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59-557: Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn (July 27, 1916 – October 14, 1986) was an American character actor . His expressive face was his stock-in-trade ; though he rarely carried the lead role , he had prominent billing in most of his film and television roles. Wynn was born on July 27, 1916, in New York City , the son of vaudeville comedian Ed Wynn and his wife, the former Hilda Keenan . He took his stage name from his maternal grandfather , Frank Keenan , one of

118-527: A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player during the 1940s and 1950s. He had a brief role as a belligerent, unsympathetic drunk in the wartime romance The Clock (1945). Arguably his most dynamic performance was a small role in The Hucksters (1948) with Clark Gable . His early postwar credits include The Three Musketeers (1948), playing D'Artagnan's servant; Annie Get Your Gun (1950); Royal Wedding (1951); Kiss Me, Kate (1953); The Man in

177-484: A Stanley Steamer by herself, and Fate and Max. The steamer car breaks down and Maggie accepts a lift in the Leslie Special. Fate arrives first at a refueling point, the small Western frontier town of Boracho . "Texas Jack", a local outlaw, becomes jealous of the attraction to Leslie shown by showgirl Lily Olay and a saloon brawl ensues. Fate sneaks outside amidst the chaos, steals the fuel he needs, and destroys

236-421: A barroom brawl, the tent of the desert sheik, a sword fight, and the laboratory of the mad scientist . The unintended consequences of Professor Fate's order, "Push the button, Max!" is a running gag, along with the spotless invulnerability of The Great Leslie. Edwards poked fun at later films and literature as well. The saloon brawl scene was a parody of the western film genre, and a plot detour launched during

295-676: A dramatic turn as Yost in the crime drama Point Blank (1967) with Lee Marvin . He had a leading role in the third Beach Party movie, Bikini Beach (1964) as a scheming newspaper publisher who wants to banish the local young people. Later he played Hezakiah in the comedy film The Great Race (1965). He was the voice of the Winter Warlock in Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970) and appeared in several Disney films, including Snowball Express (1972), Herbie Rides Again (1974) and The Shaggy D.A. (1976) (as

354-586: A harrowing divorce, and a nervous breakdown to return to work a decade earlier, and now helped convince Serling and producer Martin Manulis that the elder Wynn should play the wistful trainer. Both he and his father also appeared in a subsequent TV drama called The Man in the Funny Suit (1960), which detailed the problems they had experienced while working on that series. In it, the Wynns, Serling, and many of

413-441: A leading actor often has the physical attractiveness considered necessary to play the love interest , a character actor typically does not. In fact, some character actors are known for their unusual looks. For example, Chicago character actor William Schutz's face was disfigured in a car accident when he was five years old, but his appearance after reconstructive surgery helped him to be distinctive to theater audiences. Generally,

472-465: A local noblewoman. The pie fight is missing, and the drivers are chased by cowboys (rather than native Americans) before arriving in Boracho. A few minor changes concern Leslie's courting of Maggie Dubois: in the novelization, it's she who suggests sharing the blanket in the snowstorm, and she also gets to drive the Leslie Special when Leslie has his arm in a sling. Scenes not included in the film include:

531-520: A menacing figure because of his "long, angular face", which was easily recognized in public, although audiences rarely knew his name. Character actors can play a variety of types, such as the femme fatale , gunslinger , sidekick , town drunk , villain , hooker with a heart of gold , and many others. Prolific character actors, such as Margo Martindale , are rarely out of work, and they often have long careers that span decades. They are often highly esteemed by fellow actors. The Great Race It

590-787: A particular part or in a certain genre, such that the actor becomes so strongly identified with a particular type of role that casting directors and theatrical agents steer the actor to similar roles. Some character actors are known as "chameleons", able to play roles that vary wildly, such as Gary Oldman and Christian Bale . Many character actors tend to play the same type of role throughout their careers, like Harvey Keitel as tough, determined characters; Christopher Lloyd as eccentrics; Claude Rains as sophisticated, sometimes morally ambiguous men; Abe Vigoda as aging criminals; Fairuza Balk as moody goth girls; Doug Jones as non-human creatures; and Forest Whitaker as composed characters with underlying volatility. Ed Lauter usually portrayed

