MTF MTF
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971) was the first film role for British professional wrestler Pat ‘Bomber’ Roach. In ORANGE he was on screen briefly as one of the Korova Milk Bar’s bouncers, but he’s better remembered as the giant bald mustchioed guy who beats up Indiana Jones in a fistfight until getting hit by a plane’s propeller in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. He actually appears in the first three Indiana Jones films in four different roles (he wasn’t in the CRYSTAL SKULL film, having died in 2004).
Being 6’5″ Roach was most often cast in movies as criminals, thugs, and various toughs. He tried out for one villain role in 1976, but lost to a fellow CLOCKWORK ORANGE actor.
David Prowse as “Julian” in A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971). Prowse, a 6’5″ bodybuilder, became better known as (the physical presence) Darth Vader in STAR WARS.
Years before ROCKY, am uncredited Sylvester Stallone was a New York City subway thug in Woody Allen’s BANANAS (1971)
Near the end of ENTER THE DRAGON (1973), Bruce Lee invades Han’s super-secret below-ground drug lair and fights/kicks the asses of minion after minion. One guy tries to grab Lee from behind in a bear hug. Bad idea - Lee quickly has the guy’s arm twisted, knocks him to the ground, and breaks his neck. That unlucky guy is Sammo Hung’s opera school ‘brother’, Jackie Chan, making his film debut. Blink and you’ll miss him!
AMERICAN GRAFFITI was a coming of age film co-written/directed by George Lucas in 1973 with plenty of actors getting early career breaks. Suzanne Somers is the Blonde in a T-Bird who first gets the attention of Richard Dreyfuss’s Curt Henderson.
THE LAST DETAIL (1973) was an early Jack Nicholson film that had him escort a very young Randy Quaid to Portsmouth Naval Prison in New Hampshire with Otis Nixon. During the road trip, the trio stops in New York City, ice skating at Rockefeller Center and pops into a meeting of Nichiren Shoshu worshipers. Seated on the left, over two years before her debut on NBC’s SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, is Gilda Radner
Nancy Allen in her first onscreen appearance in THE LAST DETAIL (1973), looking a bit bored with Jack Nicholson.
From ALICE DOESN’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE (1974), the blonde girl in glasses is Laura Dern in her first movie appearance, who was on the set with her mother Diane Ladd, who played waitress Flo.
“Michael Corleone says hello!”
Danny Aiello attempts to garrote Frank “Frankie Five Angels” Pentangeli (played by Michael V. Gazzo) in THE GODFATHER PART II (1974).
From the 1974 horror film BLACK CHRISTMAS are two potential victims visiting the local unhelpful police department, SCTV’s Andrea Martin and SUPERMAN’s Margot Kidder.
Eighteen year-old Melanie Griffith as a Young American Miss contestant in SMILE (1975)
In THE STEPFORD WIVES (1975), actor Peter Masterson brought his nine year-old daughter along to play his onscreen daughter. This was Mary Stuart Masterson’s acting debut.
In the 1975 film THE DAY OF THE LOCUST, the freakish androgynous freckled child with blonde curly hair is ‘Adore Loomis’ played by Jackie Earle Haley and billed as ‘Jackie Haley’. Shortly after this scene he has a run-in with Donald Sutherland’s character, which has fatal consequences for both of them, eventually causing the crowd to riot. Sutherland’s character is named … Homer Simpson.
Jackie Earle Haley would later co-star in THE BAD NEWS BEARS film series as the loner/ringer Kelly Leak and in BREAKING AWAY before disappearing from the scene for over 20 years. He made one of the most talked about comebacks in the critically acclaimed performance as a recently paroled sex offender in Todd Field’s LITTLE CHILDREN (2006), earning him several awards and an Oscar nomination. He also played Freddy Krueger in THE NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET remake.
Future Oscar-winner Angelica Huston, Jack Nicholson’s one-time girlfriend appears as one of the crowd on the pier as the fishing excursion returns in ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST (1975).
THE DEVIL’S RAIN (1975) - On the right side of the picture in the gold headpiece is Church of Satan founder (and the movie’s technical advisor) Anton LaVey. The man in the red hood is Ernest Borgnine. The eyeless man in the black hood is John Travolta in his movie debut. He only has a line or two then spends the last ten minutes of the film screaming and melting.
A much younger Lance Henriksen as a cop in DOG DAY AFTERNOON (1975). Years later he would play the artificial life-form Bishop in ALIENS.
Looking appropriately miserable upon hearing the news of his son’s bank holdup in progress in DOG DAY AFTERNOON (1975), is Dominic Chianese, who would become much better known years later as Uncle Junior on THE SOPRANOS
In NETWORK (1976), the guy in the center in a denim suit is future ALIENS android Lance Henriksen, who had also worked with director Sidney Lumet in the previous year’s DOG DAY AFTERNOON.
As Howard Beale’s assassin in NETWORK (1976), is future Oscar winner Tim Robbins in his first movie role, although he wasn’t named in the credits.
