Actor James Garner Died

<a href="http://www.fortodays.com/2014/07/actor-james-garner-died.html">Actor James Garner</a>, best known for the role of prime-time television as a frontier gambler hilarious on "Maverick" and as an ex-convict turned private detective on "The Rockford Files," has died at the age of 86, celebrity news website TMZ reported on Sunday.<br /> <br /> Garner to build a career of six decades played a character who is rough but attractive, good-hearted, anti-hero. He had received the highest award from the Screen Actors Guild in 2004.<br /> <br /> He was found dead on Saturday night by ambulance officers were sent to his home in Los Angeles.ral<br /> <br /> <div style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em;"> <b>James Garner</b> (born <b>James Scott Bumgarner</b>; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American film and television actor. He starred in several <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">television series</span></span> over more than five decades, which included such popular roles as <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Bret Maverick</span></span> in the 1950s <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">western</span></span>-<span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">comedy</span></span> series <i><span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Maverick</span></span></i> and <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Jim Rockford</span></span> in the 1970s <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">detective</span></span> <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">drama</span></span> <i><span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">The Rockford Files</span></span></i>.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em;"> Garner starred in more than 50 films including <i><span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">The Great Escape</span></span></i> (1963), <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Paddy Chayefsky's</span></span> <i><span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">The Americanization of Emily</span></span></i> (1964),<i><span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Grand Prix</span></span></i> (1966), <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Blake Edwards'</span></span> <i><span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Victor Victoria</span></span></i> (1982), <i><span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Murphy's Romance</span></span></i> (1985) for which he received an <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Academy Award</span></span>nomination, and <i><span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">The Notebook</span></span></i> (2004).</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em;"> Garner, the youngest of three children, was born in <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Norman, Oklahoma</span></span>, the son of Mildred Scott (née Meek) and Weldon Warren Bumgarner, a carpet layer.His two older brothers were actor <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Jack Garner</span></span> (1926–2011) and Charles Bumgarner, a school administrator who died in 1984. His family was Methodist. His mother, who was of part <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Cherokee</span></span> descent, died when he was five years old. After their mother's death, Garner and his brothers were sent to live with relatives. Garner was reunited with his family in 1934, when Weldon remarried.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em;"> Garner grew to hate his stepmother, Wilma, who beat all three boys, especially young James. When he was fourteen, Garner finally had enough of his "wicked stepmother" and after a particularly heated battle, she left for good. James' brother Jack commented, "She was a damn no-good woman" Garner stated that his stepmother punished him by forcing him to wear a dress in public and that he finally engaged in a physical fight with her, knocking her down and choking her to keep her from killing him in retaliation. This incident ended the marriage.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em;"> Shortly after the breakup of the marriage, Weldon Bumgarner moved to <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Los Angeles</span></span>, while Garner and his brothers remained in Norman. After working at several jobs he disliked, at sixteen years of age, Garner joined the <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">United States Merchant Marine</span></span> near the end of <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">World War II</span></span>. He fared well in the work and with shipmates, but suffered from chronic<span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">seasickness</span></span>. At seventeen, he joined his father in Los Angeles and enrolled at <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Hollywood High School</span></span>, where he was voted the most popular student. A high school gym teacher recommended him for a job <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">modeling</span></span> <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Jantzen</span></span> bathing suits. It paid well, <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">$</span></span>25 an hour, but in his first interview for the Archives of American Television, he said he hated modeling and soon quit and returned to Norman. There, he played football and basketball, as well as competing on the track and golf teams, for <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Norman High School</span></span>.He never graduated from high school, explaining in a 1976 <i><span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Good Housekeeping</span></span></i> magazine interview: "I was a terrible student and I never actually graduated from high school, but I got my diploma in the Army.