The Top-10 One Hit Wonders of Film and Television

The world of popular music is rife with bands and artists who, while often hardworking and talented, only achieved mainstream success with a single song. Some worked hard for years, only to have a song finally break through. As is more often the case, a band will explode onto the scene with a single song, and then never live up to the magic of their promised novelty. I’ve always loved the phrase “one-hit wonders,” however dismissive it may sound to some hardworking artists, I feel its pleasing poetry and easy ubiquity outweigh any offense it may bring.

The world of film, however, is not often cited in the “one-hit wonder” lists, and I aim to rectify that with the following observations; here is collection of actors or film directors who, like their music world counterparts, are only known for a single role or movie. In most of the cases below, the actor or director in question only made a few films to speak of, left a mark, and then inexplicably vanished (although I have allowed some room for the actors and directors who do have an extensive resume, but are only well-known for a certain single role or film).

Fame is a fickle thing. Let’s look at some of the people who achieved it for eternity, but only for a moment.

10) John Cazale

(1935-1978)

Actor John Cazale may have a short resume, but is notable for his impeccable pedigree. He did start his career with a short film called “American Way,” and he was in a single episode of a little-known cop drama called “NYPD,” but was not known for his acting. Luckily, he knew some talented directors, and made friends with some famous actors, and managed to land five major film roles in his career, making his one of the most viewed supporting actors in film history.

The five films he managed to star in were five of the best films of the 1970s. “The Godfather,” “The Conversation,” “The Godfather, part II,” “Dog Day Afternoon,” and “The Deer Hunter.” It’s rare that a big-name actor gets to star in films of such caliber, much less a little-known character actor. And, of you will ecuse this one enthused interjection: Holy balls!

He doesn’t have the same kind of screen presence at Max Schreck (see below), instead professionally sticking to his roles. Cazale did, however, manage to squeeze into the center of the American New Wave, and will be seen by film lovers for generations to come. Cazale dies in 1978, aged 42.

9) Jhonen Vasquez

(1974 – )

Jhonen Vasquez is a twisted, skinny Goth fellow with legions of cult fans, eagerly rolling around in the weirdo death-obsessed slapstick of his wonderfully sickening comics like “Squee” and “Johnny the Homicidal Maniac.” Vasquez’ work, while riffing on popular trends, and inspired by the likes of Chas Addams, may be one of the more singular comic book auteurs of the last few years.

Adapting his bizarro imagination to the screen seems unlikely, given his twisted interests, but in 2001, that’s exactly what happened, and a generation of children became warped by the Nickelodeon cartoon show “Invader Zim.” I am too old to have Zim in my childhood, but “Invader Zim” is, like “The Adventures of Pete and Pete,” a show I wish I could have grown up with. It’s a twisted show about an unendingly motivated, but staggeringly untalented space invader bent on conquering Earth.

Vasquez, perhaps disillusioned with the TV-making process, left the airwaves when “Invader Zim” was canceled in 2003. He doesn’t seem to be interested in continuing his filmic legacy in any way. As he is still alive, we can always hope that the Jhonen Vasquez feature film will come someday, butuntil then, Vasquez can be considered a one-hot wonder.

8) Merian C. Cooper

(1893-1979)

Merian C. Cooper was a hugely prolific film producer in his day. He produced simple silent documentary shorts in the 1920s, and continued to produce feature films all the way through his death in 1963. He was one of the producing mastermind behind famous western hits like “3 Godfathers,” “Fort Apache,” and “Rio Grande.” As a producer, his clout cannot be understressed.

However, as a director, Cooper was less than prolific, having only made three feature films and three documentary shorts himself (one of which being the introduction to Cinerama). He did make a somewhat notable film version of “The Four Feathers,” and had a minor hit with “The Last Days of Pompeii,” but these were odd aside projects for the man who directed what is probably one of the most famous monster movies of all time 1933’s “King Kong.”

“King Kong,” despite the slew of remakes and imitations, is a singular experience. The effects still look wonderful, and it is possessed of a dreamy adventure quality that has all but vanished from SFX films of modern times. While “King Kong’s” other director, Ernest B. Schoedsack, made some other notable adventure films like “The Most Dangerous Game” and “Mighty Joe Young,” Cooper stayed largey away from directing. Who knows what wonders he could have made?

