Obit: Tony Curtis at 85 (Sept 2010)

Subject: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: Amergin
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 06:19 AM

According to the BBC, Tony Curtis has passed away at the age of 85. Apparently, he felt he never got the recognition he deserved....but he had a long career.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: Amergin
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 06:22 AM

Here's the obit which wasn't available a moment ago: Tony Curtis

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: kendall
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 06:52 AM

All I got was "Page not found". He was interesting in some parts but I never saw him as an outstanding actor.
Sleep well, Mr. Schwartz.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: bobad
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 06:57 AM

Obit in NY Times

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: goatfell
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 07:05 AM

so sad and a great actor

Subject: Obit: Tony Curtis .... thank you!
From: Lox
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 07:23 AM

             Well the title is self explanatory ...

             One of the greatest has gone.

             Sheer Genius!

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis .... thank you!
From: catspaw49
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 07:33 AM

Some Like It Hot" remains as one of my favorite movies thanks to three great performances from Marilyn Monroe, the amazing Jack Lemmon, and Tony Curtis.   He was perfect (in every way...LOL) in "The Great Race" and equally brilliant as a slimeball in "Sweet Smell of Success." He leaves a great body of work and memories for us to enjoy.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis .... thank you!
From: Midchuck
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 07:34 AM

Goodbye, you good Leslie, you!

I hope you win! I hope you win!

P.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis .... thank you!
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 07:41 AM

Well noone can deny he had a good run. That was a man who knew how to live life to the full and will be missed.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: jacqui.c
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 07:44 AM

A crush from my childhood........

RIP Bernie.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: Fiolar
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 07:54 AM

Another great one gone sadly. Ar Deis De Le nHanam.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: SINSULL
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 07:59 AM

Two memories - The Vikings when the crabs were nibbling at him and an early cameo - "Dis is de castle of my fadder." I think even he saw the humor in that.
Great comic actor.
RIP

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: alanabit
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 09:01 AM

He rated his best film as The Boston Strangler. I would agree. He gave an absolutely chilling performance. He was always watchable though and I invariably enjoyed his films.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 09:05 AM

The Black Shield of Falworth was always a favorite of mine. Even with the often misquoted Castle of my fada line. Hamilton Camp was also in that film.

Don Meixner

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: catspaw49
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 09:14 AM

From the other thread:

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis .... thank you!
From: catspaw49 - PM
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 07:33 AM

Some Like It Hot" remains as one of my favorite movies thanks to three great performances from Marilyn Monroe, the amazing Jack Lemmon, and Tony Curtis.   He was perfect (in every way...LOL) in "The Great Race" and equally brilliant as a slimeball in "Sweet Smell of Success." He leaves a great body of work and memories for us to enjoy.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: GUEST,Patsy
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 09:25 AM

Yes it's sad that another star from my childhood has gone I didn't rate him one way or the other really he was just one of those faces I loved to see on television or screen in the same way as Kirk Douglas, Robert Mitchum and Burt Lancaster. He reminds me of watching films as a little girl curled up in a chair on Sunday afternoon after bathtime and before the drudgery of school the next morning.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 11:00 AM

I think Tony Curtis is another actor who might have been discounted because he had a pretty face. Paul Newman encountered that at times also. He handled comedy apparently effortlessly, but it takes a lot of work to make anything look effortless.

My mother was a huge Cary Grant fan, so when any of his came on the television, things stopped and we watched it. Thus I saw his film Operation Petticoat several times - it has Tony Curtis as a funny and interesting officer who was kind of a riff on what we've been talking about here. His character had previously made headway socially because of his pretty face, but when it came down to being useful and smart, he managed that (in the script - with a touch of larceny).

SRS

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: katlaughing
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 11:31 AM

Sorry to hear this. I've only really seen a lot of his films since the advent of TCM on cable as I was too young for most of them when they came out. I've always loved his good looks and acting AND the fact that he had such a talented daughter in Jamie Lee Curtis. I never knew the circumstances of his childhood until reading the Times article, today.

BTW, it said that he did NOT utter that castle faddah line, fwiw.

RIP and thanks, Tony/Bernard

kat

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: pdq
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 11:45 AM

Tony Curtis was one of a group of handsome leading men who took Hollywood away from the conservative folks like Clark Gable, John Wayne, Charlton Heston and Robert Stack, and delivered it to the Liberal establishment which has controlled ever since.

Most of them have been mentioned, but let's add Gregory Peck to the list. Twelve O'clock High was perhaps the first, in 1950, to portray a hero with doubts.

So far we have listed Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Paul Newman, Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck. Only Douglas is still living, but this group changed the face of America forever.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: Mrrzy
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 02:16 PM

I *loved* him doing Cary Grant in Some Like It Hot. What a great man.

At some point in his youth he picked up a late friend of mine, hitchhiking, and made a pass at him...