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em;"> Later, he joined the <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">National Guard</span></span> serving seven months in the United States. He then went to Korea for 14 months in the <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Regular Army</span></span>, serving in the <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">5th Regimental Combat Team</span></span> in the <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Korean War</span></span>. He was wounded twice, first in the face and hand from <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">shrapnel</span></span> fire from a <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">mortar</span></span> round, and second on April 23, 1951 in the buttocks from <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">friendly fire</span></span>from U.S. fighter jets as he dove headfirst into a foxhole. Garner was awarded the <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Purple Heart</span></span> in Korea for the first injury. For the second wound, he received a second Purple Heart (eligibility requirement: "As the result of friendly fire while actively engaging the enemy"), although Garner received the medal in 1983, 32 years after his injury.Garner was a self-described "scrounger" for his company in Korea, a role he later played in <i>The Great Escape</i><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; white-space: nowrap;">[</span></span>16]</sup> and <i>The Americanization of Emily</i>.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em;"> In 1954 a friend, Paul Gregory, whom Garner had met while attending Hollywood High School, persuaded Garner to take a non-speaking role in the <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Broadway</span></span> production of <i><span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">The Caine Mutiny Court Martial</span></span></i>,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; white-space: nowrap;">[</span></span>17]</sup> where he was able to study actor <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Henry Fonda</span></span> night after night. Garner subsequently moved to <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">television commercials</span></span> and eventually to television roles. His first movie appearances were in <i><span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">The Girl He Left Behind</span></span></i> and <i><span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Toward the Unknown</span></span></i> in 1956.</div> <div style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em;"> <span style="color: #252525;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">He changed his last name from Bumgarner to Garner after the studio had credited him as "James Garner" without permission. He then legally changed it upon the birth of his first child, when he decided she had too many names.</span></span><span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 11.666666030883789px; white-space: nowrap;"> </span></span><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">His brother Jack also had an acting career and changed his surname to Garner, too. His non-actor brother, Charlie, kept the Bumgarner surname.</span></span></div> <h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: 'Linux Libertine', Georgia, Times, serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.3; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;"> <span class="mw-headline" id="Acting_career">Acting career</span></h2> <h3 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom-style: none; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em;"> <span class="mw-headline" id="Maverick"><i>Maverick</i></span></h3> <div class="thumb tright" style="background-color: white; clear: right; color: #252525; float: right; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin: 0.5em 0px 1.3em 1.4em; width: auto;"> <div class="thumbinner" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); font-size: 13px; min-width: 100px; overflow: hidden; padding: 3px !important; text-align: center; width: 152px;"> <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" data-file-height="858" data-file-width="727" height="177" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/James_Garner_Louise_Fletcher_Maverick_1959.JPG/150px-James_Garner_Louise_Fletcher_Maverick_1959.JPG" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/James_Garner_Louise_Fletcher_Maverick_1959.JPG/225px-James_Garner_Louise_Fletcher_Maverick_1959.JPG 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/James_Garner_Louise_Fletcher_Maverick_1959.JPG/300px-James_Garner_Louise_Fletcher_Maverick_1959.JPG 2x" style="background-color: white; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); vertical-align: middle;" width="150" /></span></span><br /> <div class="thumbcaption" style="border: none; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; padding: 3px !important; text-align: left;"> <div class="magnify" style="background: none !important; border: none !important; float: right; margin-left: 3px;"> <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: initial !important; background-repeat: initial !important; background-size: initial !important;"><img alt="" height="11" src="http://bits.wikimedia.org/static-1.24wmf13/skins/common/images/magnify-clip.png" style="background: none !important; border: none !important; display: block; vertical-align: middle;" width="15" /></span></span></div> With <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Louise Fletcher</span></span> in 1958</div> </div> </div> <div class="thumb tright" style="background-color: white; clear: right; color: #252525; float: right; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin: 0.5em 0px 1.3em 1.4em; width: auto;"> <div class="thumbinner" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); font-size: 13px; min-width: 100px; overflow: hidden; padding: 3px !important; text-align: center; width: 152px;"> <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" data-file-height="897" data-file-width="748" height="180" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/James_Garner_Bret_Maverick_Jack_Kelly_Bart_Maverick.JPG/150px-James_Garner_Bret_Maverick_Jack_Kelly_Bart_Maverick.JPG" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/James_Garner_Bret_Maverick_Jack_Kelly_Bart_Maverick.JPG/225px-James_Garner_Bret_Maverick_Jack_Kelly_Bart_Maverick.JPG 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/James_Garner_Bret_Maverick_Jack_Kelly_Bart_Maverick.JPG/300px-James_Garner_Bret_Maverick_Jack_Kelly_Bart_Maverick.JPG 2x" style="background-color: white; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); vertical-align: middle;" width="150" /></span></span><br /> <div class="thumbcaption" style="border: none; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; padding: 3px !important; text-align: left;"> <div class="magnify" style="background: none !important; border: none !important; float: right; margin-left: 3px;"> <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: initial !important; background-repeat: initial !important; background-size: initial !important;"><img alt="" height="11" src="http://bits.wikimedia.org/static-1.24wmf13/skins/common/images/magnify-clip.png" style="background: none !important; border: none !important; display: block; vertical-align: middle;" width="15" /></span></span></div> Garner as <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Bret</span></span> and<span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Jack Kelly</span></span> as <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Bart Maverick</span></span></div> </div> </div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em;"> Garner was closely advised by financial adviser <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Irving Leonard</span></span>, who also advised <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Clint Eastwood</span></span> in the late 1950s and 1960s. After several feature film roles, including <i><span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Sayonara</span></span></i> with <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Marlon Brando</span></span>, Garner got his big break playing the role of professional gambler <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Bret Maverick</span></span> in the comedy Western series <i><span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Maverick</span></span></i> from 1957 to 1960. Garner was earlier considered for the lead role in another Warner Brothers Western series,<i><span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Cheyenne</span></span></i>, but that role went to <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Clint Walker</span></span> because the casting director couldn't reach Garner in time (according to Garner's autobiography), and Garner wound up playing an Army officer in the pilot instead.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em;"> Only Garner and series creator <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Roy Huggins</span></span> thought <i>Maverick</i> could compete with <i><span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">The Ed Sullivan Show</span></span></i> and <i><span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">The Steve Allen Show</span></span></i>. The show almost immediately made Garner a household name. Various actors had recurring roles as Maverick foils, including <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Efrem Zimbalist, Jr</span></span> as "Dandy Jim Buckley," <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Richard Long</span></span> as "Gentleman Jack Darby," <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Leo Gordon</span></span> as "Big Mike McComb," and <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Diane Brewster</span></span> as "Samantha Crawford" (Huggins' mother's maiden name) while the series veered effortlessly from comedy to adventure and back again. The relationship with Huggins, the creator and original producer of <i>Maverick</i>, would later pay dividends for Garner.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em;"> Garner was the lone star of <i>Maverick</i> for the first seven episodes but production demands forced the studio, <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Warner Brothers</span></span>, to create a Maverick brother, <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Bart</span></span>, played by <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Jack Kelly</span></span>. This allowed two production units to film different story lines and episodes simultaneously. The series also featured popular cross-over <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">episodes</span></span> featuring both Maverick brothers, including the famous "<span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Shady Deal at Sunny Acres</span></span>", upon which the first half of the 1973 movie <i><span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">The Sting</span></span></i> appears to be based, according to <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Roy Huggins</span></span>' <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Archive of American Television</span></span> interview. Garner and <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Clint Eastwood</span></span> staged an epic fistfight in an episode entitled "<span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Duel at Sundown</span></span>", in which Eastwood plays a vicious gunslinger. Critics were positive about Garner and Jack Kelly's chemistry, but Garner quit the series in the third season because of a dispute with Warner Brothers.