0
lawrocket

Karl Malden Dead at 97

Recommended Posts

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090701/ap_on_en_mo/us_obit_malden

They just keep dying - though at 97 it should be no surprise.

For those of you younguns, you may not even recognize the guy. But I remember him from "The Streets of San Francisco," the American Express commercials, and such films as On the Waterfront, Patton and Baby Doll (his casting in that movie was brilliant - she was turning 21, and as his wife she knew what that meant!)

He was a damned good actor, and also seemed to be a damned good fella.


My wife is hotter than your wife.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I never heard of Baby Doll, so I looked it up on IMDB:

Quote

When the film was released in 1956, it was enormously controversial for its extremely risqué subject matter. The Legion of Decency condemned the film for its "carnal suggestiveness". Francis Cardinal Spellman condemned the film in a stunning attack from the pulpit of St. Patrick's Cathedral two days before the film opened, saying that the film had been "responsibly judged to be evil in concept" and was certain that it would "exert an immoral and corrupting influence on those who see it", and exhorted all Catholics to refrain from patronizing the film "under pain of sin". Cardinal Spellman's condemnation of the film led to the Legion of Decency's first-ever nationwide boycott of an American-made film produced by a major studio. All over the country, almost 20 million Catholics protested the film and picketed theaters that showed it.

The Catholic boycott nearly killed the film; it was cancelled by 77% of theaters scheduled to show it, and it only made a meager $600,000 at the box office. The film was also condemned by Time Magazine, which called it the dirtiest American-made motion picture that had ever been legally exhibited. Surprisingly, despite the film's sordid elements, the Production Code Administration gave it a seal of approval, but only after nearly a year of arguments. This was one of many examples of how the lax attitude of new Code official Geoffrey Shurlock, the successor at the PCA to the strict Catholic militant Joseph Breen, would lead to a schism with the Legon of Decency and the PCA's own downfall over the next few years. After this film, the PCA drifted farther and farther away from its traditional guidelines until it was replaced by the MPAA ratings system in 1968.



After an endorsement like that, I think I'll add it to my NetFlix queue.:D
"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

General Bradley in "Patton" (and married to the same woman for 70 years). Karl Malden was as good as they get.

R.I.P. Sir. :(



edit: to correct for General Omar Bradley.

"Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest" ~Samuel Clemens

MB#4300
Dudeist Skydiver #68

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

0