Edmond OBrienWhat is it about Edmond OBrien that is so darn appealing?
He's not particularly good looking. But he does have this beautifully troubled look, like a nice guy who's been pestered and harassed just a little too much...to the point of growling, even lashing out. And it's easy for most people to relate to that feeling.
For instance, just the other day I was putting a quart of oil in my car, but the cap to the oil tank slipped out of my grasp and fell deep into the inner workings of the engine hood. It was down there amongst all those tubes and belts and hot metal parts and whatnot. A well meaning friend kept offering me coat hangers and potholders and long sticks and a very dim flashlight, but these gadgets were useless. Irritated beyond belief, (and late to work), I finally gave in and called Auto Club. But they refused to come, stating it was not really an emergency. By thhis point, I felt my eyes grow large and dark with circles forming below them. I felt positively Edmondish... Edmond OBrien has been in a ton of films, but here is a short list of the ones that can be considered film noir: The Killers (1946), playing Riordan, an insurance investigator obsessed with solving a crime involving a young Burt Lancaster. A Double Life (1948), as Bill Friend, a press agent of a play and suspected by the lead actor of having an affair with his wife. White Heat (1949), as Vic Pardo/Hank Fallon, an undercover police detective who befriends and betrays a fellow inmate in jail. D.O.A. (1950), as Frank Bigelow, an accountant searching for his own murderer. 711 Ocean Drive (1950), as Mal Granger, a telephone repairman caught up in crime. The Turning Point (1952), John Conroy, a lawyer/politician going after the syndicate. The Hitch-Hiker (1953), as Ray Collins, a man on a fishing trip held hostage by a hitch-hiker. The Shield For Murder (1954), as Barney Nolan, a corrupt policeman. Return from the Edmond OBrien page to the Film Noir Alley home page |