Movies - Tony Curtis - An Appreciation
I was just clearing through the checkout lane of a supermarket and I saw him on the cover of a tabloid, Tony Curtis, ailing, one-tenth of his former self, aided by his wife Jill Vanden Berg into a car, clearly a very sick man in a wheel chair... and the heading on the cover : TONY CURTIS BATTLES FOR LIFE... that really made me sad since he is someone that I have truly appreciated through so many films during the 60s and 70s.
A Hungarian by origin just like Zsa Zsa Gabor, TC first appeared on the silver screen in the 1949 Burt Lancaster vehicle, Criss Cross. Most people may not be aware of his presence but just pay attention at the night club dance scene and you'll see him as an extra dancing in the background. But only 8 years later, he would be Lancaster's equal in the Sweet Smell of Success, a bitter drama about facts of life in the big city and publishing industry.
Then came many films fast and furious and he shined in all of them including Some Like It Hot, The Defiant Ones, Spartacus, Trapeze, Operation Petticoat, Boston Strangler, and about 130 others!
During the late years of his life he picked up painting and I saw some of his canvasses they were not bad at all. Heavy brush strokes with lively bright colors. I would have bought his and Tony Bennet's paintings if I had the money.
He is 81 years old now. He lived the good and lucky life, gave us many unforgettable films that have become a part of our collective memory. Now perhaps he is waging his last fight, bravely, with dignity, although seeing the broken old man on that tabloid cover makes my heart sink and makes me wonder if there is any justice in life.
Is this the same charmer who performed his own stunts in Trapeze. made us laugh in Some Like It Hot and weep in The Defiant Ones? Yes, he definitely is and will always be.
I wish you well, Mr. Curtis. Whether you get well soon or not, thanks for the memories. Truly.
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Ugur Akinci, Ph.D. is a writer with 20 years of experience. He is available for a wide variety of freelance assignments. Visit his web site http://www.writer111.com for more information on his services.
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