The actor Ben Gazarra passed away last week.
He starred in TV and movies for over sixty years, but I will always remember him from his staggering honest role as a luckless LA strip club owner. The 1976 John Cassavetes film opens with Cosmo Vitelli paying off a gambling debt to a loanshark at a outdoor coffee.
Vitelli – Late?
Loanshark – Right on time.
No dialogue after that exchange. Only Gazarra’s hard stares of exasperation.
I was never good with eulogies, so please view this opening scene by going to the following URL
It’s a masterpiece.