Thursday, September 30, 2010

Brick Sullivan Fan Club

McNeil has been prowling the less traveled corners of the imdb again, and now he wants to start a Brick Sullivan fan club. Who's in? Here is a relatively small sample of Brick Sullivan's acting work as catalogued by imdb: "Police Car Driver (uncredited), Cop (uncredited), Bartender, Policeman (1 episode), Policeman (uncredited), Policeman (uncredited), Cop (uncredited), Police Officer Grant (uncredited), Arresting Policeman at Derrick Cafe (uncredited), Bartender (uncredited), Uniformed Officer, Policeman, Police Stenographer (uncredited), Croupier (uncredited), Policeman in Conga Line (uncredited), Harry the Cop (uncredited), Bartender (uncredited), Policeman (uncredited), Cop (uncredited), Cop (uncredited), Deputy Sheriff Kelly (uncredited), Policeman (uncredited), Policeman (uncredited), Policeman (uncredited), Croupier [again! -ed.] (uncredited), Bartender (uncredited), Joe the Bartender (uncredited), Saloon Waiter (uncredited), Planetarium Guard (uncredited), Policeman in "Singin' in the Rain" Number (uncredited), Policeman (uncredited), Cop Outside Fight Arena (uncredited), Cop in Church (uncredited), Cop (uncredited), Police Chauffeur (uncredited), Railroad Detective (uncredited), Man on Street in Pre-Title Credits Sequence (uncredited), Detective (uncredited), Policeman (uncredited), Policeman (uncredited), Policeman (uncredited), Policeman (uncredited), Policeman (uncredited), Customs Officer (uncredited), Policeman on Street (uncredited), Man Being Deputized (uncredited), Cop (uncredited), Policeman at Station House (uncredited), Man with Pail of Beer (uncredited), Police Detective (uncredited), Policeman (uncredited), Cop at Gas Station (uncredited), Policeman (uncredited), Detective (uncredited), Policeman (uncredited), Detective (uncredited), Policeman (uncredited), Detective Lieutenant (uncredited), Policeman (uncredited), Policeman (uncredited), Policeman on Street (uncredited), Policeman #11 (uncredited), Policeman Departing HQ (uncredited), Cop (uncredited), Umpire (uncredited), Iceman (uncredited), Policeman (uncredited), Murdered Policeman (uncredited), Police Detective (uncredited), Umpire (uncredited), Cop (uncredited), Officer Calladay (uncredited), Cop (uncredited), Policeman (uncredited), Detective (uncredited), Policeman (uncredited), Cop (uncredited), Policeman Leaving Stationhouse (uncredited), Detective Lt. Franklin, Officer (uncredited), Deputy Marshal (uncredited), Policeman at Cemetery (uncredited), Coast Guard Policeman (uncredited), Policeman (uncredited), Ranger (uncredited), New York Cop (uncredited), Policeman (uncredited), Cop in Nightclub (uncredited), Cop eating Ice Cream (uncredited), Policeman (uncredited), Police Driver (uncredited), Flintwood Policeman (uncredited), Policeman Jasper (uncredited), Cop at Stage Door (uncredited), Darryl - Police Officer (uncredited), Policeman at Boat Dock (uncredited), Policeman at Cleveland Air Field (uncredited), Policeman in Bank (uncredited), Milton the Policeman (uncredited), Smiling Cop in Central Park (uncredited)." I got tired at some point and left out a bunch of Brick Sullivan's uncredited policeman roles, possibly I left out dozens. He also played "Townsman" (five times!), "Laughing Sailor," and how could we forget "Helpful Man"? Gosh, I've given him a lot of grief, but as I look closely at the list, if imdb is right about this being him, the frame below shows Brick Sullivan in his most famous uncredited policeman role, with Gene Kelly in SINGIN' IN THE RAIN. He has an important part, really, bringing the central sequence - one of the greatest in film history - to a beautiful close. So stop making fun of Brick Sullivan! Appropriately for a performer of such dogged anonymity, the "internet" gives us the back of his head.