TCM REMEMBERS LEO MCKERN, 1920-2002
The recent death of Leo McKern, 82, marked the passing of one of Britain's finest and most respected character actors. He was suffering from ill health in recent years and was moved to a nursing home a few weeks before his death on July 23 2002 in Bath, England. An actor of commanding presence with a deep-throated voice, the portly, bulbous-nosed McKern had a long, distinguished career spanning more than half a century, earning numerous plaudits along the way in all major mediums: theatre, film and television.
Born Reginald McKern on March 16, 1920 in Sydney, Australia; he served with the Australian Army during World War II and worked in regional theatre in his native Sydney before immigrating to England in 1946. It was a slow start, but after a three-year apprenticeship of painting scenery, stage-managing and acting, McKern eventually joined the celebrated Old Vic theatrical company in 1949 and proved one of the more versatile actors in the troupe tackling diverse roles in comedy, the classics and serious contemporary parts.
His film debut came in Murder in the Cathedral (1952) but it took a few years before he made his mark in cinema. Some of his best film work included roles as Peter Sellers' comic henchman in the classic satire The Mouse That Roared (1959); a bungling train robber in the charming Disney film The Horse Without a Head (1963); a nefarious professor who kills off his colleagues for amusement in the brilliant black comedy A Jolly Bad Fellow (1964); Clang, a cartoonish villain in the Beatles' pop film Help! (1965); Cromwell, the persecutor of Sir Thomas More in A Man for All Seasons (1966) and as Thomas Ryan in the David Lean drama, Ryan's Daughter (1970).
Yet despite all the accolades McKern earned in theatre and films, it was television where he foundinternational fame as the wily, irascible barrister Horace P. Rumpole in John Mortimer's Rumpole of the Bailey in 1975. Infusing the character with beguiling skill and energy, McKern made the acerbic, wine swilling, Tennyson-quoting Rumpole a much loved figure that was adored by critics, audiences and even its creator Mortimer. Perhaps Mortimer offered the most fitting tribute when he once referred to McKern - "His acting exists where I always hope my writing will be: about two feet above the ground, a little larger than life, but always taking off from reality." Enough said.
By Michael T. Toole
Katy Jurado, an Oscar nominee and major actress in Westerns, died July 5th at the age of 78. She was born in Guadalajara, Mexico on January 16th 1924 as Maria Cristina Estella Marcela Jurado Garcia, daughter of a cattle rancher and an opera singer. Jurado started to appear in Mexican films in 1943. After 15 films in her native country, director Budd Boetticher saw Jurado attending a bullfight (Jurado wrote about the subject for Mexican newspapers) and cast her in his Bullfighter and the Lady (1952), her Hollywood debut. For much of her career Jurado alternated between the two film industries. In the US, she was memorable for the sensual energy she brought to roles in High Noon (1952), One-Eyed Jacks (1961) which was directed by Marlon Brando, Sam Peckinpah's Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973) and John Huston's Under the Volcano (1984). She was nominated for an Oscar as Best Supporting Actress for Broken Lance (1954). Jurado's Mexican films were in a broader range of genres and included Luis Bunuel's El Bruto (1952), Ismael Rodriguez's We the Poor and Miguel Littin's The Widow Montiel (1979). She won three Ariel Awards (Mexican equivalent to the Oscars) and one special award. She was married to Ernest Borgnine from the end of 1959 to summer 1963. One of her final films was The Hi-Lo Country (1998), a contemporary Western directed by Stephen Frears and co-starring Woody Harrelson, Billy Crudup and Penelope Cruz.
