The Good Guys & the Bad Guys: William Smith: An Iconic Action Star……The Baddest “Bad” Guy *Revised
All genres from Sci-F, Westerns, Cult Films and TV
- **Disclaimer- any & all links in this article have no direct relation to or are in anyway sponsored or affiliated with myself or Medium. Furthermore, nor are the reason for the creation of this article. And when it pertains-personal opinions and views noted.
This song says it all. From Any Which Way You Can-The Good Guys And The Bad Guys — John Durrill (youtube.com)
For over 70 years this one guy has entertained us and having us say “I’m glad it’s him (Clint Eastwood, Rod Taylor, Chuck Norris, William Shatner, Yul Brynner) and not me up on the screen.” I just would not want to tangle with William Smith !!!!
Any Which Way You Can trailer-Any Which WayYou Can — Theatrical Trailer (youtube.com)
The all-time action star in my opinion and my favorite all time actor… What follows are excerpts of articles and essays I have written regarding William Smith and his amazing career. William, who stands well over 6 feet is a gentle giant. He not only has endured a long active involvement in Film and Television, is considered one of the best “bad guys/villains” on the small or big screen, holds an all-time record in arm wrestling plus could curl his own weight…try that on for size. He is able to speak several languages and is what is called a well read “man” or person. Then add boxing and weightlifting to his accomplishments as well. His presence is as commanding in a scene as in real life. All this and he writes poetry as well. So sit back and take a journey through the career of William “Falconetti” Smith (70’s Rich Man, Poor Man mini-series) …
From The Ghost of Frankenstein (age 8) to Any Which Way You Can to Conan the Barbarian and everything in between…. Horror, SCI-FI, Westerns, Biker flicks, and Action, he’s done it. Drama & comedy. Whether riding a cycle, a horse or driving a car, in the wild west or the distant future all the way to another time and place say in the realm of fantasy.
Before a run of roles where Smith played the antagonist or bad guy, he was gracing the small screen in the still burgeoning land of Television…what we may call the silver age-late ’50s and ’60s. Starting with 1961’s The Asphalt Jungle. William was brought on to play Sergeant Danny Keller opposite Jack Warden as Captain Gus Hornochek. They reported directly to the Gov. It was one of the first 60 minute “cop” shows. Ran one season.
The next 7 years brought William not only national recognition but international fame as he starred in not one but 2 very popular, hit series…the first was a unique 30-minute series called Zero One. A code name for a special branch of International Air Security. William (credited as Bill Smith) starred with British actor-Nigel Patrick for 3 seasons-62–65. Great writing allowed for full story lines with excellent character development. Hard to do on a short format. Credit to the script writers and the actors. Their job was to stop Jet Age crime. Guests included world renown actress Margret Rutherford and David Hedison (Irwin Allen’s Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea TV & The Fly) … The series was broadcast in many European countries and beyond.
Laredo (1965–1967)-
Then came Laredo a 2-season run … featuring a fun cast of characters and actors… Intro…. title credits-Classic TV Theme: Laredo (youtube.com)
Below- a full episode showing that not all days as a Texas Ranger is gunfights and brawls… it’s saving lives and providing quality of life…including life lessons…
- William played Texas Ranger Joe Riley….rest of the cast: Neville Brand, Peter Brown & Phillip Carey (in order as they appear in the photo-left to right)
****When you make it on the cover of TV Guide you know you have been noticed 22 times. Or you know you have a hit show when the show has been published as a comic book …
The ‘70s….
