No Small Parts

April 24, 2015 5:57 PM

Brandon Hardesty's [previously] web series, "No Small Parts," celebrates the careers of movie character actors. So far, we have five very touching short biographies of: Anne Ramsey (Throw Mama from the Train, Scrooged, The Goonies), Vincent Schiavelli (Ghost, Amadeus, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) Scatman Crothers (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Coonskin, The Shining), Warwick Davis (the Star Wars series, the Harry Potter series), and Michael Jeter (The Green Mile, Miller's Crossing, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas). Bring a hanky. These are love letters.
posted by McLir (21 comments total)

Thanks for this! I'll enjoy watching them.
posted by harrietthespy at 6:11 PM on April 24, 2015

Holy cats, watching the Anne Ramsey episode and loving it. This is great.
posted by Joey Michaels at 6:38 PM on April 24, 2015 [1 favorite]

Sure Schiavelli's defining role was Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:45 PM on April 24, 2015 [1 favorite]

Really, this is just so fabulous. The Anne Ramsey episode was a great look at how her career developed and such an object lesson in how having talent, drive and being pleasant to work with can take you far.
posted by Joey Michaels at 6:48 PM on April 24, 2015 [1 favorite]

Anne Ramsey. Good God, that's a three-hanky, at the least. You can see her influence in almost every beloved television series you watch today... the camera going in close, taking in detail, flattering or not, with startling clarity and unique perspectives, and revealing character without a word being spoken. The first appearance of Ma Fratelli. Most of her scenes in "Throw Mamma From the Train."

Heisenberg is as intense and real as he is, Al Swearengen is as intense an real as he is... Bryan Cranston and Ian McShane are building off her work.

Also, she was super nice, had a dedicated and successful husband, and influenced those around her positively.
posted by Slap*Happy at 7:51 PM on April 24, 2015 [1 favorite]

(The Dedicated And Successful Husband part - he legit loved her for herself in a lifelong relationship is my only point. She was more successful than he was, and does not need to be defined by her relationships. It's a heartwarming side-note.)
posted by Slap*Happy at 8:00 PM on April 24, 2015

Harry. Dean. Stanton.
posted by tapesonthefloor at 8:04 PM on April 24, 2015 [5 favorites]

wow, wow, wow this is great! thank you. thank you. i love so many of these actors but have never known their names. can't wait to watch them all.
posted by Conrad-Casserole at 8:20 PM on April 24, 2015 [2 favorites]

Michael Jeter was great as Mr. Noodle's brother, Mr. Noodle.
posted by Brocktoon at 8:30 PM on April 24, 2015 [3 favorites]

"I just switched to Sanka, so have a heart."
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 9:58 PM on April 24, 2015 [2 favorites]

What a fantastic post. I have so much to do tonight and I'm sitting here enraptured by these episodes.

Guess it's going to be a late night.

Thank you so much.
posted by phoebus at 11:00 PM on April 24, 2015 [3 favorites]

I never watch this kind of thing, but these are so good.

The Warwick Davis one is great. I knew in the abstract that I'd seen him a lot, but holy shit has that guy been in a lot of movies.
posted by brennen at 11:49 PM on April 24, 2015 [2 favorites]

Not being a Broadway aficionado, I never knew Michael Jeter was in Grand Hotel until a couple days ago when someone on another website linked to his Tony performance. It deserves to be seen in its entirety because it is just jaw-dropping astounding. I can see the glass.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 7:34 AM on April 25, 2015 [4 favorites]

Brandon Hardesty is fantastic, and each and every of these No Small Parts pieces is terrific. If he edited them all himself in his bedroom, then he is also a superb editor. The music choice is perfect. I especially loved the story telling in the Vincent Schiavelli piece.

I went back to watch many of his Youtube videos: I remember discovering him 9 years ago doing his first - already incredible - re-anactments, Willie Wonka, As good as it gets, Breakfast Club: His skills were so good even then.

I wish he would join the discussion here: This forum may be natural for him.
posted by growabrain at 9:38 AM on April 25, 2015 [2 favorites]

I just watched all of these back to back; I couldn't stop. So interesting and well-done.
posted by Gordafarin at 1:59 PM on April 25, 2015 [3 favorites]

All of you youngsters would do well to watch the Scatman Crothers episode. He was outstanding in so many different ways. Also, I was pleased to see how many times Mantan Moreland showed up in the footage in that episode.
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 10:21 PM on April 25, 2015 [1 favorite]

I hope that in the future he does John C. McGinley, M. Emmett Walsh, Joe Pantoliano, Brad Dourif, Danny Trejo, James Cromwell, Paul Giamatti, Sam Rockwell, Stephen Root, Jeffrey Wright, Charles Durning
posted by growabrain at 9:37 AM on April 26, 2015 [1 favorite]

A very smart idea, very smartly executed.
posted by On the Corner at 2:01 AM on April 28, 2015

I'm looking forward to the Stephen Tobolowsky episode which seems likely to be forthcoming given that he appears in the title screen for the series.
posted by ocherdraco at 6:58 AM on April 28, 2015

I miss the old "Hey, It's That Guy!" site. Book's okay, though.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:54 AM on April 28, 2015

Brandon Hardesty just posted a new, different - and delicious - video last night: A Closer Look at Vincent Schiavelli's Recipes
posted by growabrain at 8:58 AM on May 12, 2015