7) Paul Hogan

(1939 – )

Most of us of a certain age are very fond of a 1986 comedy called ““Crocodile” Dundee.” It was an amusing fish-out-of-water tale about a tough-but-friendly Aussie nature guide who was removed from Australia, and brought to New york by an ambitious reporter (Linda Kozlowski). Hijinks ensue.

Paul Hogan played the title character, and he was an incredibly charming and very funny actor. “Crocodile” Dundee may have been a slightly fantastic character, but Hogan made him feel like he was real and charming, but also capable of surviving in the wilderness. He acted past the culture-clash stereotypes, and delivered a real human being that many people found endearing.

Despite two sequels, and roles in some other comic flops, Paul Hogan has yet to relive the success of his 1986 hit. He is still alive, and still gets acting work in film here and there, but I wish I could see him more. Even Roger Ebert said, in his review of ““Crocodile” Dundee in Los Angeles,” that he would like to hang out with the man. I share his sentiment.

6) Prince

(1958 – )

Prince is an amazingly talented musician, and one of the most prolific songwriters of his, or any, generation (rumor has it that he has recorded literally dozens of albums that he has never released). Prince was a pop icon in the 1980s, a concert guru, a talented guitar players, who is as eccentric as any rock star, but is not possessed of the dangerous self-destruction that so often comes with the profession. As a rock star, Prince has, literally, dozens of hits, and remains, in my mind, one of the best artists to get it on to.

In terms of filmmaking, however, Prince has had a less than stellar career. He directed three features films, “Under the Cherry Moon,” “Graffiti Bridge,” and a documentary, “Sign ‘O’ the Times,” but, according to even most Prince fans, the films aren’t very good, alternating between self-indulgence, and outright snores.

But, lest we not forget the wondrous cinematic contribution that Prince did make to the world. I refer, of course, to his 1984 hit film “Purple Rain.” “Purple Rain” was, according to many of my female peers, a regular object of viewing at slumber parties, and served as a pop education. And, seeing as the film was rated “R, could also be seen to serve as a coming of age for many of the same young people. It’s a surprisingly dark film, but has one of the best soundtrack records in rock history. “Purple Rain,” despite its flaws, is a classic. Prince did well.

5) Max Schreck

(1879-1936)

Max Schreck was a lanky Berlin-born actor from the days of silent films. His long neck, large nose and penetrating hollow eyes were perfect for the expressionistic wave of German filmmaking of the era. He first started in films in 1920, and, according to The Internt Movie Database, made 38 films in his career, including a production of “Peer Gynt.” He worked up until his death 1936.

But there is only one role for which Max Schreck remains remembered to this day, and that film is F.W. Murnau’s ultimate vampire movie “Nosferatu,” a renamed adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, in which Schreck played the dreaded Count Orlok, the main monster. Anyone who is interested in horror movies has already seen “Nosferatu.” Those horror buffs who haven’t yet seen it are mere nascent neophytes until they have this particular film under their belts. “Nosferatu” is one of the greatest horror films of all time.

And it’s largely thanks to Schreck. The recent trend of Twilight-inspired handsome vampire lovers may make us easily forget that vampires were originally ancient diseased ghouls, who drank the blood of the innocent, loathed the warth of the day’s sun, and brought rats and disease everywhere they went. Seeing Schreck in “Nosferatu” brings all of this prestilence and famine back to mind, as he looks like he is himself coated with filth, and that merely touching him will make you infected. In a 2000 film called “Shadow of the Vampire,” it was posited that Murnau hired a real-life vampire for his film. It’s an easy conceit to believe.

4) Charles Laughton

(1899 – 1962)

Charles Laughton is one of those unlikely movie stars. He looked like a pile of ham, and, reportedly, would badmouth a lot of his co-stars on the movies he worked on. This was balanced by his stirring talent, and his presence in some of the finest films of his era, including everything from “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” to “Spartacus.” I also just learned that he played Claudius in a 1930s production of “I, Claudius.” I have to track that down now.

