#violence and bloody fx compared to other itc shows‚ mostly a result of Bradford's own insistence on greater realism and in showing the | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

mariocki · 2 years ago

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Donald Sutherland guest stars as the easy living Willard, a college friend of McGill - and a rare glimpse into his early life - in Man in a Suitcase: Day of Execution (1.3, ITC, 1967)

#fave spotting #donald sutherland #man in a suitcase #1967 #itc #classic tv #day of execution #i don't think it comes up in dialogue but Pixley's bible reveals that the college was specified in the script as that of the University of #Texas; Bradford had attended for a while himself‚ and other references to playing football also fit the real Bradford (who'd been set #for a sporting career until an injury saw him refocus on acting). Sutherland wasn't from Texas of course; a good old Canadian boy #he'd gone to school in Toronto and then moved to London around 1962‚ where he'd been steadily plugging away as brit tv's most successful #(at least in the long term) rentayank. for more on that see other Donald posts in the fave spotting tag; by the time this episode aired Don #was nearing the end of his English residency. he was already netting some notable supporting roles in pretty big movies (The Dirty Dozen #was released in the uk about a week after this episode aired‚ and within a year or so he'd be nailing some of the projects which would #catapult him to true stardom). he's very good here of course‚ as the drunken layabout college friend of McGill who inherited a fortune #from 'daddy' and seems content to spend his days sleeping and nights partying. his involvement in the action of the episode gets a little #murkier in the last act‚ and sets up some really brutal stuff from McGill (he ends up charging Willard $10k to save his life)#also notable is some bloodied face makeup Don wears in that last act‚ having received a beating; MiaS was noted for its increased #violence and bloody fx compared to other itc shows‚ mostly a result of Bradford's own insistence on greater realism and in showing the #result of violence rather than just stage punches and taps on the head. what's unusual is that it was normally Bradford who got bloodied up #perhaps Sutherland's willingness to get all bruised and swollen is indicative of a good working relationship with Bradford?#pixley doesn't comment on it‚ but i think it's quite possible‚ especially as Sutherland was one of the only actors to return for another #episode (one of the few others being Colin Blakely‚ whom Bradford is well known to have been in awe of; it's not beyond the realm of #possibilities that the star had some influence in who was recast for second appearances). but this is conjecture really #just enjoy young Don with his crooked grin and big ears and goofy face. who'd have thunk a future screen icon in 1967?

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