Meet Mr. and Mrs. Tony Curtis: June 4, 1951

Posted by medusamorlock on June 4, 2009

Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh are Married!

I haven’t done a nuptial-related post in a while, so I’m pleased to be able to toss a bouquet out for today, June 4th. On this date, in 1951, Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh tied the knot. It’s always kind of fascinating when two movie stars team up in real life, but of course this was early in both their careers. Janet Leigh had been discovered by MGM in 1947 or so and was the veteran of more than a dozen films, including Act of Violence, the 1948 remake of Little Women with Elizabeth Taylor and June Allyson, and That Forsyte Woman. Curtis wasn’t as far along in his career; after a tough poverty-stricken early life and service in the Navy during WW II, he was able to get in to acting school on the G.I. Bill. He had managed to break into features, but was working his way through small roles in a selection of movies, getting experience and a name for himself.

Newly-married Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh Ham It Up for the Camera While the June 4, 1951 ceremony was a first marriage for the 26-year-old Mr. Curtis, it was the 23-year-old Janet Leigh’s third. She had been first married at the age of 14 (a union which was annulled a year or so later), and four years later she married again. (That marriage ended in divorce, too. ) When the sweet-faced and appealling Leigh hooked up with the Brooklyn beefcake of Tony Curtis, it was a publicist’s dream. The gorgeous couple were the toast of Tinsel Town, launching into a charmed Beverly Hills lifestyle and collaboration that extended to their mutual careers, too.

Curtis and Leigh were first paired together onscreen in Paramount’s colorful and charming 1953 Houdini, the biography of the legendary American magician/showman Harry Houdini. The love story between Houdini and his lovely wife Bess had some parallels in the Curtis-Leigh relationship — a handsome charismatic Jewish boy from NYC falls hard Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh in a gorgeous pic from the Doctor Macro website for a beautiful non-Jewish young lady — and their genuine passion for each other came through on the screen and brought much life to the somewhat fanciful but completely entertaining movie.

Their next movie together was the much-kidded The Black Shield of Falworth, a medieval costumer wherein Curtis utters the immortal line “Yonder lies the castle of my father” in a distinctly Brooklyn accent. Authenticity or ethnicity be damned; Curtis looked terrific in his knightly duds, and of course Janet Leigh was beyond stunning in her fanciful costumes. The movie was a well-done piece of swashbucklery, all told.

Although they continued their separate and very successful careers, 1958 brought another co-venture, the exciting and elaborate Norse action adventure The Vikings, co- Ye Beautiful Couple from Black Shield, from Doctor Macro website starring an intensely virile Kirk Douglas and similarly testosterone-laden Ernest Borgnine. This harsh and unsparingly brutal movie gave Poster from 1958's "The Vikings" Curtis and Leigh another chance to play out their real-life romance while dressed in historical garb, and is great fun for a look at a genre — the Viking film — that isn’t very often explored.

Next up for them in 1958 was a chance of pace for them, the service comedy The Perfect Furlough, which again afforded the pair an opportunity to play dress-up as military characters. Leigh’s a no-nonsense Army shrink tasked with keeping sane a bunch of soldiers station in the Arctic, and Curtis is a sex-starved playboy who wins a leave in Paris, with Leigh along to chaperone. Okay, maybe not a classic, but a bright comedy with two Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh in "The Perfect Furlough" from Doctor Macro Site attractive leads with a flair for comedy.

The last of their onscreen collaborations was the 1960 movie adaptation of the sexy Broadway farce Who Was That Lady?, also starring Dean 1960's "Who Was That Lady?" starring Curtis, Leigh and Martin Martin. A crazy mix of college antics, Russian spies and 1960s television news shows, the movie hasn’t become a classic but contains fun performances from a slew of character actors, including Tony Curtis’ longtime buddy Larry Storch, from his wartime days.

The Tony Curtis-Janet Leigh marriage produced two children, Kelly and Jamie Lee, but was ultimately to end in divorce, too, in 1962. Curtis later was quoted as saying that he married Janet Leigh with an eye on what it might do for his career, and certainly for eleven years they were a sparkling duo in a town that thrived on movie star glitz. Mr. Curtis is currently on his sixth marriage (since 1998), and sadly Janet Leigh passed on in 2004.

