The Couch Potato’s Guide to Old Hollywood: The Legacy of Steve McQueen

Ryangrigg, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

By Geoff Carter

In the early 1960s, in the age of cool, he was the “King of Cool”. He was sexy, handsome, smart, fearless, bold, and unflappable. He played heroes and anti-heroes alike: gunfighters, soldiers, cops, criminals, convicts, and even the occasional sophisticate. Being a motorcycle and car enthusiast, he also did many of his own stunts, including parts of the spectacular motorcycle jump scene in The Great Escape and segments of the iconic car chase in Bullitt.

He was, of course, Steve McQueen, one of the most popular leading men of the sixties and seventies. Never known as a consummate master of the craft, McQueen still had the ability to effortlessly hold an audience’s attention. The combination of his languid demeanor, athletic carriage, rugged good looks, intense determination, and boyish grin is what made him a screen icon. And unlike other actors of his time, he was somewhat of a minimalist, keeping the core of his characters mostly hidden, revealing them mainly through subtleties—a slight movement of the eyes or a tightening of the mouth. 

The essence of the McQueen cool consisted partly of showing no unnecessary emotion. Reportedly, during sometimes confrontational script consultations, McQueen would often demand fewer lines for his characters, wanting to rely instead upon the subtleties of expression. Paul Newman, one of his contemporaries (and competitors) typically charmed his way through a role. Who can forget the amiable Luke in Cool Hand Luke or the gregarious Butch Cassidy in Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid? McQueen didn’t have to—or want to—charm anybody. His presence was enough. The sidelong look, the tightening of the lips, the measured cadence of his diction—the entire economy of his expressive vocabulary was not limited, as some have maintained, but deliberately minimalized. That was the source of his cool. 

In Bullitt, as the titular character, McQueen radiated confidence, efficiency, and determination, never veering from his duty. In The Magnificent Seven, his easy rapport with Chris (Yul Brynner) and the other hired guns is both a reason for and a product of his cool persona. In The Sand Pebbles, his portrayal of Engineer Jake Holman, a decent man caught in the web of American imperialist interests in China, balances a healthy contempt for authority with a humanistic edge. 

The McQueen persona was definitely cool—undoubtedly—but never too cool to care. 

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The Top Ten Movies of Steve McQueen

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Hell is for Heroes: In France during World War II, a small squad of American soldiers, exhausted from weeks of front-line fighting and expecting a rest, are ordered back to the front. They are joined by Reese (McQueen), a recipient of the Distinguished Service who has also been demoted for insubordination and who almost immediately alienates the entire platoon. Discovering their position is perilously thin, the squad digs in. After their commanding officer is killed, Reese convinces the rest of the squad to attack with less than stellar results. As the war-loving loner, McQueen’s aloof arrogance is perfect—some maintain that it seemed natural during the troubled production. Notable for Bob Newhart’s performance as a chatty company clerk is priceless.

Starrring: Steve McQueen, Harry Guardino, Fess Parker, Bobby Darin, James Coburn, Bob Newhart, and Nick Adams. Written by Richard Carr and Robert Pirosh. Directed by Don Siegel.

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Bullitt: In this iconic 1960s classic, McQueen plays Frank Bullitt, a tough San Francisco homicide detective who finds himself ordered on a politically charged assignment to protect a prize government witness. When things go sour, and Bullitt discovers he’s been set up, he defies the powers that be to find the truth behind the identity of the assassinated witness. McQueen’s Bullitt conveys all the usual nonchalance and calm he is known for, but he also carries an air of sophistication not seen in many of his prior characters. Notable for Robert Vaughn’s portrayal of a smarmy politician, and—of course—one of the greatest car chases of all time.

Starring: Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, Jacqueline Bissett, Robert Duvall, Don Gordon, and Simon Oakland. Written by Alan Trustman. Directed by Peter Yates.

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The Thomas Crown Affair: Thomas Crown (McQueen), a self-made millionaire and sportsman, pulls off the perfect bank heist, stealing millions of dollars without a trace simply for the thrill of it. Insurance investigator Vicki Anderson (Faye Dunaway) immediately suspects Crown and lets him know she knows he did it. The two of them begin a game of cat and mouse that soon turns romantic. Still determined to apprehend Crown and recover the money, Anderson tightens the net. Crown, however, plays into her emotions for him; as the final trap is laid, the viewer is unsure (until the very end) who is actually pulling the strings. Notable for the sultry scene where McQueen and Dunaway engage in a steamy game of chess.

Starring: Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway, Paul Burke, Jack Weston, Gordon Pinsent, and Yaphet Kotto. Written by Alan Trustman. Directed by Norman Jewison. 

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The Magnificent Seven: Two impoverished gunfighters, Chris Adams (Yul Brynner) and Vin Tanner (McQueen) answer a poor Mexican’s plea to help defend his impoverished village from the bandit Calvera (Eli Wallach) and his gang of killers. Although the villagers cannot pay much, Chris and Vin assemble five other gunfighters on the noble mission to rid the village of this scourge. Joining them are a knife expert, a professional hired gun, a fortune seeker, a veteran, and a young hothead. They go to the village to defend it, and, along the way, teaching the inhabitants the skills necessary to defend themselves. McQueen’s Vin is more relaxed and amiable than many of his other characters; his willingness to follow Chris gives Vin a likeability seen in other ensemble films like The Great Escape. Notable for the great shootout scene at the end. 

Starring: Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Horst Bucholz, James Coburn, Robert Vaughn, Charles Bronson, Brad Dexter, and Eli Wallach. Written by William Roberts. Directed by John Sturges.

