Rory Calhoun

Calhoun plays the most light-hearted of the movie's main characters. Intended or not, he pays a humerous but tragic tribute to his early career as a Western actor by playing a washed up former cowboy star who has nothing going for him anymore but life on the street. Although a curious sequence involving the lawyer who is "exectutor to [his] estate" suggests he may not have a financial need to be on the streets at all, but rather that he wants to be there because that's where he's most alive. This could have been an interesting subplot although it certainly would have distracted from Angel's own story.

I imagine that it's a bit of a casting coup to get someone of Calhoun's acting experience to play what many might interpret as an autobiographical performance. Not having seen enough of his performances I don't know how over the top he played this role compared to his Westerns. His credits list at the IMDB shows that he didn't seem to have a shortage of work, so he was never a washed up ex-cowboy actor like Kit.

Night of the Lepus (1972)

This is one of those ecological horror movies that were common in the 70's that dealt with animals or insects that threaten civilization. In this case it was rabbits. The movie is also an echo of those 50's science fiction movies featuring giant animals or insects that threaten civilization. Here the rabbits of the story have mutated into giant killer rabbits.

Calhoun plays the sympathetic farmer on whose land the rabbits are breeding. The giant rabbits get a bit silly but there are good ecological lessons to be learnt from this movie.

Motel Hell (1980)

This is a fun black comedy. Calhoun plays the proprietor of a small roadside motel that serves his "Farmer Vincent's Fritters" which are made from a smoked meat that he also distributes locally. What is the secret ingredient and how is it fattened up? Watch the movie and see!

Calhoun seems to be having a great time playing Farmer Vincent. This is clearly a subtle parody of movies like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and was made in 1980 before there were lots of 80's horror movies to parody. It doesn't go over the top into outright parody but is a good horror movie in its own right.

Avenging Angel (1985)

Calhoun plays the same Kit Carson character again but, like with Tyrrell's Solly, the cartoon aspects of this sequal and the action's now taking place away from Hollywood Blvd feel strange based on our associating him with the Boulevard in the first movie.



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