Brando

Though it's hard to imagine anyone else portraying Don Corleone, Brando was not the first choice for the patriarch of "The Godfather." Paramount Pictures initially considered the following actors: Ernest Borgnine, Edward G. Robinson, Orson Welles, George C. Scott, Burt Lancaster, Anthony Quinn & Frank Sinatra. Francis Coppola narrowed the list to Brando & Laurence Olivier. Olivier was ill so Brando won out. Brando's previous film before "The Godfather" was a flop called "Burn!" Paramount was afraid Brando might be washed up so they offered him a salary just above scale. Brando wanted to make Don Corleone look like a bulldog so during early camera tests he stuffed his cheek with cotton. When actual filming began, he wore a custom-fitted mouthpiece. Because of Brando's thick makeup, cinematographer Gordon Willis opted to use overhead lighting. This contributed to the film's patented dark look. Paramount was so dissatisfied with the early rushes they considered replacing Coppola with Elia Kazan. Brando announced he would quit if Coppola were fired. (The studio didn't realize that Brando was still upset with Kazan over his testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee in the 1950's.) Brando did not memorize his lines during shooting but instead read from cue cards. Even so, Brando's performance won him the Best Actor Academy Award in 1972. This led to the infamous incident where Brando sent Native American Sacheen Littlefeather to accept the Oscar on his behalf. (4" x 6", black ink print)

Sandy Koufax

When I was a boy, my parents grounded me only one time.  Not when I hit a baseball through our front window.  Not when the neighbors caught me pouring red dye in their swimming pool.  The incident, I thought, was more innocuous.  I scribbled a mustache on a Sandy Koufax baseball card.  I showed the card to my dad and his face turned dark crimson.  "You bastard," he screamed. "You do not mess with Sandy Koufax!  You hear me, you little prick.  He is sacred."

Sandy Koufax was an American Jewish Baseball Legend.  Known as "the man with the golden arm," he possessed a 100-mph fastball and a ferocious curveball. From 1963-1966, he had the best four year span of any pitcher in baseball history.   His statistics were mind-boggling.  Four no-hitters, a 97-27 record, 1.99 earned run average, 1,200+ strikeouts, 1 MVP Award, 3 Cy Young Awards and 2 World Series Championships.

In 1963, Koufax posted an amazing 25-5 record even though the Dodgers had the most anemic offense in baseball.  A joke emerged in Los Angeles inspired by the Dodgers offensive woes.  "Did you hear Koufax pitched a no-hitter last night?" (pause)  "Did they win?"

Opposing players were quick with accolades and one-liners.  Willie Stargell of the Pittsburgh Pirates said, "Hitting against Sandy Koufax is like trying to eat soup with a fork."  Yogi Berra said, "I see how he won twenty-five games. What I don't understand is how he lost five."  Manager Gene Mauch stated, "He throws a 'radio ball,' a pitch you hear but don't see."

Led by Koufax and pitcher Don Drysdale, the Dodgers made it to the 1963 World Series against the New York Yankees.  Koufax pitched Game One. The Scouting Report on Mickey Mantle read "Do Not Throw Him a Curveball.  He will crush it." In the first inning, Koufax struck out Mantle throwing nothing but fastballs.  On Mantle's second plate appearance, Koufax threw two quick fastball strikes. Dodgers catcher John Roseboro signaled for another heater but Koufax shook him off.  He wanted to try his curveball on Mantle even though he'd been told this was a no-no.  Koufax threw the curve and at the last second the bottom came out of the pitch.  Mantle flinched and the umpire called "strike three."  Mantle hesitated, turned to Roseboro and said, "How the fuck is anybody supposed to hit that shit?"  The Dodgers went on to win the Series in four games with Koufax winning two.

In 1965, the Dodgers made it back to the World Series against the Minnesota Twins.  Koufax refused to pitch Game 1 because it fell on the holiest day of the Jewish Calendar Yom Kippur.  This made Koufax a hero to Jewish baseball fans but a villain to many others.  Fan letters to the LA Times were filled with anti-semitic invectives. Things became worse when Koufax lost a rain-delayed Game 2.  He returned in Game 5 to pitch a complete game shutout then Manager Walter Alston asked Koufax to pitch the deciding Game 7 on just two-days rest.

Koufax was wild in the first inning of the final game. Catcher John Roseboro came to the mound and asked Sandy, "What are we going to do?  You have no curveball today."  Koufax uttered the immortal words of a sports legend.  "We're just going to have to blow them away."  Koufax went on to pitch a 3-hit shutout and the Dodgers were World Champions.

