Search found 1 match: Charles Durning

O Brother, Where Art Thou?
A Clockwork Orange
Dr. Strangelove
Fight Club
Full Metal Jacket

Of these examples from my tier 1, only the first comes close to what most people think of as action.....or comedy. All have an aspect of dark comedy or satire which is where my true appreciation lies.

O Brother!: To begin with, what could not be funny/satiric about three Mississippi hayseeds escaping from a chain gang using a plot (loosely) based on Homer's epic highbrow classic, The Odyssey? (One of the best references is the Lotus Eaters being baptized). It relies not only on humerus dialogue throughout, but the humor carries over into the performances of a fantastic bluegrass score with most numbers delivered in full, as the Coens are rightly want to do. It's gotta be my favorite Charles Durning's role, even though it wasn't nominated for anything. Greek myth is intertwined with Delta blues myths associated with the iconic Highway 61. For an excellent background in the lore, check out the movie Crossroads (1987).

The movie is loaded with interesting tidbits, like Tommy Johnson was a real blues man who is the first one known to make the Faustian claim to have sold his soul to the Devil. His unrelated and much more famous contemporary Robert Johnson, wrote his most famous song about doing just that, Crossroads Blues--a crossroads being where the three stopped to pick him up.

Here are most of the references to Homer's Odyssey listed on IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190590/trivia?ref_=tt_ql_2