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 3/3/16 - Flying Fists and Shining Swords - speaking of Shaw Bros.
Weird Scenes 2/25/16 - Lights! Camera! and a whole lot of Action!
Weird Scenes 2/18/16 - Look! Up in the Skies! superhero & comic book television
Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine 2/4/16 - Hallo! Heir Spricht Edgar Wallace!
Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine 1/28/16 - Classic British Cult Television
Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine 1/21/16 - Kiss the Ring: Italian crime cinema
Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine 1/7/16 - Fight the Power!
Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine 12/10/15 - Keeping the British End Up
Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine 12/3/15 - Ciao, Mario
Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine 11/19/15 - Dear Brigitte
Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine 11/12/15 - Classic Anime and Hentai
Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine 11/5/15 - Italian Sleaze
Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine 10/29/15 - Shaken...not stirred
Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine 10/15/15 - Who's Next
Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine 10/1/15 - At last, Lucio
Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine 9/24/15 - a bit of the old slap and tickle
Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine 9/10/15 - back to the well with Jess Franco
Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine 9/3/15 - the golden age of adult film
Moving Towards Light 8/26/15 - Reading is Fundamental
Moving Towards Light 8/11/15-Get Over Yourself, Buddy
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