A legacy can be defined in many different aspects. I want to focus on the term that relates to “how a person is remembered.” A legacy is the poopy trail of your life or the reputation we leave behind. Sometimes a legacy is something positive, for others it might be negative. Whether we like it or not, every one will remember you for different things. For example, my grandpa was known for his hard-work. The words “self-made” would also characterize his life. Legacies can be stains left by specific moments in life or wielded over years and years. Sometimes they are just little tidbits people remember or sometimes they get books written about them. That is the great thing about legacies; each person leaves behind a different memory for each person. My mom will remember her father for other things, and I will remember him for others. For that matter, The Three Stooges, W.C. Fields, and Shooter McGavin all left behind their own legacies.
The Stooges and W.C. Field’s have a similar legacy. To our generation, they were slapstick comics. They had a legacy of making funny black-and-white pictures. This style worked for decades. More specifically, the Stooges are one of the best comedic trios of all-time. Moe, Curly, and Larry used headlocks, props, and iconic themes to produce their legacy. These men made pie fights part of American culture. To this day people pie each other to mark a celebration, or just to arouse laughter. I guess their hard work and idiocracy paid off, now they have their own museum, The Stoogeum.
W.C. Fields is also known to our generation as a slapstick comedian. I found myself struggling to stay awake during his skit because it was so similar to that of the Three Stooges. Although it was only a third as funny to me, his legacy is much more prevalent to his generation. As the Stooges are known for their pie thrusts, it is Field’s career as a juggler that makes him unique. In the early 1900’s, Fields was billed as 'The Eccentric Juggler'. On stage he dressed as a tramp, with a fake beard and exaggerated eye make up, while his sidekick wore a tuxedo with tight satin pants (reminds me of someone else I know). Later on in his career he developed his act into a character. It was this character that we viewed in class. Some people might also know him as an alcoholic. He also despised children. His Corella Deville persona also relates to his legacy. It is said that he filled the pool in on his house. From whatever point of view you know/see W.C. Field’s he is known for different things by different people. This is the unique thing about a legacy, everyone has their own perception. To us, he is an innocent slapstick movie-maker, but at his death, certain people might have given him a negative reputation as an alcoholic or child hater. I guess it is ironic that he died of Cirrhosis of the liver.
How do these great comedians relate to Shooter McGavin’s legacy? You might be wondering why I used his on-screen name from the film, Happy Gilmore. After all, does anyone really know his actual name (Christopher McDonald)? I have, and will always know him as the villain persona he played in Happy Gilmore. He has had minor roles in dozens of movie thereafter, but his legacy will remain loyal to Shooter McGavin. This is a unique instance of a living legacy. People can live life with a nickname or alias, but there are not many people who are known as other people. Christopher McDonald is living proof of that legacy. In my mind he will always be known as a talented but incredibly arrogant jackass who delights in winning lots of money and praise. These characteristics will stain his character for as long as he lives. Whenever he appears in another film, I think of Shooter. I live you, my fellow bloggers, with this memory of Shooter.
Shooter: You're in big trouble pal. I eat pieces of shit like you for breakfast.
Happy: You eat pieces of shit for breakfast?
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Shooter McGavin is one of those timeless movie characters right up there with Frank the Tank and Happy Gilmore. Unlike Will Ferrel and Sandler, it is surprising that McDonald's (of course I knew the actor's name)career never took off.
ReplyDeleteI remember my first encounter with Field's was a quote of his I remember reading in a drama class in middle school: "The theatre is a shy person's revenge on the world."
In addition to being an alcoholic, and hating kids, its interesting to see that a person who characterized himself as shy was able to be so successful and still leave behind the legacy your write about.
Surprisingly, most actors are shy. they can do what they do because they are someone else at the time...interesting. They create a persona. McDonald, as a character actor, works much, but doesn't get recognition. Much like William H. Macy and several others I could name. Though he often plays comedic roles, he does others as well. What makes Shooter funny--and memorably so--for you? His quintessential portrayal of the comedic villain whom we know won't win?
ReplyDeleteHis stupidity? He unwittingly makes himself the butt of the joke that you mention in your post. Sandler is only "following the logic train," something that always generates humor rhetorically when the logic is faulty.