R.I.P. James Sikking

[ringfire211]

For me I remember him best as the baddie in one of my favorite film thrillers - the criminally underrated NARROW MARGIN from 1990 with Gene Hackman. He’s one of the 2 assassins aboard the train trying to rub out witness Anne Archer.



Of course he was also in 2 unremarkable Five-O episodes. The middling “The Miracle Man” and the terrible (one of the worst) “Tread the King’s Shadow”.

[John Chergi]

Ringfire

Thanks for the post! James Sikking 90 years old RIP. Hawaii Five-O 🌊 alumni and 1 of the best actors. Loved the name Sikking. Always reminded me of Viking! He was in Hill Street Blues a very acclaimed and respected show. I can't remember any Hill Street Blues episode. Was only around 7 or 8 when the show commenced. Narrow Margin is a suspenseful movie. Anne Archer another Classic HFO Alumni (Beautiful Screamer). I only have 40 years left if I reach Sikking's age of 90. Fortunate to have A Martinez, Anne Archer, Christopher Walken, Eric Braeden, Richard Little, Victoria Principal, etc still living. That would make an interesting book. Some of the young actors working on Classic HFO talking about their experiences. JC

[Todd]

He was also the dad in Doogie Howser, MD

[Mr. Mike]

You have raved about the remake of Narrow Margin previously, Ringfire. I would like to watch this movie again, but the local library doesn't have it, which is odd, since there is a certain "Canadian connection." After all, *Vancouver* is actually referred to in the film, unlike usual, where it doesn't play Seattle or some other northwest USA city. I always found this film hard to watch because of geographical stupidities which are totally wrong. You will probably say "It's just a movie," but I'm sure if someone made a film which used your home town and/or state with geographical information which was wrong, you would also complain -- just like people in Oahu would have a good laugh at streets, directions and so forth which were mixed up in the original H50. In addition to the geographic errors in this film, there is another scene where I recall Hackman drives down the side of a mountain to escape the bad guys which is even dumber.

Have you ever seen the original Narrow Margin, a similar film noir story where the gravelly-voiced Charles McGraw was the cop escorting the witness? McGraw played the villainous gladiator trainer in the film Spartacus (one of my faves), he is drowned in a pot of stew. During this scene, McGraw hit his face on the stew pot and broke his jaw. In real life, McGraw had an unpleasant end, when he slipped in the bathroom and fell through a glass shower door, causing several cuts, including a gash to his arm that severed the brachial artery. Paramedics arrived after he bled to death.

[Bobbi]

You talk about geography, Mr. Mike. What makes me crazy is any movies set in Alaska and not filmed there. These people don't understand the state - Fairbanks and Anchorage are 7 hours apart. Juneau is on the panhandle and can only be gotten to via plane or boat. While there are some roads there, you can't drive to Juneau without getting there on an airplane or a boat. This is also before we start talking about Utagivaik (what used to be Barrow) on the Arctic Ocean.

Alaska is huge and cannot be driven in a day.

[ringfire211]

Mike, I still think Narrow Margin (1990) was an exceptional thriller. And the Canadian scenery which the train traverses is a character all its own!

Yes I did see the original from 1952 but to be honest I wasn’t too wild about it. Honestly I had higher hopes for it. I do love me a good noir. Charles McGraw is a fine actor and yes his drowning in a pot of stew in the excellent Spartacus was a very memorable scene. I’ve also seen him on television, especially the excellent Bonanza episode “The Gamble” (with Ben Johnson also a guest star).