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Dwight Frye:
Memorable Cameos


 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

While some might call these parts small roles, I prefer to think of them as cameos.  

Hangmen Also Die:

Dwight's only in this one for a few minutes, but get it anyway, the movie is very good.  The Nazis are occupying Czechoslovakia and the Resistance is trying to fight against them.  Sounds like your typical espionage movie except for several key elements.  1) The movie was made in 1943.  That's right, during Nazi occupation.  2) The director was Fritz Lang of Metropolis fame.  Hitler had approached Lang, based on his work on said movie, to make Nazi propaganda films.  Fritz said, "Let me get back to you on that" and promptly left the country.  3) The movie was uncompromising in its depiction of suffering.  When it's all said and done Hangmen Also Die is an amazing work.

Dwight's part?  A Czech hostage in a prison camp who maintains his loyalty to Czechoslovakia despite the betrayal of some of his comrades.  His character has no name and Dwight's not even listed in the credits.  (Boo, Hiss!)

Funky Bonus Pic:  Random Hero Tied Up

Dangerous Female

In this first film adaptation of The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, Dwight plays the gunsel Wilmer Cook.  Although not as polished as the Bogart version, it is interesting on its own.  It is a different vision of the world of Sam Spade and the mysterious statue, including a more womanizing Spade. 

Dwight is delightfully twitchy and handles his limited lines with great gusto.  Most of the film does move rather slowly, but I blame early sound technology and the director’s inability to explore all its possibilities.  Much like, say, Todd Browning?

I don’t have any pictures from the movie because I don’t have a video capture card to get stuff off of video.  I taped it off of TCM quite a while ago and I think I recorded over it.  So if anyone has screencaptures they would like to donate, I would be very grateful.

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Send feedback to joeanne_b@hotmail.com

Hangmen Also Die is property of Kino Video and Arnold Production.  No infringement of copyright is intended or inferred.  No money ever has or ever will exchange hand.  All screencaps made by me.