Marilyn Monroe Was a Fruitcake. Tony Curtis Said It | Parkinson on BBC
The Michael Parkinson Channel
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Tony Curtis grew up in Manhattan with Hungarian Jewish immigrant parents and never quite felt like an American. He has been moving ever since. He considers this a wonderful way to live.
In this conversation with Michael Parkinson, Curtis talks about walking into Hollywood with no idea how complicated it was going to be, about having 37 people working for him before he was earning enough to pay any of them, and about ignoring every critic who ever wrote about him on the grounds that somebody was clearly buying tickets. He talks about learning to act by watching Cary Grant and the moments left unsaid that give a performance its mystery.
Then there is Marilyn Monroe. Curtis worked with her on Some Like It Hot and is characteristically direct about what she was like. He does not blame Hollywood. He does not blame the system. He says she was a fruitcake caught in a system that demanded things she was not capable of giving, and that the tragedy was inseparable from the beauty.
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An episode of The Persuaders was filmed in southern Spain, all the cast & crew travelled on a coach down from their hotel to do a shoot at a nearby small town. Roger Moore mentioned that as they approached the town-centre eventually the coach passengers could all hear the local townsfolk all chanting & cheering obviously they’d all come-out to greet the tv people.
Tony Curtis immediately humorously shouted to everyone on the coach “my fans have arrived to see me”…as at this point Roger Moore hadn’t done Bond or had any major film roles (he was famous mainly in England for doing tv’s The Saint). Eventually the coach arrived in the middle of this Spanish town, & by all-accounts the crowd of local Spaniards were chanting like football fans, the chant was “El Santo, El Santo”…Tony Curtis asked what are they all chanting? To which a Spanish speaking crew-member replied “The Saint” 😂 Obviously they’d all come out to see Roger Moore as they’d loved watching him on The Saint!!
Thanks for this interesting & humourous interview with Michael & Tony!
He said : I acknowledge my five children but will not provide for them.
He left his entire estate ( forty to sixty million) entirely to his sixth wife.
I'll enjoy his performances in Spartacus and Some Like It Hot all the more from now on after seeing this Parky interview.
Another thing. I learned just a minute ago that his mother suffered terrible ill health mentally. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia. So what he says about Marilyn stems from him understanding mental illness having witnessed it at close range as a child. .
Marilyn Monroe Was a Fruitcake. Tony Curtis Said It | Parkinson on BBC
The Michael Parkinson Channel
264,983 views
Tony Curtis grew up in Manhattan with Hungarian Jewish immigrant parents and never quite felt like an American. He has been moving ever since. He considers this a wonderful way to live.
In this conversation with Michael Parkinson, Curtis talks about walking into Hollywood with no idea how complicated it was going to be, about having 37 people working for him before he was earning enough to pay any of them, and about ignoring every critic who ever wrote about him on the grounds that somebody was clearly buying tickets. He talks about learning to act by watching Cary Grant and the moments left unsaid that give a performance its mystery.
Then there is Marilyn Monroe. Curtis worked with her on Some Like It Hot and is characteristically direct about what she was like. He does not blame Hollywood. He does not blame the system. He says she was a fruitcake caught in a system that demanded things she was not capable of giving, and that the tragedy was inseparable from the beauty.
Legendary talk show host Sir Michael Parkinson's official YouTube channel. Step back in time with us as we relive the golden era of television and remember some of the most unforgettable moments from Parkinson! We’ll look back at some of his most memorable interviews featuring the biggest names in entertainment, politics, sport and culture. From legendary conversations with Hollywood icons to thought-provoking discussions with world leaders, these timeless interactions capture the charm, wit, and insight that made Michael Parkinson one of the greatest interviewers of all time.
Subscribe and journey through the best of British television history, one classic interview at a time!
#MichaelParkinson #TalkShow #ClassicInterviews #CelebrityInterviews