This Wednesday's Wildcat feature is another Albert Zugsmith 1959 production with the same basic cast as "The Beat Generation."
Albert Zugsmith's "The Beat Generation" was about a serial rapist, and "The Big Operator" is about a slimeball labor union leader with no morals, or basically a serial rapist on a larger scale!
Mamie Van Doren and Steve Cochran are now a happily married couple with a son named Timmy.
Mickey Rooney has the role of a rotten little sumbitch up to his teeth in graft, corruption and lies!
When confronted with real questions, he just continually takes the fifth!
The Mick's character named Little Joe Braun has a severe Napoleonic complex!
Ray Danton is Little Joe's hit man! I guess if you've got a name like Oscar Wetzel, and you want to be a tough guy, it's a good idea to take on a moniker like "The Executioner!"
As previously stated, the only reason I watched this movie in the first place was to see Vampira.
Unfortunately, she's on screen less than two minutes!
Grabowski is in this one too, this time as a tough guy with nasal congestion!
Choosing to use another singer in one of the main roles, the great Mel Tormé, known as 'The Golden Fog," is a very dissatisfied and vocal union member!
Just like "The Beat Generation," "The Big Operator" has it's share of guest stars like the voice of Mr. Magoo, or Thurston Howell III, however you want to look at it, Jim Backus!
Everybody's favorite heavy, Leo Gordon is in there too as one of Little Joe's henchmen!
These guys weren't messing around, and if you crossed the picket line, they'd overturn your car!
Mickey Rooney was only 5' 2" tall, and his good friend Judy Garland was only 4' 11 1/2" tall.
At six foot, Steve Cochran looks like a giant by comparison!
At six foot, Steve Cochran looks like a giant by comparison!
You can only hope these guys get what's coming to them!
Here's a fantastic shot of six people in one car searching for the missing little Timmy!
Little Joe Braun gets caught red handed in a closet after kidnapping little Timmy. These goons will do anything it takes to have it their way. Little Timmy was played by Jay North of "Lassie" fame.
An alternative title for "The Big Operator" was "Anatomy Of The Syndicate."
It might have been 60 years ago, but this movie still has the ability to make you feel uncomfortable! That's good film making!
3 comments:
Umm, not to be one of THOSE guys,but Mel was "The Velvet Fog"
Otherwise, keep up your good work!
Thanx Tom, You are so right. You know what happened? I was so conscious of trying not to write 'frog' instead of 'fog' that I screwed up the adjective instead! Always thankful for corrections! That means people are actually reading.
One of THOSE guys (and big fan of yours) here too. Jay North was known for "Dennis the Menace" much more than for "Lassie."
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