Just my opinion, of course, but after
Family Affair, Mr.
Keith's career seemed to have lost the edge it had once had. I think that he just had to earn a living, like the rest of us, so he did similar parts once too often.
Family Affair is painful for me to watch. Seeing him in that show, and much of his post-sitcom work is an experience comparable to watching a noble bear riding a tricycle in the circus.
One part that suits him was as the Chicago tabloid newspaper editor in
Gaily, Gaily (1969), a forgotten Norman Jewison film based on Ben Hecht's reminiscences. Keith's last, great performance, (in which he
almost stole a movie from none other than
Sean Connery), was in
The Wind and the Lion (1975). His part as Teddy Roosevelt was a role that he was born to play and should have, if anyone in the entertainment industry had the brains to adapt David McCullough's
Mornings on Horseback into a film. I enjoy him most when he plays
against type. He did this very well in an interesting, and sadly forgotten
Bette Davis movie called
Storm Center (1956)--one of the greatest films ever about the adventure of being...a librarian!!
Seriously, that's a great little story about freedom during the McCarthy era and following your conscience in any time. Brian is swell in it, as is Bette in one of her too few underplayed roles.
I like
Brian Dennehy when he underplays and would LOVE to see him on stage in just about anything. That production of
Death of a Salesman was on Showtime about 8 years ago. It can be found on various sites like ebay as a recording. I also like when he plays against type. His most recent work that impressed me was the
Scheherazade episode of
Law and Order SVU. It was beautifully done. When the man gets a well written part there's no stopping him from playing the heart out of it, but when he's in schlock, he looks bored and disgusted with himself, (rather like the previously mentioned
Brian Keith). Or maybe it's just me.
