That curious persona of Ronald Fraser seems to have turned-up in so many productions like an uninvited guest at a party. His unhealthily-bloated look, and thin, stifled voice seemed to suggest the imminent onset of a chronic and perhaps embarrassing disorder: sinusitis, or something. His lack of manliness always hinted at homosexuality, though nothing was ever exploited. He might lust after the ladies; but they would never reciprocate. His was one of those 'faces' at the back who you couldn't quite place or name. A 'regular'. Always he was a flunkie, a failure, a coward, someone unreliable - likely to cut and run, cheat, do the dirty if nobody was watching.
I have him featured in at least two Robert Aldrich movies. And he's just the same in both: a whinger. 'Too Late The Hero' & 'Flight Of The Phoenix'. And he's entirely believable.
In 1970, he finally starred in a series called the misfit. He couldn't have been better suited. That's the part he's always played. But here, he is not under anyone's heel. He's his own man - though still way out of his depth.
The premise was a good one. But Fraser was never going to be a one-man show, which is what 'The Misfit' tried to be. Fraser simply was never that strong as a character. He needed others at least as good to act as foils, and they were seldom there. For the first few shows the format worked pretty well, if only from the novelty of having such an un-likable persona in a central role. The script was also fairly crisp.
But as the other commentator describes; it's a format that didn't last. The script deteriorated, the situations became exhausted, and Fraser's persona was reduced to what it always was: an irritating whinger.
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