Payday Loans

John Gavin (1931-2018)

  1. Robert Evans, The Sun Also Rises, 1956.      Like Anthony Quinn, Gavin is from Chihuahua - “home of the biggest men and the smallest dogs in Mexico.” Mr Wooden tested as the bullfighter Pedro Romero - finally played by the ex-garment trader and future producer (Chinatown, etc). He was worse than Gavin, enough for cast and crew (including Ava Gardner, Tyrone Power, author Ernest Hemingway) to insist he be sacked. In reply, producer Darryl F Zanuck gave Evans the title of his 1994 show-off autobiography and documentary. “The kid stays in the picture.”  
  2. Charlton Heston, Ben-Hur, 1959.    Gavin (ex-John Anthony Golenor) was only US actor to have come close to playing both Judah Ben-Hur and Commander James Bond! (Instead, he played the Italian version: OSS 117… in Niente rose per OSS 117/ OSS 117: double agent or OSS 117 Murder for Sale in 1967).
  3. Steve Forrest, Heller In Pink Tights, 1959.   First (and last) Western for Sophia Loren and director George Cukor.   They looked at Garner, John Gavin and Jack Lemmon (!) before settling on Forrest as the gun-slinger hiding out in Sophia’s acting troupe touring the Old West. Sophia actually voted for TV cowpoke Clint Walker (she loved tall leading men), but he was towering over another gig.
  4. Hugh O'Brian, Il segretto de vestito rosso/Assassination in Rome, Italy, 1963.      This terrible Cinecitta thriller with Cyd Charisse would have come back to haunt Gavin once he became President Reagan’s ambassador to Mexico in the 80s. The two friends had both also been president of SAG: the Screen Actors Guild.
  5. Jean  Sorel, Vaghe Stelle Dell'orsa, Italy, 1965.       Italian maestro Luchino Visconti’s first choice for the pivotal role was “The Stiff” - which is how Hitchcock called him during Psycho, 1960.  Gavin’s friend, POTUS Ronald Reagan called him something else - the US Ambassador to Mexico! 
  6. Sean Connery, Diamonds Are Forever, 1971.
  7. Roger Moore,  Live and Let Die, 1973.


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