Koufax retired in his prime after the 1966 season due to a painful arthritic elbow that caused his pitching arm to hemorrhage.  During his retirement press conference he said, "I've got a lot of years to live after baseball and I would like to live them with the complete use of my body."  At age 36, he became the youngest player ever elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Ex-Dodgers General Manager Al Campanis once said of Koufax: "There are two times in my life the hair on my arms stood up; the first time I saw the Sistine Chapel and the first time I saw Sandy Koufax throw a fastball." (5" x 6", black ink print)

Busey

Gary Busey burst into public consciousness in 1978 with his portrayal of Buddy Holly. His performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and launched a promising career. Busey is known for his intensity, both on and off screen. I discovered this firsthand in 1987 while working on the film "Act Of Piracy." The movie was shot on the Greek island of Skiathos. Two days before production, it was my job to pick up Gary as he arrived at the small island airport. He'd just finished shooting a film in Mexico and he'd had a horrible experience. As we drove back to the hotel, he began to ramble. "This place looks just like frickin' Mexico. The trees, the ocean. This is a nightmare. I can't go through that again. Tell me this place is not like Mexico." He leaned toward me, waiting for a response. "We're in the Mediterranean, Mr. Busey. It's nothing like Mexico." "Thank the lord," Gary answered. He was quiet for a moment then he spoke again. "So what kind of crap do these Mexicans eat?" This was Gary Busey in a nutshell. Outspoken, hyperactive and utterly lovable. Gary has acted in more than 150 movies and tv shows. In 1988 he nearly died in a severe motorcycle accident while riding without a helmet. He's also struggled through numerous legal and substance abuse issues. Through it all, he has continued acting. I don't know if he continues to eat Mexican/Greek cuisine. (5" x 7", black ink print)

Edward G. Robinson

Edward G. Robinson's 1930 portrayal of gangster Caesar Enrico Bandello in the film Little Caesar created the prototype for the modern movie gangster.  Though he lacked physical stature and leading man good looks, Robinson acted with an authority and passion that dominated the screen.  His portrayal of the cruel and ruthless Rico was so gritty and realistic that many actual gangsters adopted his mannerisms of chomping down on a cigar and snarling orders out of the side of their mouth.  After Rico is machine-gunned down in the final scene uttering the famous dying line, "Mother of mercy!  Is this the end of Rico," the age of the gangster movie had formally begun.

Robinson was born Emanuel Goldenberg in 1893 in Romania.  These were the days of the anti-Jewish pogroms and Robinson's older brother was struck in the head by a rock during an anti-Semitic "schoolyard game."  His brother died from the effects of the blow years later.  To escape the persecution, Robinson's family scraped together funds for passage to America.  "At Ellis Island I was born again," Robinson said.  "Life for me began at age 10."

As a teenager, Robinson hoped to become a rabbi or a criminal lawyer "to defend human beings who were abused or exploited."  He entered City College in New York and discovered acting.  At age 19, he attended the American Academy of Dramatic Art and changed his last name to Robinson. He acted in the Yiddish Theater and moved on to Broadway.

After his explosive performance in Little Caesar, Robinson became typecast in Warner Brothers gangster films.  He acted beside James Cagney in Smart Money and with Humphrey Bogart in A Slight Case of Murder.  His favorite performance came in Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet where he played a scientist who discovered the cure for syphillis.  He hated watching himself on screen thinking he resembled "a miniature gargoyle."

Off screen, Robinson was a distinguished man of great kindness and courtesy. In the lead up to World War II, he donated more than $250,000 to anti-Fascist charity groups.  He was one of the first actors to become an outspoken critic of Nazism.  In 1938, he hosted the Committee of 56, a group of renowned filmmakers who called for a boycott of all German made products.  His political involvement would later cause him to subpoenaed by the House Un-American Activities Committee after the war.  After several years of being blacklisted, he was finally cleared of all suspicions.

Robinson was a lover of the arts.  As a teenager, he collected cigar labels and baseball cards.  As his career too off, he used his newfound wealth to purchase artwork.  By the 1950's, his collection grew to include works by Picasso, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Chagall, Degas, Monet, Matisse, Renoir, Seurat and Toulouse-Lautrec.  In 1953, the Museum of Modern Art in New York featured an exhibit of Robinson's collection.  He recorded his thoughts in the exhibit catalogue:

"I am not a collector.  I'm just an innocent bystander who has been taken over by a collection.  It's a rewarding life even if it takes over your house, your family, your income and your life.  If I hadn't become a movie gangster not one of my paintings would have had the chance to collect me.  Here is a paradox: turn killer and you have the means to satisfy your thirst for beauty.  When Hollywood conveyed me, through devious and sin-stained roles, to a succession of sizzling electric chairs, the paintings began to appear.  Crime, it seems, sometimes does pay."

In 1956, Robinson was forced to sell his art collection as part of a divorce settlement with his wife of 29 years, Gladys Lloyd.  Robinson was devastated by the divorce.  He was also troubled by the difficulties of his only son who had run-ins with police and attempted suicide.

