Born in abject poverty to a Hungarian immigrant tailor, a young Bernie Schwartz learned one of life's most important lessons at a tender age: you can't rely on anyone but yourself.
Making his way through adversities of language, impoverishment, deaths of loved ones and even a stint in an orphanage, he turned things around after service in the military, using the G.I. Bill to fund his attendance in acting school. One quick change of name, and straight out of some absurd Horatio Alger story, he wound up fast tracked to Hollywood and fame.
Following a run of big budget historical epics, he found a niche in fluffy, sexless comedies, somewhere between the goofy antics of Martin and Lewis and the pillow talk of Rock Hudson and Doris Day. Young, handsome and affable, he became a darling of the teenage fanclub set, to the point where he even spoofed himself on an episode of the Flintstones, voicing a thinly veiled cartoon analogue.
Falling on hard times and still striving for stretch roles outside this typecast safe zone, he wound up shaking the tree in extremis with a dramatization of early serial killer Albert DeSalvo, finding himself critically acclaimed...but seemingly unable to land further roles of note. Struggling with drug use, he still managed to bring a unique character and often riveting if decidedly off kilter sensibility to films as diverse and often absurd as The Bad News Bears Go to Japan, The Manitou and the Mae West oddity Sextette.
Turning increasingly to television in his later years, he used a sleazy Hollywood gossip show as a platform to share some wholly unrelated memories of his past career, drumming up enough interest to publish a successful autobiography and launch a late sideline in painting, before taking one last truly bizarre turn at the very end of his life...
Join us tonight as we speak to the quirky, often questionable but undeniably loveable Tony Curtis, only here on Weird Scenes!
Week 81: Bronx Boy Breaks Box Office - the unusual tale of Tony Curtis
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Weird Scenes 4/4/19: Sean Connery - Beyond Bond
Weird Scenes 3/21/19: Roddy McDowall - a true character
Weird Scenes 3/7/19: The Italian Stallion: the Films of Sylvester Stallone
Weird Scenes 2/21/19: The King died on the throne: the weird world of the Elvis movie
Weird Scenes 2/7/19: Wk 58 Superhero cinema pt. 3: Marvel studios steps in
Weird Scenes 1/11/19: Week 56 - Superhero cinema pt. 1: DC
Weird Scenes 1/24/19: Week 57 - Superhero cinema pt. 2 : early Marvel
Weird Scenes 9/27/18 - Week 55 - This podcast will self destruct in 5 seconds
Weird Scenes 9/13/18 - Week 54: Eddie Romero and the horror of the Philippines
Weird Scenes 8/30/18: Week 53 - Joe Don Baker: Walk softly and carry a big stick
Weird Scenes 8/16/18: Week 52 - Easy Ridin' with Cap - the films of Peter Fonda
Weird Scenes 8/2/18: Week 51 - the OTHER career of William Shatner
Weird Scenes 7/19/18 - Radley Metzger - a dash of Euro Chic
Weird Scenes 7/5/18 - Io, Emmanuelle
Weird Scenes 6/21/18: Watch Out, Baby…it’s Eddie Constantine!
Weird Scenes 6/7/18: In the Shadow of Giants: the Weird World of Amicus films
Weird Scenes 5/24/18: The Icy Eyes of Death - the films of Barbara Steele
Weird Scenes 5/10/18: Embracing Mania – Ken Russell in the 80's
Weird Scenes 4/26/18: The First Gay Action Hero?
Week 92 (Sun. Oct. 15) - Mark Briody of Jag Panzer
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