649-527: A polar bear in Fate's car, compel all four racers to warm themselves in Leslie's car. They awaken on a small ice floe which drifts into their intended Russian port, where Hezekiah is waiting for Leslie, who casts off Maggie for deceiving him. Maggie is snatched by Fate, who drives off in the lead. After driving across Asia, both cars enter the tiny kingdom of Carpania, whose alcoholic Crown Prince Friedrich Hapnick

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708-553: A prime example of a "that guy" actor being John Carroll Lynch . Over the course of an acting career, an actor can sometimes shift between leading roles and supporting roles. Some leading actors, as they get older, find that access to leading roles is limited by their age. Sometimes character actors have developed careers based on specific talents needed in genre films, such as dancing, horsemanship, acrobatics, swimming ability, or boxing. Many up-and-coming actors find themselves typecast in character roles due to an early success with

767-468: A rainstorm, Fate's car sinking in a river, and a more extended stay in Russia (mirroring the Boracho episode). The film was a major influence on Wacky Races , a Hanna-Barbera cartoon series. The film's characterizations were rather cartoonish. Furthermore, film editor and sound-effects man Treg Brown , who worked on many classic Warner Brothers cartoons, worked on this film. Brown's sound design won

826-654: A rematch: a race back to New York. The return race commences, with newlyweds Leslie and Maggie now a team. Fate lets them start first, then orders Max to destroy their car with a cannon. The shot misses the Leslie Special, instead knocking down the Eiffel Tower. Director Blake Edwards based the film on the 1908 New York to Paris Race , very loosely interpreted. On February 12, 1908, the "Greatest Auto Race" began with six entrants, starting in New York City and racing westward across three continents. The destination

885-421: A role she greatly wished to have. Wood agreed, thinking that filming would be brief on Edwards' movie. Shooting began on June 15, 1964. Many of the sight gags for The Great Race were expensive to create, and the costs ballooned to US$ 12 million by the time the film was finished. Edwards, sometimes with Wood in tow, repeatedly visited Warner in his office to ask for more money. Warner approved nearly all of

944-553: A sword fight with Leslie, Von Stuppe attempts escape by leaping to a waiting boat, but bursts the hull and sinks it. Leslie and Max return the real Prince to the capital in time to defeat Kuhster's plan for a military coup. Fate, still masquerading as Prince Hapnick, takes refuge in a bakery but falls into a huge cake. A pie fight ensues involving the racers, the Prince's men and the conspirators. The five racers, covered in pie filling, depart Carpania with King Friedrich's best wishes. As

1003-773: A villain who learns Wilbur Daniels's secret and uses it against him). He appeared as villainous businessman Alonzo Hawk in three Disney films – The Absent-Minded Professor , Son of Flubber , and Herbie Rides Again . He appeared in Francis Ford Coppola 's musical Finian's Rainbow (1968), Sergio Leone 's epic western Once Upon a Time in the West (also 1968), and Robert Altman 's Nashville (1975). During this time, his guest television roles included Alias Smith and Jones (1971–1972), Emergency! (1975), Movin' On (1975) and The Bionic Woman (1978). Wynn appeared in ten episodes of TV's Dallas during

1062-413: A waltz released as a single. The song plays on along the film as the main theme without chorus (except in the entr' acte) and it was performed onscreen by Natalie Wood with the voice dubbed by Jackie Ward (uncredited). It was nominated for but did not win an Oscar for best song. The full track listing is: Slightly in advance of the film's release, as was the custom of the era, a paperback novelization of

1121-443: A weekly television series. Wynn was married to former stage actress Eve Lynn Abbott (1914–2004) until their divorce in 1947, whereupon Abbott married actor Van Johnson , one of the couple's closest friends. Abbott contended her marriage to Wynn was a happy one, but that her divorce and remarriage were engineered by MGM studio boss Louis B. Mayer , who refused to renew Wynn's contract unless Abbott divorced him and married Johnson, who

1180-463: Is known for one scene that was promoted as "the greatest pie fight ever". It was nominated for five Academy Awards , winning the Academy Award for Best Sound Effects . The Great Leslie and Professor Fate are competing daredevils at the turn of the 20th century. Leslie is the classic hero archetype – always dressed in white, ever-courteous, talented and successful. Leslie's nemesis, Fate, is

1239-410: Is the spitting image of Professor Fate. Plotters under the leadership of Baron Rolfe von Stuppe and General Kuhster kidnap the Prince, Fate, Max, and Maggie. Max escapes and joins Leslie to rescue the others. Fate is forced to masquerade as the Prince during the coronation so that the rebels can gain control of the kingdom. Leslie and Max overcome Von Stuppe's henchmen and confront Von Stuppe. Following

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1298-465: Is used primarily to describe television and film actors, as opposed to theater actors. An early use of the term was in the 1883 edition of The Stage , which defined a character actor as "one who portrays individualities and eccentricities". Actors with a long career history of playing character roles may be difficult for audiences to recognize as being the same actor. In contrast to leading actors , they are generally seen as less glamorous. While

1357-607: The Daily Planet ) in April 1977. By June (production had moved to Pinewood Studios in England), Wynn collapsed from exhaustion and was rushed to a hospital. He was replaced by Jackie Cooper . He played Charles Picker Dobbs on a 1982 episode of The Love Boat . In 1983, he guest-starred in one of the last episodes of Taxi and Quincy, M.E. In 1984, he starred in the television film Call to Glory , which later became

1416-520: The 1979–1980 season, playing the role of former Ewing family partner-turned-enemy Digger Barnes . David Wayne , a friend of Wynn's, had played Digger Barnes in 1978 but was unable to continue with the role because of his co-starring role on the CBS series, House Calls , starring Wayne Rogers . Wynn was initially cast in Superman (1978) to play Perry White (the boss of Clark Kent and Lois Lane at

1475-568: The Curtis contract, Lazar reasoned that Edwards and Lemmon should make US$ 125,000, and Warner upped its compensation to match Curtis. Julie Andrews was first approached for the role of Maggie DuBois. Andrews having admired the work of Edwards wanted to work on the film, but was forced to bow out due to delays on The Sound of Music . Andrews would eventually marry Edwards and act in several of his films afterward. Natalie Wood did not want to make The Great Race , but Warner talked her into it. Wood

1534-481: The Dawn, in a niche alongside his father Ed Wynn, his daughter Emily (February 13, 1960 – November 27, 1980), who died from lupus , and his aunt. Notes Character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric or interesting characters in supporting roles , rather than leading ones. The term is somewhat abstract and open to interpretation. While all actors play "characters",

1593-505: The Gray Flannel Suit (1956); The Absent-Minded Professor (1961); The Americanization of Emily (1964) and Dr. Strangelove (1964). The Wynns, father and son, both appeared in the original 1956 Playhouse 90 television production of Rod Serling 's Requiem for a Heavyweight . The son was returning the favor: according to radio historian Elizabeth McLeod, Keenan had helped his father overcome professional collapse,

1652-605: The Hannibal Twin-8 as built by Warner Brothers at a cost of US$ 150,000 ($ 1,450,264 in 2023 dollars ), powered by a Corvair six-cylinder engine with three-speed manual transmission and six wheels. All four rear wheels are powered by a chain drive. Both vehicles were first on display at Movie World's Cars of the Stars Motor Museum in Buena Park, California until the museum closed in the late 1970s. It

1711-557: The Money (1939), Two for the Show (1940), and The More the Merrier (1941). Wynn starred in the radio show The Amazing Mr. Smith on Mutual Broadcasting System April 7 – June 30, 1941. He played the title role, "a carefree young man who runs into trouble galore and becomes an involuntary detective". Wynn appeared in hundreds of films and television series between 1934 and 1986. He was

