Photoplay (Jan-Jun 1955)

it. From her I learned something important after I got a bit older. You can hate qualities in people but you mustn’t hate people themselves, for we’re all dependent on each other. ‘No man is an Island, entire of itself.’ When you realize this, you find humility. “I found humility as a kid. The first time was when I was running around with a gang of young East Side kids. By that time I had a pretty good opinion of myself. I was a good rough-and-tumble fighter and one of the best pushcart raiders in the district. I had a girl that I kind of liked and she gave me the brush. When she dumped me for another guy, a little bigger and maybe a little tougher than I was, I was bewildered. ‘What did she do that for?’ I kept asking myself. ‘What’s he got?’ It took me a long time to get it through my thick head that no matter how good you think you are, there’s always someone just a little bit better. It taught me humility. To this day, I know that if I ever let my opinion of myself get lopsided, there’ll always be someone around to pin my ears back.” On the one occasion in Hollywood when Tony needed to have his ears pinned back he was able to do his own pinning. When he first came to Hollywood, Tony was uncertain, sensitive and inclined to be moody. With his immediate success in “The Prince Who Was a Thief,” his studio bosses were a little concerned about him. As Sam Israel, director of publicity for U-I, says, “Some of us thought Tony was becoming aloof, that the initial successes he had might be affecting him adversely, that he was losing his sense of balance and value. We needn’t have worried. Instead of getting a swelled head, Tony was brooding over what he considered his lack of experience. The more he gained confidence, the more cooperative, the more willing he was to exhaust himself in slugging work. Not long ago we had to call off all activity and send him to the desert for a rest. Not even his youth could stand up under the punishment he was taking in riding, fencing, dancing, singing, acting lessons, the interviews and public appearances. His enthusiasm and incredible willingness to slave long hours in perfecting himself is amazing. There’s no better kid in the business than Tony.” While preparing for his latest picture, “The Rawhide Years,” Tony found he could not ride well. For three weeks he was astride a horse from nine till twelve every day. At the end of that time, he could do running mounts, hang by one leg at a dead gallop and had a bag of tricks that would convince an expert that he’d been saddle-bound for years. When he was asked to train for a fencing role in “The Purple Mask” he went into it with such fury that Ralph Faulkner, his trainer, says, “Today Tony is one of the finest swordsmen in Hollywood. His sense of timing is remarkable and his muscular coordination perfect. His eagerness to learn was beyond restraint and on one or two occasions carried him beyond the point of safety. Once, lunging forward, he forgot the proper guard and got a severe gash on his cheek. He laughed it off — but he never made that mistake again.” Pleased but worried about being cast in the musical, “So This Is Paris,” Tony was prepared to reward the confidence placed in him. With Gene Nelson, who coached him, he dedicated all spare time to dancing lessons. “Tony started out by knowing absolutely zero about stage dancing,” says Gene, “but before we were through he could perform with the best. He has an instinctive sense of rhythm and timing — two things that are gifts of God. Without them, no matter how hard you work, you’re sunk. But Tony never took advantage of these talents, he worked . twice as hard to develop them.” Tony’s sense of duty continues to keep him going at a fast pace. “Why shouldn’t I work hard for people who’ve held out a hand to me at every turn?” he asks. “From the first morning I stepped on the lot even the policeman at the gate gave me a big smile and said, ‘Welcome.’ You don’t forget such things.” Neither can Tony forget that he wants to repay in some small way the kindnesses shown him by holding out a helping hand himself whenever he can. But when pressed to talk about such instances, he shyly begs off with, “I’d a lot rather talk about those who’ve helped me.” One instance he will discuss though, with some pride, is how he helped a boy get started and what a good job the kid did. “Harry was struggling along but without much luck,” he explained. “He was a wonderful guy but simply couldn’t get the breaks. I’d been in Hollywood getting my feet planted, but when I returned to New York for a brief visit, I found Harry sunk in despair. I brought him back to California and introduced him to a few casting directors. They clammed up. Right then and there I learned a truism: ‘If you want to get something, go to the head man.’ “I finally sought out the producer and director of the film I was then making, which was ‘Flesh and Fury.’ They were terrific. They gave Harry a test and assigned him a small part as my kid brother in the picture. He came through beautifully and I got a terrific lift out of his success. You know, I realized that true happiness comes in proportion to the good you’re able to do for others. For days after, I walked around with a warm glow. I thought I was helping Harry, which I was, but I did a lot more for myself when I got Harry that break. “Sometimes you can try to help people and bungle it by letting your ego get in the way. This happened to me once. There was another young actor in New York — let’s call him Al. Things hadn’t been going well with him and he came and asked me if I could help him get a spot in a show. I was lucky and found him one — this was after I’d got going pretty well in Hollywood — and for a while Al did all right. But when the show folded he couldn’t get on again and I heard he was going around putting the rap on me, saying the only reason I was on top was I had the gift of gab and got all the breaks. I kept my mouth shut and didn’t say anything. Then one day he braced me again. “ ‘Look, Tone,’ he said, ‘I’m in a spot. Could you maybe say a word in the right place?’ “So again, through sheer luck, I was able to help him land a part in a new tv show. Later I saw him in it and thought he was pretty good. “Well, when that program was finished, he was right back behind the eight ball again, and once again I heard he was knifing me. This time I burned, but I didn’t put the finger on him — more because I was too busy than for any other reason, I guess. But one night I met him at a party. “ ‘Tone,’ he said, ‘I just can’t get going. Do you know of anything — ’ “I blew up before he had a chance to finish. ‘Look, you so-and-so,’ I said burn ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★■* BUY U. S. SAVINGS BONDS ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ ing. ‘You’re loaded with nerve if nothii; ■ else. Here you’ve been trying to give rr the business among my friends and no you want me to help you again. Get o of my sight.’ “That was the most unfortunate spee< j I ever made,” Tony said regretfully, should have realized that Al had to < something to bolster his own pride at self-esteem. Failure is an awful thin It’s only human to look for someone el to be the scapegoat. If our situations h; been reversed, you know, I might ha' been just as weak. What I said hurt n a lot more than it did him. For wee) I couldn’t throw off a feeling of havii acted small. “There was another time I acted selfisl ly and I still can’t think about it withoi i a pang of regret. It was a sweltering d; and my young brother, who’s now dea and I were playing in Central Park. W were thirsty so we went looking for : water fountain. We finally found one bi there was a whole crowd of people wai ing their turns. Finally my turn came u but a grumpy old man impatiently pushe i me aside before I was finished. I found paper cup that was lying beside tl fountain so I filled it up with the drij pings. As I turned away, my brother, wl , was too small to shove his way to tl fountain, thought I got the drink for hii • He held out his hand, but instead of givir j it to him I drank the water myself. N long afterward my brother died. It w; ; too late then to be thoughtful and I vowe j if I had the opportunity, I’d never pa ; up a chance to lend a helping hand agai i And Tony has kept his promise. . . Recently, a publicity man at U-I to of seeing Tony rush up and give a delivei boy a hand with a huge coffee tank whi< he was trying to lift from the delivei , truck. The tank was heavy and the younf : ster, lacking a helper, was having difficul' i in handling it. Tony grasped one side ar i together they wrestled the urn onto i i stand. “A lot of other actors were stanc j ing around, but it never occurred to oi ; of them to help,” the studio man sai “Tony didn’t wait to be asked.” Tony’s genuine warmth and liking < people has no racial barrier. While makir j “The Purple Mask,” a publicity represent; < tive said, “Tony noticed a Negro be extra who was standing around betwee ' scenes, looking lonely. He went over ar talked with him; after that, during tl : breaks, Tony made it a point to bring tl i boy into the conversation and the betweei shooting bantering in an easy, casual ar friendly way. As Jose Ferrer says, “Tony has tl I greatest sense of responsibility to his fe i low man I’ve ever encountered.” And the George Washington Carvi , Memorial Institute has confirmed this. Fi a few months ago, Tony Curtis was narru . by this Institute for the annual Award Merit, given for outstanding contribi tions to interracial unity. Dr. Robert ) Hobday, the Institute’s president, annour ced that the award was being made “f< the actor’s assistance in the organizatic of Carver Youth Clubs to combat juveni delinquency and for his active sponsorsh of education libraries in Negro schools. Tony accepted the award with gratitud saying later, “How lucky I’ve been. Witl out the help of many people, life for n would not have turned out so well. Almo invariably everyone has been kind. I’' met genuine good will everywhere.” And to Tony, from his thousands fans, his hundreds of co-workers and fro the many acquaintances and friends hr made since he moved to Hollywood, com' a warm feeling of gratitude, for we, to feel, how lucky we are. The End