Randy Quaid: A Man Who Was Once Great

There is no denying that Randy Quaid has slipped into an oblivion of craziness. He's left Saneville for Insanitydale, and it doesn't look like he's ever coming back. I'm not here to defend his outlandish actions or the absurd and crazy things that he has said over the past few years. He's deep in a hole, dug by his own hands. There is no denying that. However, there is also no denying that before he went mad, he was a very talented and gifted actor. One that could do both comedy and drama. I'm not sure if people are blatantly dismissing the man's talent because of his recent actions or if they simply do not know. Either way, what I am here to do is defend the man's talent, because whether anyone wants to admit it or not, he had it.  He had a lot of it.

Most people know and remember Quaid for his comedic roles. The lovable and goofy Cousin Eddie in the National Lampoon movies which included National Lampoon's Vacation, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation.  He was also hilarious in Kingpin as Ishmael and although it wasn't a comedy, he played the same type of crazy, off the wall character in Independence Day. Years later he made an appearance in Not Another Teen Movie to once again showcase his phenomenal gift for comedy.

He's also a gifted dramatic actor too.

Don't believe me?

Check out Of Mice and Men (1981).  Granted I'll admit that he doesn't play the role of Lenny as well as John Malkovich did in the 1992 version, but I think he did a better job than Lon Chaney Jr. did in the 1939 version.  Check it out and make up your own mind.

I also recommend Frankenstein (1992), if you're able to get your hands on this rare, difficult to find version of Mary Shelley's classic. Again not the best version of the monster that I've ever seen on screen, but far from the worst.

I also recommend seeing Bye Bye Love to get a real glimpse at how versatile and gifted of an actor Quaid can be.  Is he Tom Hanks or Dustin Hoffman? No, he isn't.  He isn't even his cousin, Dennis Quaid, but he's till much better than most people want to give him credit for.

I've thought for years, that if Christopher Nolan would have taken a stab at doing the character of the penguin in one of his Batman films that Randy Quaid would have been the perfect actor to play the part. I've never thought of the Penguin as a young buck, and have always seen him as a man in his late 40's/early 50's, which I think Quaid at 65 could still pull off fairly well.

The man is probably never going to be in another movie for the rest of his life. His days on the big screen look to be over.  However, he once had a respectable career full of both comedic and dramatic roles. In my opinion, one of the most underrated actors of all time.  Remember him as he is now, sure, but don't forget him as he was.