Yes Russ was great and deserved recognition

I agree - he was so amazing. And he's so humble in real life.

@mplo And they are still very close friends. I think that's wonderful.

@mplo yes. I believe they are on a TV show together. I left my email for you on the other West Side Story site. Love to hear from you. I will delete it if you should send me an email.

@mplo I'm glad you got my email. Look forward to talking to you. I went ahead and deleted my email. I don't give it out to just anybody. Thanks.

@mplo my phone hasn't stopped ringing today. I'm looking forward to tonight to get into the meat of the discussion.

@mplo Absolutely right on all points although I still wish Larry Kert and Carol Lawrence could have played Tony and Maria in the movie. When I first saw the old Broadway clips of the balcony scene, my jaw dropped. They were amazing. Their voices were so beautiful. No dubbing. And you could see they really loved each other. Carol Lawrence did an interview after Larry passed away and she spoke of how they really loved each other; I believe just like Rita and George. They are best friends to this day and their true love comes through on film. I think I'm going to watch it tonight again probably for the 200th time LOL Our TV room where I watch all of my movies (huge collection of black and white classics) has a gigantic TV. Last week I had a group of girlfriends over for Gone With the Wind and it seemed so lifelike. We had a great time. I hadn't seen it since the late 1960s.

The colorism 😌

Totally agree!!!

Yes

I just saw the new one about a week ago and I have to say the first thing that caught my attention was how wonderful the dancing was.

A#1 very best musical for me forever and always ❤💯👍🥰

Holly B she was gorgeous in that movie. Still is!! I’ve seen her up close. Still stunning from 2 feet away. :)

It was amazing!

To me, Rita is one of the hottest and spiciest ladies out there in Hollywood! Love her so much!

Not to mention Bernardo's neon violet shirt! My favorite color has been lavender for many years and I have often wondered if my crush on George Chakiris might have been indirectly related to that.

I can't believe this has already been 10 years ago! Thank goodness they are all still with us.

I think Russ should have been nominated for an Academy Award also. His tumbling really added to the dance numbers.

Russ Tamblyn always says he is a gymnast not a dancer but I think he’s both.

In addition to Riff, I always think of Russ playing Gideon in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

@@ArthurRChan he was also great in the film Tom Thumb as the lead character.

@@ArthurRChan I always think of him as Tom Thumb and in the wonderful world of The Brothers Grimm.

Tucker Smith (Ice)

It's ok, having met him, he is so universally beautiful, I'm sure he appreciates women seeing that in him.

@Miki Is, let's not speak of him in the past tense yet (though I know he doesn't dance anymore).

@mplo True.

@mplo He was perfect for the part of Riff.

@mplo We found each other! A dream come true would be to meet our three favorites and give them a big hug!!!

I was shocked when I recently found out , Russ auditioned for Tony. Thank God he didn't get it. Who'd want to be Tony when you can be Riff ? Riff is tough, likeable, dynamic, charming and charismatic. Russ was absolutely perfect in the role.

No mention of Natalie. Sad

He was also in Samson and Delilah with Victor Mature

Yep, love Russ

They're dancers and they take care of themselves. "One quarter of what you eat feeds you, The other three quarters feeds your doctor." -Ancient Egyptian saying

edydon indeed... Interesting quote!

I have to try real hard not to be jealous. I was an 8 year old little girl in New Orleans when I first saw the movie in 1961. Had a terrible crush on George, Russ and Tucker. Still do. Seen the movie over a hundred times. Actually I'm very happy for you. How thrilling.

That was one of the best movies I ever saw you all look so great God bless you all!!!

Dick Beymer is still with us too. Don’t know why he was left out of this.

ian bentley They are all still young at heart .

@@Mark-sj3xb didnt he recently die?

@@owlgang01 No, Beymer is still alive as of May 2020. He's 82.

@@Mark-sj3xb12/29/2020 and they’re all still here - as are Carol Lawrence (original Broadway Maria, 88), Chita Rivera (original Anita, 87), and a number of folks from the original Broadway production. It’s amazing.

Definitely one of the greatest films of all time. You'd never get a movie like this made today, it would be filled with stars like the lame musical movies they make where they have to cut every 10 seconds because they're unable to actually dance at a professional level. How I long for the days of Astaire.

Mine too

Acted out by mad white people in Latino face!

I gotta agree with you...

Mine too it's a work of art.

