Somebody

by Stefan Kanfer

Will Marlon retain his iconic status in the years to come? The collective memory is short, and in the epoch of the twenty-four-hour news cycle, the iPod, YouTube, TiVo, and video games, there are more distractions than ever before. Yet, in a crowning irony, there are also unprecedented devices for information retrieval. Today the Brando oeuvre can be fetched by hitting a few computer keys. Skeptics who think the man’s impact is exaggerated can find the truth easily enough. All they have to do is compare the leading male performances before his debut with those afterward. Once observed, these astonishing performances cannot be unseen. The Bud who blossomed into a superstar, the champion who called himself a bum, the artist who denied his art, remains a dominant presence in contemporary cinema. Another generation has taken over from Caan’s, and its members are still “doing Brando.” The generations that follow are likely to be doing him for the rest of this century—and beyond.

  Appendix

  Broadway Credits

  I Remember Mama, Music Box Theatre, 1944

  Truckline Café, Belasco Theatre, 1946

  Candida, Cort Theatre, 1946

  A Flag Is Born, Alvin Theatre, 1947

  A Streetcar Named Desire, Ethel Barrymore Theatre, 1947

  Film Credits

  1950 The Men

  1951 A Streetcar Named Desire

  1952 Viva Zapata!

  1953 Julius Caesar; The Wild One

  1954 On the Waterfront; Desirée

  1955 Guys and Dolls

  1956 The Teahouse of the August Moon

  1957 Sayonara

  1958 The Young Lions

  1959 The Fugitive Kind

  1961 One-Eyed Jacks (actor-director)

  1962 Mutiny on the Bounty

  1963 The Ugly American

  1964 Bedtime Story

  1965 Morituri

  1966 The Chase; The Appaloosa

  1967 A Countess from Hong Kong; Reflections in a Golden Eye

  1968 Candy; The Night of the Following Day

  1969 Burn! (Queimada)

  1970 King: A Filmed Record…Montgomery to Memphis (documentary)

  1972 The Nightcomers; The Godfather; Last Tango in Paris

  1976 The Missouri Breaks

  1978 Superman; Raoni (documentary, narrator)

  1979 Apocalypse Now; Roots: The Next Generations (TV)

  1980 The Formula

  1981 The Rebels (biographical documentary)

  1989 A Dry White Season

  1990 The Freshman

  1991 Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse (documentary)

  1992 Christopher Columbus: The Discovery

  1995 Don Juan DeMarco

  1996 The Island of Dr. Moreau

  1997 The Brave

  1998 Free Money

  2001 The Score

  2004 “The Godfather: The Game” (video game, voice-over); Big Bug Man (animated film, voice-over)

  2006 Superman Returns (posthumous appearance from archival footage)

  2007 Brando (television biographical documentary on Turner Classic Movies)

  Acknowledgments

  Marlon Brando died in 2004 at the age of eighty. His contemporaries from the Midwest and New York City are few in number. Those who remain tend to have minor, conflicting, or faulty memories of the young Marlon.

  But there are exceptions, and no one is more exceptional a memoirist than Elaine Stritch, one of the most gifted and versatile actresses in Broadway history. Despite a heavy schedule and precarious health, Ms. Stritch spent many hours with me reminiscing about her acting apprenticeship at the New School for Social Research, and about her classmate Marlon Brando. Her brilliant showpiece At Liberty includes recollections of Brando, but these conversations went far beyond anything she had put on the record.

  Ellen Adler, Stella Adler’s daughter, knew the actor from his first days in New York and remained a friend until his final days in California. She was also kind enough to share her memories in lively and intelligent detail. Lance Morrow introduced me to Leila Hadley Luce, whose memories of Marlon on Broadway and on the New York party circuit were entertaining and invaluable. Lisa Reitman-Dobi offered sharp editorial commentary and was kind enough to bring Diane Ladd into the picture. The actress was a close friend of Jocelyn and Marlon Brando. Marlon evidently regarded Diane as a colleague rather than a romantic interest; they had both lost children and he became, in her words, “a kind of soul mate.” Ms. Ladd was extremely helpful about the actor’s later years. Others who knew Marlon through the decades, and who were willing to share their reminiscences with me, included Josh Greenfeld, Daniel Melnick, Paul Maslansky, and the late Brad Darrach, Elia Kazan, Eliot Asinov, and Alan Schneider.

  Considering Brando’s life, his friend and fellow actor Maureen Stapleton once told an interviewer, “Marlon, oh, man, you want to talk about pain?” As this book demonstrates, the anguish that showed in so many of his performances was earned, not imitated. To trace its roots and branches, I consulted several psychiatrists and therapists who specialize in the emotional difficulties of those in the performing arts. Dr. John Rodman referred me to Dr. Gary Lefer, who was remarkably insightful and jargon-free; Dr. Charlotte Doyle of Sarah Lawrence College added worthy information, as did psychotherapists Antoinette Lynn and Sybil Baran. Other doctors gave their points of view about Marlon’s afflictions, but were unwilling to be quoted by name.

