# The biggest wimp in the movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 19, 2013, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-wimp-in-the-movies/676775 "2013-12-19T23:51:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cedman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cedman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cedman)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-wimp-in-the-movies/676775/21 "2013-12-20T16:35:25Z")
The actor who played the man named July in “Lonesome Dove”. He’s been tough as nails in other flicks but this character makes you want to just punch him in the throat. ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-wimp-in-the-movies/676775/22 "2013-12-20T16:37:55Z")
Bob Balaban in _A Mighty Wind_. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-wimp-in-the-movies/676775/23 "2013-12-20T16:42:11Z")
Though the character wasn’t a “wimp” by any means, Leslie Howard’s limp portrayal of Ashley Wilkes in _Gone With the Wind_ left millions wondering why in God’s good name would Scarlett prefer Ashley over Rhett. ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-wimp-in-the-movies/676775/24 "2013-12-20T17:32:22Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Terry (Charles Martin Smith) in _American Graffiti_. > > He had more than one; I assume you mean Mr. Kurtzmann (Ian Holm). Yes. He was such an over the top waste of space. I love the scene where Sam has figured out everything for him, all he needs to do is sign a piece of paper, but he can’t because his wrist hurts too much. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-wimp-in-the-movies/676775/25 "2013-12-20T17:36:54Z")
> [@Driver8](#): > > Yes. He was such an over the top waste of space. I love the scene where Sam has figured out everything for him, all he needs to do is sign a piece of paper, but he can’t because his wrist hurts too much. I always figured he was faking about hurting his wrist; he was just terrified of putting his name on something (in this case, Mrs. Buttle’s refund check) that would get attention within the bureaucracy. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-wimp-in-the-movies/676775/26 "2013-12-20T17:52:45Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > He also didn’t exactly cover himself with glory in _Aliens._ However, Paxton’s character dies standing up to the aliens while attempting to take out as many as possible which I think redeems him enough to get out of the wimpy cellar. I’m going with the husband in _High Plains Drifter_ who lets Clint have his way with his wife. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-wimp-in-the-movies/676775/27 "2013-12-20T20:33:16Z")
Wow… There are some excellent choices in this thread! I have to say, Moriarty’s Hull Barrett is getting a run fir his money, and i thought he was a clear winner. Mso many of these roles i forgot, but they are great choices… I especially liked Macy in Fargo, Smith in American Graffiti and Glover in Back To The Future. However, this one > [@JohnT](#): > > Though the character wasn’t a “wimp” by any means, Leslie Howard’s limp portrayal of Ashley Wilkes in _Gone With the Wind_ left millions wondering why in God’s good name would Scarlett prefer Ashley over Rhett. Is a great choice. Ashley Wilkes was a very wimpy character (I disagree with **JohnT** on this) I know he was supposed to be introspective and an intellectual, but with the backdrop of the Civil War and Rhett Butler as his alter-ego, he really comes off badly. Trevor Howard may have also been a wimp in real life, I don’t know. But his Ashley Wilkes? He was so wimpy, the name Ashley has been turned into a woman’s name in today’s world. I don’t think I’ve ever known one guy named Ashley in real life, probably because they all would have been beaten to a pulp in grade school. Keep them coming! ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-wimp-in-the-movies/676775/28 "2013-12-20T20:37:56Z")
Ashley led men in battle, personally killed enemy combatants, and fought the carpetbaggers, knowing his life was forfeit if caught. Delicate, yes; wimpy, no. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-wimp-in-the-movies/676775/29 "2013-12-20T20:42:38Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > Ransom Stoddard in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance deserves a mention, as well as Marshall Link Appleyard in the same flick. Also one of the best movies ever made. I do like the choices people made in this thread. Ranse is a complex character with good and bad traits who makes good and bad decisions. He is not what I would call a wimp though. Any man who can punch John Wayne and knock him to the ground and who is willing to meet Lee Marvin in a showdown on the street is not a character intended to be portrayed as a wimp. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-wimp-in-the-movies/676775/30 "2013-12-20T20:43:24Z")
I would like to nominate Larry Hankin, who played Charlie Butts in “_ **Escape From Alcatraz** _”. Good lord, what a waste. Clint Eastwood would have NEVER let this guy be part of any escape attempt. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-wimp-in-the-movies/676775/31 "2013-12-20T20:58:32Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I always figured he was faking about hurting his wrist; he was just terrified of putting his name on something (in this case, Mrs. Buttle’s refund check) that would get attention within the bureaucracy. Well, under the circumstances, I think he kinda had reason to be terrified … ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-wimp-in-the-movies/676775/32 "2013-12-20T21:10:32Z")
