Tall, Dark and Oklahoman
James Garner was once asked if he'd ever do a nude scene on camera.
"I don't do horror movies," he said.
Rim shot.
Garner, who died on Saturday at age 86, was a Hollywood leading man but a humble Oklahoman at heart.
"I got into the business to put a roof over my head," he once said. "I wasn't looking for star status. I just wanted to keep working."
And work he did, especially in the 1960s, when Garner was often teamed with the biggest female names in movies, such as Doris Day (Rock Hudson is more famously connected with Day, but Garner did his fair share with her as well), Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine and Kim Novak.
The film boom for Garner was set up by his work in TV's Maverick, in which he starred from 1957-60, playing old Western card shark and ladies man Bret Maverick. The show went toe-to-toe on Sunday nights with The Ed Sullivan Show and The Steve Allen Show, more than holding its own.
If you were a casting director and could mail order a leading man, Garner would arrive at your office.
He was tall, dark and handsome, and possessed a self-effacing style bereft of cockiness. His Oklahoma lilt, which he never tried to disguise, added to the down home feel that just about all of his characters had.
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Garner, for a brief time, even dabbled in auto racing, an interest that was piqued when he co-starred in 1966's Grand Prix. Garner thus joined Steve McQueen and Paul Newman as actors/racers.
But mention James Garner, and even today the first thing likely to spill from peoples' lips is The Rockford Files, NBC's series that ran from 1974-80. Loosely based on Garner's Bret Maverick, brought into modern times, the private investigator Jim Rockford character landed Garner an Emmy Award in 1977.
Some old-timers like yours truly will also recall Garner in a popular series of Polaroid TV commercials in the late-1970s, early-1980s, sharing the screen with Mariette Hartley. The chemistry between the two was so genuine that many viewers thought the pair was married in real life, even though the commercials never really suggested that they were playing a wedded couple.
Garner left The Rockford Files in 1980, not because of poor ratings or disenchantment with the show, but because of the physical toll. Garner, who was an athlete in high school (football and basketball), insisted on doing his own stunts, and the result was significant damage to his knees and back.
In his later years, Garner really used his tall Oklahoman stature to his advantage, often playing rugged, wise cowboys and fatherly and grandfatherly figures. His characters would occasionally fall in love as well.
Speaking of falling in love, Garner did that well, too---and fast. He married Lois Clarke in 1956---just two weeks after they met. He remained married to her until his death.
Despite his own stable marriage, Garner once offered that "Marriage is like the Army. Everyone complains. But you'd be surprised at the large number of people who re-enlist."
And to show how much Bret Maverick resonated in Garner's hometown of Norman, Oklahoma, the city unveiled a 10-foot tall bronze statue of the actor as Maverick in 2006, with Garner present for the ceremony.
Garner once explained his acting theory, such as it was.
"I'm a Spencer Tracy-type actor. His idea was to be on time, know your words, hit your marks and tell the truth. Most every actor tries to make it something it isn't [or] looks for the easy way out. I don't think acting is that difficult if you can put yourself aside and do what the writer wrote."
Here's the irony in Garner's words: he may have been acting and "putting himself aside," but to watch him on screen was to have the feeling that James Garner was just being James Garner.
He could have done much worse. And so could have we.
"I don't do horror movies," he said.
Rim shot.
Garner, who died on Saturday at age 86, was a Hollywood leading man but a humble Oklahoman at heart.
"I got into the business to put a roof over my head," he once said. "I wasn't looking for star status. I just wanted to keep working."
And work he did, especially in the 1960s, when Garner was often teamed with the biggest female names in movies, such as Doris Day (Rock Hudson is more famously connected with Day, but Garner did his fair share with her as well), Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine and Kim Novak.
The film boom for Garner was set up by his work in TV's Maverick, in which he starred from 1957-60, playing old Western card shark and ladies man Bret Maverick. The show went toe-to-toe on Sunday nights with The Ed Sullivan Show and The Steve Allen Show, more than holding its own.
If you were a casting director and could mail order a leading man, Garner would arrive at your office.
He was tall, dark and handsome, and possessed a self-effacing style bereft of cockiness. His Oklahoma lilt, which he never tried to disguise, added to the down home feel that just about all of his characters had.
Garner, left, with Jack Kelly as Bret and Bart Maverick
Garner, for a brief time, even dabbled in auto racing, an interest that was piqued when he co-starred in 1966's Grand Prix. Garner thus joined Steve McQueen and Paul Newman as actors/racers.
But mention James Garner, and even today the first thing likely to spill from peoples' lips is The Rockford Files, NBC's series that ran from 1974-80. Loosely based on Garner's Bret Maverick, brought into modern times, the private investigator Jim Rockford character landed Garner an Emmy Award in 1977.
Some old-timers like yours truly will also recall Garner in a popular series of Polaroid TV commercials in the late-1970s, early-1980s, sharing the screen with Mariette Hartley. The chemistry between the two was so genuine that many viewers thought the pair was married in real life, even though the commercials never really suggested that they were playing a wedded couple.
Garner left The Rockford Files in 1980, not because of poor ratings or disenchantment with the show, but because of the physical toll. Garner, who was an athlete in high school (football and basketball), insisted on doing his own stunts, and the result was significant damage to his knees and back.
In his later years, Garner really used his tall Oklahoman stature to his advantage, often playing rugged, wise cowboys and fatherly and grandfatherly figures. His characters would occasionally fall in love as well.
Speaking of falling in love, Garner did that well, too---and fast. He married Lois Clarke in 1956---just two weeks after they met. He remained married to her until his death.
Despite his own stable marriage, Garner once offered that "Marriage is like the Army. Everyone complains. But you'd be surprised at the large number of people who re-enlist."
And to show how much Bret Maverick resonated in Garner's hometown of Norman, Oklahoma, the city unveiled a 10-foot tall bronze statue of the actor as Maverick in 2006, with Garner present for the ceremony.
Garner once explained his acting theory, such as it was.
"I'm a Spencer Tracy-type actor. His idea was to be on time, know your words, hit your marks and tell the truth. Most every actor tries to make it something it isn't [or] looks for the easy way out. I don't think acting is that difficult if you can put yourself aside and do what the writer wrote."
Here's the irony in Garner's words: he may have been acting and "putting himself aside," but to watch him on screen was to have the feeling that James Garner was just being James Garner.
He could have done much worse. And so could have we.
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