Despite his personal troubles, Robinson continued acting.  He appeared in more than 100 movies in his life.  Prominent roles included psychotic gangster Johnny Rocco in Key Largo, insurance claims adjuster Barton Keyes in Double Indemnity and an aging poker champion in The Cincinnati Kid.  Robinson was well respected and he worked with prominent directors like Fritz Lang, John Huston, Billy Wilder and Orson Welles.  Cecil B. DeMille cast him as a rebellious Israelite in The Ten Commandments.

In 1972, Francis Ford Coppola seriously considered Robinson for the role of Don Corleone in The Godfather.  Robinson's last film role was in the sic-fi classic "Soylent Green" where he spoke about the wonders of earth before the world became toxic.  He died of bladder cancer in 1973 just 12 days after shooting was completed.

Robinson was the inspiration for several animated characters that caricatured his gangster persona.  he appeared as Rocky in the Bugs Bunny cartoon Racketeer Rabbit.  He also inspired Hank Azaria's depiction of Police Chief Wiggum in The Simpsons.  (4" x 6", black ink print)

The River Horse

"Is a hippopotamus a hippopotamus or just a really cool opotamous?"--Mitch Hedberg

Hippos are responsible for more human deaths in Africa than any other wild animal. A full-grown hippo can weigh up to 3 1/2 tons. Hippos are herbivores that live on grass and shrubs. They have no sweat glands but they produce a red viscous fluid to keep themselves cool. This led to the myth that hippos "sweat blood." Their Latin name means "river horse" even though hippos are more closely related to whales than horses.

Hippos rarely breed in captivity.  As a result, most zoo hippos have been caught in the wild. The cost to capture a hippo and transport it to a North American zoo can exceed $250,000. The process is difficult and dangerous. Even though young hippos are selected, they can still weigh up to 1,500 pounds.

Targeted hippos are shot in the neck with a tranquilizer dart causing temporary paralysis. (Prior to 1966, a crossbow was used to propel the dart.) The hippo must be on dry land otherwise it can drown. The capture team has 15 minutes before the drug wears off. If the drug dose is too large, the animal can suffer cardiac arrest.

Once the drug takes effect, the hippo is covered with a net and dragged through the mud with a road grader. A noose is thrown around the hippo's neck and the animal is secured with ropes. The animal is then lifted with the road grader and put in a wood crate in the back of a larger truck. When the animal awakens, it starts to bellow and thrash. This can cause the bull male from the nearby herd to charge the truck in an effort to free the beast. The engine of the road grader is "revved" loud to scare off the bull.

The captured hippo is driven to a holding facility. Handlers continually douse the animal with water to keep it cool.  The hippo is given a thorough medical examination. The hippo will typically endure a long train journey before being transported overseas via plane or boat.

The first hippo kept in captivity was displayed at the London Zoo in 1850. The 2-day old calf named "Obaysch" was caught on the White Nile after its parents were killed by Egyptian hunters. The hunters transported the animal 1,200 miles to Cairo feeding it with cow milk and maize. Abbas Pasha, the Viceroy of Egypt, agreed to trade the hippo, a lioness and a cheetah to Great Britain for a pack of greyhounds. The young hippo arrived at the London Zoo weighing over 1,000 pounds. The animal became an instant hit attracting 10,000 people a day (including Queen Victoria).

In the 1980's, Colombian druglord Pablo Escobar obtained four hippos from a New Orleans zoo. He kept the animal on his ranch in Colombia. After Escobar's murder in 1993, the hippos escaped. Local farmers complained when the animals destroyed their crops. Three of the hippos were tracked down and killed. The fourth was never found.

Hippos were considered a female deity of pregnancy in ancient Egypt.  Hippo ivory tusks are valued more highly than elephant tusks because they do not turn yellow with age. George Washington's false teeth were carved from hippo tusks (not from wood as commonly thought). The attached woodcut was inspired by a French zoo poster from the late 1800's. (5" x 7", black ink print)

Cagney

James Cagney was a force of nature.  Quiet and introspective off camera, once the camera rolled he exploded like an untethered pit bull.  He spoke in a rat-a-tat machine gun cadence with deadpan comic timing and ruthless wit.  Orson Welles called him "the greatest actor to ever appear in front of a camera."

He was born in 1899 on New York's lower east side.  His father was an Irish bartender, his mother a Norwegian ship captain's daughter.  Raised in poverty, he helped the family survive by earning money in bare-fisted boxing matches.

