Arthur Kennedy, Man of Characters

“Basically, all parts are character parts. The problem of the actor is to protect the differences in a character: to identify that the character being portrayed has his own personality traits. He has to find things within himself to establish these differences. I’m best when I portray not good guys, or bad guys, but human guys. These are the people I understand.”
Arthur Kennedy’s words speak volumes about the kind of actor he was, one sought by both Hollywood and Broadway to be in dramas involving real people struggling with real problems. His many talents were recognized with several Academy Award nominations and the winning of a Golden Globe and a Tony award. This work covers Kennedy’s film and stage career, film-by-film and play-by-play, and provides pictures, synopses, and commentary for each one.
Acting anecdotes from Kennedy himself or from his peers in film and on stage, such as Errol Flynn, Elia Kazan, James Cagney, Ida Lupino, Humphrey Bogart, and many others, bedizen the commentary. Among the films and plays included are Joy in the Morning, Henry IV Part I, Strange Alibi, High Sierra, Bad Men, Desperate Journey, Cheyenne, The Window and Champion.

Meredith Macksoud, a teacher’s assistant in Santa Barbara, California, died after nearly completing this book.
Her mother, Jackie Lohrke, helped to see the project through to publication.
Family friend, Craig R. Smith, helped to see the project through to publication.

Meredith C. Macksoud with Craig R. Smith and Jackie Lohrke
Foreword by Laurie Kennedy
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 195
Bibliographic Info: 51 photos, appendix, notes, index
Copyright Date: 2003
pISBN: 978-0-7864-1384-3
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments     v

Foreword     1

ACT ONE

1 Introducing Arthur Kennedy     5

2 Born to Act (1936–1940)     8

3 The War Begins (1941–1943)     19

4 From Hot to Cold War (1943–1949)     37

ACT TWO

5 Into the Fifties (1949–1950)     55

6 Korea and McCarthyism (1951–1952)     64

7 Back to Broadway-and Back Again to Hollywood (1952–1959)     81

8 Into the Sixties (1960–1962)     108

9 Sometimes for Art; Sometimes for Money (1962–1969)     125

10 Into the Seventies (1970–1973)     139

11 Some Personal Time, Then Back to Work (1974–1989)     141

APPENDICES


Remembrances of Laurie Kennedy     147

The Lesser Works of Arthur Kennedy    

Warner Bros. and the War (1943–1945)     155

After the War (1951–1958)     156

Offshore Cinema and Made-for-TV (1964–1979)     159

Notable Television Guest Appearances (1959–1969)     169

Notes     171

Index     175

“very readable and extremely interesting”—Classic Images; “an absolute treat for film buffs…a noble heartfelt testament…affectionate and respectful…simply wonderful”—Winston-Salem Journal.