This book is about a group of actors who bring drama to the big screen the way the fair haired hero never could. The granddaddies of Darth Vadar and J.R. Ewing—villains of the Westerns. Witty interviews with ten Hollywood heavies—Lee Van Cleef, Jack Elam, Strother Martin, others—about their backgrounds, and feelings about themselves, their families, and playing bad guys. Horner asks the right questions, pulls out good answers and shows a fondness for controversial and sensitive issues. Two sections contain 43 photos of these familiar grisly characters in well known roles. All in all a splendid portrayal of a bunch of fine fellows who make a living convincing audiences they are despicable, degenerate and mean. A thorough filmography and a solid index are included.

William R. Horner, born in Nashville, a graduate of Vanderbilt University, was stationed in the Netherlands with the U.S. Army in 1972–1973. He is a distribution clerk for the U.S. Postal Service and lives in Mount Juliet, Tennessee.

William R. Horner
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 176
Bibliographic Info: 39 photos, filmography, index
Copyright Date: 2000 [1982]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-0938-9
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0870-9
Imprint: McFarland

I. Who Is That Man Behind the Frost Grunts?     1

An Introduction

II. Bad as They Come     13

Jack Elam—Neville Brand—Lee Van Cleef

III. The Rednecks     61

Bo Hopkins—Luke Askew—Bill McKinney

IV. Inspector Callahan’s Nemesis     97

Andrew Robinson

V. Hell on Horseback     107

Robert Donner—L.Q. Jones—Strother Martin

VI. Before the Credits Roll     145

Final Words

Filmography     151

Index   &nbsp 159

“revealing interviews with some of the best”—Classic Images; “recommended”—VideoScope; “a fascinating and absorbing read”—Wrangler’s Roost; “worthwhile…interesting”—Western Clippings; “fascinating reading…stimulating”—Film Review.