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em;"> The studio attempted to replace Garner's character with a Maverick cousin who had lived in Britain long enough to pick up an English accent, played by <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Roger Moore</span></span>, but Moore quit the series after filming only <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">14 episodes</span></span> as <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Beau Maverick</span></span>. Warner Brothers also dressed <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Robert Colbert</span></span>, a Garner look-alike, in Bret Maverick's outfit and called the character Brent, but <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Brent Maverick</span></span> did not have a chance to catch on with viewers since Colbert made only two episodes toward the end of the season, leaving the rest of the series run to Kelly (alternating with reruns of <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">episodes with Garner</span></span>).</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em;"> When <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Charlton Heston</span></span> turned down the lead role in <i><span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Darby's Rangers</span></span></i> before Garner's departure from <i>Maverick</i>, Garner was selected and performed well in the role. As a result of Garner's performance in <i>Darby's Rangers</i>, coupled with his <i>Maverick</i> popularity, <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Warner Brothers</span></span> subsequently gave him lead roles in other films, such as <i><span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Up Periscope</span></span></i> and <i><span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Cash McCall</span></span></i>.</div> <center style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"> <ul class="gallery mw-gallery-packed" style="line-height: 1.6; list-style-image: url(data:image/png; margin: 2px; padding: 2px; zoom: 1;"> <li class="gallerybox" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0.1em; vertical-align: top; width: 186.48977395048442px; zoom: 1;"><div style="width: 186.48977395048442px;"> <div class="thumb" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border: none; margin: 2px; width: 185.48977395048442px;"> <div style="margin: 0px auto;"> <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="/" data-file-height="963" data-file-width="767" height="231" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/James_Garner_Jack_Kelly_Maverick_1959.JPG/239px-James_Garner_Jack_Kelly_Maverick_1959.JPG" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto; vertical-align: middle;" width="185" /></span></span></div> </div> <div class="gallerytext" style="font-size: 13px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 4px; word-wrap: break-word;"> <div style="line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em;"> With <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Jack Kelly</span></span> in 1957</div> </div> </div> </li>   <li class="gallerybox" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0.1em; vertical-align: top; width: 184.01184068891283px; zoom: 1;"><div style="width: 184.01184068891283px;"> <div class="thumb" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border: none; margin: 2px; width: 182.01184068891283px;"> <div style="margin: 0px auto;"> <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-file-height="731" data-file-width="572" height="231" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/James_Garner_Maverick_1960.JPG/235px-James_Garner_Maverick_1960.JPG" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto; vertical-align: middle;" width="182" /></span></span></div> </div> <div class="gallerytext" style="font-size: 13px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 4px; word-wrap: break-word;"> <div style="line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em;"> With <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Suzanne Storrs</span></span> in 1960</div> </div> </div> </li>   <li class="gallerybox" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0.1em; vertical-align: top; width: 167.94079655543598px; zoom: 1;"><div style="width: 167.94079655543598px;"> <div class="thumb" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border: none; margin: 2px; width: 166.94079655543598px;"> <div style="margin: 0px auto;"> <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-file-height="829" data-file-width="595" height="231" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Connie_Stevens_James_Garner_Maverick.JPG/215px-Connie_Stevens_James_Garner_Maverick.JPG" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto; vertical-align: middle;" width="166" /></span></span></div> </div> <div class="gallerytext" style="font-size: 13px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 4px; word-wrap: break-word;"> <div style="line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em;"> With <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Connie Stevens</span></span> in 1959</div> </div> </div> </li>   <li class="gallerybox" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0.1em; vertical-align: top; width: 187.48977395048442px; zoom: 