  My colleagues at City Journal were unfailingly helpful and kind, especially Myron Magnet and his successor, Brian Anderson, and their aide, Benjamin Plotinsky. John Leo and Harry Stein proved to be more than allies; they were astute advisers.

  Jess Korman offered many discerning and heartening words, as did my fellow Centurion Hugh Nissenson. I am also grateful to my former Time colleagues Gerald Clarke, Paul Gray, Christopher Porterfield, Roger Rosenblatt, and R. Z. Sheppard for their sound historical and literary counsel. Andrew Ettinger, a student of Brando’s social activism, pointed the way to troves of material that might otherwise have escaped my attention.

  Again, as in the case of so many of my previous books, the Rivertowns group provided stalwart support. Among the most valuable were Will Shortz, the great editor of the New York Times crosswords; Amy Hsu; my fellow cofounder, Steve Zeitlin, director of City Lore; Rob Bernstein; Fred Gordon; Bob Mankoff; John Ng; Robert Roberts, the most skilled table-tennis player I have ever encountered; Guizhong Xu, Peter Wolf; and all the other pongers who kept me in shape for this journey.

  As always, Peter Gethers made what seemed to be impossible requirements; as always, they turned out to be not only possible but mandatory. And Claudia Herr was encouraging every step of the ramp. Villette Harris was once again the invaluable and tireless researcher for both references and pictures; Kathy Robbins, agent, adviser, and friend, lightened the burden with wisdom and humor, and the librarians at the Lincoln Center and Forty-second Street libraries were helpful beyond measure.

  In first place, though listed last, is my family. Once again a glass of gratitude and love is lifted to May, Lili, Ethan, Andy, Daniela, and Lea and Aly, who will want to rent black-and-white movies someday.

  Bibliography

  Biographies and Background

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  ———. Montgomery Clift: A Biography, Limelight Editions, 2001.

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The Films of Marlon Brando, Confucian Press, 1982.

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  ———. Listing of Personal Property for Auction, Christie’s, June 30, 2005.

  ———. and Donald Cammell. Fan-Tan, edited and with an Afterword by David Thomson, Knopf, 2005.

  ———, with Robert Lindsey. Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me, Random House, 1994.

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  ———. The Collected Works, Applause, 1994.

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  Cowie, Peter. The Apocalypse Now Book, Da Capo, 2001.

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  French, Philip. The Movie Moguls, Regnery, 1969.

  Friedel, Robert O. Borderline Personality Disorder Demystified, Avalon, 2004.

  Englund, George. Marlon Brando: The Way It’s Never Been Done Before, Harper, 2005.

  Gabler, Neal. An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood, Anchor, 1989.

  ———. Life: The Movie: How Entertainment Conquered Reality, Vintage, 2000.

  Garfield, David. A Player’s Place: The Story of the Actors Studio, Macmillan, 1980.

  Gifford, Barry. Brando Rides Alone: A Reconsideration of the Film One-Eyed Jacks, North Atlantic Books, 2004.

  Gill, Brendan. Tallulah, Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1972.

  Goldman, William. Adventures in the Screen Trade: A Personal View of Hollywood and Screenwriting, Warner Books, 1983.

  ———. Which Lie Did I Tell?: More Adventures in the Screen Trade, Vintage, 2000.

  ———. The Big Picture: Who Killed Hollywood and Other Essays, Applause, 2002.

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  ———. The Art of the Interview: Lessons from a Master of the Craft, Three Rivers Press, 2004.

  Hecht, Ben. A Child of the Century, Simon & Schuster, 1954.

  ———. Perfidy, Milah Press, 1999.

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  ———. Merchant of Dreams: Louis B. Mayer, M.G.M. and the Secret Hollywood, Laurel, 1994.

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  ———. Stardust Lost: The Triumph, Tragedy, and Mishugas of the Yiddish Theater in America, Knopf, 2006.

  Kazan, Elia. A Life, Da Capo, 1997.

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  Lingeman, Richard. Don’t You Know There’s a War On?: The American Home Front, 1941–1945, Thunder’s Mouth, 2003.

  Litwak, Mark. Reel Power: The Struggle for Influence and Success in the New Hollywood, Morrow, 1986.

  McCann, Graham. Rebel Males: Clift, Brando and Dean, Rutgers University Press, 1993.

  Manso, Peter. Brando: The Biography, Hyperion, 1994.

