The Silver Screen Oasis

This fellow is a real curiosity to me. I've seen him in countless movies and TV shows, yet he never made a niche for himself. He's been a bit player, a sidekick, good guy, bad guy, and leading man, in all sorts of genres. He was actually quite good looking, and always convincing in whatever part he was playing. I looked him up on imdB but they were rather vague about him. Apparently he is friendly with Burt Reynolds, and has worked with him a lot both on screen, and at Burt's workshop. Since I've never seen an episode of The Dukes of Hazzard, I didn't realize he was the sheriff on it, I thought he had just disappeared. I had to enlarge the photo they have of him because with the white hair he looks so different. Another thing they were vague about was in saying due to physical ailments in later life, he had to take a break from acting. What kind of ailments? Does anyone have any opinion about him or his acting talents?

Anne

I remember James Best most strongly for his lead role in a curious little Twilight Zone episode about a "peculiar" Ozark dude who manages to cheat Death at his own wake.

Chilling, off-beat, quite memorable for its skewed tone, and Mr. Best couldn't have played it better had it been written for him!

James Best was also in a Twilight Zone episode with Anne "Honey West" Francis where she visits a witch to help her ensnare James Best. Could this the same one? It was purty countrifried....

(She would turn into a leopard at night.)

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller...Bueller....

And let's not forget Best's Andy Griffith episodes with Freddy Fleet and his Band with the Beat!

[quote="Sue Sue Applegate"] > James Best was also in a Twilight Zone episode with Anne "Honey West" Francis where she visits a witch to help her ensnare James Best. Could this the same one? It was purty countrifried.... <

Nope, though I sure can concede a strong similarity in setting between the two; according to IMDb, "yours" was called Jess-Belle, and "mine" bore the title The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank.

Thanks for the clarification, klondike. I haven't seen "my" episode since the 60's, and I'd love to revisit it and "your" episode, too!

Hi johnm:

The phrase 'later in life' was from imdB, but they don't give any particular years and his filmography doesn't show any major breaks, so I'm not sure what they meant exactly. Nor do they give any special time frame for the supposed 'physical ailments', so I'm as confused as you might think I am.

Anne

One of my favorites with Best is 1959's The Attack of the Killer Shrews. I also enjoy his laugh, and I was a Dukes of Hazard fan.

Found some trivia:

Has a black belt in karate.
A former B-17 gunner.
The son of a coal miner.



vallo

I've seen him recently in several things. I saw him last week in a Have Gun - Will Travel episode. He was also in a Randolph Scott western (Ride Lonesome, I think.) He played one of the creepiest dead guys ever in Firecreek. He's done a little of everything I think.