He did. :)

So am I. A beautiful woman and most professional performer. Glad to find her in her various roles throughout her career, from a bit part in 'The Garden of Evil' to her role as Tuptim in 'The King and I' and, of course, in WSS. Her Academy Award and Mr. Chakiris' were well-earned, for their acting and their thrilling dance numbers, without which the movie, as good as it was and is, would have been less memorable.

Melatina77 I loved every second of this video. I was lucky enough to meet Ms. Moreno a few years ago after one of her cabaret shows in San Francisco. My mom and I were standing in line to get her autograph on our CD, and she looked at us and said “mother and daughter?” She told us she could tell right away. :) She was so beautiful and charming.

Who is not?

One right here baby!👌👍

Mahlercougar Hey You Guys!

Here. I have the show to thank for introducing me to Lin-Manuel Miranda and Rita

Here!

Who should have been cast instead?

Rita Moreno played Tuptim (a Siamese girl) in The King and I. Unfortunately at that time Hollywood didn't care what race you were, they just wanted someone who looked foreign and then they'd assign whatever nationality they needed the person to look like or act as.

Kirsten I. Russell In my opinion these three should've been the main lead characters. They were all great but these three really stood out in their parts. Still though loved the main character Natalie Wood. Wish she was alive so she could be up there with them to talk together about WSS. One of those beloved celebrities that's gone too soon.💝💒🎋🎋

@@charlottemuller3100 If what I hear is correct, Tuptim was to have been Dorothy Dandridge but Yul Brynner refused to work with her.

@@kennethwayne6857 ...that’s really too bad if true...

I agree compliments from the greatest male dancer on the screen the Master himself Fred Astaire that's amazing and Russ do deserve that

West Side Story will always be one of my favorite movies! I must have seen this movie a million times and I know every word, plus the music and dancing will always make me get up and dance like crazy!!! ❤ 😜 I always had my favorite songs and scenes and my favorite Jet will always be Riff! ❤👍😃 When the movie was over I would run in my room get into my dancing leotards grab my jazz shoes and my West Side Story record run down stairs to my basement put that music on and start dancing all around, it was great!!! 👍😃❤👏

I know, the music is amazing and unforgettable! G

👍

Yes, that is so true!

I also had the biggest crush on Chakiris from West Side Story. He's just such a talent - both in dancing and acting and his incredible handsome dark looks.

Joe Whitehead the way you make me feel is basically a black version of west side story

slick vick , The video to " Beat It " and "Bad " also has some of the same elements. In addition. "When I think of you" by Janet Jackson.

Anthony Coleman yup

Gideon!

Vivian Alpern ...Don't forget Russ Tamblyn in TAKE THE HIGH GROUND!!! TOM THUMB!!!

GREAT ARMY BUDDIE..JE

@mplo He deserved it.

Quite a few of them were gay - to be expected in musical theater - and, if I'm not mistaken, lost to AIDS. The actor who played Chino passed in his mid-fifties.

Gilda Radner wrote lovingly about Tucker Smith in her autobiography, "It's Always Something" -- Tucker was one of the members of the Wellness Community, a group for cancer patients (survivors and those with ongoing cases) that Gilda was also a part of. So sad that both vibrant and gifted people lost their battles with cancer.

I always wonder about George, unless i've missed a public statement or something

@@blakefletcher9834 he was gay too. I had such a crush on him

Ice was so underrated.

Beautiful post. I met George and he is incredible. Really heaven sent.

MINE TO MY SISTER DONNA AND I WERE IN THE PLAY IN 5TH AND 6TH GRADE GREAT MEMORIES

@Miki we were also in Glee club however my sister played officer kurpe both years and I was snowboy one-year and Action the next year so it was more dancing and acting can't wait for it to come out in the movies I miss my sister RiP Donna we shared so many happy memories

George Chakiris is/was so handsome and both his dancing and acting won him a well-deserved Oscar. Russ Tamblyn (leader of the Jets) should have won an Oscar, too.

Movie filled with few puerto Ricans but with Greek Russians etc. Living in America

Yes we know!!!

@bovnyccc--there is some great info out there that talks about that scene and those tumbler's stunts he did, including some misses and near-misses he made before they got a really good take.

Also, Amber Tamblin started on General Hospital, as original Emily Quartermaine.

