When actor Alan Arkin passed away in June at the age of 89, he left behind a wide-ranging filmography of more than 80 titles — with a bevy of award nominations that eventually netted him an Oscar, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, and a Tony.
Some of his best-known films include “Argo” (Oscar nom), “Little Miss Sunshine” (Oscar win) and his breakout comic turn in 1966’s “The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming” (also an Oscar nom — one of his two in the late 1960s for Best Actor).
His 65-year career was multivarious, often including minor or unusual roles. Few recall, for instance, that Arkin played the bumbling Inspector Clouseau (a role for which Peter Sellers and Steve Martin are much better known) in the third Pink Panther film — which, without Blake Edwards or Henry Mancini, was admittedly a bomb.
In any case, mindful of the fourth title on this list (a favorite of mine), here are seven “under-the-radar” Arkins — either unjustly neglected, or films we kinda forgot he starred in.
“Wait Until Dark” (1967) – OK, OK — this is hardly lesser-known; but I had to include it, because younger film-fans will scarcely imagine how much menace Arkin brings to his murderous drug-dealer, who is terrorizing a blind woman in her apartment. The actress playing his victim just happens to be the great Audrey Hepburn, and the experience of attacking her was, Arkin said, “just awful. She was an exquisite lady, so being mean to her was hard.” Genuinely scary, with an effective Mancini score.
“Catch-22” (1970) – Some fans of Joseph Heller’s World War II satire are not terribly fond of this adaptation, but I like it a lot. It’s very funny, with a jaw-dropping cast far too long to list here; splendid direction by then-red-hot Mike Nichols (“The Graduate”); real 1940s-era bombers; and spectacular photography by David Watkin. Arkin has the lead, getting the iconic line, “That’s some catch, that catch-22” — to which Jack Gilford’s Doc Daneeka responds, “It’s the best there is!”
“Little Murders” (1971) – The first of only three films Arkin himself directed, this is an odd and somewhat depressing satire about a dysfunctional family in an even more dysfunctional Manhattan milieu. Arkin has a minor role, alongside Elliott Gould, Donald Sutherland, Doris Roberts, and Vincent Gardenia. Well reviewed, this outlier was written by Pulitzer-winning cartoonist Jules Feiffer.
“The Seven-Per-Cent Solution” (1976) – Another movie that is not loved by everyone — especially Sherlock Holmes purists. In what is essentially an early example of “fan fiction,” the great Victorian sleuth (played by Nicol Williamson) visits Sigmund Freud in Vienna to tackle his cocaine addiction — and then the two join up to solve a kidnapping. Robert Duvall is fun to watch as Watson, even though his accent sucks; and Arkin has a blast as Freud. Handsome and exciting, it was written and directed by Nicholas Meyer, who almost single-handedly revived a then-foundering “Star Trek” franchise with “The Wrath of Khan” (#2), later working on 4 and 6 as well.
“The In-Laws” (1979) – At an undeniable high point for Arkin, he plays nebbishy Manhattan dentist Sheldon Kornpett, who hosts a dinner for the family of his daughter’s fiancée — including the young man’s apparently daft father (Peter Falk), who may or may not work for the CIA. Before long, future father-in-law has dragged Kornpett into a lunatic caper involving a small Central American island and stolen plates from the U.S. mint. Arkin and Falk make perfect foils; you’ll never again hear the terms “tse-tse fly” or “serpentine” without remembering this very funny film.
“Gattaca” (1997) – Unusual and compelling sci-fi about a society where nearly everyone is genetically engineered — while those whose parents’ rejected eugenics are forced into meaningless, menial work. The plot, which is also a murder mystery, focuses on one of these so-called “faith children” (Ethan Hawke) who is passing for a “valid.” Arkin plays a detective, with a strong supporting cast: Jude Law, Uma Thurman, Ernest Borgnine, the novelist Gore Vidal and small early roles for Tony Shalhoub, Dean Norris and Maya Rudolph.
“Sunshine Cleaning” (2008) – Yes, Amy Adams and Emily Blunt made a movie together! In this quirky under-the-radar dramedy, they play down-on-their-luck sisters who decide to go into the complex and messy business of cleaning up crime scenes. Co-starring Arkin, Steve Zahn and Clifton Collins Jr.
Plenty to choose from here. And that’s only a small chunk of Arkin’s impressive career!