1770-717: The Screen (1916) with Charlie Chaplin ; The Battle of the Century (1927) starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy ; and In the Sweet Pie and Pie (1941) with the Three Stooges . In his script for The Great Race , Edwards called for a " Battle of the Century –style pie fight". Although Edwards used 4,000 pies over five days, many of these were used as set dressing for continuity. Laurel and Hardy used 3,000 pies in only one day of shooting, so more are seen flying through

1829-528: The United States and Canada, due to its high cost, it caused a loss to the studio. Before the film was released, the soundtrack was re-recorded in Hollywood by RCA Victor Records for release on vinyl LP. Henry Mancini spent six weeks composing the score, and the recording involved some 80 musicians. Mancini collaborated with lyricist Johnny Mercer on several songs including "The Sweetheart Tree",

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1888-412: The air. Leonard Maltin compared The Great Race pie fight to The Battle of the Century and determined that Laurel and Hardy's pacing was far superior, that the more modern film suffered from an "incomplete understanding of slapstick" while the 1927 pie fight remains "one of the great scenes in all of screen comedy." The Great Race was generally not well-received upon release and critical assessment

1947-435: The building required a thorough cleaning and large fans to blow out the sour air. The missing pie residue was recreated carefully with more pies, and shooting resumed. At first, the actors had fun with the pie fight assignment, but eventually the process grew wearisome and dangerous. Wood choked briefly on pie filling which hit her open mouth. Lemmon exaggerated that he got knocked out a few times; he said "a pie hitting you in

2006-500: The cast and crew played themselves. Keenan also featured in another Rod Serling production, a Twilight Zone episode entitled, " A World of His Own " (1960) as playwright Gregory West, who uniquely caused series creator Rod Serling to disappear. On January 18, 1959, Wynn starred in S. J. Perelman 's Hollywood satire, "Malice in Wonderland", broadcast on NBC 's prestigious Sunday afternoon anthology series Omnibus . Wynn took

2065-409: The day after Thanksgiving, Wood wrapped the last bit of dialog work, then went home and swallowed a bottle of prescription pills. Groggy from the drugs, she called her friend Mart Crowley who took her to the hospital for emergency treatment. Music for the film was by Henry Mancini , and the costumes were designed by Edith Head . Production design, setting the period and augmenting the visual humor,

2124-401: The face feels like a ton of cement". At the end of shooting, when Edwards called "cut!", he was barraged with several hundred pies that members of the cast had hidden, waiting for the moment. The pie fight scene paid homage to the early Mack Sennett practice of using a single thrown pie as comedic punctuation, but to a greater degree, it was a celebration of movie pie fights such as Behind

2183-542: The film for United Artists . The film's escalating costs led UA to drop the film, but the project was picked up by Warner Brothers. Edwards wanted Robert Wagner to play the leading man, but studio executive Jack L. Warner insisted on Tony Curtis, possibly because of Wood's recent divorce from Wagner. ( Burt Lancaster was announced at one stage.) Working with Warner, Curtis's new agent Irving "Swifty" Lazar negotiated US$ 125,000 for Curtis—more than Edwards and Lemmon, who were to receive US$ 100,000 each. After Warner signed

2242-545: The film was published by Dell Books . The author was renowned crime and western novelist Marvin H. Albert . The novelization, based on the screenplay rather than the finished film, differs from the film in various aspects. In the novel, the country of Carpania is called Ruritania (as in Hope's Prisoner of Zenda ), Keenan Wynn's character is called Jebediah (not Hezekiah) and stays behind in Ruritania, having fallen in love with

2301-467: The final third of the film was a direct parody of the novel The Prisoner of Zenda and of the 1937 film version of the story , where a traveler is a lookalike for the king and stands in for him. Because of the success of Edwards' previous films Breakfast at Tiffany's , The Pink Panther and A Shot in the Dark , the film's budget started at $ 6 million. Mirisch Productions initially financed

