The Couch Potato’s Guide to Old Hollywood: The Legacy of Tony Curtis

United Pictures Corporation, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

By Geoff Carter

Tony Curtis had it all: good looks, a charming smile, and a disarming glibness he used to portray wheeler-dealers like Corporal Jake Leibowitz in Captain Newman, M.D., con men like Lt. JG Nicholas Holden in Operation Petticoat, or opportunistic manipulators like Sidney Falco in The Sweet Smell of Success. In fact, Curtis seemed to thrive in roles in which his characters worked to raise themselves—usually by their wits—from the depths of poverty to the heights of success. In Houdini, The Rat Race, and Operation Petticoat, he exemplified the little guy doing everything he could to get ahead, perhaps reflecting his own struggles of coming from a impoverished home with dysfunctional parents. 

As an actor, Tony Curtis could handle comedy, drama, or anything in between, taking on extremely disparate roles like the naïve musician taken advantage of in the big city (The Rat Race) or the jaded publicist willing to do anything to stay on top of the heap (Sweet Smell of Success). Although he started off in mostly swashbuckling and action roles, he eventually demonstrated a formidable range, doing everything between the broadest comedy to the most serious socially conscious drama. 

Comedy was, however, his forte. In even the broadest slapstick roles, like The Great Lesley in The Great Race or as Joe/Josephine in Some Like it Hot, his dry delivery and impeccable sense of comic timing made some of the funniest moments in cinematic history. His dead-on imitation of Cary Grant Some Like It Hot is by itself hilarious and his portrayal of Leslie in The Great Race is a not-so-subtle jab at his own pretty-boy screen persona.

But Curtis also wanted the challenge of portraying more complex characters. After a series of comedic failures, even though he had established his dramatic chops in films like The Sweet Smell of Success and Spartacus, he felt the need to prove himself. In 1964, he portrayed the killer Albert DeSalvo in The Boston Strangler, a performance for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe. The film itself received mixed reviews, but Curtis shined in his performance. During the 1960s, his popularity waned, and Curtis found himself appearing in more and more low-budget productions and television appearances.

Tony Curtis started off as just another Hollywood pretty boy but, like many of his characters, through talent, perseverance, and guts, he rose from the mean streets of New York City to the top of the heap. Curtis will always be remembered not only for his good looks, but also for his landmark performances.

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The Top Ten Films of Tony Curtis

Sweet Smell of Success: An outstanding film noir in which ruthless and powerful nationally syndicated columnist J.J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster) forces press agent Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis) into sabotaging a romance between his little sister Susan (Susan Harrison) and jazz musician Steve Dallas (Martin Milner). Falco, because he has failed to get any good publicity for his clients, is facing ruin and so is forced to do Hunsecker’s bidding. He tries to blackmail one columnist into smearing Dallas; when that fails, he sinks even lower, promising another writer a sexual favor for his help. As a result of these machinations, Dallas is fired and framed by Hunsecker. When Dallas lambasts Hunsecker, he forces Falco to go even further. Curtis’s portrayal of the ambitious and sleazy Falco is a nice flip of his usual portrayal of the nice young man trying to make good. His Falco is despicable, yet Curtis manages to elicit a moderate amount of sympathy for him. Notable for Ernest Lehman and Clifford Odets’ intensely snappy dialogue.

Starring: Tony Curtis, Burt Lancaster, Susan Harrison, Martin Milner, Sam Levene, and Barbara Nichols. Written by Ernest Lehman and Clifford Odets. Directed by Alexander Mackendrick.

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Spartacus: The epic true story of Spartacus, an escaped slave and trained gladiator who led a massive rebellion against the Roman Empire in the first century. Curtis teamed up with Kirk Douglas, who produced this film epic, as well as recruiting Stanley Kubrick to direct and Dalton Trumbo to pen the screenplay. The result is a compelling tale of love, honor, loyalty, and comradeship. Trumbo and Kubrick construct a striking contrast between the supposedly uncivilized slaves’ virtue to the decadent and unscrupulous tactics of the Romans. As escpaed slave Antoninus, Curtis combines a boyish adoration of Spartacus with a moral strength that compels him to fight for his freedom. Notable for the outstanding performances of Jean Simmons, Laurence Olivier, Charles Laughton, and Peter Ustinov.

