an appreciation of Strother Martin

This is a clip from Hard Times (1975), featuring the great character actor Strother Martin. Usually cast as prairie trash, derelicts and deviants, he is unusually dapper here in the company of James Coburn. Playing a sidekick by the name of Poe (thus the reference to the poet), Strother could well be channeling Tennessee Williams. Wouldn't that have been something? Strother Martin as Big Daddy, or even Williams himself.