I'm not sure who'd I compare actor Ryan O'Neal with when it comes to today's crop of film stars. He never the heights of fame like a Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise, he never had the critical acclaim of a Daniel Day Lewis or Adam Driver. Given his turn on Peyton Place, maybe he is closer to a Patrick Dempsey.
With Chris Connelly on the set of Peyton Place
Dempsey's been in many successful movies, yet rarely stands out, and is usually overshadowed by his co-star. Although he made some clunkers, O'Neal did stand out in many films. Maybe he was more the 70's Dennis Quaid or maybe even Bradley Cooper. He did hit one movie milestone, appearing in a love scene with Jacqueline Bisset. If you've followed FH for awhile you know that for a time, most Hollywood hunks had to strip down in scenes with Bisset...
'A Vietnam veteran and ex-con is persuaded by a shady woman to rob a $50,000 payroll account on a California produce farm. But who is playing who?'
Movie goers got their first view or Ryan's bountiful butt in 1969's The Big Bounce. This wasn't just the actor's first nude scene, it was his feature film debut. O'Neal's co-star in the film was actress Leigh Taylor-Young who were married at the time. The two met and married when both were on Peyton Place. Taylor-Young is quoted a saying that although she could certainly speak to O'Neal's temper and reactivity, what she knows best is his goodness.
Wild Rovers (1971)
'Tired of cow-punching for a living, two Montana cowboys rob a bank and flee but their employer's sons chase after them.'
Two years after The Big Bounce, O'Neal's butt made another brief appearance in the Western Wild Rovers. Co-starring William Holden, the film was written and directed by Blake Edwards. I'm always still a little surprised whenever I see a child in a nude scenes. It was fairly common in the past and I've seen it a few times in westerns. I guess it was common in the wild west for little kids to heat and pour the bathwater for cowboys needing a bath.
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