1;"><div style="width: 187.48977395048442px;"> <div class="thumb" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border: none; margin: 2px; width: 185.48977395048442px;"> <div style="margin: 0px auto;"> <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-file-height="897" data-file-width="719" height="231" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/59/Diane_Brewster_James_Garner_Maverick_1957.JPG/240px-Diane_Brewster_James_Garner_Maverick_1957.JPG" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto; vertical-align: middle;" width="185" /></span></span></div> </div> <div class="gallerytext" style="font-size: 13px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 4px; word-wrap: break-word;"> <div style="line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em;"> With <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Diane Brewster</span></span> in 1957</div> </div> </div> </li>   <li class="gallerybox" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0.1em; vertical-align: top; width: 178.2152852529602px; zoom: 1;"><div style="width: 178.2152852529602px;"> <div class="thumb" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border: none; margin: 2px; width: 176.2152852529602px;"> <div style="margin: 0px auto;"> <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-file-height="921" data-file-width="701" height="231" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/James_Garner_Diane_McBain_Maverick.JPG/228px-James_Garner_Diane_McBain_Maverick.JPG" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto; vertical-align: middle;" width="176" /></span></span></div> </div> <div class="gallerytext" style="font-size: 13px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 4px; word-wrap: break-word;"> <div style="line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em;"> With <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Diane McBain</span></span> in 1959</div> </div> </div> </li>   <li class="gallerybox" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0.1em; vertical-align: top; width: 181.8525296017223px; zoom: 1;"><div style="width: 181.8525296017223px;"> <div class="thumb" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border: none; margin: 2px; width: 180.8525296017223px;"> <div style="margin: 0px auto;"> <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-file-height="910" data-file-width="708" height="231" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/James_Garner_Jean_Willes_Maverick_1960.JPG/233px-James_Garner_Jean_Willes_Maverick_1960.JPG" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto; vertical-align: middle;" width="180" /></span></span></div> </div> <div class="gallerytext" style="font-size: 13px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 4px; word-wrap: break-word;"> <div style="line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em;"> With <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Jean Willes</span></span> in 1960</div> </div> </div> </li>   <li class="gallerybox" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0.1em; vertical-align: top; width: 169px; zoom: 1;"><div style="width: 169px;"> <div class="thumb" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border: none; margin: 2px; width: 167px;"> <div style="margin: 0px auto;"> <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-file-height="908" data-file-width="758" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/James_Garner_Connie_Stevens_Maverick_1959.JPG/250px-James_Garner_Connie_Stevens_Maverick_1959.JPG" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto; vertical-align: middle;" width="167" /></span></span></div> </div> <div class="gallerytext" style="font-size: 13px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 4px; word-wrap: break-word;"> <div style="line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em;"> With Connie Stevens in 1959</div> </div> </div> </li>   <li class="gallerybox" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0.1em; vertical-align: top; width: 163px; zoom: 1;"><div style="width: 163px;"> <div class="thumb" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border: none; margin: 2px; width: 161px;"> <div style="margin: 0px auto;"> <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-file-height="856" data-file-width="688" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/James_Garner_as_Pappy_Maverick_1959.JPG/241px-James_Garner_as_Pappy_Maverick_1959.JPG" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto; vertical-align: middle;" width="161" /></span></span></div> </div> <div class="gallerytext" style="font-size: 13px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px 4px; word-wrap: break-word;"> <div style="line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em;"> With <span style="color: #0b0080;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Kaye Elhardt</span></span> in 1</div> </div> </div> </li> </ul> </center>

Edward James Olmos Henry James James Badge Dale James Bond James Cagney James Callis James Coburn James Franco James Gandolfini James Garner Liam James Actor James Garner Died

Actor James Garner , best known for the role of prime-time television as a frontier gambler hilarious on "Maverick" and as an ex-c...

Read more »

Austenland: What would Jane say?

