Jack Palance would have turned 90 had he not died 3 years ago.
Like so many American actors — some of them had fallen on hard times, though I do not know if this is the case for Palance — they had a second life in European cinema, see for example the recently featured European career of American sex kitten Carroll Baker[1].
My father was nuts for Shane, and I’m sure he alerted me and my brother of that movie and had us see it, but my first conscious experience of Palance was in the cinematic fable Bagdad Café.
Back to the European career of Palance.
Palance starred in Godard‘s Contempt and Breathless, Jess Franco‘s Marquis de Sade: Justine, as well as in the poliziottesco Mister Scarface.
[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHFK2mTDd3M]
I leave you with a scene from Bagdad Café, I loved that film when it came out, not in the least because of the brilliant loungy Jevetta Steele track, “Calling You.”
[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyU1R50_Nc8]
My mother always referred to Jack Palance as “the ugliest actor in the world.” I didn’t think he was so bad.
oooh you’ve mentioned two of my favourite films, Contempt and Bagdad Cafe.
Jeff Bukcley does a nice version of Calling You