Classic Film : Unforgettable character entrances?

Gilda- Gilda's head raise, and hair flick.

Dracula - Bela Lugosi's suave Count Dracula bids Renfield welcome.

The Postman Always Rings Twice - The camera pans across the floor and up to Lana Turner.

Jaws - Quint's fingernails scraping the chalkboard.

Lawrence of Arabia - Ali rides through the mirage towards Lawrence.

Breakfast At Tiffany's - Holly gets out of the taxi and eats breakfast outside the famous jewellery store.

Double Indemnity - Phyllis walking down the stairs with camera focusing on her anklet.

What are some other memorable character entrances?



Go to bed Frank or this is going to get ugly .

A couple of zooms -

Wayne in Stagecoach
Gable in Gone With The Wind


"He was a poet, a scholar and a mighty warrior."

Frank-N-Furter's entrance in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975).

jj

Once Upon a Time in the West - Harmonica standing there when the train moves on.


Claudia:https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/28/b3/81/28b3814d7598e079965170c781cf7dc8.jpg

Your avatar also makes a good entrance.



I'm not repeating myself. I'm not repeating myself. Oh, God, I'm repeating myself.

1933 version King Kong's entrance

MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON Stewart at the banquet

CHINATOWN Evelyn Mulwray silently listening to Jake Gittes' dreadful dirty joke

Take 'em to Missouri

Fletcher Christian (Marlon Brando) as a foppish dandy arriving at the dockside of the HMS Bounty, in Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) was quite colorful. Though highly doubtful that it's historically accurate, it's nevertheless a funny and memorable scene. You gotta' love Captain Bligh's (Trevor Howard) reaction upon seeing Christian arrive on the scene.


Don't mess with me, man! I know karate, judo, ju-jitsu and several other Japanese words.

Great entrance and scene. Even if his accent isn't quite accurate, I like Brando in this film. Howard is great as the tyrannical Bligh; although my favourite portrayal will always be Anthony Hopkins in The Bounty.



Go to bed Frank or this is going to get ugly .

I love the 1982 Hopkins/Gibson film it's my favorite of all the Bounty films!


Don't mess with me, man! I know karate, judo, ju-jitsu and several other Japanese words.

Happy to find another fan ZR. Strong performances from the entire cast, great score, location work and photography; plus Hopkins at the top of his game as Bligh.


Go to bed Frank or this is going to get ugly .

Virna Lisi emerging from the cake, bachelor party scene in How to Murder Your Wife (1965). Yummy!


Don't mess with me, man! I know karate, judo, ju-jitsu and several other Japanese words.

Not a movie, but a TV show.

On an episode of MURDER, SHE WROTE, the residents of Cabot Cove are casting a play about the Salem witch hunts.
The French doors open with a gust of wind, and Mary Crosby enters.
Throughout most of the episode, Sheriff Metzger and Doc Hazlitt believe she was a real witch, LOL.
Luckily, Jessica was able to prove her innocent of the murder that occurred, and the show went on.

Auntie Mame - Mame cheerfully descends the curved staircase, reassuring her party guests that: "Help is on the way, darlings! That darling little bootlegger is on his way over with another gallon of gin."

10 posts and no mention of Orson Welles in The Third Man? What is this board coming to? Maybe it's time for it to be shutoh.



Maybe it was too obvious.

One I saw recently is a terrible, terrible "erotic" drama from the early 90s called Zandalee. Nothing good about this film except for the very cool entrance of Nic Cage's character, veiled in shadow and smoke, about 15 minutes in.


Here's to the fools who dream

Ale,

In the immortal words of Some Like It Hot's Joe E. Brown: "Nobody's perfect".

We can't expect everything now can we?

Seriously though, that entrance is brilliant; I especially love the expression on Harry's face when he sees he has been recognised.



Go to bed Frank or this is going to get ugly .

Oh that's a good one OldAle1.

The Third Man was the first one I thought of, too.


Don't blame me, I voted for Hillary.

