Jack Palance has died at the age of 87. I saw him and enjoyed his performances in other movies later: Attack, Ten Seconds to Hell, The Professionals, Bagdad Cafe and City Slickers among them. But to me Jack Palance is forever Jack Wilson in Shane. I saw this when it first came out in 1953 and have watched it I don't know how many times since. Wilson is the baddest of bad guys, gunning down the Elisha Cook Jr character (Frank Torrey) in a way that showed you cold evil walking upon the land. And it gave you a final confrontation to savour, preceded by these unforgettable lines:
Shane: So you're Jack Wilson.And he did, before riding off into the landscape out of which he'd first appeared, clad in its very colours - the moral order restored.
Jack Wilson: What's that mean to you, Shane?
Shane: I've heard about you.
Jack Wilson: What have you heard, Shane?
Shane: I've heard that you're a low-down Yankee liar.
Jack Wilson: Prove it.