28 — “riday, September 17, 1999 — North Shore News horesc From page 26 Brando’s nickname is “Bud” and he is quite obvi- ously androgynous. Elia Kazan once spoke of his “soft, vearn- ing girlish side.” Bud had despised the super macho aspect of his father, Marlon Sr., with whom I was acquainted. ~ [first found myself insinu- ated into Marlon Brando’s complex private life via his horoscope. The astrologer I was studying with, Ben Gary, did work for Marion's first wife, the lovely actress, Anna Kashfi. We would counsel Anna, teil her about their young son, Christian Devi's, chart, and what was likely to happen in her tumultuous, adversarial relationship with her wild, unpredictable, “abusive” hus- band. indication not very positive. + Nevertheless, we tried to help as our comings and goings were monitored by Marion’s * investigators. However, he kept his distance: Later, The Berlin crisis. ‘Paul Newman’s rented home, Bel Air, Paul’s friend and Connecticut neighbour, Norman Cousins, editor of The Saturday Review, is . addressing an informal gather- ’ ing of celebrities: Jerry Lewis, Steve Allen, Shirley MacLaine - and others. Everyone is increasingly excited and encouraged about what could be done to influ- ence current events in a posi- ~ _. tive, constructive manner (through the media) and in comes Marlon Brando, char- ‘ acteristically late, and all arten- tion goes immediately to him as he proceeds to methodically ‘ and intelligently pooh-pooh the whole affair with talk of World War II and “the - ef MARLON Brando is followed by New ‘York paparazzi photographer Ron Galella in 1974 — a year after the actor had punched Galella for stalking him. kamikaze mentality and the utter futility and hopzless- ness,“ etc. The awesome animal mag- netism, the way he owns his space (and everybody clse’s), has us all transfixed, especially Newman. Then, abrupdly, dis- dainfully, he iezves. Dead silence. Shirley MacLaine aris- es, thanks the star-struck Cousins for his noble effort, departs, and everyone soon follows. Joanne Woodward, who had starred with Brando in The Fugitive Kind is furious, “Paul, J will never invite that horrible man, he will never enter our home again — how dare he...!2” ete. . lam astonished that she ‘feels this strong'y and suspect that she’s exaggerating for her husband’s sake, since Newman is still hanging on every word that Brande had spoken, fasci- nated, and, apparently, deem- ing himself inferior, as usual, in the company of the mighty, elemental, guru-like Brando. I realized then, that noc only on screen, but in person, as well —- when Brandc ‘s pre- sent, everyone else, even the luminously charismatic Paul Newman, is wallpaper. He certainly dominated the gargantuan set of Mutiny On The Bounty which I visited several times. Brando would speak of how much happier ¢ Tahitians were “more laughing faces per acre than any other place,” he would repeatedly assert as he pro- ceeded to bemoan the joyless materialism of our so-called, “modern civilization.” One evening, while leaving a Vittorio de Sica movie in Beverly Hills, Steware Stern, the writer, and I joined a pony-tailed Marlon and his Bounty co-star, Tarita, and stayed up well into the next morning, laughing and scratching at the Beveriy Wiishire Hotel coffee shop. We marvelled at how refreshing it was that Tatita, with whom he lived in Tahiti, knew so litte about what was going on in the world. She didn’t know who JFK was, or hed hot aol Gaulle. He ad her giggling non-stop. He was good at that with his women. Autograph seekers appeared, one after the other, and approached our table gin- gerly. Brando would sign, gra- ciously, taking time, with his bavish charm power, to empa- thetically connect. We spoke of the radioactiv- ity Marlon had registered with his Geiger counter on the beach at ‘P:tiaroa, his private island. Tarita had developed a tumour. He didn’t actually purchase the island until later in 1966. His passion and compas- sion regarding certain social inj s, such as the plight of mericans, ran deep it does now. He was, and still is, very funny, outra- geously earthy (breaking wind tor laughs, especially around self: ious, fastidious or pretentious pcople...which is, most of the time} and down, down, down...way down on motion pictures as “art.” He takes a very dim view of being referred to as an “artist.” His disdain for his profes- sion is fairly wideiy known. Regarding his movies, he indulges in an awful lot of floccinaucinihilipilification (the habit of estimating as worth- less). However, he liked Burn. ‘T’'ve been to 12900 Mutholland Dr... his elevated “compound/sanctuary/ domain.” with its broad overview of Beverly ills to the south, and the San Fernando vailey to the north. Brando had a wonderfully giddy time with the very sophisticated and clever David Niven on Bedtime Stary. 1 fre- quented the set and also knew the director Raiph Levy. J watched Marlon flub line after line after line. Nobody Making airtime work for you Time for fun — and business from Apex Communications team! Unlimited evening - and weekend calling anywhere in BG and Alberta Including airtime aad long distance. - Incoming and outgoing. It doesn't matter. m Untiimite onty AO par month scemed to care. He could get away with practically anything (including reading his jines from notes pasted cn fellow actor's foreheads). He would have to squint. Very near- ighted. He had his own ever- ready makeup man...was inse- cure about his appearance at that point. When I last spent quality time with him, in 1980, he was beginning to let go of all that and put on more weight. An intimate dinner party in Beverly Hills. Newman was there, without Joanne. Cloris Leachman, George Englund and Brando’s old pal and cel- league, Karl Malden, also attended. Tt was interesting sceing them together, appreciating one another for all the good times on Broadway, Streetcar, On The Waterfront, and, later, One Eyed Jacks, the way-over- budget western Marlon direct- ed for Paramount —— they had many a wincing laugh over that harrowing experience. Brando has brought upon... himself great suffering. In 1990 his son Christian was arrested for murder. 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