Marlon Brando: Fun Facts.

Karl Malden claimed that, during the shooting of One-Eyed Jacks (1961), Brando would have "two steaks, potatoes, two apple pies a la mode and a quart of milk" for dinner, which caused constant altering of his costumes. During a birthday party for Brando, the film's director and crew gave him a belt with a card reading, "Hope it fits." A sign was placed below the birthday cake saying, "Don't feed the director." He reportedly ate at least four pieces of cake that day.

Karl Malden and Brandon were close friends for 60 years.

Took possession of his best friend Wally Cox's ashes from his widow to scatter them at sea but kept them hidden in a closet at his house. In his autobiography, Brando said he frequently talked to Cox. The Los Angeles Times on September 22, 2004 quoted Brando's son, Miko, that both his father's and Cox's had some of thier ashes scattered at the same time in Death Valley, California, a place that the actor cherished in a ceremony following Brando's death.

Brando, was born on the same day as, Doris Day.

One Eyed Jacks

Movie buffs and Western fans will want to check out Marlon Brando’s flawed, overlong—but always interesting—directorial effort. Brando took over the reins after getting Stanley Kubrick fired as director. It was a rocky production, according to most sources, with an ever-changing screenplay (Rod Serling and Sam Peckinpah worked on early drafts). There’s an even a story that Brando had the cast and crew vote on how to end it. When Brando completed the film, Paramount was dissatisfied with the result and recut it. Brando never directed again.


The plot is a familiar one. After robbing a bank in Mexico, outlaw partners Rio (Brando) and Dad (Karl Malden) are surrounded by a posse. Dad goes for help, but decides along the way that his best chance for survival is to abandon his friend. Rio gets captured and spends five years in a Mexican prison. When he escapes, he heads to Monterey to rob a bank and kill Dad—who has reformed, become the town sheriff, and settled down with a wife and stepdaughter.


To compensate for the tired revenge plot, Brando focuses on the unique setting and the characters’ relationships. I can’t think of another “conventional” Western with a coastal setting. Charles Lang, Jr.’s exquisite photography (he earned an Oscar nomination) captures the beauty of the ocean (even Dad’s house is located on the beach).

And the waves crashing on the shore seem to reflect the inner turmoil of the characters. Rio plays a cruel deception on Dad’s stepdaughter Louisa, but feels remorse immediately afterwards. Dad’s fear of Rio is mixed with guilt over doublecrossing his friend. Louisa’s mother lies to Dad to protect her daughter, even at the expense of losing her husband’s trust.

The ending plays like a hastily-constructed one (which it probably was). But the poetic beauty of the closing scene on the beach reminds one that even when it’s being conventional, One-Eyed Jacks is different. That’s why it’s a movie worth seeing.


One Eyed Jacks. Full Movie.

One Eyed Jacks (1961), a film set in Sonora, Mexico, in the 1880s. A tale of revenge. The cast includes: Brando, Karl Malden as the villian you loved to hate, Katy Jurado, and other actors who went on the become highly regarded in their field: Slim Pickins, and Ben Johnson. Click link to watch movie in full.