Scene Stealers: best bit-part scenes

[Toast 14,847]

A place to gather all those unforgettable film or TV moments where a minor character shines.

 

I'll start with Dean Stockwell as Ben in Blue Velvet.

Who could ever hear "In Dreams" afterwards without picturing this scene?

 

 

[DevonDeathTrip 2,290]

I'll stick with the Lynch theme, with the cowboy scene from Mulholland Drive. 

 

 

Monty Montgomery, who played the cowboy, was the producer of the film and had never acted before, which didn't stop Lynch deciding he was the right man for the job.  He is reading lines which are taped to Justin Theroux's chest.

[msc 17,762]

11 minutes ago, Toast said:

A place to gather all those unforgettable film or TV moments where a minor character shines.

 

I'll start with Dean Stockwell as Ben in Blue Velvet.

Who could ever hear "In Dreams" afterwards without picturing this scene?

 

 

 

That ones a classic. Dennis Hopper, the king of showing up for a film cameo and outshining everyone, outdone at his own game by Dean Stockwell.

 

Sitcoms are classic for this sort of thing. Rik Mayall's Flashheart in Blackadder. I'm a huge favourite of Richard Easton's one scene wonder in Frasier as the classically trained actor Frasier pisses off into quitting his live radio production in Ham Radio. 

 

 Mel: [German voice:] Ja, I saw zee Gentleman.

Frasier: Stop! [to Mel:] That's wonderful, Mel. But he sounds to me just a bit more Austrian than German.

Mel: I've done that accent both on Broadway and the London stage!

Frasier: Yes, well perhaps they have different standards than I have.

 

Frasier: Mel - I'm still not entirely happy with the second McAllister sister! She doesn't sound spinsterish enough for me.

Mel: I see. You also told me that my gamekeeper sounded too cultured, that my Irishman sounded more Protestant than Catholic, and that my dwarf was too tall!

 

Alas, I can't find that online, so here's Denis Lill's 90 seconds as a toff MP in another Blackadder episode!

 

 

This thread may fill up when there's been more time to think about ones though.

[msc 17,762]

Oh, a film one that comes instantly to mind, actually.

 

 

 

The New Orleans assassin from Live and Let Die. ("Who's funeral?" "Yours!") He's in the film for about one minute, he bumps off two of Bond's allies, and he gets away with it entirely. Played by Alvin Alcorn who was an influential local musician from New Orleans at the time. Lasts much longer in the memory than many a film villain with hours of screen time.

[msc 17,762]

Limiting to ones available on YouTube.

 

 

 

Ned Beatty was nominated for a supporting actor Oscar for his role in Network, of which 5 of 7 minutes are above. That's a great film, incidentally. If anything, it's more relevant now with what it says about media networks and reality TV and so on.

 

 

Vincent Schiavelli (sadly missed) is only in 3 minutes of Tomorrow Never Dies, yet he's the villain everyone remembers, as the clock punching perfectionist hitman. 

 

(I'm cutting this post into a few as, iirc, posts with more than 2 YouTube videos in them cause issues on phones)

[msc 17,762]

 

Charles Durning walks in, dances and sings, leaves film, gets an Oscar nomination. It's for sure the only song I ever remember from this (quite underrated) comedy musical.

 

And final one for now - Peter Boyle's Clyde Brockman (a suicidal insurance salesman who can foresee people's deaths) only appears in one episode of the X-Files. He won an Emmy for the role. He died 16 years ago, is far better known for Mel Brooks films. This is still widely considered the best episode of the entire show, and it has no aliens, no conspiracies, just one unlucky man and a serial killer. It's a dark comedy too, so entirely unlike the show's usual MO. And the episode and the actor are both incredible. 

 

 

 

[gcreptile 10,234]

Ha, when I saw the thread title I immediately thought of Dean Stockwell, too.

Followed by John Turturro, aka Jesus, in The Big Lebowski.

 

Also, Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder.

[Toast 14,847]

On 28/06/2022 at 22:49, DevonDeathTrip said:

I'll stick with the Lynch theme, with the cowboy scene from Mulholland Drive.

 

I'd never seen Mulholland Drive.  I've just watched it, and this has to go in.  Rebekah Del Rio.

 

 

[ladyfiona 2,041]

George Harrison's cameo in Life of Brian because he basically funded the whole movie:

 

 

Maybe not the best shining moment ever but it's what I can give you at midnight.

 

Oh, then there was when Robin Williams turned up in Friends: