Just because I love him.
The Associated Press has a great column about Glenn Ford that compares him to William Holden, looks into his character, and explores why he was a star and is now a legend.
Some excerpts:
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Glenn Ford: No Oscar, but a Great Career
By Bob Thomas The Associated Press Thursday, August 31, 2006He never won an Academy Award_ in fact, was never nominated. He never earned the big bucks that stars of his stature enjoyed. Yet for 52 years Glenn Ford remained an in-demand actor whose name above the title could attract movie ticket buyers.
Ford might be called the anti-star. He didn’t hang out with the gang in Hollywood watering holes. He never quarreled with directors or studio bosses. His name was never sullied by scandal. He did his acting job and went on to the next one. […]
During interviews with this reporter over the years, Ford revealed some of the factors contributing to his longevity.
“I’ve always been of the opinion that motion pictures talk too much,” he remarked in 1975. “When I see films that go on and on with dialogue, I feel like telling the actors, `Be quiet! Let the audience do some of the work.’ It’s much better to let the audience use their imaginations than to tell them everything.
“Some actors count their lines as soon as they receive a script. I’m the opposite. I try to see how many lines I can whittle down. I tell producers and directors, `Do me a favor and trim that speech to four lines.’ You can say just as much in four as you can in fourteen.”
Ford was no pushover for overbearing directors. He earned battle stars for some of his encounters. But in 1965 he commented: “I think film actors are better off when they are in the hands of a strong director. When actors are coddled and catered to, they lose their sense of reality. If you don’t applaud after their close-ups, they go into their dressing rooms and pout.”
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For anyone who is interested:
Turner Classic Movies is airing a 6-film tribute to Glenn Ford on September 10.
8:00 AM The Desperadoes (’43)
9:30 AM A Stolen Life (’46)
11:30 AM Gilda (’46)
1:30 PM Blackboard Jungle (’55)
3:30 PM The Teahouse of the August Moon (’56)
5:45 PM The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (’63)
@Cinefille 
Ya know, I haven’t actually seen all that much from Ford. I’ll look out for him in the future.
Ford was really the working man’s actor; unpretenious and realistic. His approach to stardom was really a non-approach. I can’t think of anyone like him in Hollywood today.