Laughton, as is well known by film buffs, did try to direct once, and only once. In 1955, he co-wrote a screenplay with James Agee, based on a famous novel by Davis Grubb. It was the story of a priest who had the alarming habit of marrying old widows, and then calmly murdering them. He had LOVE and HATE tattooed across his knuckles. The film is chilling and beautiful, the film is “The Night of the Hunter.”

“The Night of the Hunter” remains one of the finest thrillers ever made, and it baffles the reader to learn that it was a box office bomb when it was first released. Thanks to the vitriol it earned from Hollywood, Laughton never tried directing again, and stuck to acting. This is a pity, as this is a great film. It has, luckily, earned a reputation as the years have passed, and is now seen as the classic it is.

3) Bart the Bear

(2000 – )

Not Bart the Bear from “The Edge,” who is a fine actor in his own right, but the Bart the Bear from Sean Penn’s stellar 2007 film “Into the Wild.” That Bart has not made a film since, and it’s a wonder why.

The first generation Bart the Bear was in a string of bear-themed hits throughout the ’80s and ’90s, including “Clan of the Cave Bear,” “White Fang,” “Legends of the Fall,” and his hit, “The Bear.” First generation Bart is a legitimate movie star.

But second generation Bart the Bear has remain reclusive. He starred in some TV and less-than-prestigious projects as a cub (Like “Dr. Dolittle 2”), but broke out over three years ago in what I called one of the best films of 2007, a year that was well-noted for its strength of overall quality. Bar the Bear (II) needs to appear in more films.

2) Maria Falconetti

(1892-1946)

The sullen, fragile Maria Falconetti. In Carl Theodor Dreyer’s iconic 1928 film “The Passion of Joan of Arc,” she played the titular saint, as she was tried, convicted, and executed by a rogue’s gallery of ghoulish church officials. Her eyes sparkle with melancholy, and her body seem divinely moved. Her skin has the tactile quality of a well-remembered lover, and her passionate quivering seems to come from deep within her core. All at once, she betrays her fear, expresses her faith, subtly lets slip her despair, and flexes her resolve. Maria Falconetti’s perfromance in “The Passion of Joan of Arc” is one of the best pieces of acting that we are lucky enough to have captured on film.

And after this film… nothing. Falconetti stayed away from camera, preferring to take quieter roles on the stage. She did star in two short films in 1971, but those have been lost to history. While Falconetti’s performance stands in contrast because of its rarity, it’s a pity that we don’t have more of her world on film to compare it to. She made, very literally, one hit, and then vanished from the world of cinema.

For the film buffs reading this who are not familiar with Dreyer’s stirring film, I encourage you to seek it out.

1) James Dean

(1931-1955)

You know who James Dean is. Yes you do. His sharp jaw, beautiful face, and defiant youth has stood in as the symbol of generations of young rebels. His sensitivity is praised by fans, and his masculinity is envied by all males. James Dean is a fine actor, an outsize personality, and a mythical icon, made all the stronger by his martyrdom to the large dented cars that took his life on that nighttime road in 1955.

And, did you know that James Dean only acted in three feature films? His career included a lot of TV acting, but it wasn’t until 1955, when “East of Eden” was released, that people began to take notice. That same year, “Rebel Without a Cause” was released, effectively declaring Dean to be the face of a generation. He also died that year, and the following year, his film “Giant” was released. 1955 was the best year James Dean ever had, and also the worst.

Dean is an actor who only starred in a few films, and would have likely gone onto to bigger and better things, had he not been killed in a car wreck. He is not a mere one-hit wonder. James Dean is a one-hit icon of the film world.

Witney Seibold is a writer living in The United States. He is a gregarious fellow, and encourages comments and e-mails, for even the most angry and vitriolic of readers. When he’s not writing top-10 lists for Geekscape, he is writing film reviews of all the new films he manages to see (and a few notable classics) on his ‘blog, entitled Three Cheers for Darkened Years, which can be accessed at the following address: http://witneyman.wordpress.com/