by Lang Thompson
DOLORES GRAY, 1924 - 2002
Broadway and nightclub star Dolores Gray died June 26th at the age of 78. Her movie career was brief but consisted of high-profile MGM musicals which guaranteed her a place in film history. Gray was born in Chicago on June 7th, 1924 (and where, according to a common story, she was accidentally shot by a gangster as a child and had a bullet in her lung her entire life). As a teenager she began singing in California until Rudy Vallee featured her on his radio show. Gray moved to Broadway in 1944 and then to the London stage in 1947, solidifying her reputation as a singer/actress while constantly giving the gossip columnists plenty to write about. She had two small singing roles in Lady for a Night (1941) and Mr. Skeffington (1944) but didn't really light up the big screen until It's Always Fair Weather (1955) even though Gray reportedly didn't much care for the role. Her rendition of "Thanks a Lot, But No Thanks," which has her gunning down a slew of male dancers on-stage and kicking them through trap doors, is a genuine showstopper. Three more unforgettable musical roles quickly followed: Kismet (1955), The Opposite Sex (1956, which Gray turned down Funny Face to do) and Designing Women (1957). That was it for Gray's film career. She kept busy with TV appearances (mostly singing though she did one 1988 episode of the cult show Dr. Who) and a busy recording and nightclub schedule. In 1987, she appeared in a British production of Follies at Stephen Sondheim's request.
by Lang Thompson
Assignment K
Brief Synopsis
Philip Scott, head of a successful toy company, is also secretly the head of a British spy unit. When his cover is blown, enemy agents kidnap his girlfriend to force him to reveal the identities of his operatives.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Val Guest
Director
Stephen Boyd
Philip Scott
Camilla Sparv
Toni Peters
Michael Redgrave
Harris
Leo Mckern
Smith
Jeremy Kemp
Hal
Film Details
Also Known As
Department K
Genre
Drama
Spy
Release Date
Jun
1968
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Gildor Films; Mazurka Productions
Distribution Company
Columbia Pictures
Country
United Kingdom
Location
England, United Kingdom; Kitzbuhel, Austria; West Germany
Screenplay Information
Based on the novel Department K by Hartley Howard (London, 1964).
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 37m
Sound
Mono
Color
Color (Technicolor)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
2.35 : 1
Synopsis
As a toy manufacturer, British Intelligence agent Philip Scott transmits microfilmed messages between Germany and England by hiding them inside dolls. Answerable only to Harris in Department K at the Board of Trade, Philip is a law unto himself, and even Harris is ignorant of the names of Philip's contacts abroad. While visiting an international toy fair in Munich, Scott meets and falls in love with Toni Peters, a Swedish heiress. When Scott's enemies learn his true identity, they kill a member of his unit and then kidnap Toni from Scott's London flat. Smith, the ringleader of the opposition, informs Scott that Toni will be released if they are given the name of Scott's chief contact in Germany. Scott yields to this demand, but Scott and his friend Paul arrange for the contact's death before he can fall into enemy hands. Smith then retaliates by again kidnaping Toni. Scott penetrates Smith's headquarters and disarms his men, only to learn that Toni is actually one of the enemy. When an explosive device placed by Scott in Smith's hiding place detonates, however, Toni saves Scott while permitting her own colleagues to die. Disillusioned with the business of spying and finally aware that Harris is a double agent, Scott confronts Harris. Rather than face justice, Harris commits suicide. Once he is discharged, Scott, now certain that he is no longer willing to make the sacrifices required of a secret agent, drives away, leaving Toni behind.