Orson Welles framed in the doorway in The Third Man
Darth Vadar flanked by stormtroopers in Star Wars
Connery as Bond in Doctor No ("I admire your luck, Mr ?")
Roger Livesey in Colonel Blimp

Cleopatra entering Rome.

In 1977, my brother saw Star Wars a week or so before I broke down to go see it. He told me to be sure to boo when Darth Vader comes onscreen. I asked him how I would know it was Vader (remember, this was 1977). My brother responded, "Oh, you'll know!"

I had NO trouble recognizing Vader; and, yes, I did join with everyone else in booing him!

.
Mr Smith: Like the rose trampled on the ground, you took the fall

Cary Grant in Notorious.Hitchcock chose to show us just the back of his head,but who else could it possibly have been?
Kathleen Byron in Black Narcissus. Not an entrance, but one of the most startling reappearances ever.

"Barney SloaneThat's my new nameMy old one's a little more Italian."

Key Largo Robinson in a bathtub.

Random Harvest Greer Garson's voice enters before she does.

Bette Davis in The Letter

Lee Marvin in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence

Claude Rains in The Invisible Man

Koskiewicz, Claude's entrance is absolutely one of the most striking.Good call!

"Barney SloaneThat's my new nameMy old one's a little more Italian."

Good call on Claude as the Invisible Man.


Go to bed Frank or this is going to get ugly .

How can you mention "Dr. No" without mentioning Ursula Andress coming out of the surf?

"Boy On A Dolphin" Sophia Loren climbing aboard the board with a wet shirt.

Speaking of Anton Walbrook, didn't he have a memorable entrance in "The Red Shoes"? I think all we saw was his hand.

Gene Tierney's entrance in Laura was quit interesting.
Until she entered, everyone assumed she was dead.

SHANE Alan Ladd riding into their lives / Jack Palance entering Grafton's as the dog slinks away

HIGH NOON Frank Miller stepping off the train

LOST HORIZON Colman meeting the High Lama

LAURA Dana Andrews awakening to see Gene Tierney standing there (aawww, Kijii got there first)
OK then Clifton Webb in the bathtub

Take 'em to Missouri

How about Henry Fonda's entrance in Once Upon a Time in the West ?
Who would have thought..

Robert Ryan in Odds Against Tomorrow pauses on a New York street to watch a group of children playing. He picks up one little girl and with a smile on his face refers to her in a racist term. This man will be trouble.





"What seems to be trouble, Captain?"

Greta Garbo walks into a bar and speaks on film for the first time (Anna Christie).

John Wayne on his horse as the camera zooms in (Stagecoach).

Out of the Past: Jane Greer when Mitchum first sees her coming into the cafe.

Oh. Yeah. !


Here's to the fools who dream

the first appearance of the wild black alpha male brumbie stallion in The Man From Snowy River

Great theme, Maddy!

Boris Karloff as the Monster in all three of his Frankenstein films:

The Monster backing into the lab, and turning around for a great series of closeups, in "Frankenstein".

The Monster coming out from behind a beam in the flooded cellar of the burned windmill in "Bride of Frankenstein".

The camera showing the Monster lying on a slab, as Basil Rathbone reacts with shock that the Monster is still alive, in "Son of Frankenstein."

Elsa Lanchester's first appearance as the un-wrapped bride in "Bride of Frankenstein," in a cut from long shot to a series of low-angle close-ups.

James Whale often used close-ups, from different angles, to introduce characters Claude Rains in "The Invisible Man," Ernest Thesiger in "Bride of Frankenstein, etc."

Karloff in "The Black Cat," rising up from his bed in an unearthly sort of way, silhouetted against the background.

If I remember right, Marlene Dietrich appearing out of the train steam in "Shanghai Express."

Michael Curtiz was also good at introducing characters.

Errol Flynn had a number of great entrances in "The Adventures of Robin Hood." Riding into view on horseback jumping a tree branch and coming to a halt at the beginning of the film; entering Nottingham Castle with a deer slung over his shoulders; swinging down from a tree when they capture the treasure train. "Welcome to Sherwood, my lady!"