The Losers (1970)-
He’s been the hero and tearing it up on covert ops in Vietnam as a leader of an unorthodox the biker/military unity for the ’70s action flick The Losers directed by Jack Starrett (actor, director/stuntman). Trailer-THE LOSERS — Official Trailer (youtube.com)
*** The Losers almost never happened or at least not with part of the original cast including Smith-actually while in route to location their plane ran into a major thunderstorm storm. It was touch and go. The plane and the crew are trying to maintain control of the aircraft. you can hear details of this as it is a topic of conversation on the audio commentary of Dark Skys’ DVD release. A hard one to track down…but I highly recommend…
CC and Company (1970)-
***A personal note-My first introduction to William was a broadcast on CBS’s Late Nite Movie-1970’-CC and Company (Ann Margret and quarterback Joe Namath). I literally did not like William. He was such a good “bad” guy I wanted to have it out with him. I was routing for Joe all the way to beat this guy…Bill played Moon, the leader of a “biker” gang called Head Company. And he ruled it with an iron fist. It was his way or the highway. But he also could not stand abandoning the group making it on the grid. CC featured the hit song CC Ryder and was also covered by Elvis in his concerts.
***CBS Late Nite bumper-CBS Late Movie Bumper — 1970s — YouTube
A cast of ’70s supporting character/exploitation actors graced shared screen time in this fun flick including Bruce Glover (Diamonds Are Forever & Walking Tall), Sid Haig (Coffy/Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman-55 episodes), Greg Mullavey (Centennial & Forever Fernwood) and Jennifer Billingsley (White Lightening with Burt Reynolds). CC and Company trailer, featuring a rocking soundtrack with performances by Wayne Cochran and the CC Riders”’ c.c.& company ‘’ — official film trailer — 1970. (youtube.com
Rich Man Poor Man (1976)-
The most * badass* guy still to this date to ever appear on the big or small screen. I mean who can forget his scary performance as Falconetti in the 1976 TV miniseries Rich Man Poor Man (Peter Strauss/Nick Nolte and Ed Asner and a slew of who’s who in Television). I really did not like him. He was so convincing as the villain. William also was the protagonist in Any Which Way You Can (Clint Eastwood) and
1970’s Darker Than Amber (Rod Taylor). ****Best Screen Fight-bare knuckle- Darker Than Amber -starring Rod Taylor vs William…Darker Than Amber (1970) Brutal Fight Scene (youtube.com)
Policewomen (1974)-
But William has been known to play against type as a “good” guy. William was hysterical in Policewomen (actually there was really only one main woman) as a karate instructor/trainer for the police, a small but role but scene stealing performance. The star of the film, Sondra Currie is practicing her martial arts with the karate instructor, who thinks that this small woman can’t really do any “damage” to a guy. He keeps throwing her around and giving her the: business” -making her look bad. Well, she makes her move and kicks Bill in the mouth. A little blood at first Bill is concerned about a scar. Well one of the officers says I have good news and some bad news… I don’t think it will leave much of a scar, but she did break your tooth. You then see William’s character start whimpering and he even changed the pitch of his voice to make it sound whiny. Well with a bit of blood trickling down his chin and Bill saying “Well she didn’t have to break my tooth!!! To see this over 6 ft 200 lb. well-built athlete go running off the mat complaining about his tooth and asking what they are going to do about it … typical crybaby is not expected. It’s all played for laughs. Smith just pulls it off masterfully.
Bill is that good an actor as mentioned above. He has a great sense of humor. It is most refreshing to know a person of his stature has that much self-confidence and esteem in himself. To realize it’s okay to play against type. William has found that he is able to reach other types of audiences and new fans.
Bill also took a turn at bringing dudes to justice in the final 79–80 Television season of the original Hawaii Five 0. Below-Season 12 opening with William Smith as Kimo.
Guest Appearances —
Even while working on Laredo William took time out to do a couple of roles on Batman (66–68) …which we all know was a huge hit and became a permanent fixture in the halls of pop culture. Not just in the US, but the world over. He appeared as Adonis, one of Minerva’s (Zsa Zsa Gabor) henchmen on the final episode of 67 season which also turned out to be the last of the series. It aired on March 14th, 1968. Entitled Minerva, Mayhem & Millionaires.