Director
Val Guest
Director
Cast
Stephen Boyd
Philip Scott
Camilla Sparv
Toni Peters
Michael Redgrave
Harris
Leo Mckern
Smith
Jeremy Kemp
Hal
Robert Hoffmann
Paul Spiegler
Jane Merrow
Martine
Carl Möhner
Inspector
Vivi Bach
Erika Herschel
Werner Peters
Kramer
Dieter Geissler
Kurt
John Alderton
George
Jan Werich
Dr. Spiegler
David Healy
David
Ursula Howells
Estelle
Basil Dignam
Howlett
Joachim Hansen
Heinrich Herschel
Geoffrey Bayldon
Boffin
Marthe Harell
Mrs. Peters
Traudi Hochfilzer
Ski instructress
Friedrich Von Thun
Rolfe
Catherina Von Schell
Maggi
Herbert Fuchs
Bavarian tourist
Peter Capell
Landlord of chalet
Heinz Leo Fisher
Joseph
Karl Otto Alberty
Detective
Helmut Schneider
Stranger
Friedrich Von Ledebur
Ski shop proprietor
Andrea Allen
Mini skirt
Rosemarie Reede
English nurse
Mia Nardi
German nurse
Jenny White
Air hostess
Olga Linden
Nightclub blonde
Alexander Allerson
Model car salesman
Alistair Hunter
Doorman
Gert Wiedenhofen
Porter
Crew
Ben Arbeid
Producer
Ray Beck
Wardrobe Supervisor
Yvonne Blake
Costume Design
John Blezard
Art Director
John A. Coleman
Music Conductor
Cyril Collick
Sound Recording
Splinters Deason
Cont
Maurice Foster
Screenwriter
Maurice Foster
Producer
Lois Gray
Film Editor
Val Guest
Screenwriter
Douglas Hayward
Mr. Boyd's clothes by
Ken Hodges
Director of Photography
Basil Kirchin
Music Composition
Roy Parkinson
Prod Supervisor
Ken Scrivener
Dub mix
Tony Sforzini
Makeup
James Shields
Sound Editing
Jack Slade
Film Editor
Herbert R. Smith
Camera Operator
John Stoneman
Assistant Director
Bill Strutton
Screenwriter
Marjorie Whittle
Hairdresser
Film Details
Also Known As
Department K
Genre
Drama
Spy
Release Date
Jun
1968
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Gildor Films; Mazurka Productions
Distribution Company
Columbia Pictures
Country
United Kingdom
Location
England, United Kingdom; Kitzbuhel, Austria; West Germany
Screenplay Information
Based on the novel Department K by Hartley Howard (London, 1964).
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 37m
Sound
Mono
Color
Color (Technicolor)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
2.35 : 1
Articles
TCM Remembers - Leo McKern
TCM Remembers - Leo McKern
TCM REMEMBERS LEO MCKERN, 1920-2002
The recent death of Leo McKern, 82, marked the passing of one of Britain's finest and most respected character actors. He was suffering from ill health in recent years and was moved to a nursing home a few weeks before his death on July 23 2002 in Bath, England. An actor of commanding presence with a deep-throated voice, the portly, bulbous-nosed McKern had a long, distinguished career spanning more than half a century, earning numerous plaudits along the way in all major mediums: theatre, film and television.
Born Reginald McKern on March 16, 1920 in Sydney, Australia; he served with the Australian Army during World War II and worked in regional theatre in his native Sydney before immigrating to England in 1946. It was a slow start, but after a three-year apprenticeship of painting scenery, stage-managing and acting, McKern eventually joined the celebrated Old Vic theatrical company in 1949 and proved one of the more versatile actors in the troupe tackling diverse roles in comedy, the classics and serious contemporary parts.
His film debut came in Murder in the Cathedral (1952) but it took a few years before he made his mark in cinema. Some of his best film work included roles as Peter Sellers' comic henchman in the classic satire The Mouse That Roared (1959); a bungling train robber in the charming Disney film The Horse Without a Head (1963); a nefarious professor who kills off his colleagues for amusement in the brilliant black comedy A Jolly Bad Fellow (1964); Clang, a cartoonish villain in the Beatles' pop film Help! (1965); Cromwell, the persecutor of Sir Thomas More in A Man for All Seasons (1966) and as Thomas Ryan in the David Lean drama, Ryan's Daughter (1970).
Yet despite all the accolades McKern earned in theatre and films, it was television where he foundinternational fame as the wily, irascible barrister Horace P. Rumpole in John Mortimer's Rumpole of the Bailey in 1975. Infusing the character with beguiling skill and energy, McKern made the acerbic, wine swilling, Tennyson-quoting Rumpole a much loved figure that was adored by critics, audiences and even its creator Mortimer. Perhaps Mortimer offered the most fitting tribute when he once referred to McKern - "His acting exists where I always hope my writing will be: about two feet above the ground, a little larger than life, but always taking off from reality." Enough said.
By Michael T. Toole
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Location scenes filmed in West Germany, Kitzbühel (Austria), and Great Britain. Opened in London in February 1968. Prerelease title: Department K.
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States Summer June 1968
Techniscope
Released in United States Summer June 1968