Cagney's breakout movie performance came in 1931 when he played vicious killer Tom Powers in Public Enemy.  The film featured the famous grapefruit scene where Cagney smashes a grapefruit into co-star Mae Clark's face.  The scene was actually a practical joke Cagney and Clarke played on the crew. Director William Wellman loved the scene so much he left it in the film.  (Cagney claimed he was offered free grapefruits in restaurants for the next 20 years.)

In those days, film gunplay involved live ammunition.  Producers hired skilled marksmen to shoot low velocity bullets through windows and into walls.  In the 1932 film Taxi, Cagney was nearly shot. He refused to work with live bullets again.

Cagney once told Frank Sinatra the secret to creating likable gangsters.  "Be as tough as you want but sprinkle the goodies for laughs.  Cause anything they laugh at they can't hate."

Cagney was one of the founding members of the Screen Actors Guild.  In 1935, he sued Warner Brothers for breach of contract becoming the first actor to win a lawsuit against a Hollywood studio. Jack Warner promptly dubbed him "The Professional Againster."

In 1938, Cagney starred with Pat O'Brien in Angels With Dirty Faces.  Cagney played a gangster, O'Brien a priest.  The film had a gritty realism with supporting roles played by Humphrey Bogart and the Dead End Kids.  The final scene where Cagney is dragged screaming to the electric chair is an iconic moment in film history.

Cagney gained a reputation as a leftwing radical due to his support of Franklin Roosevelt and his ongoing battles with the studios.  Yearning to change his image, he pursued the role of song and dance man George M. Cohan in the ultra-patriotic Yankee Doodle Dandy.  The part won him a Best Actor Academy Award.

From 1942-44, Cagney served as president of the Screen Actors Guild.  He was determined to prevent the mafia from infiltrating Hollywood unions.  According to Cagney's autobiography, the mob planned to murder him by dropping a 200-pound klieg light on his head.  The plan was stopped at the insistence of actor George Raft who used his mob connections to cancel the hit.

In 1949, Cagney appeared in White Heat, arguably the greatest gangster movie ever made.  His character, the psychotic killer Cody Jarrett, suffers from an unresolved Oedipal Complex making him prone to headaches and violent outbursts.  The prison scene where Cagney goes berserk and fights an army of guards shows him at the peak of his powers.  The film ends with Cagney atop a gas storage tank yelling  one of his most famous lines, "Made it ma! Top of the world."  A moment later the tank explodes in an apocalyptic mushroom cloud.

Cagney never actually uttered his other famous film line, "You dirty rat!"  The closest he came was the film Taxi when he says, "Come out and take it you yellow-bellied rat."

Several Hollywood stars including Marlon Brando and Clint Eastwood have claimed Cagney as their inspiration to become an actor.  Cagney's eccentricities were copied by Jack Nicholson in The Shining, by Malcolm McDowell in Clockwork Orange and by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight.  Clint Eastwood said the scene in Dirty Harry where he eats a hot dog during a shootout is a direct copy of Cagney eating a chicken leg and shooting a guy in the trunk of a car from White Heat.

Cagney retired from acting in 1961 after appearing in Billy Wilder's One, Two, Three. He turned down the role of Hyman Roth in The Godfather, Part II.  In 1981, he played a small part in Ragtime despite ongoing battles with diabetes and sciatica.

Cagney spent his final years on a farm in Dutchess County, New York.  He raised horses, sailed boats and wrote poetry.  His political views became more conservative and he helped his friend Ronald Reagan run for president.  He remained married to his wife Frances for 64 years until his death by heart attack in 1986.  Ronald Reagan delivered the eulogy at his funeral. (5" x 7", black ink print)

The Actor

Lee Montgomery began his acting career at age 10 in the Disney film "The Million Dollar Duck." He went on to appear in more than 50 films and tv shows, acting with such legends as Bette Davis, Walter Matthau, Peter Fonda, George C. Scott & Peter Falk. Lee and I met in 1983 while working on the zombie movie "Night Shadows." We quickly became great friends and spent the next decade tooling around Los Angeles making experimental videos. One of our sojourns brought us to LA International Airport after hours (this was pre-911). Feeling courageous (and a bit stupid) we climbed up the baggage carousel and ventured onto the runway with our camera gear. With no security present to stop us, we made it to where planes were taxying for takeoff. We videotaped the entire experience up to and including the moment where we were both arrested for trespassing. "60 Minutes" had just aired a piece on shoddy airport security and authorities wanted to make an example of us. Fortunately, our video included a baggage handler telling us on camera to "be careful up there" as we climbed up the luggage carousel. Our lawyer argued this was "implicit permission" for us to explore the airport grounds and we were let off with "misdemeanor trespassing." Lee and I remain friends to this day. He is a true spiritual acolyte who has taught me that belief in God and healthy skepticism can co-exist. In addition to his acting chops, Lee is a talented musician and songwriter. (5" x 7", black ink print)