From the 1976 SciFi/Horror film GOD TOLD ME TO, normal citizens around New York City are suddenly committing shocking murders. Afterwards, which they calmly explain that ‘God told them to’ kill [Spoiler - it has to do with a religious cult and God being a space alien]. One of the killers is none other than comedian Andy Kaufman in his film debut, playing a baby-faced policeman marching in the St. Patrick’s Day parade.
John Schneider, aka Bo Duke from THE DUKES OF HAZZARD, can briefly be spotted in the crowd at the end of SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT (1977).
At the end of ANNIE HALL (1977) Alvy and Annie bump into each other while on dates with other people. If you squint, you can just about make out Sigourney Weaver in her first appearance onscreen. Two years later, she will become a one of the biggest female movie stars in ALIEN.
Future Charlies Angel, Shelley Hack as clueless street stranger in ANNIE HALL (1977).
Years before becoming Ellen Griswold, Beverly D’Angelo is an actress in Rob’s (Tony Roberts) TV Show in ANNIE HALL (1977).
Jeff Goldblum as LA party guy phoning for his mantra in ANNIE HALL (1977).
From a 1978 made for TV movie called ARE YOU IN THE HOUSE ALONE?, a teenager is assaulted by a someone who had left notes in her locker and harassed her by phone when she is babysitting. Complicating things, seemingly EVERYONE around her could be this weirdo. Could it be her all too patient boyfriend? Her father who lies about having a job? Her photography teacher who stands too close to her in the darkroom? Or could it possibly be the handsome popular son of the politically-connected family? (spoiler - yes). Playing this winner is 24 year-old Dennis Quaid, who would become better known the following year in the excellent cycling film BREAKING AWAY.
THE FURY (1978) was Brian De Palma’s underwhelming follow - up to his 1976 hit CARRIE. Like its superior predecessor, THE FURY is about troubled psychic teenagers and it too stars Amy Irving. Sadly, the film spends more time on the boring adults fighting over the teens’ care. When THE FURY is remembered nowadays it’s because of the bloody havoc the teens cause with their powers, most notably BLOWING UP actor/director John Cassavetes. Luckily, if they do remake THE FURY they can use the same special effects person (Rick Baker). But the original is also worth watching for a number of film debuts.
For example, among the mean girls’ clique are a couple of future stars - at left is actor Laura Innes, best known as Dr. Kerry Weaver on ER. This was her first professional acting role, but her next acting job would be eight years later. On the right side is 17 year-old Daryl Hannah, four years before her memorable part as replicant Pris in BLADE RUNNER, and six years before her breakthrough as mermaid Madison in SPLASH.
THE FURY (1978) About to have his brand new Cadillac hijacked by Kirk Douglas with white shoe polish in his hair (really) are a couple of off-duty Chicago cops. On the left is Jack Callahan, who was one of the Gold Ole Boys in the also-set-in-Chicago THE BLUES BROTHERS. On the right is the un-mustached and relatively more slender/hairier Dennis Franz in his second-ever movie role. Before becoming famous TV’s HILL STREET BLUES and NYPD BLUE, he worked again with director Brian De Palma in DRESSED TO KILL (1980), BLOW OUT (1981), SCARFACE (1983), and BODY DOUBLE (1984).
In THE FURY (1978), Gillian (Amy Irving) is being quizzed on her knowledge of the United Nations general assembly. Her friend in the yellow bikini top, LaRue, is played by Melody Thomas Scott, who continued in small movie and television roles, but is best known as playing Nikki Reed Newman Abbott on long-running daytime soap opera THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, where she’s worked for twenty-five years. Also, in the background of this scene (the shirtless pompadoured guy just over Amy Irving’s right shoulder) is Chicago local Jim Belushi, who was hired as an extra but was fired halfway through the day for mugging too much. It’s a shame that funny mugging thing never worked out for him, eh?
Professor Bruckner, a pleasant-looking young man is played by actor Bruno Ganz. THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL (1978) was one of his first English language films, and years later portrayed Hitler in the 2004 German film DOWNFALL. You know that popular internet meme of Hitler screaming in German about subjects like Oscar nominations and Justin Bieber? That’s Bruno Ganz in DOWNFALL.
The chap in the brown checked shirt is actor Wolf Kahler, as a Nazi sympathizer named ‘Schwimmer’. Born in Kiel, Germany, Kalher has a resume filled with roles in WWII-set films such as FORCE 10 FROM NAVARONNE, THE EAGLE HAS LANDED, WAR AND REMEMBRANCE, SHINING THROUGH, CHARLOTTE GRAY, and a TV series of THE DIRTY DOZEN. But despite his very brief part in THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL, He had a memorable role (and character’s death) as Colonel Dietrich, one of the melted-face Nazis in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
On the far left is Mickey Rourke in his first film appearance in Steven Spielberg’s 1st major flop, 1941 (1979), as a member of Motor Sergeant Frank Tree’s (Dan Aykroyd) Tank Crew.
Future Oscar winner Mercecdes Ruehl faces off with gang member James Remar in 1979′s THE WARRIORS.