Flynn in "The Sea Hawk" you can only hear his voice as he gives orders, standing on the deck of his ship then after a few moments, you see him speaking with Alan Hale.

Humphrey Bogart in "Casablanca," the camera focusing on his hands as he plays chess and signs a note, then panning up to his face (if I remember correctly). Reminds me of Sean Connery's first appearance in "Dr. No." I think most of the characters in "Casalanca" had good entrance scenes.

As mentioned, Bette Davis in "The Letter" and just about every other film she was in.

All the characters in "The Maltese Falcon" especially Sydney Greenstreet, shot from low angle.

Joan Crawford in "Rain."

Groucho Marx/Rufus T. Firefly sliding down a pole to his reception party, in "Duck Soup."

So many great entrances, so little time.

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Groucho Marx/Rufus T. Firefly sliding down a pole to his reception party, in "Duck Soup."

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They all have glorious entrances in Animal Crackers.

But it's hard to beat Monkey Business in which the four of them, after singing Sweet Adeline while hidden from view, pop out of four barrels labeled "Kippered Herring" like jack-in-the-boxes.




Mice work in mysterious ways.
No, dear. That's God.

Speaking of Monkey Business, how about Cary Grant and Ginger Roger's brilliant tandem entrance, in the pre-credits sequence of Howard Hawks' 1952 unrelated film of the same title?

I saw this great title and ran over to post Postman (no pun) and Lawrence and Tiffany's . back to the think tank I go.

.also Barbara Stanwyck in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, although the younger version of her character (played by another actress) had already been seen.

~~~~~
Proud to be Canadian!

Excellent choices, all.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - Gene Wilder staggers, stumbles, and somersaults his way into the film.

Oliver! - The only thing more ominous than Bill Sykes' shadow is, well, Bill Sykes.

A Clockwork Orange - "There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim, and we sat in the Korova Milkbar trying to make up our rassoodocks what to do with the evening."

Sunset Boulevard - Who is that dead guy in the swimming pool, and why is he talking to me?

Spock's entrance in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture"

Errol Flynn, as Sir Robin of Locksley (Robin Hood), in The Adventures of Robin Hood when he swings on a vine, lands on a tree branch, and proclaims "Welcome to Sherwood, my lady!"

Bug Bunny even parodied this scene in the cartoon "Rabbit Hood" over ten years later.

I read this thread twice, I was so surprised not to find these:

Vivien Leigh emerging from the steam of a train in the opening sequence of A Streetcar Named Desire.

Myrna Loy entering the hotel bar like gangbusters (and taking a pratfall) in The Thin Man.

Ingrid Bergman's walking into Rick's Café Americain.

Suger's walk down the Railroad Train platform and Daphne and Josephine wondering "How does she DO that ?"

at about 40 seconds

Seems to me that a lot of Femme Fatales have a memorable entrance.

~~~~~
Proud to be Canadian!

a few favourites


Gloria Grahame lipsynching Jo Ann Greer singing "That old ace in the hole" to a very attentive audience in NAKED ALIBI

Jean Seberg hawking the NY Herald Tribune in BREATHLESS

Janet Leigh lolling on a bed during a lunchtime tryst in PSYCHO

Tippi Hedren as a brunette with that yellow handbag, walking down the platform in MARNIE

Zachary Scott stopping a bullet in MILDRED PIERCE

Jeanne Moreau being thrown out of a casino in BAY OF ANGELS

Deneuve & Bowie cruising the club in THE HUNGER

Liz in WHOS AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF "What a dump!" and in A PLACE IN THE SUN in the big car that ignores an ambitious hitchhiker

Vera_Ellen in ON THE TOWN - the chances of meeting Miss Turnstiles must be a million to one !

Myrna Loy in THE THIN MAN with all those packages and Asta not being helpful

DARLING - the mouth on the poster for "Ideal Woman" magazine being put up that gradually turns into Julie Christie

The jigsaw puzzle over the credits of SYLVIA that turns into Carroll Baker (see avatar)



Tell mama, Tell mama all.