Hunter in Laredo's second and final season.

Stats: Bill won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Bodybuilding and fitness.

31-1 record in amateur boxing.

Held Air Force Light Heavyweight Weightlifting Championship.

Honorary member of the Stuntmen's Association of Motion Pictures.

Played semi-pro football for the Wiesbaden Flyers, Germany.

Competed in motorcross events with Steve McQueen.

Competed in downhill skiing at Mammoth MT., CA.

Won Light-Heavyweight German-Austrian Boxing Championship while in the service.

Bill was also a college graduate who had a degree in Russian literature and could speak fluent Russian. This was displayed in the film "Red Dawn."

While serving in the Air Force in intelligence he flew with a crew over North Korea on dangerous missions.

He turned down the role of Tarzan from M-G-M but would later stunt double former Tarzan Lex Barker while living in France.

Fought California wildfires in the early 50s.

Bill shot an eight-minute test footage for the TV show "Kung Fu" as the lead character Caine.
The network wanted him for the role but the producer felt that Bill was too muscular and menacing for the role.

Bill would guest star on Kung Fu in the episode "The Chalice" as a tough bounty hunter.

Bill studied kung fu for eight years.

Bill is a direct descendant of both Daniel Boone & Kit Carson.

Bill would guest star on several episode of the Daniel Boone TV show staring Fess Parker.

Fyodor Dostoevsky was his favorite author.

I only wish this gentleman had written his autobiography on his fascinating life.

Others remember him well as playing the villain Falconetti in the first ever TV mini-series "Rich Man, Poor Man."

He also played Jack Wilson who battled Clint Eastwood in the film Any Which Way You Can.

Bill generally portrayed heavies in his career but once in a while he'd play a good guy.

I don't think I've seen any actor that could play menacing as intensely and convincingly as Bill.

From what I read though, in real life he was a gentleman and down to earth to any fans that met him and people that worked with him. No prima dona behavior with Bill.

With Bill's passing the entire cast of Laredo are now all deceased. This is happening more and more with the various TV shows I grew up with.

The Inspiration Channel has been running Laredo at 9:00 AM on Saturday Mornings. So I've been watching 'em naturally. Tomorrow's episode, "Road to San Remo," will be the first one I've seen since Bill's death.

God bless you, William Smith. There won't be anyone like you to pass this way again.

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Krel
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 09, 2021 5:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

He could speak 5 or 6 languages, which is why he flew on intelligence flights for the NSA. He considered a career in the intelligence service, but was ineligible due to having married a French national.

He said that he never did a Hercules type movie, because no matter how hard he worked, he could never develop muscular legs to match his upper body.

His fight scene with Rod Taylor in "Darker Than Amber" developed into a real fight. As they started filming the scene, Rod Taylor said "let's see how tough you are", and actually punched him! He said that he had to fight back to save his life! But they became good friends.

He did a small role in another Rod Taylor movie with Richard Harris. After his part was finished, they kept him on the movie to keep Rod Taylor from beating Richard Harris to death because Richard Harris kept picking fights with Rod Taylor.

David.
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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 09, 2021 6:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"Big Bill" was really a pretty cool guy!



What most don't know is that he was a "cowboy" poet of some talent. He wrote this not long before he died.

THE REAPER

I remember when my friends and I
Thought that youth and games would never die
We cherished the girls, grog and laughter
Ribald at night, meek mornings after
But now malt’s too strong and girls too young
All our stories old, our song’s been sung
We mumble in search of long dead wit
Humor now is the daily obit

Our high is sharing a friend’s demise
He was a fine lad, echo our lies
While we gloat that it’s him not me
Knowing that they always fall by three
Wallowing secure ’cause Sam was third
Surely there’s time ’fore my taps are heard
Then there’s news of the death of old Hugh
Well, hell, that clown never paid his due

