Mighty Mick

Mighty Mick:

"A man needs a little madness, or else he won't let go of the rope, and be free."
Who said that in what film?

Brando's roommate in NYC was that hunk of a man, Wally Cox. So hey, let's do a little Wally Cox trivia. He and Brando actually were childhood friends back in Evanston, Illinois. What was the 1952-1955 TV series that made Cox famous, garnering him an Emmy? What was the character's first name? He only appeared in one Marlon Brando movie --what was it? What was the name of his second TV series, also a comedy? What was the name of his third TV series, where he appeared from 1966 until his death in 1973 from a heart attack. When Cox and Brando were roommates, Brando had a pet named Russell, and Cox hated it, finally moving out because of it --what kind of a critter was it? Cox did the voice work on a Cartoon character for TV as well. Which cartoon hero was it? There is a touching story about Brando and Cox. When Cox died, his widow gave the cremated ashes to Brando, to spread "at sea" --but Brando felt Cox was always his best friend. Unlike the meek timid persona Cox usually played, he was an intellectual guy, a tough little shit who liked to ride motorcycles, and weld metal sculptures. Anyway, Brando lied to the widow, and hid the remains in his closet for over 30 years, often getting drunk and pulling the ashes out to "talk with Wally". When Brando died, he specified in his will that he be cremated, and later Brando's kids took the ashes of both men out to Death Valley, CA, and spread them out together, and thus they were reunited in death, their remains comingled for eternity, or until a strong wind came up.

Natalie wood had a "randy" side to her nature. When I was in the business, before she drowned, I heard a bunch of stories about how Lee Majors was caught in bed with both Natalie and her younger sister, Lana, by Ms. Farrah Fawcett, who is now dying of cancer. Then again, Lee Majors, who was a monument to mediocrity, was said to swing both ways, and had put in some internship time with Librace as a butt buddy in his early career. Probably sat around the pool with Rock, and Tab, and Troy. I agree with you, the drowning of Natalie Wood seems suspect. More rumors were that she was banging Christopher Walken, who is supposed to be hung like a Missouri mule, and Robert Wagner, all coked up, caught them, and strangled Natalie, and tossed her body in the bay there at the marina at Avalon at Santa Cantalina. Of course you have heard the old joke, "What kind of wood can not float? Natalie Wood." Marilyn Monroe was murdered by Robert Kennedy, probably at JFK's insistence. But I think John Belushi, Janis Joplin, Jimmy Hendrix, and Jim Morrison were all murdered. Conspiracy is big with the wealthy and powerful.

Kudos on Hank Worden. He was quite a wrangler. Ben Johnson, though was great on camera at a full gallop. Richard Farnsworth had been a stunt man and wrangler for years too, before he stumbled into acting. I heard the other day that Ben Johnson had been gay, and had kept it secret for his whole career. I knew he was married, but even Rock Hudson got married for a time. I love that scene in ONE EYED JACKS when Brando as Rio, jumps up into the face of Ben Johnson and screams,"You don't say a word about Louisa, you scum sucking pig! If you do I will tear your arms off and beat you to death with them!"

There is some good ONE EYED JACKS trivia too. Brando, taking over for Stanley Kubrick, who simply could not get along or direct Brando, was inexperienced, and they say he shot 6 or 7 times more film than he needed too; 30-40 takes on all scenes. Brando's director's cut was five hours long. It would have made HEAVEN'S GATE seem like GONE WITH THE WIND. Paramount finally had to take the print away from him, slap his hands, and cut it down to 141 minutes, or just over 2 hours. I absolutely loved that movie. I, for one, would like to see the 3 hours of outtakes. I read where in the original cut, Brando had Pina Pellicer as Louisa getting shot in the back, and being killed, during the shotout with Dad Longworth--rather than that saccharine ending we all ended up seeing that Paramount insisted upon. The first draft of the screenplay was written by Rod Serling. He was replaced by Sam Peckinpah. The character of Rio was patterned after Billy the Kid. When Kubrick fired Peckinpah, he kept xome of the ideas to use in his classic PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID years later. Then when Kubrick got fired by Brando, he took the reins. Kubrick wanted Spencer Tracy to play Dad Longworth, but Brando had promised to pal, Malden. They, of course, had worked together in STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, and ON THE WATERFRONT.

