The Tough Guys

Part of the Encore Film Book Classics series, this is a reprint of the original text to The Tough Guys by James Robert Parish. The astonishing thing about them was their versatility. Certainly, they were tough, ready to trade punches at the drop of an insult, and well acquainted with the ins and outs of assorted firearms. Bumping off and getting bumped off were almost the same to them. And they were ready to take their just desserts (as approved by the Motion Picture Code) without ratting on the boys. But like some ham-fisted pug who raises rare orchids, the subjects of The Tough Guys—James Cagney, Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, Robert Mitchum, Paul Muni, Edward G. Robinson, and Robert Ryan—could doff a crumpled hat and shoulder holster and turn in an elegant, beautifully controlled performance worthy of a classical actor. This volume gives the reader everything but the fingerprints of seven of movieland’s toughest, most talented, most complex actors; complete with detailed biographies, career studies, film analyses, and filmographies (with comprehensive casts and credits). The Tinseltown rogues’ gallery includes: JAMES CAGNEY—He never said, “You dirty rat.” But Bette Davis did call him the actor “who made the gangster artistic” . . . KIRK DOUGLAS—Take away the cleft in his chin, he would still be “The Champion” . . . BURT LANCASTER—Fortunately for Hollywood, this former circus trapeze artist gave up his ambition to teach physical education . . . ROBERT MITCHUM—He broke into movies as a bad guy in the Hopalong Cassidy film series . . . PAUL MUNI—As an eleven-year old, he played a man in his late sixties. And to prepare for The Good Earth, he spent months observing locals in San Francisco’s Chinatown . . . EDWARD G. ROBINSON—Cultured art lover, he was the screen epitome of gangland evil . . . ROBERT RYAN—The Jesuits taught him to love Shakespeare. The Marines gave him steely determination. Whatever role he played reflected his sincerity and thoughtfulness. To get the full lowdown on these rugged leading men of the screen, read The Tough Guys.