... an Oscar nomination.
His sinister asthmatic blackmailer was one of the most genuinely frightening foes in cinematic history!
I agree. His villain is one of the most underrated in film. More people need to see this movie!
shareA year or so later, (1964?) I read in the Dayton Daily News in Dayton, Ohio, that Ross Martin's name had been inadvertently been left off of the Oscar ballot in 1962 for his role as Red Lynch in "Experiment in Terror." This was advance publicity for the "Wild, Wild, West." Even as a 12 year-old I thought that was so lame! Apparently, this had been such a sleeper hit that the studio had to cover it's ass.
shareHeck, he should have WON!
share
I agree he was frightening as Red Lynch, an old time tough man from that era.
It was another time when that kind of character could be there. The story
itself is a fascinating one, but I don't want to see a remake of this movie
because it would have to be filled with politically correct garbage and
it wouldn't be the same. This was a great role he played , a psychopath
terrorizing the bank teller, without all the nasty stuff in today's movies
and all the profanity in current movies.
He WAS brilliant. His death scene? They talk about how fabulous Kevin Spacey's death scene was in "LA Confidential", but I think Kev stole it from Ross. Ross was unbelievably great!!
I agree
Brilliant and very convincing performance. Awesome actor
"Hello, Ben. Welcome back to the land of the living" - John Locke
I like the subtlety he brought to the character. He could have sexually assaulted Toby in the deserted dark room he took after kidnapping, but backed off after she pleaded to him to stop. The person with whom I was watching the scence explained, "He has a noble streak. He's just in it for the money." Not that that makes Red Lynch a stellar character, but the way Ross Martin played it was so well done. It really made you think about the character.
shareI have 2 words for you... "Spolier Button" !!!
shareEarl, in the commentary for "Days of Wine and Roses," Edwards says something about working with the producers on a remake of this film. I don't know why they'd bother. They got it right the first time.
"Be sure you're right, then go ahead."
Davy Crockett
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Ross Martin was the man. Before watching this film, I was mostly familiar with his Television appearances (in particular his memorable part in the Twilight Zone), but I could tell he was a very talented actor nonetheless. Fast forward to my first viewing (and subsequent views) of Experiment In Terror, and I was totally and utterly amazed with his acting. In a word, he delivered an unforgettable and frighteningly realistic performance that hasn't aged one bit.
Now, did he deserve a nomination for this film? Absolutely! But more importantly, his villain deserves some recognition. I mean - some of cinemas most beloved villain portrayals can't even compare to Martin in this film, as far as I'm concerned.
Hey there, Johnny Boy, I hope you fry!
Ross played a despicable man, but with his asthmatic condition, one can almost feel empathy for him.
I saw this film at the age of nine or ten. When Ross enters the bathroom in drag, we baby boomer kids knew that we were seeing something off kilter. There was a lot of nervous laughter, because most of us had never heard of "drag" before.