2360-597: The first Broadway actors to star in Hollywood . His father was Jewish and his mother was of Irish Catholic background. Ed Wynn encouraged his son to become an actor, and to join The Lambs Club , which he did in 1937. Wynn began his career as a stage actor. He appeared in several plays on Broadway, including Remember the Day (1935), Black Widow (1936), Hitch Your Wagon (1937), The Star Wagon (1938), One for

2419-529: The four is at the Tupelo Automobile Museum in Tupelo, Mississippi, listed as a 1963 Leslie Special Convertible. Another of the four appears painted dark green in the 1970 Warner Brothers film The Ballad of Cable Hogue —the grille can be seen bearing the words Leslie Special, with the wheels and tires remaining their original white color. This vehicle shows up during the last 30 minutes of

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2478-404: The hero, dressed all in white, fail to get hit with any pies. He said "The audience will start yearning for him to get it". Finally, the hero was to take a (white) pie in the face at "just the right moment". Shooting was halted while the actors took the weekend off. Over the weekend, the pie residue spoiled all over the scenery. When the actors returned Monday morning, the set stank so badly that

2537-608: The movie carrying a lead character, and has a pivotal role at the end of the movie. The villain's black car was named the Hannibal Twin-8; five were constructed. One is on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum, powered by a Volkswagen industrial engine. Another is at the Volo Auto Museum in Volo, Illinois. This model includes a prop "cannon" and a working smoke generator. The Volo museum describes

2596-430: The names of character actors are not featured prominently in movie and television advertising on the marquee , since a character actor's name is not expected to attract film audiences. Some character actors have been described as instantly recognizable despite their names being little known. They are colloquially referred to as "that guy", or "that guy" actors, as in the 2014 documentary That Guy Dick Miller ; with

2655-446: The pastry. Colorful cream pies with fillings such as raspberry, strawberry, blueberry and lemon were used. For continuity between days of shooting, the actors were photographed at the end of each day and then made up the following morning to have the same colorful appearance, the same smears of pie crust and filling. Edwards told the cast that a pie fight by itself is not funny, so to make it funny they would build tension by having

2714-401: The race, including one owned by New York's most prominent newspaper. Driving the newspaper's car is photojournalist Maggie DuBois, a vocal suffragist . A seven-car race begins, but Fate's sidekick Maximilian Meen has sabotaged four other cars (and his own, by mistake), leaving just three cars in the race. The surviving teams are Leslie with his loyal valet Hezekiah Sturdy, Maggie DuBois driving

2773-534: The racers leave Pottsdorf (with Maggie now back in Leslie's car), it becomes a straight road race to Paris. Nearing Paris, Leslie and Maggie have an argument regarding the roles of men, women and sex in relationships. Leslie stops his car just short of the finish line under the Eiffel Tower to prove that he loves Maggie more than he cares about winning the race. Fate drives past to claim the winner's mantle, but becomes indignant that Leslie let him win. Fate demands

2832-485: The requests. When it was released, it was the most expensive comedy ever filmed. Shooting ended in November 1964. During the five months of filming, Wood's unhappiness was not visible to the cast and crew, and her characterization of Maggie DuBois was playful. Her sister Lana Wood thought that Wood looked the prettiest she ever had, but Lana sensed that the film "was physically taxing" for Wood. On Friday, November 27,

2891-505: The rest. Leslie uses mules to pull his car to another refueling point, where Maggie tricks Hezekiah into boarding a train and handcuffs him to a seat, lying to Leslie that Hezekiah had quit and "wanted to go back to New York". The two remaining cars reach the Bering Strait and park side by side in a blinding snowstorm. Keeping warm during the storm, Leslie and Maggie begin to see each other as more than competitors. Mishaps, including

