James Garner, RIP

[Jedbu]

So sad that he is gone-one of the great movie stars of the second half of the 20th century if not of all time, and a great actor in the Cary Grant mode in that he always made it look so easy when it was really not. Like Grant, Astaire, Stewart, Fonda, Tracy and Cagney, he managed to make you believe his character was really there when you saw him up on the screen, and the only time they did not seem genuine was when THEY knew that their character was just not believable (just watch Garner in THE PINK JUNGLE or Tracy in THE MOUNTAIN for good examples). To one of the great ones on both the big screen and the small (MAVERICK is my favorite TV western and his work in TV movies like BREATHING LESSONS and MY NAME IS BILL W. will always stand the test of time), Vaya Con Dios...

http://www.thewrap.com/james-garner-of- ... ntactology

[Eric W.]

Amazing actor. They don't make them like this any more. RIP.

[Eric Paddon]

I always had a mixed view of Garner. Loved him in "Maverick" (his best role), yet I never could warm up to him on "Rockford Files". Terrific in "Great Escape" but I was put off by him in "Americanization of Emily" and most other film roles I saw him in. Still, a solid legacy spanning several generations of Hollywood that deserves recognition and praise. RIP.

[mkaroly]

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHERIFF and SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL GUNFIGHTER....classics. RIP.

[Jedbu]

Both TV series of "Maverick" and "The Rockford Files," with a tip of the hat to "Nichols'
THE GREAT ESCAPE
THE AMERICANIZATION OF EMILY
VICTOR/VICTORIA (he should have gotten nominated for this and the one right above)
MURPHY'S ROMANCE
THE CHILDREN'S HOUR
THE THRILL OF IT ALL
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHERIFF
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL GUNFIGHTER
SKIN GAME
SPACE COWBOYS
and the TV movies BREATHING LESSONS, MY NAME IS BILL W., BARBARIANS AT THE GATE, HEARTSOUNDS, PROMISE and THE LONG SUMMER OF GEORGE ADAMS...not a bad career and legacy to leave.

[DavidBanner]

James Garner was a class act.

I particularly appreciated his performances in Barbarians at the Gate and Heartsounds. Even some really jaded critics in Los Angeles had to give it up to him for his performance in Murphy's Romance.

I had the pleasure of working with him on First Monday, where he played the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He was already fairly advanced in age at that time, and could no longer move very quickly. But he was sharp as a tack, and always ready to work. I remember that he would always have his personal set chair right off the edge of the set we were shooting. This did two things. It allowed him to immediately step onto his marks, and it also gave him a good view of what was happening in the workspace. Meaning that he could immediately tell if someone wasn't really doing their job.

He also had a great sense of humor. I remember a friend of his came by the set one day and asked "What are you doing on another TV series?" He responded by pointing to his wife and yelling "Champion Shopper!"

[AndyDursin]

Great story David.

Beyond the screen, Garner was married to his wife for 58 years. Amazing!

I watched MURPHY'S ROMANCE last summer -- he was superb in it, and outside of the unfortunately dated Carole King score, the film has held up very well. I was too young for ROCKFORD but obviously the series had more than its share of fans. MAVERICK, on the other hand, was a program I've caught up a bit with its various DVD releases from the Warner Archive and he was phenomenal in it.

One of the last of a dying breed of Hollywood star, needless to say.