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><i>Austenland</i> </b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>(2013) • <a href="http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/sony/austenland/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">View trailer</a></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Four stars. Rating: PG-13, for sexual candor and inneundo</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a> • </b></span>Originally published in <i><a href="http://www.davisenterprise.com/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">The Davis Enterprise</a></i>, 9.6.13</b></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This film is <i>completely</i> bonkers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the best possible way.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoYhPY1lTjoFcLJ-nUrzqywp77pKCT120-4r23DXaSzn9trxVQuAcsMgtbi9s5bJ-bmBSiDMm0ngiliBhEXswCzd0IFynu-spYwbQjsJ8KswtYNngECxno72ys90haV7eZmsvcLZkHWvM/s1600/Austenland+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoYhPY1lTjoFcLJ-nUrzqywp77pKCT120-4r23DXaSzn9trxVQuAcsMgtbi9s5bJ-bmBSiDMm0ngiliBhEXswCzd0IFynu-spYwbQjsJ8KswtYNngECxno72ys90haV7eZmsvcLZkHWvM/s400/Austenland+blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Determined to take control of her fantasy vacation, Jane (Keri Russell, foreground) bats<br />her eyes at "Col. Andrews" (James Callis, left), while an irritated "Henry Nobley" (JJ Feild,<br />right) prepares to bolt. These shenanigans are viewed with alarm by Mrs. Wattlesbrook<br />(Jane Seymour, right rear), whose carefully orchestrated plans seem to be going awry.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Austenland</i> is a gleefully barbed swipe at über-fans who take their passions <i>far</i> too seriously, to the point of becoming social outcasts. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Initially restricted to Trekkies who’d craft elaborate costumes for sci-fi conventions, such behavior recently has accelerated through the mainstream, captivating (afflicting?) fans of pop-culture properties ranging from the <i>Twilight</i> books to, yes, Jane Austen’s novels. Indeed, Austen has begat her own sub-category of worship, whether affectionate or twisted: Bridget Jones’ fixation on Mark Darcy, in Helen Fielding’s two books, or Karen Joy Fowler’s clever <i>Jane Austen Book Club</i> (all of which have been made into films), and Seth Grahame-Smith’s <i>Pride and Prejudice and Zombies</i> (also on its way to the big screen).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So while one might imagine that the events depicted in the adorably embroidered <i>Austenland</i> are the stuff of exaggerated farce ... well, maybe not. I’m perfectly willing to believe that such a business model could exist, and perhaps quite profitably. To paraphrase H.L. Mencken, nobody ever went broke overestimating the rabid devotion of obsessed Americans.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And while a college-level study of Austen’s books probably isn’t essential to the enjoyment of director/co-scripter Jerusha Hess’ charming comedy, a passing familiarity with the milieu will greatly enhance the experience.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mousy Jane Hayes (Keri Russell), unhappy with her drab life, has taken solace in the elegantly romantic early 19th century British setting of Austen’s novels. Jane’s obsession has blossomed even further of late, her devotion to Colin Firth’s performance as Mr. Darcy in the 1995 production of <i>Pride and Prejudice</i> making it impossible for any 21st century boyfriend to compete.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><a name='more'></a><br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When a loutish office co-worker contemptuously dismisses her behavior and offers himself as “her best and only chance,” Jane recoils by blowing her life savings on an overseas vacation at a stately Jane Austen “theme experience.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Excited beyond words, Jane dresses in a Regency-era frock and bones up on Austen’s best literary <i>bon mots</i>, fully prepared to embrace the role-playing. Alas, upon arrival at the appointed stately manor, Jane discovers that her travel agent booked her into Austenland’s <i>economy</i> package: a distinction waspishly defined by the haughty Mrs. Wattlesbrook (Jane Seymour), who stage-manages the experience.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thus, while the wealthier guests are shown into gorgeous suites and given a range of luxurious clothing, Jane finds herself in a simple room in the servants’ quarters ... and is forced to don a plain dress that Elizabeth Bennet would have recognized.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite suffering belittlement by Mrs. Wattlesbrook at every turn, Jane is not without friends. First and foremost is the brash, brassy “Miss Elizabeth Charming” (guests adopt Austenian names during their stay), a man-hungry cougar brought to spectacular life by the always hilarious Jennifer Coolidge. Although the epitome of a vulgar wealthy American, in her “regular” life Miss Charming has suffered her share of indignities from contemptuous idiots, and thus cloaks Jane in a protective embrace.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then, too, Jane — now going by the <i>nom-de-Austen</i> of “Miss Erstwhile” — earns sympathetic glances from Martin (Bret McKenzie), a groundskeeper and faux coach driver who, as one of Mrs. Wattlesbrook’s “menials,” is forbidden contact with the paying guests.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jane will need these allies, because the full-immersion Austen experience — due to her “lowly” financial status — offers little beyond discrimination and scorn at every turn, particularly from the condescending “Lady Amelia Heartwright” (Georgia King, recognized from TV’s late, lamented <i>The New Normal</i>). But the resident gentlemen are equally intimidating, whether the flamboyantly stuffy “Col. Andrews” (James Callis) or the aloofly arrogant “Mr. Henry Nobley” (JJ Feild).