Amber was on GH in the mid 90s...in the soap opera her mother died of cancer and Monica adopted her since she had no family

Where???

Best movie every made

I’m Puerto Rican and grew up during that time in NYC with this masterpiece of music & dance. However, for over 60 years, the movie version has created some problems for the Puerto Rican community: - First the original concept, as proposed by the 4 Jewish men [Robbins, Bernstein, Laurants and Sondheim] was a conflict of Religion. Catholics vs Jewish with the Catholics expressing “antisemitism” towards the recently arrival of Jewish immigrants in the mid-1950’s NYC. Ellis Island closed in 1954. The character of the girl (Maria) is suppose to be a Holocaust survivor immigrating from Israel to NYC. - The Jewish community was replaced with the Puerto Rican community, as the new arrivals - Unlike the 1957 stage version for the 1961 movie “brown makeup” or “BROWN FACE” was use to identify/stereotype what a Puerto Rican should look like making the movie about skin color vs different ethic backgrounds that would later intermarry, because they shared the same religion, as the Jets are children of Catholic immigrant parents (Irish, Italians, Greek, Polish) - The Civil Rights Movement was going on in 1957 and 1961, yet there is no mention or representation of black Americans in the movie. I assure you they were there. - I kept on being cast in the role of Riff or Tony, because of my looks. Yet, I kept on requesting to be cast as a Shark, stating that I was 100% Puerto Rican with a Spanish last name and consistently told, well “You don’t look Puerto Rican” - all because of the “brown makeup” used in this movie. Also, in the America song, Anita sings “most Americans don’t know Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 is in America” So true, I’ve been explaining this for over 60 years. Puerto Ricans are Americans 🇺🇸, born in the USA or the island. As much as people love this movie.. it also serves as propaganda that Puerto Ricans are NOT Americans and are all brown skin. A little history in the 1815 Decree of Graces the Spanish Crown offered FREE land to all Europeans of Non-Spanish descent that were “Catholic” and agreed to become Spanish subjects. Similar to Ellis Island 🇺🇸 Europeans came in droves, all in an effort to ascertain that the properties under the Spanish Empire would be majority European. This happened throughout Latin America. Trust me the white Latinos are running these countries. Every Hispanic/Latino country has its own unique history and culture that should be respected. America 🇺🇸 fails to educate it’s citizens on the history of Puerto Rico 🇵🇷, a territory that they have invaded/owned, since the Paris treaty of 1898. The Puerto Rican identity came about in the 1890’s, we became Americans in 1917, we were Spanish for over 400 years.

What a great experience (out of many, I'm sure)!

What roles in that SF WSS did Morgan Freeman and Marty Balin play?

George looks awful with that ugly facial hair; it’s a sin to hide that glorious face.

She looked fantastic here.

She did indeed. Good facelifts will do that! (George's facelift, alas, went awry.)

She now lives in the hills above Berkeley, only 15 miles from me. I keep thinking about what would happen if I'm on Telegraph Ave or in an eatery in that town, and what if I ran into her.

@@LisaSimeone1 George's lift looks pretty damn good and he's still slim.

@@elwoodblues9613 Huh. I guess that might explain why she's so available for events/shows/and such in the bay area.

Sammy Awada they look great for mid 80's

Tamblyn was very believable with the mojo to be a gang leader. He should have won an Oscar as well.

I know what you mean. I don't care what the host thinks, I want to hear the celebrity's story.

Ok. I'm homo myself here. He makes me embarrassed for being one. I know he is out and proud but all that gossip gives us a bad name. To me he is a the F word.

strykertool Don't care about his sexual preference. He's just unnecessary. In fact, one interviewer would be enough.

strykertool

Sorry, I'm not gay and I like him just fine. In today's world anyone that still has interest in actual culture and entertainment is thumbs up in my book.

yep

Y mean Miss Hilton?

OMG did you see Russ Tamblyn ' face when Hilton started talking! I mean these guys are legends, who the heck is people like Perez Hilton?🙄

Spot on!

That was a dick thing for Perez to say Anita's Oscar win didn't open a lot of doors for her.

@Miki Nah, you'll still go see it ;)

@Miki For one thing, Spielberg is being inclusive to the surviving original cast. Rita Moreno is the executive producer. And while I don't know if they're in the film, I have it on good authority that Richard Beymer and Russ Tamblyn both visited the set (not sure about George Chakiris, but I assume he did, too).