Starring: Kirk Douglas, John Gavin, Jean Simmons, Peter Ustinov, Tony Curtis, and Laurence Olivier. Written by Dalton Trumbo. Directed by Stanley Kubrick.

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Houdini: A gripping biopic about the famous magician and escape artist Harry Houdini that established Tony Curtis as a major film star. His performance captures the ambition and drive of Harry Houdini in his rise from a carnival sideshow “wildman” to world renown as the greatest escape artist ever, including thrilling sequences in which he escapes from a trunk in an icy river and his final stunt, in which he attempts to escape his bonds while immersed in a giant tank of water. Janet Leigh (Curtis’ first wife) co-stars as his wife Bess. Curtis was able to display his sincere boyish enthusiasm, charm, and shrewd intensity for this role, foreshadowing his persona in Spartacus, Captain Newman, M.D., and Operation Petticoat. Notable for Leigh and Curtis’s on-screen chemistry. 

Starring: Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh, Torin Thatcher, Angela Clarke, Ian Wolfe, Sig Ruman, and Michael Pate. Written by Phillip Yourdan. Directed by George Marshall.

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The Defiant Ones: A prison thriller in which two members of a chain gang in the American South, one Black and one White, manage to escape after a traffic accident. Although the prisoners, Noah Cullen (Sidney Poitier) and John “Joker” Jackson (Tony Curtis) despise each other, they realize they’ll have to cooperate to get away for good. After narrowly escaping a lynch mob, they meet a young woman (Cara Williams) who helps them break their chains. She is attracted to Jackson, and wanting to run off with him, sends Cullen into a dangerous swamp. Jackson goes after Cullen to warn him and the two try to finally make and escape from the posse pursuing them. Through their hardships, the two have developed a mutual respect that soon blooms into friendship. Notable for the fact that the film, premiering at the advent of the American civil rights movement, was hailed as a milestone accomplishment for race relations.

Starring: Tony Curtis, Sidney Poitier, Lon Chaney, Jr., Claude Akins, Theodore Bikel, Charles McGraw, and King Donovan. Written by Harold Jacob Smith and Nedrick Young. Directed by Stanley Kramer.

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Some Like it Hot: Two destitute Chicago musicians Jerry (Lemmon) and Joe (Tony Curtis) accidentally witness a gangland massacre. Desperate to save their lives, they decide to dress up as woman and take jobs with an all-girl band on their way to Florida. On the train, Joe and Jerry meet Sugar (Marilyn Monroe), the band’s singer. Joe persuades Jerry that the two of them should continue the masquerade so he can—posing as a millionaire (a male millionaire)—pursue Sugar. Things get complicated when the Chicago gangsters happen to show up at the resort. Curtis is hilarious not only as Josephine, but as the shy millionaire persona he dons to woo Sugar. The scene in the yacht is simply hilarious. Notable for one of Monroe’s best performances.

Starring: Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Marilyn Monroe, George Raft, Pat O’Brien, and Joe E. Brown. Written and directed by Bill Wilder.

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The Rat Race: In the 1960 drama, Curtis plays Pete Hammond, Jr., an aspiring jazz saxophonist. Ambitious and eager to make his mark, he moves to New York City where he meets Peggy Brown (Debbie Reynolds) a cynical taxi dancer whose apartment he is moving into. Learning she has been evicted, Hammond offers to let her stay with him. Peggy does so and lets Pete know he can’t trust anyone. She proves to be right. During a tryout for a new band, Pete is scammed and his instruments are stolen. To help him out, Peggy secretly agrees to prostitute herself for Nelly Miller, her boss. When Pete discovers this, he tries to help Peggy escape her obligations. Notable for another outstanding Curtis performance as a nice guy learning about life the hard way. 

