Comments on: A Rap Sheet on Wendell Corey

By: Gord Jackson

Gord Jackson — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 01:31:28 +0000

Allen, I am not aware of “Man-Eater” being available on VHS or DVD. I did however just recently watch “The Killer is Loose” and “The Big Knife” and found Corey to be chillingly good in them both. I also remember him from “Rear Window”, the Presley picture “Loving You” (again with the wonderful Lizabeth Scott) and Disney’s “The Light in the Forest”.

By: Allen Round

Allen Round — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 06:48:01 +0000

Man-Eater of Kumaon (1948) — do you know if this movie is available anywhere in any format?
Thanks.

By: Karen Hannsberry

Karen Hannsberry — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:07:01 +0000

I’ve always been quite fond of Wendell Corey – I find him dependable and solid, with an underlying sensitivity and a natural acting style. I especially enjoyed his performances in The Rainmaker, where he seemed to house a passion banked down beneath a veneer of complacent conformity, and The Big Knife, where he was simply outstanding — not to mention frightening — as the oily lackey of a movie studio chief (with the great name of Smiley Coy). He was first-rate in Harriet Craig, where he made you cheer when he, at long last, stood up to his anal-retentive spouse; he more than held his own against Stanwyck as the gullible defense attorney in The File on Thelma Jordon; he earned both sympathy and contempt as Burt Lancaster’s weak-willed brother in I Walk Alone; and he was so good as the mentally ill criminal in The Killer is Loose that he was barely recognizable.

I look forward to checking out some of the Corey films you mentioned that I’ve never seen — especially My Man and I, which sounds particularly interesting. In the meantime, all this Corey talk has inspired me — I think I’ll watch The Big Knife tonight!

By: Joe aka Mongo

Joe aka Mongo — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 21:23:09 +0000

Moira, thanks for remembering Wendell Corey. I have always found him to be a dependable, if somewhat lackadaisical actor.
Other than some of his films mentioned above he was perfect as Joan Crawford’s husband in “Harriet Craig”.

By: Alan K. Rode

Alan K. Rode — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 04:37:19 +0000

Nice post, Moira. Despite his vanilla resume, Wendell Corey could do decent work when given something that wasn’t a “phone-in” part. Besides DESERT FURY (Corey’s ardent competitiveness versus Liz Scott for homme trophy,John Hodiak is a hoot), my favorite Corey role is THE ACCUSED. He is a lanquid D.A. unraveling the case of a deceased Lothario involved with virginal psych teacher Wilma Tuttle (Loretta Young). Corey gets to clip off some world-weary one-liners as Robert Cummings gets stuck with the thankless role of wannabee boyfriend to Miss Young. He was also interesting in I WALK ALONE, a pretty lousy Wallis effort after he went to Paramount; Corey’s character as a weakling was the only one in the entire script that wasn’t hewn from cardboard. As for Wendell Corey’s predilection for booze, Evelyn Keyes remarked that the only time he didn’t have a drink in his hand while on location for HELLS HALF ACRE was when he was in front of the camera!

By: Willie Sutton

Willie Sutton — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:06:51 +0000

I had long suspected that Corey had drinking problems by the way he appeared in later films (and TV), aging very badly. He looks years older than 54 in his last film Astro-Zombies.

By: Gord Jackson

Gord Jackson — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 16:04:22 +0000

I never liked nor disliked Wendell Corey. I always found him to be a mostly stabalizing force, which I readily accepted.

By: Al Lowe

Al Lowe — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 16:22:12 +0000

I wish Wendell Corey had written an autobiography. I’ll bet he had many interesting stories to tell. Unfortunately, noone probably would have purchased the book.

In Lana Turner’s autobiography she tells of getting Corey fired from A Life of Her Own and replaced by Ray Milland. He made a wisecrack that she didn’t appreciate and she flexed her STAR muscle.

As has been previously mentioned, someone had to play the parts Corey was assigned. I think he generally did roles that actors probably would have preferred not to play. He usually did a credible job.
In Any Number Can Play he is a weakling again. He’s Clark Gable’s brother-in-law. Gable’s wife, Alexis Smith, and Corey’s wife, Audrey Totter, are smitten with Gable and Totter really seems to really detest her husband. I like this movie for its great supporting cast, including Edgar Buchanan, William Conrad and Mary Astor (She appears in scenes with Gable 17 years after Red Dust. She, of course, is smitten with him too.).
I recently watched my VHS tape of Rainmaker. It seems to me that Corey did what Keenan Wynn used to do. He made the plot seem believable. Wynn also occasionally snagged a romantic interest like Corey did in this film and noone really wanted it to happen.
He did play opposite some great talents – Hepburn, Montgomery Clift, Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly – and generally held his own.
Like Ronald Reagan, he may have made a bad career choice by opting for a thespian career. He should perhaps have tried politics first and left acting behind.

By: ralph

ralph — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 14:31:59 +0000

somebody had to play the bland roles he did; wendell did a memorable job – but a redford he’s not.

By: Patricia

Patricia — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:12:50 +0000

I found Corey very appealing in “A Holiday Affair”. The poster leads you to expect a trite little treat, but I found the movie to have a surprisingly adult script.

If there is one movie that made me respect Wendell Corey, it is “The Big Knife”. While Jack Palance and Rod Steiger make me grind my teeth with their emoting, Corey is a towering presence of good taste and interpretation. The bland in that picture is apply supplied by Wesley Addy.