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Stay Away, Joe 2/3
The cast for Elvis's twenty-sixth film "Stay Away Joe" was anchored by
several longtime actors including Burgess Meredith, who played
Charlie Lightcloud, the Native American father to Elvis's character
Joe Lightcloud. Educated at Amherst, Burgess Meredith became a
stage actor in New York in 1933 before serving as a Captain in the
U.S. Army Air Force in World War II. After the war he turned
to making movies until the late 1950s when, as a liberal thinker, he
was blacklisted from films due to Senator Joseph McCarthy and the
McCarthy hearings targeting Hollywood. In the 1960s the raspy
voiced actor was able to find work again and became known for his
role as "The Penguin" - a villain in the "Batman" television series.
He also was the voice for many years for Skippy Peanut Butter commercials.
He was nominated a number of times for Academy
Awards and Emmy Awards and is probably best remembered for his roles
as trainer Mickey Goldmill in the "Rocky" movie series and as
Grandpa Gustafson in the films "Grumpy Old Men" and "Grumpier Old
Men." An ardent environmentalist, he died in 1997 after
suffering with Alzheimer's.
Mexican actress Katy Jurado played Annie Lightcloud. She was
an award winning actress in her native Mexico as well as having
received accolades in the U.S. from both the Golden Globes and the
Academy Awards. She gained over 20 pounds for her role of
Annie and just before filming she broke her foot. She had her
cast removed prematurely and thus she walked with a limp in the
movie. She wore her own jewelry in the film, much of it gifts
from other actors with whom she had worked, including Spencer Tracy,
John Wayne, Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes. She died in July of
2002.
Thomas Gomez, known for playing brooding heavies, played Grandpa.
He had not planned on an acting career, however, after graduating
from school in 1923 he answered a help wanted ad that lead him to
become a part of a traveling theater group. He was nominated
for an Academy Award in 1948 for his supporting role in "Ride The
Pink Horse." He served more than 40 years on the board of
directors of the Screen Actors Guild. His last film was the
1970 release "Beneath the Planet of the Apes." He died in a
car accident in 1971.
Veteran actress Joan Blondell played Glenda Callahan. Known as
the big-eyed, wisecracking blonde, Ms. Blondell was born into
Vaudeville and toured with her parents, performing from the age of
3. Debuting with the Ziegfeld Follies in New York, she began
her Broadway career which lead her to star with James Cagney on
Broadway as well as in six films. Eventually she married actor
Dick Powell and they worked together in ten musicals. Later,
divorced from Dick Powell, she was married for a time to producer
Michael Todd. She received an Academy Award nomination
for the 1951 film "The Blue Veil" and two Golden Globe nominations
for her supporting roles in "The Cincinnati Kid" and "Opening
Night." Her TV credits include roles on the series "Here
Come the Brides," "The Real McCoys" and "Banyon."
She died of leukemia in 1979. |
