World of Westfahl |
Encyclopedia Introduction |
All Entries |
Acknowledgements
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
(Martin Rosenblatt 1920– ). American actor.
Provided voice for animated films: The Man from Button Willow
(David Detiege 1965); Sealab 2020 (tv series) (1972); "The Last of the
Curlews" (1972), episode of ABC Afterschool Specials; "Model Alice"
(1974), episode of Wait Till Your Father Gets Home; The Skatebirds (tv
series) (1977-1978); The Godzilla Power Hour (tv series) (1978); The
Robonic Stooges (tv series) (1978); The All-New Popeye Hour (tv
series) (1978-1983); Jana of the Jungle (tv series) (1978-1979); Gulliver's
Travels (tv movie) (1979).
A master of several languages, with experience as a musician, singer,
and comedian, Martin seemed ready for anything when he launched his career as a
film actor in the 1950s. But appearances on television, and a small role in
Byron HASKIN's Conquest
of Space, made little demands on his talents. He was rather more central to
the success of Eugene LOURIE's
singular The Colossus of New York; although onscreen for only a short
time before his character's untimely death, his ability to seem kind and
likable is crucial so that audiences can sympathize with the homicidal robot
that is later home, audiences are told, to his transplanted brain. Around the
same time, as an early sign of his destiny, he landed a recurring role as the
sidekick to an altruistic gambler in the series Mr. Lucky (1959-1960),
and he seemed especially poignant as one of the spaceship crewmen confronting
the reality of their own deaths in "Death Ship," an episode of The Twilight
Zone.
What really made him famous, of course, was his performance as master
of disguise and resourceful assistant to Robert Conrad's James West in the
series The Wild, Wild West, now heralded as an anticipation of
"steampunk" for its combination of nineteenth-century heroics and anachronistic
high-tech, and a rare instance of a successful combination of the western and
science fiction genres. And while ostensible star Conrad was doing what dozens
of actors might have done, it was Martin's unique versatility and bonhomie that
made this odd series work. Proof of that came in 1968, when Martin had a severe
heart attack, the series floundered with second-rate replacements, the ratings
suffered, and the series was cancelled. Network executives surely realized that
the ratings would bounce back upon Martin's return, but it was obviously unwise
to carry on with a series when its success depended upon the uncertain health
of a lead performer. (Much later, Kevin Kline's lame re-enactment of his part
in the movie version of Wild, Wild West [1998] would again demonstrate
just how irreplaceable Martin was.)
After the end of The Wild, Wild West, defying the odds, Martin
remained active as a television guest star for twelve years, with highlights
including a nice turn as a vengeful victim in a horrific episode of Night
Gallery, "Camera Obscura," and an enjoyable Charlie Chan that might have
led to a series if Asian-American groups had not objected to the casting of a
non-Asian in the role. He seemed especially attractive to producers of
short-lived, forgotten science fiction series, who might have dreamed that his
on-screen enthusiasm and charisma might somehow breathe life into doomed
projects like The Immortal, The Invisible Man, The Gemini Man,
and Quark. Two well-received television movie revivals of The
Wild, Wild West, with Martin still effectively heroic as he neared the age
of sixty, reportedly were going to lead to a second series when Martin's death brought
an end to the plans, for it is hard to think of another television series that
so decisively demonstrated that science-fictional heroics often require enthusiastic,
and reassuringly down-to-earth, support.
|
To contact us about encyclopedia matters, send an email to Gary Westfahl.
If you find any Web site errors, typos or other stuff worth mentioning,
please send it to our Webmaster.
Copyright © 1999–2018 Gary Westfahl All Rights Reserved Worldwide