Philadelphia Fell
If Dick Clark is the world’s oldest teenager, then Normal Fell has got to go down in the history books as the world’s perennial middle aged man. His looks could never really be characterized as good, or even ruggedly handsome, but he had a good look. A very good look. And he had the talent to know how to work it, giving some fuel to the notion that there’s no such thing as a bad destiny.
He made a career out of looking like the kind of guy who would know how to swindle people on the streets, go a little mad somewhere on the road, or poke a broom on the ceiling when the kids upstairs got loud. The movies and television are filled with these kinds of characters, and he was able to fill the roles with what will one day be recognized as a consummate actor’s ability.
He’s the kind of guy that one would expect to see on the street outside the hotel. Philadelphia has lots of characters like this, and so it’s no wonder that this is also his birthplace. As time is showing, it’s also a great place to grow up, where it’s tough enough to build calluses for the world, and also cultured enough to hone talent to the point where the world might become an oyster. It might one day even build a church on you.
One of his great talents, of course, was his amazing ability to make us believe. That’s because he believed, too, in what he was doing, in the characters he was making. He had a technique that was solid enough that it would earn him the respect of the Rat Pack, and even membership in that problematic organization. It was also enough to make everyone a little bit annoyed whenever Mr. Roper walked in the room. Growing up on the idea of the Ropers upstairs, no one would have ever guessed that years later, we would ever miss Mr. Roper. But we sure miss Norman Fell.
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