Jay C. Flippen's rasp and craggy face make authority look worn rather than grand. We rate his dependable supporting work, especially in westerns, though the sergeants and sheriffs should not obscure an actor who could also handle comedy.
Fi1m perspective
When Jay C. Flippen gives an order, the rasp suggests he would rather not have to repeat it. His craggy face suits a sergeant or sheriff, and that authority carries over to the weary criminals he also played. His film career took hold in the mid-1940s, after years of stage work that included vaudeville. Playing escaped convict Henry 'T-Dub' Mansfield in They Live by Night (1949) helped establish him in features; tough supporting parts would become his regular employment.
Winchester '73 (1950) is where we would start, with Flippen playing Sergeant Wilkes for Anthony Mann alongside James Stewart. We were unsettled by Stewart's anger, which makes the pursuit of a gun feel sour and dangerous. Flippen's gruffness belongs in that company, although the rifle's travels sometimes leave the supporting characters looking too conveniently arranged. His work with Mann and Stewart continued in Bend of the River (1952) and The Far Country (1954), a useful run of films for anyone interested in how a director builds a cast around a star.
Oklahoma (1955), in which he plays Skidmore, offers a useful correction to the idea that he was only there to growl. Lighter comedy and musical roles were also part of his work, drawing on that stage background. We recommend the film to musical lovers for Richard Rodgers's songs and the opening location photography. The courtship is less convincing once the singing stops, and 148 minutes gives the stiff passages too much time. We would still choose his western work first; the musical is a worthwhile detour.
Nor should the westerns crowd out Marvin Unger, the bookkeeper and gang member he plays in Stanley Kubrick's The Killing (1956). By Cat Ballou (1965), Sheriff Cardigan puts him in a comic western, still making use of that familiar authority. Start with Mann, then try the lighter parts before deciding that the rasp tells the whole story.
Biography
Jay C. Flippen, also credited as John Constantine Flippen Jr., was an American character actor. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, he began his career in vaudeville and minstrel shows in the 1920s, later working in radio and on Broadway before moving into feature films in earnest in 1947.
He appeared in supporting roles in numerous films of the 1940s and 1950s, often as sergeants, police officers or criminals, particularly in westerns and film noir. Notable credits include Winchester '73 (1950) as Sergeant Wilkes, The Killing (1956) as Marvin Unger, Oklahoma! (1955) as Skidmore, The Wild One (1953) as Sheriff Stew Singer, and Cat Ballou (1965) as Sheriff Cardigan. He also featured in several films with James Stewart and John Wayne. Flippen was married to screenwriter Ruth Brooks Flippen from 1947 until his death in Los Angeles in 1971.
