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The first of the mighty 'vikings' trio has left us

posted 14 years ago by SeanJoyce
3 replies | jump to latest

Up until now, I've always marvelled at the fact that every member of the trifecta that headlines this movie (Curtis, Douglas, Borgnine) is still with us, more than 50 years later.

Sadly, that is no longer so; Curtis has deprived us of his company. Say what you will about the guy; for me personally, he was pretty unlikable in a private sense, and his movie career leaves a bit to be desired. However, there's no denying that at the peak of his popularity, he was one of Hollywood's biggest stars and he left some bonafide classics in his wake.

I'm glad that Curtis was able to live such a long and fulfilling life. RIP.

P.S. I can't help but shudder that, whether by conscious effort or not, we'll all be playing the morbid guessing game of who's the next to go, Douglas or Borgnine.

"...if that was off, I'd be whoopin' your ass up and down this street." ~ an irate Tarantino

[–] cluvonj 14 years ago

I just bought this movie this week to watch along with a couple of other Tony Curtis movies because I'm a huge fan of his. I enjoyed the movie although I had some aspects of it that I questioned. I looked up both Kirk and Ernest to see how old they were and were surprized to see they were close to their mid 90s now and 8 to 9 yrs older than Tony so it is surprizing to see he went first and also the fact the leading lady died before any of them since women tend to have longer life spans.

I am puzzled as to why you feel that Tony is pretty unlikeable for I have found his nothing but charming and kind all through the yrs. I finally got the opportunity to meet him 1 1/2 yrs ago and it was the best experience I have ever had in meeting any celebrity. He was kind and made it very personal. He seemed to know what it means to a fan to meet someone they have enjoyed watching on the big screen for many yrs. And since his death in the articles I have read many people who knew and were close to him have nothing but good things to say about him.

I read the following quote yesterday from the owner of the casino hotel where they had his memorial service and who was a long term friend of his and it was on the money the experience I had with him. I have also read other people who have met him who have stated the same things.

"In person, Kilroy said, Curtis loved giving friends and fans extra touches that made their face-to-face moments more memorable. "He had a certain way of making everybody feel like they were Spartacus," Kilroy said."

[–] SeanJoyce 14 years ago

Thanks for the reply.

I'm glad that you had a pleasant encounter with Mr. Curtis. Meeting any Hollywood legend would be an event worth treasuring.

My comments about Curtis pertain to his selg-aggrandizing behavior the past few decades. When his time as a movie star was up, he wouldn't cede the limelight. It's widely known that he was a pompous blowhard who never eschewed from talking himself up, even if it meant belittling others. He often made rude and unsavory remarks about others...his scathing comments about Janet Leigh are well-documented, and he just recently insulted Paul Newman (his superior in every conceivable way) AFTER the great star had left us. His most recent autobiography was a feeble attempt to recapture his long-lost glory days...by all reports, it was nothing but a meek extenuation of his last one with more scandalous dirt dug up on others (most no longer with us.)

By no means do I want to trample on the man's grave; he left us some great memories. But he was in need of a harsh reality check, as he had an unqualified, unusually lofty opinion of himself. This coupled with his invidious attacks on other make a rather unlikable guy in a private sense, in my opinion.

"...if that was off, I'd be whoopin' your ass up and down this street." ~ an irate Tarantino

[–] SeanJoyce 12 years ago

With Ernie now departing us at the ripe old age of 95, Kirk is the last man standing.

"...if that was off, I'd be whoopin' your ass up and down this street." ~ an irate Tarantino