RIP James Earl Jones

[Spartan Squad]

Man so much of my childhood and my current nerdy obsession is linked to this man. Mufasa, Mr. Mertle and of course Vader. God I wanted to sit and talk ball with Mertle and I still do. And of course Vader is unmatched. What a career. RIP to a true legend.

 

[garrow]

It's impossible to imagine for anyone under 50, but Star Wars was a massive gamble in 1977. Other than 2001, space movies were not particularly successful. And science fiction movies in the 1970s about the future were pretty dystopian: Planet of the Apes, Westworld, Soylent Green, Rollerball, Logan's Run.

A movie with a bunch of then unknown actors -- if you don't count Harrison Ford's supporting role in American Graffiti -- that went $3 million over budget while shooting dragged on was really not expected to do much at the box office. In fact, it opened as a limited release.

But what a movie it was. I saw it the second weekend it was released nationwide, then took my father the next night because there were still things I hadn't caught during the first viewing. The special effects were groundbreaking for the time. The story stole heavily from Tolkien and Kurosawa -- and Lucas still can't write dialogue worth a damn -- but the enthusiasm of the actors and a fresh approach to a cliffhanger style action film grabbed us all. Ralph McQuarrie's concepts and paintings really made the whole thing believable, which is why sci-fi struggles sometimes with a broad audience.

EDIT: The John Williams soundtrack absolutely makes the movie. Each character has a motif and the interplay of those themes as the story progresses, building to the final fight and eventual medal ceremony is amazing.

But James Earl Jones made Vader way more menacing than just the physical presence of David Prowse. You really felt the Dark Side in his delivery of each line. When the movie ended, you felt like you had taken a two-hour rollercoaster ride. The applause and cheering at the end credits was real and deserved.

I still remember debating whether Vader was truly Luke's father after Empire Strikes Back or if he just said it as a diversion, because the idea was almost too far-fetched to take seriously, based on the original. I get that the entire saga is about Anakin, not Luke. But it really took away the premise of a real fight to the death over the Force. Yeah, Vader dies in the end but it's almost a pulled punch by then.

And what a complete bummer to find out 20 years later Vader was only a smirking Hayden Christensen who went rogue.

And stolen from Dune.

 

[garrow]

Which other actor could have played the long-haired leader of a snake sex cult AND an admiral in Tom Clancy movies?

 

[ChrisLong]

Did cameos on "The Big Bang Theory." Or was that Ving Rhames??

 

[Chef2]

His soliloquy on baseball makes 'Field of Dreams."

"People will come, Ray. People will most definitely come."

The dust bunnies have taken over the room.

 

[Spartan Squad]

Did cameos on "The Big Bang Theory." Or was that Ving Rhames??

He did. He was a parody of himself and ding dong ditched Carry Fischer

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Years ago, I was listening to a talk radio show around Christmastime and they had Jones on as a guest.

Before Jones called into the show, the hosts got the idea to play Springsteen's "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town", and asked Jones if he would sing the "You better be good for goodness sake" part as they thought he would sound just like Clarence Clemons, although they didn't give him the reason why.

Jones seemed a little mystified when the hosts explained to him what they were seeking, but agreed to do sing the part. He did so, albeit hesitantly, but was gracious about it afterward.

 

[outofplace]

He did. He was a parody of himself and ding dong ditched Carry Fischer

That show was as much miss as hit, but it was great fun watching Jones throw himself into a performance that made him look like an overgrown child.

"It's not funny, James!"
"Then why am I laughing?"

 

[playthrough]

Went down the rabbit hole for Field of Dreams. From wikipedia:

In the book, the writer Ray seeks out is real-life author J.D. Salinger. When Salinger threatened the production with a lawsuit if his name was used, Robinson decided to rewrite the character as reclusive Terence Mann. He wrote with James Earl Jones in mind because he thought it would be fun to see Ray trying to kidnap such a big man.

 

[MTM]

That show was as much miss as hit, but it was great fun watching Jones throw himself into a performance that made him look like an overgrown child.

"It's not funny, James!"
"Then why am I laughing?"

That was the first time Jones met Fisher. He did his Star Wars acting from a sound booth, so he didn't interact with the o0ther actors.

The first time James Earl Jones met Carrie Fisher wasn't on Star Wars (yahoo.com)

 

[hondo]

"Let me guess ... you like Star Wars."


"It's not funny any more James!"

 

[Chef2]

He did some Shakespeare at The White House some years ago.
It wasn't just him reading. It was almost like he was acting it out.
One of the 3 people on this earth that I would listen to read the phone book.
My grandfather (RIP)
Keith Jackson (RIP)
James Earl Jones (RIP)