I certainly agree that the role Walter Huston played in SIERRA MADRE was one of his best. Did you ever see him in GABRIEL OVER THE WHITE HOUSE, or DODSWORTH? My favorite John Huston cameo was in CHINA TOWN. He was still able to walk a bit, and wasn't on O2 yet. Yes, it was the young Robert Blake that sold Bogart the ticket. Do you remember Blake in the RED RYDER series? He was Little Beaver in over 12 of those flicks between 1944-1947. Who was Red Ryder in his films? Did you know he was in one of the ANDY HARDY films too? Here's a zinger for you, what was Robert Blake's real name? What film did he do playing the young John Garfield?

Now let's get to the MAVERICK trivia. Of course, it was the dashing Roger Moore who played Beau Maverick. Bret's Pappy used to say a lot of things, like "Work is fine for killing time --but it is a shaky way to make a living", and "A man does what he has to do --if he can't get out of it.", and "A coward dies a thousand deaths, a hero dies but one --a thousand to one is pretty good odds." I was suprised to see that Budd Boetticher and Andre De Toth were both directors on the show. Who was the announcer on the show, and who did the theme music? I liked the name of the musician, because it kind of reminded me of Buttkus. Do you remember Edd Byrnes on the show as the Stable Boy? Who played Big Mike McComb on 5 episodes? Do you remember smooth old Efrem Zimbalist Jr. on the show? I was thinking he played one of the Maverick family, but he didn't. His character was Dandy Dan or Jack, or some such thing.

Walter Brennan, now that was an actor! I loved his Stumpy on RIO BRAVO. I guess he perfected the limp before he did it on THE REAL McCOYS. By the way, when Howard Hawks remade RIO BRAVO as EL DORADO, who did he get to play the deputy, the Brennan part? Who played the Ricky Nelson part? Who played the bad cattle baron, the John Russell part? It is too simple to ask you who played the Dean Martin part, we both know that was Robert Mitchum. Brennan was good with Jeffrey Hunter in LURE OF THE SWAMPS.

Yes, the Eastwood film that opened last Friday is FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS. The other two survivors of Iwo Jima, besides Ira Hayes, that appeared in SANDS OF IWO JIMA, were Rene Gagnon and John Bradley. Kudos on THE OUTSIDER, and remembering the young James Franciscus in it. Tony Schwartz was great in it. The other film he kept the putty nose in with Henry Fonda was THE BOSTON STRANGLER, big boy. He may have had it as well in THE DEFIANT ONES.

Good recall on some of the classic TWILIGHT ZONEs, with Wally Cox, and Richard Deacon. Remember the Robert Redford episode, or the Lee Marvin one? The name of the 1959 episode with Robby the Robot was TO SERVE MAN. What, I get no credit for remembering Marvin Miller as the voice of Robby? Yeah, you had shared the Fred Allen quote to me in person, but my pea brain had misplaced it.

Who said,"Kissing is nice, but your father did not hire me to sleep with you."

The director of JOHNNY GUITAR was Nicholas Ray. Good recall on the Dancin Kid, ole Scott Brady. And some of the cast you nailed.You forgot John Carradine and Royal Dano. Yup, Stacy Keach's first big role was in THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER. He was good in DOC. Who played his Big Nose Kate, and Wyatt Earp in that film? The girl in LORD JIM was Daliah Lavi. She was an Isreali actress and she showed up in CASINO ROYALE and CATLOW later.

Man, you are an ACE when it comes to the SIX DEGREES game.
Van Heflin in SHANE with Jack Palance
Jack Palance in THE PROFESSIONALS with Robert Ryan
Robert Ryan in ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW with Harry Belafonte.
Great work, Mick!

I, of course, took four steps or degrees.
Van Heflin in SANTE FE TRAIL (1940) with Robert Reagan
Ronald Reagan in LAW AND ORDER (1953) with Dennis Weaver
Dennis Weaver in DUEL AT DIABLO with Sidney Poitier.
Sidney Poitier in BUCK AND THE PREACHER (1972) with Harry Belafonte.
I guess I could have made it harder for you by insisting that your choices all be Westerns.

Now let's see, you want me to get from Jim Backus to Robert Wagner. Well...
Jim Backus in REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955) with Natalie Wood.
Natalie Wood in ALL THE FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS (1960) with Robert Wagner.

Your assignment, sir, is to get from Tab Hunter to Karl Malden.