Starring: Tony Curtis, Debbie Reynolds, Don Rickles, Jack Oakie, Kay Medford, and Norman Fell with special appearances by Sal Butera and Gerry Mulligan. Written by Garson Kanin. Directed by Robert Mulligan.

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Captain Newman, M.D.: In this comedy-drama taking place during World War II, Captain Newman (Gregory Peck) head of the psychiatric ward at an army field hospital, uses all means at his disposal to staff his undermanned ward with the best personnel available. He cajoles orderly—and con man—Corporal Jake Leibowitz (Tony Curtis) and Nurse Francie Corum (Angie Dickinson) into working with soldiers and officers suffering from service-related mental trauma and disease. Liebowitz manages to work wonders for Captain Newman as he deals with Italian POWs, wayward sheep, and Christmas 1944. Tony Curtis is at the top of his game as the wheeling dealing and comically inventive Leibowitz. Notable for great supporting performances by Robert Duvall, Eddie Albert, and Angie Dickinson. 

Starring: Gregory Peck, Tony Curtis, Angie Dickinson, Robert Duvall, Eddie Albert, and Bobby Darrin. Written by Richard Breen and Henry and Phoebe Ephron. Directed by David Miller.

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The Great Race: A broad slapstick comedy in which competing daredevils The Great Leslie (Curtis) and Professor Fate (Jack Lemmon) agree to race from New York City to Paris. Five other cars also enter the race but are sabotaged by Fate’s sidekick Max (Peter Falk). The other car is being driven by photojournalist Maggie DuBois (Natalie Wood) who is determined to document the event. As they travel into absurd and hilarious situations, including a barroom brawl, an Arctic blizzard (and an overly friendly polar bear), and the biggest pie fight in the world, Maggid and Leslie realize that they have fallen in love. Notable for Jack Lemmon’s completely hilariously overboard portrayal of the dastardly Professor Fate. 

Starring: Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Natalie Wood, Peter Falk, Keenan Wynn, Arthur O’Connell and Vivian Vance. Written by Blake Edwards and Arthur A. Ross. Directed by Blake Edwards.

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The Boston Strangler: A crime drama based on the real-life serial killer Albert DeSalvo (Tony Curtis) who was responsible for the murders of thirteen women, causing one of the most massive manhunts in history. The film follows Detective John Bottomly (Henry Fonda) as the head of a special bureau formed to apprehend the strangler. The film follows the process of police painstakingly chasing down leads until—through pure dumb luck—they apprehend DeSalvo and elicit his confession. Loosely based on Gerold Frank’s book of the same name, the film came under criticism for exploiting the sordid events of DeSalvo’s murder spree. Curtis’s performance as DeSalvo, however, is arguably the best work he ever did, taking the viewer into the depths of a disturbed and fragmented mind. Notable for the great supporting cast.

Starring: Henry Fonda, Tony Curtis, George Kennedy, Murray Hamilton, Sally Kellerman, and William Hickey. Written by Edward Anhalt and Gerold Frank. Directed by Richard Fleischer.

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Operation Petticoat: A wartime comedy about the USS Sea Tiger, a submarine that has been nearly destroyed in an air raid during the early days of World War II. Captain Sherman (Cary Grant) is ordered to make the sub shipshape and enlists Lieutenant J.G. Nick Holden (Tony Curtis) as its new supply officer to make it so. Showing a genius for acquiring (by hook or crook) the material necessary to get underway, Holden and Sherman soon have the Sea Tiger underway. It stops at the island of Marinduque, where he is ordered to evacuate five Army nurses. Hilarity ensues as Captain Sherman attempts to complete his mission and return the sub to the friendly port of Darwin, Australia. Notable for the snappy repartee between Grant and Curtis, whose comic timing is impeccable. 

Starring: Cary Grant, Tony Curtis, Dina Merrill, Joan O’Brien, Arthur O’Connell, Dick Sargent, and Marion Ross. Written by Stanley Shapiro and Maurice Richlin. Directed by Blake Edwards.

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Honorable Mention

The Vikings

Arrivederci, Baby

Don’t Make Waves

Kings Go Forth

The Perfect Furlough