Summer Under the Stars: Glenn Ford

Star of the Day: Glenn Ford

Advance to the Rear (1964): "When A Union Army outfit of misfits and rejects is sent to the Western territory, Southern spies try to figure out what they're doing there."

gif by me

I did not choose this film for Glenn Ford, I'm only mildly ashamed to admit; I chose it for Melvyn Douglas. I would watch him read a phone book. I should search for how often I've used that phrase on this blog...

Anyway! There were a bunch of great Glenn Ford films playing yesterday, and when I saw that this was a '60s comedy that also featured Melvyn and Joan Blondell and Stella Stevens (an actress I discovered through Summer Under the Stars a few years ago and have since grown to enjoy), I was sold on this. It's a fine enough comedy about a ragtag band of misfits with a unique enough setting for this type'a story: the Civil War. 

To speak to Glenn Ford's particular talent, he's commanding and cool in a way that Steve McQueen just doesn't hit for me. I'm not sure why I had to drag Steve into this to make my point. Either way; whenever I see Glenn Ford in a movie, I fully believe whatever he's doing on screen. It's kind of a shame he's not more widely known generally, his filmography is one of the better ones out there.

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Log line from IMDb