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Indeed, Jane’s initial encounter with the latter, marked by deliciously cutting remarks on both sides, is an amusing echo of Elizabeth Bennet’s first meeting with Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, in <i>Pride and Prejudice</i>. Which it’s supposed to be, of course.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perhaps to her own surprise, however, Jane doesn’t wither beneath this constant, contemptuous onslaught; indeed, she blossoms ... and that’s the best part of this story, as adapted from Shannon Hale’s 2007 novel of the same title. (Hale collaborated with Hess on this film’s screenplay.) Despite being given every opportunity to surrender to this “true Regency experience,” Jane retains a critical eye and comes into her own, no matter how crazy the planned activity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And things do get crazy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The narrative offers an endless series of manic set-pieces, which Hess shrewdly builds from the merely daft to the hilariously comical. Jane’s initial drawing room experience is quirky enough, with the faux aristocratic gentlemen attempting to maintain their sangfroid in the face of Miss Charming’s snorting, come-and-get-me enthusiasm. Things get even funnier with the arrival of hunky “Capt. George East” (Ricky Whittle), and also when Mrs. Wattlesbrook “impulsively” orchestrates a stage play, which everybody is expected to participate in.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then, too, Jane must avoid being left alone with Mrs. Wattlesbrook’s lecherous old goat of a husband.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Additional fun comes from the not-entirely-comfortable manner in which Mrs. Wattlesbrook’s various employees play their lesser roles, notably the body-builders hired to be eye-candy as footmen and butlers. Indeed, our first glimpse of Austenland’s off-limits “staff section” is a stitch in its own right, as we see these various characters during off-hours.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And that’s when this cheeky script begins its perceptive exploration of human nature: At what point does play-acting artifice become uncomfortable, and perhaps even emotionally hazardous?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Russell, well remembered from 2007’s <i>Waitress</i> and TV’s <i>Felicity</i>, makes an endearing heroine; she’s warm, intelligent and — as the narrative progresses — resourcefully defiant. We naturally care for Jane, from the moment we meet her (Austen fixation notwithstanding), and Russell rewards our loyalty by allowing her character to blossom in all the right ways. As we saw in <i>Waitress</i>, she has a genuine gift for romantic comedy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The larger-than-life Coolidge is a total hoot as a ravenous man-hunter, her clumsy efforts at come-hither gazes even funnier than her inappropriately earthy remarks. Aside from being a member of Christopher Guest’s repertory company — and a memorable presence in <i>Best in Show</i>, <i>A Mighty Wind</i> and <i>For Your Consideration</i> — Coolidge remains notorious as Stifler’s mother in the <i>American Pie</i> series, not to mention a host of TV show appearances. She’s utterly fearless, when it comes to making fun of her own plus-size configurations, and more power to her.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seymour is properly imperious as Mrs. Wattlesbrook, her withering gaze able to cut down lesser mortals at 50 paces. She’s subtly, wickedly catty: a contrast to King, overstated and constantly a-flutter as Lady Amelia, who — at first — seems little more than a walking sight-gag. But watch King’s expressions; as the story progresses, and Lady Amelia’s part expands, she delivers some droll hooded frowns and double-takes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By design, the men in Jane’s theme holiday are polar opposites: Field a picture of aristocratic impatience as the aloof Nobley, while McKenzie’s Martin couldn’t be kinder, gentler ... or more vexed, as time goes on, and he fears that Jane is falling under the spell of this make-believe nonsense.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hess made her splash as half of the married team who uncorked the darkly humorous <i>Napoleon Dynamite</i> roughly a decade ago; they were less successful with follow-ups <i>Nacho Libre</i> and <i>Gentlemen Broncos</i>. This new film marks Hess’ ascent to the director’s chair, on her first project without husband Jared. She and Hale clearly share the same snarky sense of humor, and their collaboration here is rich with both verbal and physical comedy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">But I fear <i>Austenland</i> is destined to remain in the cinematic hinterlands; based on the sparse audience that attended Tuesday’s preview screening, mainstream viewers don’t seem to get the extended joke. To be sure, Austen fans will return for multiple viewings, but — despite the recent flurry of adaptations — </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">their numbers aren’t legion</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Too bad, because the rest of you won’t know what you’re missing. This film is a stitch from the first scene to the last, and be sure to remain seated when the story proper concludes, for not just one, but <i>two</i> surprise epilogues. (Shades of Bollywood musicals!)</span></span></div><!--EndFragment-->

2013 Bret McKenzie Comedy Four Star Films Georgia King James Callis Jane Seymour Jennifer Coolidge JJ Feild Keri Russell romantic Austenland: What would Jane say?

Austenland   (2013) •  View trailer   Four stars. Rating: PG-13, for sexual candor and inneundo By  Derrick Bang  •  Originally published in...

Read more »