** In April 1998, when Karl Malden was 86, my wife and I got a chance to meet
him and his daughter Carla at a screening of "On the Waterfront" at a theater
in La Jolla, north of San Diego. He was also there to promote his fabulous and
somewhat dishy memoir, "When Do I Start?" -- which had been released the year
before in hardcover -- (and as of this writing, is still gloriously in print in
paperback because it's that fantastic, esp. his impressions of the stars he
worked with -- which he felt OK writing about -- given the fact that even in
1998, he had already outlived most of 'em).
** In conjunction with his appearance, I loaned my LB one-sheet to "On the
Waterfront" to the film society group hosting his visit. It was displayed on
stage after the screening -- and also at an adjacent bookstore where he signed
copies of his books with his daughter, who wrote the text. He answered a ton
of questions from the huge audience that turned out -- esp. what it was like
working with Brando, Elia Kazan and Vivien Leigh. He said Kazan was a genius,
that Leigh was closer to Blanche DuBois in real life than Blanche herself, and
that Brando was the greatest actor he'd ever worked with. He spoke of Brando
with great sadness, calling him a man who had everything -- drop-dead looks,
talent and money -- but who became a corpulent, tragic figure who lost it all,
squandering his money and becoming increasingly eccentric, working in bad
projects after the Godfather, desperate to make money just to pay his bills.
** The entire night, Malden was sharp as a tack -- and had the command and
respect you'd expect as a president of AMPAS -- but who also had that
self-deprecating persona that made him endearing, esp. jokes about his lack of
matinee idol looks, his Broadway stage experience vs. his work on film -- and
his conviction that his years as a spokesman for American Express ("don't leave
home without it") made him more famous than all of his other work combined. In
fact, he joked that his obituaries would all mention his Oscar -- and predicted
ALL would also mention his work for American Express -- saying it would be the
"signature role for which he was better known to most of the public."
** The man we met that evening was gracious and accommodating to every fan
present. He represented the "old Hollywood," the type like Gregory Peck,
Charlton Heston and Tony Curtis out here in CA -- who have good manners and
loved to mix with fans. Malden loved the attention -- and I got the impression
he was ultra-surprised and ecstatic that a "supporting actor" could generate
such a large turnout. He and his daughter signed our book thus: "To Koose and
Yoe, best always from Carla Malden and Karl Malden." I took my "On the
Waterfront" poster off its easel and asked him to sign it. He did, just above
his name credit. I've mentioned this poster several times to the MoPo group --
in the context of certain signatures which add sentimental value -- but don't
add $$ value to vintage movie memorabilia. That poster is no longer in my
collection -- but I recall it fetched an OK price. But I kept his book,
personalized as it is. I view it similarly as my "Psycho" poster, whereby
Janet Leigh, during a visit in 2000, personalized her signature, "To David --
Psycho-tically yours, Janet Leigh." -d.
-----Original Message-----
Date: Wed, 1 Jul 2009 15:53:46 -0500
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Karl Malden rip at 87
To: [email protected]
He had been married 70 years, and had one of the three longest Hollywood
marriages (can you name the other two, WITHOUT looking at Imdb?).
I feel really really sorry for his wife. Imagine spending 70 years with someone
almost every day and then waking up without them?
Bruce
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