  Miller, Arthur. Time Bends: A Life, Penguin, 1995.

  Mordden, Ethan. The Hollywood Studios: Their Unique Styles During the Golden Age of Movies, Fireside, 1989.

  ———. Medium Cool: The Movies of the 1960s, Knopf, 1990.

  Morella, Joe, and Edward Z. Epstein. Brando: The Unauthorized Biography, Crown, 1973.

  Mulano, Rebecca and Sam. Donald Cammell: A Life on the Wild Side, FAB Press, 2006.

  Nachman, Gerald. Raised on Radio, University of California Press, 1998.

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  Offen, Ron. Brando, Regnery, 1973.

  Parrish, James Robert. The Hollywood Book of Death, McGraw-Hill, 2002.

  Porter, Darwin. Brando Unzipped, Blood Moon Productions, 2006.

  Powell, Elfreda. Marlon Brando, Parragon Publishing, 1998.

  Puzo, Mario. The Godfather Papers and Other Confessions, Fawcett Crest, 1973.

  Quirke, Anita. Choking on Marlon Brando, Overlook, 2007.

  Raphael, Phyllis. Off the King’s Road: Lost and Found in London, Other Press, 2007.

  Redfield, William. Letters from an Actor, Limelight Editions, 1967.

  Reynolds, Jonathan. Geniuses, Samuel French, 1983.

  Rosenfeld, Lulla. Bright Star of Exile: Jacob Adler and the Yiddish Theater, Thomas Y. Crowell, 1977.

  Ross, Lillian, and Helen Ross. The Player: A Profile of an Art, Limelight Editions, 1984.

  Russo, William, and Jan Merlin. Troubles in a Golden Eye: Starring Taylor & Brando with John Huston, Xlibris, 2005.

  Ryan, Paul. Marlon Brando, Carroll & Graf, 1994.

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  Schickel, Richard. Brando, Thunder’s Mouth, 1999.

  ———. Intimate Strangers: The Culture of Celebrity in America, Ivan R. Dee, 2000.

  ———. Elia Kazan: A Biography, HarperCollins, 2005.

  Schirmer, Lothar. Marlon Brando: Portraits and Film Stills 1946–1995, Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1996.

  Sherwood, Robert. Reunion in Vienna, Kessinger Publishing, 2006.

  Shipman, David. Marlon Brando, Warner, 1990.

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  Teriipaia, Tarita. Marlon, My Love and My Torment, XO Editions, 2005.

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an American Acting Style, Schirmer, 1991.

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  ———. Memoirs, Anchor Press, 1983.

  Willingham, Calder. End as a Man, Donald I. Fine, 1986.

  Woititz, Janet Geringer. Struggle for Intimacy: Adult Children of Alcoholics Series, Health Communications, 1990.

  Zierold, Norman. The Moguls: The Power Princes of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Avon, 1969.

  Zuckerman, Ira. The Godfather Journal, Manor Books, 1972.

  Some Important Magazine Articles

  Bodeen, DeWitt. “Marlon Brando,” Films in Review, December 1980.

  Brodkey, Harold. “Translating Brando,” The New Yorker, October 24, 1994.

  Bush, Lyall. “Doing Brando,” Film Comment, January–February 1996.

  Goldstein, Richard. “A Streetcar Named Meshuge,” The Village Voice, April 23, 1996.

  Haden-Guest, Anthony. “Behind the Scenes,” The Observer (London), May 1, 2005.

  Haskell, Molly. Series on Marlon Brando in The Village Voice, June 14–August 30, 1973.

  Houseman, John. “Filming Julius Caesar,” Films in Review, April 1953.

  Janos, Leo. “The Private World of Marlon Brando,” Time, May 24, 1976.

  Life. Apocalypse Now, June 1979 cover story.

  McVay, Douglas. “The Brando Mutiny,” Films and Filming, December 1962.

  Malden, Karl. “The Two Faces of Brando,” Films and Filming, March 1958.

  Peary, Gerald. “The Wild One,” American Film, June 1986.

  Porterfield, Christopher. Last Tango cover story in Time, January 22, 1973.

  Sarris, Andrew. “A Tribute to Marlon Brando,” Film Comment, May–June 1974.

  Schickel, Richard. “Celebrity,” Film Comment, January–February 1985.

  Schulberg, Budd. “The King Who Would Be Man,” Vanity Fair, March 2005.

  Watters, Jim. Desirée cover story in Life, October 11, 1954.

  N.B.: In addition to the lengthy newspaper obituaries available on the net, the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com) lists more than a hundred invaluable pieces and pictorial layouts from newspapers and magazines worldwide, ranging from The New York Times and The Washington Post to The Sydney Morning Herald, the London Daily Telegraph, and The Honolulu Advertiser.