The ’70s- William was super busy not only in the cinema but on the small screen as well …. one of the most memorable launched The Rockford Files as he provided the catalyst becoming a private eye and turned in a riveting performance-
The Rockford Files-***Excerpt from a previous article- Regarding Mill Creek Entertainments’ Blu-ray release ……
An amazing roster of guest stars and a slew of character actors. Starting with the pilot Backlash of the Hunter featuring one of my all-time favorite actors who is so talented he can play anything from butt-kicking hero to a most diabolical villain -William Smith. This is a guy you would rather have on your side coming in at around 200 lbs. and standing over 6 ft he is in many circles considered one of the greatest “BAD GUY” character actors of all time. And his role in the pilot sets the tone of the series…he is a person who really enjoys killing with no regrets.
The ’80s — The A-Team, Knight Rider, The Dukes of Hazard, Airwolf, TJ Hooker, Benson, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, CHIPS, Fantasy Island, The Fall Guy…the list goes on (see IMDB). Think about it just about every time you turned the TV on …there was William.
Jumping a couple decades It’s time for icons to meet icons- When Bill made guest appearances on Walker, Texas Ranger (1995) and Nash Bridges (1999). Two very popular series in the ’90s. Think of this… Smith appearing alongside Chuck Norris and Don Johnson. All bad asses.
Other genres- Sci-Fi & Fantasy with William…..explored via release posters and trailers-Invasion of the B Girls (1973) — Killer B Cinema Trailer (youtube.com)
Conan the Barbarian (1981)-
Superman vs William Smith aka Draaga-
William has a very distinct voice so why not voice overs. He broke new ground with his portrayal of Draaga on the animated series Justice League in 2002. The episode — War World. This was a two part story…***Guess who else pops up but Eric Roberts (The Expendables (2010)/The Dark Knight (2008), no stranger to those glorious, vile villains we so much love to “hate”. Justice League — Superman fights Draaga in War World (youtube.com)
- A beautiful, edited video compilation of William Smiths career…
Thank you, William, for the wonderful entertainment you have brought in lives and bless you Joanna for this, you both are the best…and remember this guy speaks 7 languages .. and has appeared/starred in over 300 films & TV series …😊😎🎥🎙🎞 ****Here are some of his best moments-William Smith Compilation (youtube.com)
For me personally, thank you Bill. You have entertained us for 7 decades. A career spanning 75 years- unheard of today. Witty and extremely good humored. I have always thought of you as a friend and someone I can go to — go to forget about real life in exchange for reel entertainment. But I have been fortunate enough to have corresponded with you and Joanna, your lovely wife who is your partner and best friend. It is a pleasure and a comfort to know people like yourself personally and to know you are in this world. It is a better place for that. as always, I say the best to you and your family. And again, thank you for keeping me company on all those late Nite broadcasts of The CBS Late Nite Movie when I was just cutting my teeth on learning what being a teen was all about. Kept me and my buddies out of trouble…
****We lost William July 5th, 2022. He was able celebrate one last fourth of July with friends and family. In fact, his last post was that very morning. So William thank you for all the entertainment that you even still today bring into our lives through the body of work that is your legacy.
As for me I think I hear The Losers coming on TV. So, good night for now…see next time at Reviews on the Edge here on Medium.
Related material and Links to:
The Poetic Works of William Smith-Actor William Smith | The Official Website | The Poetic Works of William Smith
Mill Creek Entertainment-The Rockford Files — Mill Creek Entertainment
Kino Lorber-Home :: Kino Lorber — Experience Cinema
Links to Steve Carver & Courtney Joyner’s-new book -several years in the making…WESTERN PORTRAITS All Star Book Signing! Exclusive Behind the Scenes! Steve Carver! Courtney Joyner! (youtube.com)
Western Portraits- the Unsung Heroes and Villains: of the Silver Screen: Featuring images of famous actors portraying reel life cowboys & cowgirls. Look for pictorials with-William Smith of course and included LQ Jones, R.G Armstrong, David Caradine, Denver Pyle, Jesse Vint, Ruta Lee, Barbara Luna and many others …Western Portraits of Great Character Actors: The Unsung Heroes & Villains of the Silver Screen: Carver, Steve, Corman, Roger: 9783283012908: Amazon.com: Books
True West-Home — True West Magazine
