Inspired by tonight's "Weird Wednesday" selection at the Alamo, the Austin Classic Movies Examiner proudly presents "Fred Williamson's Greatest Hits," in two parts.
Fred "The Hammer" Williamson came to acting from the ranks of pro football, where he'd been a shutdown corner for the Kansas City Chiefs, who got famously shut down by the Packers in Super Bowl I. He starred in a series of films where he was the hero, always got the girl, and never died.
Here, in ascending order, are Fred Williamson's Greatest Hits, Volume One:
Starsky & Hutch (2004): Williamson plays Captain Dobey in the misbegotten Ben Stiller/Owen Wilson reboot of the '70s cop series.
The Inglorious Bastards (1978) as Pvt. Fred Canfield. Not to be confused with Tarantino's epic, this spaghetti war movie, directed by Enzo G. Castellari, does have its moments.
From Dusk Til Dawn and Original Gangstas(1996) As the vampire hunter Frost in Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's From Dusk 'Til Dawn, Fred could have been given more to do, and Original Gangstas was not in the same league as Black Caesar, but it was good to have him back nonetheless. No doubt his role in FDTD was a factor in the Hammer's getting cast in his current project, 2011's Zombie Apocalypse Redemption.
Crazy Joe (1974) as Willy. The Hammer has some good scenes opposite Peter Boyle in this fact-based mob drama.
Mean Johnny Barrows (1976): Williamson stars in the title role as an ex-G.I. turned would-be hitman. With a stellar supporting cast including Roddy McDowall, Stuart Whitman, and Elliot Gould.
No Way Back (1976), Death Journey (1976) Blind Rage (1978) and The Last Fight (1983) as Jesse Crowder. The Hammer is in pure Ladies' Man mode in these black action classics. Well, not so much in Blind Rage, where he doesn't show up until the last ten minutes.
Bucktown (1975) as Duke Johnson. Fred avenges his brother's death and sticks it to the man in this inner city crime drama.
M*A*S*H (1970) as Dr. Oliver Wendell "Spearchucker" Jones. Williamson demonstrates star quality and lends his football skills to the 4077th in the big game in the third act of Robert Altman's classic anti-war comedy.
Stay tuned for Fred's Top Five in Volume Two.
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