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: olddude
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 03:11 PM

I will miss him, he was one of my all time favorite actors with a body of work that we all loved ..

Rest in Peace kind sir
and thank you for all the enjoyment you gave me in your career

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: Beer
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 03:25 PM

Sympathies to his family and friends.
Adrien

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: fat B****rd
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 03:25 PM

Ah! "The Vikings" . A favourite of mine since 1958. Not forgetting Spartacus. RIP TC.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: Bobert
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 03:40 PM

I told him to leave that pot alone...

B~

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: Alan Day
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 05:40 PM

Sad News.
I remember as a teenager (about ten years ago) going to my barbers which was then in Lavender Hill Battersea and asking for a "Tony Curtis" as did many.
My favourite film , not mentioned by anybody was "Trapeze" where he starred with Burt Lancaster. I can see Burt now swinging on the trapeze as a catcher and Tony Curtis contemplating a "Triple Somersault" never been done by anybody before.Net on the ground to stop him doing it.
Did he do it?
See the film.
After that sawdust was always used in the Circus Ring.(only joking).
Al

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: Slag
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 05:46 PM

Do any of you remember the anti-smoking campaign "I Quit" with Dewey buttons with a big red IQ on them? Tony did a couple of PSA's for them and then, BOOM! he got caught smoking pot. This was late sixties, early seventies. It was shortly after this that he made his move to England. The SHAME! Well, England's gain, our loss. Yes he was one of the really gifted folks in the entertainment industry. I don't know what he was like in his personal life as I'm not much want to look into things like that. I would also like to have thanked him for Jamie Lee, whom I also consider a consummate actor. I just saw "A Fish Called Wanda" again recently and laughed my head off like it I did the first time.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: Bobert
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 06:39 PM

That's what I was talkin' about, Slag...

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 01 Oct 10 - 04:59 AM

"It's a kind of herring"

RtS

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: Diva
Date: 01 Oct 10 - 11:12 AM

By sheer coincidence I went out to see "The Sweet Smell of Success" last night. He was a fine actor.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Oct 10 - 01:12 PM

Today they played a 1991 interview that Terry Gross did with him on Fresh Air. Very good interview.

SRS

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: bankley
Date: 02 Oct 10 - 06:52 PM

TCM / Turner Classic Movies is broadcasting 24 hrs. of Tony's movies tomorrow (Sunday) as a tribute ....unedited and commercial free

They likely can't squeeze everything in... but a lot of classics no doubt

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 03 Oct 10 - 03:37 AM

Watched the video of Some like it Hot last night (again). Still makes me laugh.

RtS
(and Marilyn doing Running Wild Yowzah!)

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 03 Oct 10 - 06:13 AM

My best friend and I were mad about him when we were 13 or so - just thinking of him again brings back all sorts of memories. He was a part of my youth, and turned in some fine performances. In later years I was impressed by his sincere dedication to his painting.

R.I.P. Tony.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: Genie
Date: 05 Oct 10 - 11:18 PM

Yes, it's sad to lose Tony. Some of his films, e.g., "Houdini," were the type of mangled history and "Hollywood-ized" pap that the studios loved to grind out in the early '50s, and Tony's acting - probably by virtue of the directing as much as anything else - wasn't great.

(As for the infamous nobleman with a Brooklyn accent line, the way I heard it, the line was "Yonder lies the castle of my foddah" or "Yonder lies my fodder's castle," and I'm pretty sure I actually saw and heard the flim clip where he says it, Kat. But it wasn't in The Vikings, it was in one of the movies set in old England.)


Alan, I remember "Trapeze" well. Tony was pretty good in it - as I recall, being only in my early teens when it came out. Anyway I really liked the movie. And I'm pretty sure that Burt Lancaster did his own trapeze work in that film - that he was a former gymnast or acrobat in real life. But he played the catcher, not the flyer, so he didn't have to do any triple somersaults in midair.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 06 Oct 10 - 07:26 AM

Da cassle uv my fadda was - I think - uttered in The Black Shield of Falworth, a medieval yarn which IIRC also had Janet Leigh in it. She went to high school with my Dad for awhile, and one of his old yearbooks had her photo in it, a very pretty (and much darker-haired) Jeanette Morrison (if memory serves - haven't seen it in years).

In the right parts, Tony could be great - maybe because they were the ones which didn't require him to be too different from his natural self. But that natural self was always very watchable, and with a good script it worked some magic. He was one of those actors who leads with his looks and personality rather than someone like, say, Streep, who really changes persona and incorporates an entirely different character. But there's room in the starry pantheon for both. Goodbye to yet another part of my past -

Subject: RE: Obit: Tony Curtis at 85
From: Beer
Date: 06 Oct 10 - 10:08 PM

One of my all time favorite childhood movies Bonnie. Thanks for bringing up a past memory.
Tony was great.
Ad.