Nights alone you feel the Reaper’s chill
Then at dawn there’s a fine, undead thrill
Check pulse, poke liver, no pain, no fear
Hit the bars ’cause he’s dead, you’re still here
No canes or taxis for you today
On this fine and smogless first of May
Jauntily out the door to the street
Gaily you greet all those that you meet
Then as you stroll you think of old Hugh

The wind sighs, “He was younger than you”
As a maverick tear rolls from your eye
You know you gotta laugh instead of cry
You’ve done some bad and you’ve done some good
You wouldn’t change things even if you could
’Cause through the years you’ve run a good race
The Reaper chased and couldn’t keep your pace
So toast those that live and those that die
And while you can, spit in the Reaper’s eye

_________________
There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.
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Pow
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 09, 2021 10:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bill would guest star on Rod Taylor's TV western series "Bearcats" which ran for 12 episodes from September to December of 1971.

Some of Bill's sci~fi credits included guest star roles on Planet of the Apes & Buck Rogers TV shows.

Bill was known to get along with just about everyone throughout his career.

He did not care for Jack Lord when Bill was a regular on Hawaii Five-O in its last season.

Jack Lord had been a guest star on Bill's Laredo TV series years earlier in an episode called "Above the Law." The episode also served as a possible spin-off for its own series but wasn't picked up.

Peter Brown, Bill's friend and co-star on Laredo, had a run in with Lord during Lord's guest spot on Laredo.

Bill was an admirer of Charles Bronson. Bill was at some event when he saw Bronson for the first time in person.

Bill was just staring at Bronson; surprised at his short stature.

Bronson saw Bill looking at him and marched up to Bill asking him "What are you looking at!?!"

Bill calmly replied "Nothing." Bronson walked away.
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johnnybear
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 10, 2021 7:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Goodbye to William Smith!

I loved him as Falconetti in Rich Man, Poor Man, Tolar in Planet of The Apes, The Patron/Modok in Logan's Run, Mickey Simms in Streets of San Francisco, Cody in Police Woman, Jim Elkhorn in Kolchak:The Night Stalker, Neil Agar in Invasion of The Bee Girls, Commander Maxwell in The Six Million Dollar Man, and the Village Boy from Ghost of Frankenstein, along with and many hundreds of other characters he played! R.I.P.
JB
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Bud Brewster
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Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Posts: 17020
Location: North Carolina

PostPosted: Sat Jul 10, 2021 11:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Thanks for the list of productions which Mr. Smith appeared in, Johnny! I'll be on the look-out for opportunities to enjoy his work.

I wish I'd watched the series Bearcats when it aired. I meant to watch it, but somehow I missed it. Sad

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Pow
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 10, 2021 4:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bearcats was a fun entertaining show, Bruce.

Rod Taylor & Dennis Cole brought humor to the series to mix in with all the action adventure hi-jinks.

Setting it in the early 20th century allowed for exciting episodes with tanks, airplanes, and various technology from that era as compared to the usual westerns on TV that were set in the 19th century.

And we got that magnificent looking car that Rod & Dennis drove around in.

Another aspect I really liked is that they shot the series in Arizona. Gave us some fresher looking vistas for a change of pace.

99% of the television western shows were filmed in Hollywood, California even if the setting of the show was some other state such as Kansas for Gunsmoke, or Nevada for Bonanza.

So all of these series utilized the very same scenery and locations creating a certain sameness visually for the audience.

Don't get me wrong. These series were enjoyable and some of the locations quite nice. But we ended up seeing 'em a lot.

Arizona has been utilized sparingly for western TV series productions.

Bearcats was one. The High Chaparral & The Young Riders are the other two western series that come to my mind that also shot their shows in AZ.

Not sure why Bearcats did not last longer. Perhaps they were up against more popular shows; perhaps because by the 70s the western genre was dying out as a fan favorite on TV.

I miss them a lot. I don't believe they will ever come back in full force in either films or television like they were once upon a time.

We'll still see an occasional western movie pop up. And a western TV show once in a great while.

But their heyday is over I'm sad to say.
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