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Tom Horn: A Western based on the real-life legendary scout and hired gun, the film follows an aging Tom Horn (McQueen) as he drifts through a disappearing Western frontier looking for work. Hired by rancher John Coble to track down rustlers, Horn brutally begins to eliminate them, alarming the townspeople as he does so. Fearing that Horn’s tactics will tarnish their image, the ranchers conspire to get rid of Horn by setting him up to be accused of killing a sheep rancher’s young son. Horn finds himself on trial for murder and realizes that the ways of the Old West are also on trial and will most likely share his fate. Notable as one of McQueen’s last films. 

Starring: Steve McQueen, Linda Evans, Richard Farnsworth, Slim Pickens, Elisha Cook, Bill Green Bush, and Geoffrey Lewis. Written by Thomas McGuane and Bud Shrake. Directed by William Wiard.

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Papillon: Based on a true story, the film follows Henri Charriere (McQueen) a thief who is wrongfully convicted of murder and sent to a horrific penal colony in French Guiana. Nicknamed Papillon because of a butterfly tattoo, Charriere is determined to escape and enlists the services of Dega (Dustin Hoffman) a forger, to help him. The two eventually become friends and engineer an escape that takes them through the jungles, into a leper colony, a native viallage, and is then finally betrayed by a nun. Now an old man and exiled to Devil’s Island with Dega, Papillon ponders one final escape attempt. Notable for Hoffman’s excellent portrayal as Dega.

Starring: Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman, Robert Demain, Anthony Zerbe, Victor Jory, and Don Gordon. Written by Dalton Trumbo and Lorenzo Semple, Jr. Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner.

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Enemy of the People: Produced by McQueen, this film was an attempt for him to diverge from his tough-guy image and prove his classical acting skills. Based on Henrik Ibsen’s play, Thomas Stockmann (McQueen), a small-town doctor, discovers that the hot springs—the major source of income for the town—have become polluted and are a health hazard. When he tries to alert the town the danger, the mayor (Charles Durning), along with the press and the townspeople, shout him down and deride his intentions. Although the film was a box-office failure, it was notable for McQueen’s attempt to veer outside his established persona as an action star. 

Starring: Steve McQueen, Bibi Andersson, Charles Durning, Eric Christmas, Michael Christofer, and Michael Dysart. Written by Alexander Jacobs from Arthur Miller’s adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s play. Directed by George Schaefer. 

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The Sand Pebbles: The epic war film about the San Pablo, an American gunboat patrolling the Yangtze River in China. Machinist Mate Jake Holman (McQueen) upsets the order of the boat when he insists on doing hands-on work on the engine with the native Chinese. Holman befriends Po-Han (Mako Iwamatsu) one of the Chinese laborers he is training. After increasing encounters with the locals, including an incident with a British gunboat, the San Pablo attempts to rescue two missionaries, Jameson (Larry Gates) and Eckert (Candice Bergen) from invading Nationalist soldiers. Notable for the epic scope of Wise’s direction. 

Starring: Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, Richard Crenna, Candice Bergen, Mako Iwamatsu, and Simon Oakland. Written by Robert Anderson. Directed by Robert Wise. 

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Nevada Smith: In this Western, Max Sand (McQueen) sets out to avenge the murder of his father and mother, brutally slain by a band of three outlaws, Jessie Coe (Martin Landau), Bill Bowdre (Arthur Kennedy), and Tom Fitch (Karl Malden). Along the way, young Max meets and is schooled by the amiable Jonas Cord (Brian Keith) who tries to dissuade from his mission of vengeance. Max encounters Coe, and then learning that Bowdre is in prison, deliberately gets himself jailed in the same prison, and then, finally, upon his escaping, goes after Tom Fitch (Karl Malden), the last of the killers. Notable for the great supporting cast and for McQueen’s portrayal of Max Sands’ growth from naïve young man to a hardened criminal. 

Starring: Steve McQueen, Brian Keith, Karl Malden, Martin Landau, Arthur Kennedy, Suzanne Pleshette, Paul Fix, and Howard DeSilva. Written by John Michael Hays. Directed by Henry Hathaway. 

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Junior Bonner: In this modern-day Western, Junior Bonner (McQueen), a veteran rodeo rider, returns home to find his family in a shambles. His brother Curly (Joe Don Baker) is bulldozing the family home in order to build a trailer park while his womanizing father Ace (Robert Preston) has separated from his wife Elvira (Ida Lupino). In order to fulfill Ace’s dream of moving to Australia to mine for gold, Junior decides to try to ride his nemesis, the bull Sunshine, for the prize money. Here again, as in The Magnificent Seven, McQueen uses his open and more boyish persona. He is almost charming here. Notable for being director Sam Peckinpah’s most easygoing film.

Starring: Steve McQueen, Robert Preston, Joe Don Baker, Ida Lupino, Ben Johnson, and Barbara Leigh. Written by Joe Rosebrook. Directed by Sam Peckinpah.

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The Great Escape: Based on the true-life story of the escape of nearly 200 British airmen from Stalag Luft III during World War II, this film details the exhaustive planning and courageous execution of one of the largest mass escapes in the history of the war. Boasting an international cast of actors, the film is a non-stop epic adventure that culminates in the scene in which Hilts (McQueen), in his last desperate attempt to escape, jumps his motorcycle over a barbed-wire fence. McQueen’s character is refreshingly buoyant and playful in this role as an irrepressible escape artist. Notable for the great ensemble chemistry of James Garner, James Coburn (Australian accent notwithstanding), Richard Attenborough, and David McCallum.

Starring: Steve McQueen, Donald Pleasance, James Garner, James Coburn, Charles Bronson, David McCallum, and James Donald. Written by James Clavell and W.R. Burnett. Directed by John Sturges

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Honorable Mention

The Reivers

Soldier in the Rain

Love With the Proper Stranger

The Getaway

The Blob

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