Karl Malden Has Died
by John NolteSome of you might remember the 1999 Academy Awards, the year the great Elia Kazan was finally given an honorary Oscar. The decision to honor Kazan was met with controversy and anger, especially among those who pride themselves on their tolerance, open-mindedness, charity and forgiveness. You see, before Kazan knew better he flirted with Communism, but being a true liberal with an open mind, after learning of the horrors of Stalin’s regime he turned against it and then committed a Hollywood sin worse than furthering an ideology responsible for hundreds of millions of deaths, he named names.
Knowing full well what it would mean, it was Karl Malden, a former Academy President, who proposed and publicly pushed for Kazan to receive this long overdue tribute. And that, along with a 70-year marriage, says an awful lot about the man.
The actor was just as impressive. The simple way to describe him would be as a beefy everyman, but that too easily dismisses a natural and very real screen presence that made him one of the most recognizable faces in the country. Malden worked with some of the most powerful actors of the last fifty years, Brando, McQueen, George C. Scott, Burt Lancaster, and yet he never got lost in the scene. He knew how to watch another actor, he knew how to listen and this kept our eye on him as we waited for what he’d do next.
His voice was also distinctive; one second deep and rich with authority, but on a dime unspeakably cruel towards a Blanche DuBois or hilariously needy calling after Baby Doll. Malden had the range of a character actor but could carry a film as well as any matinee idol, and in a career that lasted six decades, inevitably there were duds, but you always felt in good hands when he arrived onscreen.
Malden’s performance as the domineering, perfectionist father of real-life baseball player Jimmy Piersall in “Fear Strikes Out” (1957) is the one that most stands out in my mind. John Piersall may be something of a monster, but Malden never lets us forget he’s also a man who lacks self-awareness. Even at his most cruel, Malden allows us to pity a father who might not wake up to the effects of his behavior until it’s a too late, and when this moment does arrive, thanks to the back-filling provided by a measured, nuanced performance, it is devastating and unforgettable.
A WWII veteran, Oscar and Emmy winner, Karl Malden died yesterday at home. He was 97.
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15 Comments
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he was elegant. i'd take him over any in hollyweird now. rest in peace mr. malden.
the comment was in reference to a comment about missing garner WHEN he goes.
I believe you may have your threads crossed up…Jeff Jena is where you want to be.
Malden's Father Pete Barry is my second all-time favorite movie priest, right after Father Jerry Connolly.
I remember that Oscar broadcast very well, John, as it was the last one I have ever watched. Seeing the hatred on the faces of a group of antendees, few, if any, of them were even born during Hollywood's "red scare," including Nick Nolte (no relation, I hope) as Kazan accepted his award was sickening. Watching them behave lkike a group of spoiled brats as they refused to stand or applaud one of the greatest film directors as part of something that happened decades earlier, something that had NO direct effect on them (I'm sure Nick Nolte has lost jobs because of his alcohol problems or his generally weird behavior, but I seriously doubt he lost work because of the blacklisting of the late 1940s and early 1950s.
I do remember Malden's part in pushing for Kazan to receive the honorary Oscar. RIP Karl Malden.
Liked him best as Omar Bradley in Patton. Basically was straight man to George C. Scott. I thought he was remarkable for being so memorable while being soft spoken and plain (compared to Patton).
I saw that Oscar telecast, too. Ed Harris was practically seething in his seat.
All I can say after reading the many respectful posts here is I too will enjoy revisiting the many great characters he lived. 70 years married, 60 years in the biz, what more could a man ask for? God, may he rest in peace and provide you with many eons of what he has left us on film.
Malden was fantastic as the police detective in Hitchcock's "I Confess" (1953).
The scenes with his pal Monty Clift were great.
Short,sweet tribute up there.
Great tribute, John.
I did not know that it was Malden who proposed Elia Kazan for his long-overdue Oscar, but reading about his character, I'm not suprised. Ave atque vale.
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Sorry, my bad.
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