From Southwest Ledger

In the history of Hollywood there are just some lines that are so iconic that no other information is needed for automatic recognition. They are so known that they have become part of our vocabulary and are often used in our day-to-day conversations – lines like “We’re not in Kansas anymore,” “Go ahead. Make my day,” “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse,” and “I’ll be back.”
Some actors over the years have had several of these lines. I think Humphrey Bogart has at least 10, but most actors are lucky to have one. What sets James Earl Jones apart is that he has two and both are in movies in which he did not actually act. Yet, with Jones, it was okay not to see him because it’s impossible to not recognize that voice.

‘A New Hope’

Jones’ voice is possibly the most recognized voice ever in Hollywood. That deep baritone. Movie history was made in 1977, starting with the opening scene of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope when a massive star destroyer filled up the entire screen as it chased down Princess Leia’s ship. The movie just started and yet the audience was already enthralled. As Leia’s ship was boarded and a fight breaks out, suddenly Darth Vader enters.

Using the Force, Vader begins to choke an officer and asks, “Where are those transmissions you intercepted?” Suddenly, one of the greatest villains was born. It will not be until Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (the best in the entire series by the way) that Vader gives his most iconic and often misquoted line, “No, Iam your father,” and cemented Jones into legendary status of movie one-liners.

Jones helped make Star Wars into one of the most, if not the most, influential movie franchises of all time. It helped establish the massive special effects blockbusters that came to dominate Hollywood. It was also the first movie to really franchise itself with a toy deal, making over $100 million (approximately $400 million today) in the first year or so. I still have a couple of my old action figures that I played with as a kid somewhere in my house.

‘The Lion King’

For me, Jones’ second-most iconic line comes from a much softer movie but one where you still never saw his face. After young Prince Simba runs away, he eventually has to decide if he will return and face his mistakes and stand up for his pride or continue to shirk his responsibilities. As he is struggling, he has a vision of his father who reminds him, “Remember who you are. You are my son and the one true king.” In this heartwarming story, its Jones, as the great King Mufasa, who gives his son the courage to return. Again, Jones is part of an important movie as it was an essential aspect of the Disney renaissance. The Lion King is arguably one of Disney’s greatest animated presentations when you mix the storyline, music and voice acting. And the opening scene might actually even beat Star Wars for effect. But neither one of these movies or those lines would be the same without Jones.

America’s
Favorite
Pastime

While Star Wars and The Lion King are two movies that might have had the most iconic lines, two other movies in one of my favorite genres would also not be the same without Jones.
Most readers probably don’t know this, but in my downtime I pretend to be a sportswriter. For the past four years I have chronicled the exploits of my son’s high school baseball team in a blog I call the Fightin’ Chicks Report. When I’m not writing about history, I am writing about baseball. A few years ago, for my blog, I made a list of my top 10 favorite baseball movies, and it turns out Jones starred in the top two.

Now, my all-time favorite baseball movie is Field of Dreams (1989). This movie is about a son’s chance of redemption and healing through baseball. It is in this movie where Jones (portraying author Terrance Mann) gives my favorite speech of his, “The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again.”
It’s this film that made sure I never turned down an opportunity to play catch with my son.

My second favorite baseball movie is Sandlot (1993). This is such a great movie and so innocent in a time where most films try to be over the top and edgy. There are so many great lines — the best being, “He had kissed a woman, and he had kissed her long and good.” While that line is not from Jones, who only has a limited amount of time on screen, having him turn up in the end as the scary old Mr. Mertle just adds to the lighthearted nature of the movie.

Pioneering Prizefighter

One more sports movie, which is one of Jones’ earlier ones, showcases some historic significance. In 1970 Jones stared in The Great White Hope, a fictional movie but based on the life of boxer Jack Johnson. In the movie Jones plays Jack Jefferson (Jack Johnson), the first Black heavyweight champion of the world. At the time, 1908, the heavyweight champion was the most significant sports title in America. Having the title claimed by a Black man was difficult for most Americans.
The film explores the racial dynamics in America during that time. It also speaks to the struggles faced by Black Americans in breaking racial barriers and highlights the intersection of sports, race and politics in U.S. history and is one of the first films to do so. The movie covers an important story that was brilliantly acted on by Jones, which is just one more reason why he is so universally beloved.

Major Awards, Achievements

With a 68-year acting career spanning eight decades on stage, silver screen as well as the sound stage, Jones was nominated for two Academy Awards, 10 Emmys, five Golden Globes, three Grammys, two Screen Actors Guild awards and five Tonys.
Of those, Jones received an Honorary Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2011. He won two Emmys for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries (1990) and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (1991), as well as a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Performer in a Children’s Special.

In 1970, Jones won a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer – Male for his work in the aforementioned The Great White Hope. Jones earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from  Screen Actors Guild in 2009.

In addition to his two Tonys for Best Actor in Play, Jones earned a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement. Other awards he earned include seven Drama Desk Awards, three Outer Circle Awards, a Theatre World Award, two CableAce Awards, an Independent Spirit Award, a Kansas City Film Critics Circle award and an NAACP Image Award.

Jones was honored with the National Medal of Arts (1992), a Career Achievement Award from the National Board of Review (1995), Kennedy Center Honors medal (2002). In 2011, Jones was awarded the Oscar Micheaux Award from the Chicago Film Critics Association and an Academy Honorary Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

In Remembrance

It has been interesting to see the outpouring of love for Jones this week on social media. It is evident that some entertainers touch people’s lives more than others. Jones cut across social and racial lines to bring so much joy to so many over the years. While he will be missed as an actor, his voice will live on. One last note: If you have not seen the episode of Big Bang Theory with Jones, Google it. It’s funny enough to be worth your effort.

James Finck is a professor of American history at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. He can be reached at HistoricallySpeaking1776@gmail.com.