My name is Alexis Zorba. I have other names, if you are interested. Glenn

Mick wrote:

I had heard that Brando and Malden, friends from there early struggling years, ad-libbed a lot of there lines or rewrote them to fit there fancy like my subject title. I loved the line after he broke out of jail and nailed Slim Pickens and said "get up you tub a guts." Yep, that was Hank Worden the old bow legged cowboy who could handle a horse with the best of them even Ben Johnson. I wonder if they ad-libbed Hank to keep his jeans down before he was ventilated? Good job on The Searchers trivia because behind all of Fords bluster he was an amazing loyal man to his "stock talent" and I read where he kept everybody working in front and behind the camera no matter how small there role was when others were not even working. He liked to irritate his flock intentionally to get the most out of them for a better movie. Who was Brandos roomate in New York when they were both struggling actors? Yes Natalie Wood had a charmed life and I still don't believe the coroners report on her supposed drowning any more than the report on Marilyn Monroes death. You don't suppose the L.A. coroners were paid "hush money" over the years on many more famous dead people?

My favorite Houston cameo was when Fred C Dobbs kept putting the bite on him to help a fellow American with some pocket change in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. A very young Berretta sold Fred the winning lottery ticket and Walter Houston didn't want to star in his sons movie at first, he thought he still could perform as a dashing leading man and the old mans part of Howard had to be played without his teeth but his son coaxed or coerced him, Thank God, into doing it and to me it was one of the finest performances I to this day have ever seen! I was fortunate enough to hear Walter Houston sing "September Song" on an original old time classic record. What a truly great talent he was. Okay, you deserve credit for Peter to Lee and all the other tuffies but remember what old"Pappy" told his sons, Bart and Brett, flattery is like a perfume you can smell it but don't taste it. Who played cousin Beau on tvs Maverick?
Ima fixen to git me a piece of that fine bottom land and ain't nothin gonna stop me Ma. Yep, that was good ol Coop as Sgt Alvin C York that heard those words from the good Reverend, Walter Brennan, in Sgt York. His best role was Stumpy in Rio Bravo. I never thougnt that Alvins sister was going to become Lassies mother. Her daughter is an actress too so that makes 3 generations of Lockharts.

The Pulitzer Prize winning photographer, Joe Rosanthal, took the Iwa Jima picture and the only marine that I recall is Ira Hayes. Johnny Cash sang the legend of Ira Hayes and Tony Curtis played his life story in The Outsider in the early 60's and the only actor I remember is James Franciscus who played the school teacher with Dean Jagger in Mr Novak on tv followed by that blind detective Longstreet and he starred in one of those ape remakes. I will guess that Tony kept the silly putty on his nose for Sex and the Single Girl with Henry Fonda.

One of the truly great comedy writers and also a radio, tv and movie personalitie was Fred Allen who was the author of that phrase. Another one I love is "Every time an executive dies, don't think of it as a great loss, think of it as gaining a parking space. I remember one episode of the Twilight Zone that had Richard Deacon as a by the book type guy who believed the computers are the wave of the future and replaced all the workers who had given their lives to the company and Ted De Corsia went balistic. Wally Cox was in another one that had a sci-fi computer taking over his world and Robbie the Robot might have been in ond of those. Do you think Rod Serling knew something of these damn computers in the early 60's? I don't know the name of the episodes.

I believe the name of the book was There hearts were young and gay or something close to that. Clints new movie is The Flags of our Fathers that is all I know about that movie. After your constructive kick in my ass, I recall Bad Bob. I think Staceys first was The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. Scott Brady, who sometimes I could get confused with your buddy Ralph Meeker, was the dancing kid. I don't know the director but recall Sterling Hayden, Ernie Borgnine and Paul Fix, another"fixture" with John Ford and the Duke. I saw him on late night tv in one of Fords first talkies The Informer with Victor McLaughlin, who had been either the English or European heavyweight champion. Ford made sure Vic was good and drunk the night before his big scene about informing on Irelands IRA because he wanted the big lug to look confused and with his hangover he was. How many movies can you think of that had the theme "informing" either good or bad as the focal point of the film. I don't know who the girl was in Lord Jim. Yea, your right about the gentleman James Mason. If these emails take to much of your time wait for a day or two before answering. Remember the Postman always Rings Twice.

Your giving me the 5th degree on this 6th degree:
target Van Heflin, was in Shane with Jack Palance,
Jack was in The Professionals with Robert Ryan,
obert was in Odds against tomorrow with Harry.
Heres yours, hook up target Jim Backus to Robert Wagner.

Can you imagine what a shrink might say about the Mick and Butt show! Two men with brain pans full of enough useless info to fill the reservoir of the Grand Coulee and Hoover Dams with a spillway into the Great Lakes.

Regards, Nobody tells Fred C Dobbs what to do Mick!