They never made a movie with him (just a TV series), but [Casper Milquetoast](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspar_Milquetoast) (the Timid Soul) is the all-time winner. [My favorite example.](http://www.cs.nyu.edu/faculty/davise/personal/cartoons.html) ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-wimp-in-the-movies/676775/33 "2013-12-20T21:21:48Z")
[_Edward Everett Horton_](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002143/) in _ **The Gay Divorcee, Top Hat, Holiday, His Night Out, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Bachelor Daddy** _… ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-wimp-in-the-movies/676775/34 "2013-12-20T22:22:56Z")
Fred MacMurray in _The Caine Mutiny_. Not only a wimp, but a sniveling weasel. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2013, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-wimp-in-the-movies/676775/35 "2013-12-21T02:17:48Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Fred MacMurray in _The Caine Mutiny_. Not only a wimp, but a sniveling weasel. Another great example. I wanted to kick the crap out of him, and couldn’t understand why no one actually did in the movie. The guy who played Willie in the movie was so wooden, they could have whittled him into a walking stick. He would at least have had a personality. He was a wimp in that movie too, as he almost lost his girlfriend because his mommy disapproved of her. Before I forget, from 80’s teen movies: John Cryer in anything; Brian Backer in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Mark Rattner), And the winner, Lawrence Monoson, who played Gary in “_ **The Last American Virgin** _” was beyond a wimp. He was a wuss. “Part wimp, part pussy” - (Mike Damone from Fast Times at Ridgemont High, speaking to Mark Rattner) But Gary was pathetic. Sexy girl has sex with another guy, gets pregnant, other guy dumps her, Gary pays for the abortion by selling his stereo, she goes back with guy who impregnated her in the first place. [here is the end of The Last American Virgin](http://youtu.be/CYSOjuGdmvI), where you can see Gary’s big lower lip dropping in the permanent pout when he sees the girl of his dreams kissing the guy who got her pregnant and dumped her… Thanks for cleaning up the mess, Gary! ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2013, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-wimp-in-the-movies/676775/36 "2013-12-21T02:38:48Z")
I thought J.T. Walsh played a pretty wimpy character in “Hoffa.” Much in contrast to the roles he’s better known for. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2013, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-wimp-in-the-movies/676775/37 "2013-12-21T03:11:27Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > They never made a movie with him (just a TV series), but [Casper Milquetoast](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspar_Milquetoast) (the Timid Soul) is the all-time winner. > > [My favorite example.](http://www.cs.nyu.edu/faculty/davise/personal/cartoons.html) I like the one where he’s in the ocean smoking a cigar, and has to obey a “No Smoking” sign that floats by. ---
**Author:** ![maplekiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@maplekiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maplekiwi)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2013, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-wimp-in-the-movies/676775/38 "2013-12-21T05:08:28Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Though the character wasn’t a “wimp” by any means, Leslie Howard’s limp portrayal of Ashley Wilkes in _Gone With the Wind_ left millions wondering why in God’s good name would Scarlett prefer Ashley over Rhett. Looks like he wasn’t wimpy in real life, but Leslie Howard’s character in **Of Human Bondage** came across as fully justifying Bette Davis’s character’s contempt. Wimpiest of all time was Andrew McCarthy’s Blaine in **Pretty in Pink.** ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2013, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-wimp-in-the-movies/676775/39 "2013-12-21T05:21:45Z")
> [@maplekiwi](#): > > Looks like he wasn’t wimpy in real life, but Leslie Howard’s character in **Of Human Bondage** came across as fully justifying Bette Davis’s character’s contempt. > > Wimpiest of all time was Andrew McCarthy’s Blaine in **Pretty in Pink.** Andrew MCarthy was pretty much a wimp in _ **St. Elmo’s Fire** _ and _ **Class** _, too. I think that was part of his persona. He always has a kicked-in-the-ribs puppy dog look, always on the verge of tears, and one pill away from a depression medication suicidal overdose. But wait… How could i be the first person to mention **Jon Favreau** in _ **Swingers** _? What a whiny, annoying pussy. I can’t believe his friends stuck by him through that entire movie. I hated that guy! He wasn’t “money” in that movie, unless he was 8 cents of nasty change found between the cushions in a couch. What a tool. ---
**Author:** ![De\_La\_Rue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@De\_La\_Rue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/De_La_Rue)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2013, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-wimp-in-the-movies/676775/40 "2013-12-21T05:51:58Z")
My first thought was Alvy Singer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-wimp-in-the-movies/676775.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-wimp-in-the-movies/676775.md?page=3)