Yesterday I watched the 1967 movie The Dirty Dozen, oddly enough for the very first time. Although I’m something of a movie buff, the 1960s are something of a lacuna for me. I watched a lot fewer movies in the 1960s than before or after. I was too busy and, frankly, I didn’t think the movies were that great, either.
I found it a reasonably entertaining picture. Not bad, not great. Here’s what struck me. Of the major cast members only Jim Brown, Trini Lopez, and Donald Sutherland are still alive. Trini Lopez has been immortalized not only by his hit songs but by the episode in Sleepless in Seattle referring to him and The Dirty Dozen.
Turning to the reboot of The Magnificent Seven soon to be released (I have premonitions of another debacle), am I mistaken or is Robert Vaughn the only surviving major cast member?
He’s the only one left of the Seven. Rosenda Monteros, who played the love interest of Horst Buchholz, is still with us. Apparently, she’s had a very successful film career in Mexico.
I once saw Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven on the same bill. The part of the sword master in Seven Samurai was adapted to James Coburn’s role in The Magnificent Seven, and Toshiro Mifune’s to that of Buchholz in the American film. I remember a scene in the Japanese film when the sword master put on a dazzling performance of swordsmanship. The audience went crazy with applause. Then sometime later I saw Sean Connery in You Only Live Twice, which took place in Japan. The fellow who played the sword master was in that film too, and put on another display of swordsmanship. That audience had the same reaction, wild applause. The guy was pretty impressive.
I’ve mentioned it before but I do (or at least used to do) Japanese swordsmanship. It can’t be faked, at least not to the knowledgeable eye. When watching someone really skilled, the sword may look impressive but it’s the footwork that really tells the story.
When I picked-up my kids from seeing Suicide Squad, I told them we’ll have to watch Dirty Dozen one of these days. The original idea behind the Suicide Squad book was super villains given reprieves in exchange for taking dangerous missions. So I’ll probably watch this again within a few months (DD not SS), but haven’t seen it for 20-30 years.
If Robert Vaughn is still alive, there must have been something good in the water on the Man From UNCLE series as both of its leads are still around. As far as the new Magnificent Seven goes, I expect it to be just as good as the Ghostbusters remake.
Steve
Stephanie Powers is still alive, too.
Clint Walker just turned 90
Clint Walker is still ALIVE he played Posey he is 90 years old and still going strong lives in California will be 91in may xx
Robert Vaughn died on November 11 2016.
Donald Sutherland is still alive
Glad I am not the only one that knows Clint Walker will be 91 in May!
As of 5/26/18, Colin Maitland and Stuart Cooper are also alive, along with Sutherland, Lopez, and Brown.
Clint Walker died May 2018
When this article was written couple years ago Clint Walker (Who just passed in 2018) Was still alive. He played Samson Posey. Why was he forgotten about?