I always thought of James Philbrook as a poor man's Rod Cameron. Both were large in stature with deep voices and pretty wooden in performances. Born on October 22, 1924 in Davenport, Iowa, Philbrook started out as a leading actor in two Susan Hayward films “I Want to Live” (1958) and “A Woman Obsessed” (1959). He had a leading role on the TV series “The New Loretta Young Show” (1962) where he played the role of Paul Belzer a magazine editor who courted and finally married Loretta Young's character in the final episode. He then starred in the 1962 film “The Wild Westerners” and then he travelled to Europe in hopes of capitalizing on his name recognition and revitalize his sagging film career and appeared in seven Euro-westerns such as “Finger on the Trigger” (1965) with Rory Calhoun and “Son of a Gunfighter” (1966) with Russ Tamblyn. Successive roles became smaller and smaller. His final film appearance was in “El asesino no está solo” in 1975. He returned to the U.S and died in relative obscurity on October 24, 1982 in Los Angeles at the young age of 58. Today we remember James Philbrook on what would have been his 85th birthday.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Remembering James Philbrook
I always thought of James Philbrook as a poor man's Rod Cameron. Both were large in stature with deep voices and pretty wooden in performances. Born on October 22, 1924 in Davenport, Iowa, Philbrook started out as a leading actor in two Susan Hayward films “I Want to Live” (1958) and “A Woman Obsessed” (1959). He had a leading role on the TV series “The New Loretta Young Show” (1962) where he played the role of Paul Belzer a magazine editor who courted and finally married Loretta Young's character in the final episode. He then starred in the 1962 film “The Wild Westerners” and then he travelled to Europe in hopes of capitalizing on his name recognition and revitalize his sagging film career and appeared in seven Euro-westerns such as “Finger on the Trigger” (1965) with Rory Calhoun and “Son of a Gunfighter” (1966) with Russ Tamblyn. Successive roles became smaller and smaller. His final film appearance was in “El asesino no está solo” in 1975. He returned to the U.S and died in relative obscurity on October 24, 1982 in Los Angeles at the young age of 58. Today we remember James Philbrook on what would have been his 85th birthday.
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He plays also in few euro-westerns in Spain , like "PHEDRA WEST " in 1968 .
ReplyDeleteProducer/Director Sidney Pink lavishes praise on Philbrook in his book SO YOU WANT TO MAKE MOVIES, saying that he saved FINGER ON THE TRIGGER by doubling the lead role when Victor Mature didn't show up. Luckily, the footage he doubled worked as well for Rory Calhoun when the other actor showed up to fill the lead.
ReplyDeleteI find him pretty effective as the tough, hot tempered rancher betrayed by his son and wife in FEDRA WEST.
ReplyDeleteyou mean the part he played or him.
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