Best known for playing Andy in the 1959 western TV show Laramie, Robert Crawford Jr. also had a distinguished movie career, playing a wide range of characters in many critically and commercially successful films. The veteran actor had always been a part of the filmmaking business, with a father who was a respected film editor and actor.
Aside from working as an actor, Robert Crawford Jr. was also interested in other aspects of filmmaking. He acted as a production assistant and producer on a number of cult hits. Here are the actor’s best films, according to IMDb.
Duel at Diablo (1966) (IMDb Rating: 6.6)
A revenge saga that takes place in the world of Cowboys in the Wild West. Frontier scout Jess Remsberg is on a mission to hunt down the killer of his native American wife. On his quest, he comes across a white woman who is being pursued by an native American tribe and manages to bring her back to a white settlement.
But matters are not solved so easily when it becomes clear there is something ugly at the center of the woman’s relationship with her own people. Although Sidney Poitier and James Garner feature in this racially charged drama, any deeper questions the narrative might raise are traded in for star power and classic tropes borrowed from the best westerns of the era.
The Great Waldo Pepper (1975) (IMDb Rating: 6.6)
Produced by Robert Crawford, this Robert Redford and Susan Sarandon movie tells the story of a WWII fighter pilot, Waldo Pepper.
After losing his performing gig in an air show, Waldo becomes a stunt pilot for Hollywood, where he meets a former German Ace. The relationship between the two and the sky they both hold so dear makes up the rest of the movie, and it’s an entertaining period piece with a compelling storyline and sterling performances.
Hawaii (1966) (IMDb Rating: 6.6)
Based on a best-selling novel, a Christian missionary named Abner Hale settles in Hawaii with his wife. Although Abner expects the local population to fall under his command without delay, his wife takes the time to get to know the locals and understand their way of life.
Great visuals from the island at that time and typhoon footage shot especially for the film pale in comparison to a birth scene featuring Julie Andrews that audiences most remember.
Slaughterhouse-Five (1972) (IMDb Rating: 6.9)
Kurt Vonnegut’s classic novel forms the basis for this darkly funny, haunting movie about a man trapped between a terrible past, a mediocre present and an impossible future.
The most experimental film on this list, Vonnegut himself was extremely pleased with the adaptation even though it diverged significantly at major points in the narrative. Watch it for the spellbinding music, the intricately layered and detailed set pieces and the performances that power this strange anti-war black comedy.
The Great Impostor (1960) (IMDb Rating: 7.0)
Based on a true story, the film tells the tale of Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr, a conman who in his colorful lifetime managed to pass himself off as a marine, a monk, a navy surgeon, and prison warden before finally getting caught.
Based on a book detailing Demara’s real-life adventures, the movie is much more light-hearted in its treatment of the story. Tony Curtis stars and breathes life into the character of Demara, making the audience a part of his breathless journey across the world encompassing one outrageous scam after another.
The World According to Garp (1982) (IMDb Rating: 7.2)
Welcome to the strange, compelling world of Garp, played by Robin Williams. Raised by a radical feminist, Garp grows up in unusual circumstances in the shadow of his mother’s strong personality.
A departure from Williams’s comedy roles that he was known for at the time, the film is unafraid to look at the complex psycho-sexual issues of the day with a cast of fascinating characters, many of whom received awards and nominations for their performances.
Slap Shot (1977) (IMDb Rating: 7.3)
A hockey team with a terrible win record gets an apathetic new coach, Reggie Dunlop. But when the team starts winning, Reggie undergoes a change. He starts encouraging players to play dirty in order to win. This leads to rising tension among different members of the team, and drama unfolds.
With an R-rating, the film is a constant barrage of profanity and raunchy action sequences. Definitely not your run-of-the-mill inspiring sports story. But due to its honesty, Slap Shot is often cited as one of the best sports films of all time.
A Little Romance (1979) (IMDb Rating: 7.5)
A charming little rom-com about young love, this is the tale of a rich thirteen-year-old girl who finds romance in the company of a young vagabond on the streets of Paris. With the whole of the city their playground and news of the disappearance of the girl making headlines, the two young lovebirds make the most of their time together until the forces of the law and parental wrath finally manage to get in the way.
With a background of films and the movie-making business, the feature also manages to get in some clever little jabs at the celebrity culture of the day, featuring appearances by various famous actors playing themselves.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) (IMDb Rating: 8.0)
Based on true events, this 1969 classic takes a cue from the best that western films have to offer as it tells the tale of Butch Cassidy’s Hole in the Wall gang in their last months. We follow the bandits as the law closes in on them, forcing them to make a run for it to another part of the world. But even their the long arm of the law reaches out, until the remaining outlaws are left hiding in a barn preparing to make their final dash for freedom.
While the movie oscillates between drama and farce and is never quite sure on whose side its sympathies lie, the deft hand of the director and the performances manage to elevate this saga of desperadoes making a final stand against the legal system that is ultimately doomed to fail.
The Sting (1973) (IMDb Rating: 8.3)
Much of the cast and crew of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid reunite to once again set the box office on fire with this offering about a confidence trickster intent upon getting revenge for the murder of his mentor.
Think Ocean’s Eleven from a different era, where a team of artful conmen get together to plan the ultimate heist against a man who is a crook himself. Sharp dialogues, an even sharper screenplay, and impressive production values support an able cast of colorful and compelling characters.
