Yup, much as I loved ol' Roy, I gotta concede it - he was no Olivier.
Heck, go it further, he was no Regis Toomey, for that matter!
Undeniably stagey & wooden, given to stilted replies and cardboard characters, he was no kind of a polished Thespian, especially when portraying himself in the lead role as protagonist -
Unlike Clayton Moore (as the Lone Ranger), or Duncan Rinaldo (as the Cisco Kid), or Richard Simmons (as Sgt. Preston), or George Reeves (as Superman), or Hugh Reilly (from "Lassie), or Gene Evans (from "My Friend Flicka") . .
Wait a minute . . they were all pretty 2-dimensional, too . .
So why do so many of us recall their daring exploits & cheery courage with such monumental fondness and deep affection . . .? ~ Klondike
2-Dimensional?! 
Come 'on,
what could possibly be 2 dimensional about
Gene Evans, even on
My Friend Flicka?
How could you say that about an actor who
1.)Was a man of oh, shall we say
avoirdupois proportions of about 200+ lbs. most days.
2.) Had one of the graveliest voices this side of
Andy Devine , (which Evans could soften beautifully into a warm "Dad" voice)
3.) Carried himself with some real, much needed gravitas as an actor through some often truly unlikely vehicles (like
Donovan's Brain, for instance), and
4.) Was a man who could easily suggest a titanic temper honed on various battlefields, mental and actual. Not to mention the fact that he had to work in some kiddie show to keep the wolf from the door & beer in the fridge during what
should have been his prime years as an actor! No wonder he always seemed to be struggling inwardly to be the gentle father he wished to be, instead of the p.o'd grizzly bear he seemed to be keeping at bay inside himself.
Klon,
Another childhood hero from the same period whom I rush to defend before your amusingly critical eye falls upon him is now being shown regularly on my PBS station:
Richard Greene in
The Adventures of Robin Hood! Greene, or "Dimples" as he's known around
Chez Finnie, somehow manages to make his Robin a little more world-weary and yet still game for action against the ratfinks in Nottingham. Funny, isn't it, that I never noticed when watching this in endless repeats as a wee one that poor Richard has enormous bags under his eyes, a slight, but still endearing paunch, and that much of the seemingly vast Sherwood Forest apparently consisted of a few cement stumps, synthetic bushes and a hand-painted castle in the distance that seems to shiver in vibration whenever Little John (
Archie Duncan) thunders near.
Mr. Richard Greene as Robin, in what's probably a heavily air-brushed, but fine photo.
And what's all this poppycock about
Regis Toomey's forgotten genius for plumbing the depths of bit parts?
And, btw, who else thinks that the
always lovable
Roy Rogers' high water mark in his acting career probably came when he was unconscious in the very well done movie,
Dark Command (1940)?
Let's not all raise our hands at once.