2950-518: The slapstick atmosphere of a Laurel and Hardy comedy. Schickel felt that Wood was "hopelessly miscast", and that the energies of Lemmon and Curtis did not quite make the slapstick work. Maltin wrote that Wood "never looked better" and that the film's comedy sometimes worked but was otherwise forced: "a mixed bag". On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes , the film has an approval rating of 72% based on 25 reviews, with an average score of 6.00/10. Despite earning theatrical rentals of over $ 11.4 million in

3009-459: The term character actor is often applied to an actor who frequently plays a distinctive and important supporting role. In another sense, a character actor may also be one who specializes in minor roles. A character actor may play a variety of characters in their career, often referred to as a "chameleon", or may be known for playing the same type of roles. Character actor roles are more substantial than bit parts or non-speaking extras . The term

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3068-627: The traditional villain – usually dressed in black, sporting a black moustache and top hat, glowering at almost everyone, possessing a maniacal laugh, filled with plans to thwart the hero, and dogged by failure. Leslie proposes an automobile race from New York City to Paris and offers the Webber Motor Car Company the opportunity to build an automobile to make the journey. They design and build a new car for him, "The Leslie Special". Fate builds his own car, "The Hannibal Twin-8", complete with hidden devices of sabotage. Other car owners enter

3127-484: Was Paris, making it the first around-the-world automobile race. Only the approximate race route and the general time period were borrowed by Edwards in his effort to make "the funniest comedy ever". Edwards, a studious admirer of silent film , dedicated the film to film comedians Laurel and Hardy . The Great Race incorporated a great many silent era visual gags, along with slapstick, double entendres, parodies, and absurdities. The film includes such time-worn scenes as

3186-873: Was an uncle by marriage to the Hudson Brothers . His granddaughter is actress Jessica Keenan Wynn . In his later years, Wynn undertook a number of philanthropic endeavors and supported several charity groups. He was a long-standing active member of the Westwood Sertoma service club , in West Los Angeles . During his last years, Wynn suffered from pancreatic cancer , which caused his death on October 14, 1986. His ashes are interred in Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park in The Great Mausoleum, Daffodil Corridor, Columbarium of

3245-492: Was by Fernando Carrere who had designed The Great Escape and The Pink Panther for Blake Edwards. The unique slideshow-style title design was by Ken Mundie. The hero's white car, the Leslie Special, was built by Warner Brothers to resemble a Thomas Flyer , the car that won the 1908 New York to Paris Race . According to the Petersen Automotive Museum , four "Leslie Specials" were built. One of

3304-524: Was located adjacent to the Planes of Fame Museum . The Technicolor scene for the pie fight in the royal bakery was filmed over five days. The first pastry thrown was part of a large cake decorated for the king's coronation. Following this was the throwing of 4,000 pies, the most pies ever filmed in a pie fight. The scene lasts four minutes and 20 seconds and cost US$ 200,000 ($ 1,930,000 in 2023 dollars ) to shoot; US$ 18,000 ($ 170,000 in 2023 dollars ) just for

3363-527: Was mostly negative, making it the first notable failure for director Edwards. Most critics attacked its blatant and overdone slapstick humor and its lack of substance. It also suffered from comparisons with another race-themed "epic comedy" of 1965, Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines . Film critic Richard Schickel wrote that, although the film "bumps along very pleasantly for the most part", Edwards failed at his attempt to recreate

3422-400: Was the subject of rumors that he was homosexual. One son, actor and writer Ned Wynn (born Edmond Keenan Wynn), wrote the autobiographical memoir We Will Always Live In Beverly Hills . His other son, Tracy Keenan Wynn , is a screenwriter whose credits include The Longest Yard and The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (both 1974). His daughter Hilda was married to Paul Williams . He

3481-510: Was unhappy with her career and her personal life, having been divorced from Robert Wagner in April 1962. Warner asked Curtis if he would give a percentage of his film royalties to Wood as an enticement, but Curtis refused. He said "I couldn't give her anything to make her want to do the movie." Instead of more money, Warner promised Wood that if she completed The Great Race , she could star in Gavin Lambert 's drama Inside Daisy Clover ,

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