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Hank Garrett

Currency:USD Category:Memorabilia Start Price:10.00 USD
Hank Garrett
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Hank Garrett

Most would know Hank Garrett as the fake policeman spotted by Robert Redford in “Three Days of The Condor” because he was wearing brown shoes. Hank was an assassin sent to kill Redford, but unfortunately things turned our badly for him.

Hank got his first big break when he was cast in TV's “Car 54, Where Are You?”, starring Fred Gwynn and Al Lewis (Herman Munster and Grandpa in “The Munsters”) and veteran stand-up comics Joe E. Ross and Nipsey Russell.

“With all those comedians on the set, you can imagine we were constantly cutting up with each other," Garrett recalls, "although Fred Gwynn was a little more quiet and introspective than you might think. In fact, he was a very talented artist. As for Joe E. Ross, his signature line,¬ 'Ooh! Ooh!', might have been good for laughs, but it was a stall. He did that until he could remember his lines."

Hank Garrett was born Henry Greenberg in Monticello, New York He grew up in Harlem and learned to adapt quickly to unfamiliar situations. As a kid, he spoke three languages: English, Yiddish and Spanish. His first dream was to become a body builder, and in 1949, he won the New York Power Lifting Championship title before he turned 20.

In 1950, with the dawn of the television age, Hank became a pro wrestler, grappling under the improbable moniker "The Minnesota Farm Boy," which was odd, considering he'd never been out of New York before. That changed in a hurry, though, as Garrett worked the Chicago and Los Angeles circuits at a time when wrestling was enormously popular, both on television and before live crowds.

After five years of being body-slammed to the canvas, Garrett decided to give comedy a try. So he put away his trunks and packed his bags for the Catskills, where he found work initially as social director for the then-famous Brown's Hotel. Buddy Hackett did regular stand-up there. Soon, Hank was given his chance. He told stories of his childhood, using various dialects and characters.

The audiences loved him, and before long, he was an opening act for singers like Tony Bennett, Jerry Vale and Della Reese. One night, TV producer Nat Hiken saw Hank's act and promptly invited him to audition for the part on “Car 54.” To this day, Garrett performs stand-up comedy, although his audiences are now private organizations and corporate crowds.

Hank has also appeared in numerous major motion pictures, not just TV shows. Aside from “Three Days of the Condor,” his credits include: “Death Wish,” “Johnny Dangerously,” “Serpico,” “The Producers,” “Exorcist II: The Heretic,” “The Amityville Horror,” and “Firepower.” In “Firepower,” one scene called for him to have his head slammed into the hood of a car by none other than O.J. Simpson.

"I told him to just hold my head, and I would do the slam, but instead he slammed my head down full force,unintentionally of course, and it knocked me out cold," Garrett recalled. "When I came to, I look up and who do I see cradling me in her arms, but the star of the movie, Sophia Loren. She's calling out, 'Someone, quick, get an ambulance!' and I start shouting, 'But take your time!’"

If you’d like to chat with Hank Garrett about fighting with Robert Redford and close encounters with Sophia Loren, make a bid, and remember, it’s for charity.

In the photo, movie aficionados will recognize Hank as his assassin character in “Three Days of the Condor.”

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