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10 Responses Meet Mr. and Mrs. Tony Curtis: June 4, 1951

Posted By Al Lowe : June 5, 2009 12:55 am

My brother Mike is an executive at U-Haul. Each year he is involved in Memorial Day activities in Washington, D.C., since the founder of the company served in the service. My brother did not serve – but his dad and his uncles did – and of course, his brother Al did. I was in VietNam.
This year U-Haul brought along Ernest Borgnine, whom they paid to participate.
My brother spent 10 minutes talking to Borgnine. “I’m a fan,” Mike said. Ernie gave him a cynical look. He had heard that before. “Which was it? McHale’s Navy or Posiedon Adventure?” “Neither,” my brother said. “The Wild Bunch.”
Borgnine looked pleased. He said that and Marty were his favorite pictures. (I had taught my youngest brother, younger by 11 years, well.)
Another special guest at the ceremony was the woman who gave the spontaneous kiss to the G.I. in the famous photo taken when the war ended more than 60 years ago. She is 90 years old now. Everyone knew it was her in the famous photo but 40 guys have claimed to be the G.I. She didn’t know the guy she was kissing at the time.
There are plans afoot to restage that photo. She’ll be kissing. And the guy she’ll be kissing will be – Who else?
Tony Curtis.

Posted By Suzi : June 5, 2009 3:08 pm

Curtis and Leigh — my favorite Hollywood couple when I was a kid. I must have seen HOUDINI a dozen a times. When I saw a photo of the real Houdini, I was really disappointed that he did not look like drop-dead handsome Tony Curtis. And, when Curtis and Leigh divorced, I was even more disillusioned that they did not love each other like their real-life counterparts in that film.

Married at 14!! Yikes!!!

Nice post, Medusa.

Posted By moirafinnie : June 6, 2009 8:05 am

Hi Medusa,
I had no idea that Janet Leigh was married prior to getting hitched to Curtis nor that ambition more than affection drove him to marry the woman, but always had the impression that he was darn lucky to have had her in his life for a time. While at times brutal, “The Vikings” will always be my favorite teaming of the pair, and right after would have to be the snazzy fictionalized biopic, “Houdini”. Perhaps this is because both films have a quality of child-like wonder, reflecting the spirit of the stars and all the actors (Kirk Douglas, Ernest Borgnine and Torin Thatcher, among others) and the crew, (particularly Richard Fleischer & George Pal).

Maybe the times were more innocent, but the actors seemed to be experiencing something that has become all too rare in these lively works: fun!

Thanks for this spotlight on the business and personal collaboration of Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis.

Posted By Ingrid Berzins Leuzy : June 7, 2009 11:21 am

Hey Medusa, This was one of my favourite couples of the day as well…I even had Janet Leigh paper dolls when I was about ten. Coincidentally, my friend and colleague, Alain Zaloum directed Tony Curtis last year in the film, David and Fatima. He gave a moving and memorable performance in spite of ill health and endeared himself to the entire crew. Since my own parents were married on June 4th, (albeit in 1949!) and I was just remembering that, this was a nice little story for me to read. Thanks!

Posted By Mary : June 9, 2009 10:13 am

Hi Medusa,

Love your Janet and Tony anniversary tribute piece. For the record, Mr. Curtis is a Bronx-born beefcake, not a Brooklyn one.

Thanks again for the great post! Mary

Posted By Medusa : June 9, 2009 12:13 pm

Mary –

I’ve got to get my boroughs straight, don’t I? Sorry about that!

Posted By Richard Smernoff : June 17, 2009 10:43 pm

Just for the record, Janet Leigh was “discovered” in 1946 and not 1947. it was in
February, 1946 that Norma Shearer saw a photo of Janet Leigh that she took to
show to MGM executives. Things moved quickly so that Janet was offered a seven
year contract in 1946. Her first film, “The Romance of Rosy Ridge” was in fact
shot and completed in 1946 and released in 1947.

Posted By Richard Smernoff : June 17, 2009 10:48 pm

One more observation: I had the pleasure of meeting Janet Leigh when she
came to the Landmark Theatre in Syracuse New York in September 2000 to
promote the restoration of “Touch of Evil”. She was an elegant lady, a true
reminder of old Hollywood.

Posted By medusamorlock : June 18, 2009 2:04 pm

Richard, thanks for the corrections and for your lovely personal recollections of Janet Leigh. I always love hearing about classic stars who were classy, too. Thanks again.

Posted By PIX : August 15, 2009 9:24 pm

I always thought Curtis’ immortal line “Yonder lies the castle of my father” said in his distinctly Bronx accent was uttered in an earlier movie, “The Prince Who Was a Thief,” in which he starred with Piper Laurie. Whatever — it was memorable! “Yonda lies the castle of my fada.” Maybe it is all a myth? I haven’t seen either movie in more than 50 years. Anyone seen or heard this recently?

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