Marlon's Message

''And, the winner is......... Marlon Brando for The Godfather!''....... So stated presenters Liv Ullman and Roger Moore on the''45th Annual Academy Awards'' in the spring of 1973. It was an expected win for Brando for Best Actor. His performance as Mafia chief ''Don Vito Corleone'' in the landmark movie ''The Godfather'' was a monumental moment on movie acting and pop culture. It capped a spectacular career comeback for Brando. After revolutionizing acting in the 1950's with tour de force performances in movies like ''A Streetcar Named Desire'', ''Viva Zapata'', and ''On The Waterfront''---- the last of which he won his first Best Actor nod----- Brando had fallen off, career-wise, in the 1960's. The combination of bad movie choices, plus, his notorious difficult behavior on movie sets, cast him as a washed-up pariah in Tinseltown. By the early 1970's, he was looked upon as a kook, a pain in the ass prima donna who was not worth dealing with anymore. His best years were behind, so stated the general consensus around town. ''The Godfather'' changed all of that........ Suddenly, Marlon Brando was hot again. The King had returned from exile to reclaim his title as the Giant Of Cinema. His Corleone was toasted in rapturous waves of public adulation. All, or most, of Brando's behavior and sins against Hollywood were forgotten. Or, were purposely overlooked. He still had that glow of a ''difficult talent'' around him, but, he was MONEY now and back in favor with the public. Therefore, the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences felt that an honor was needed to the rogue Bad Boy. Give him a second Oscar, the members decreed. Because he deserved it. And, he did........ But, Marlon Brando always played the Hollywood game by his own rules. The restless, angry rebellion against conformity that so electrified the silver screen naturally found a similar outlet off-screen in his real life. No one told Brando what to do. He decided that he would use the occasion of the vast worldwide audience that watched the Oscars to make a personal and political statement. For years, Marlon Brando championed Civil Rights for all oppressed groups. His pet passion, though, was for the Native American Indian. He marched for what he felt was the abuse heaped upon the Indian culture. And, he had valid reasons, for American Indians were robbed and cheated by the Government of the United States out of land and possessions for many years. Treaties were broken [around 400 hundred, estimated by Brando] and many generations of Native Americans were wiped out by the armies and settlers in the Old World. Brando, also, was horrified by the treatment of Indians in Hollywood pictures. He felt, again, with reason, that the Indian image was besmirched, with the wrong message going out to the public. Indians were almost always portrayed as blood-thirsty savages, intent on beheading men and raping the women. Brando was very vocal about his displeasure in this presentation onscreen but, when he was a ''cold'' figure in the 60's, no one listened. Now that he was ''hot'' again, he saw his chance to make his statement. And, have the whole world watching......... Sacheen Littlefeather, born Marie Louise Cruz, was of mixed origin. Her mother was French, German, and Dutch, her father was Apache. She claimed to be both actress and activist, which must have made her seem appealing for Marlon Brando, because she could both give legitimacy to the Native American position, and  present good, old fashioned Hollywood showbiz to what he was about to do. Brando had decided to refuse his Oscar, if he received it for ''The Godfather'' but use the forum to give out his views on the current Indian situation. Because he did not believe in any kind of award [though, he did when he won for ''Waterfront''] he would send Sacheen up there as his proxy....... And, he also wanted to take the occasion to tell Hollywood, which shunned him for years, to take their celebrated statue and shove it up their collective asses....... March 27, 1973, there was a huge buzz in the air. There was the usual Pre-Oscar vibrations. However, there was an air of mystery and it all centered around Marlon Brando. Would he show up personally to collect his honor? And, if he did not show up, would he pull one of his famous stunts and give the finger to Hollywood? The second was about to happen. Hollywood, though, was unsure of what Marlon was about to do because he was lying in the weeds, all quiet and calm. Like an Indian brave before going into battle.......  In typical fashion, the Oscar broadcast, despite its hoopla, was as boring as an insurance seminar. Hour after hour, the ''beautiful people'' in La-La Land, proclaimed their greatness and importance for a public that, for some strange reason, cared. The only drama that night was the monster movie of the year, ''The Godfather', was getting trounced by the smaller film ''Cabaret''. The producer of the broadcast, Howard Koch, Jr, knew that Brando was a no-show---that was to be expected---- but, Koch had gotten wind that Marlon had sent an Indian woman to be his Voice should he win. And, this Indian woman had a long speech that she planned to read!!! Koch was horrified and got word to Ms. Littlefeather that in no way would he allow such a speech to be read to the public. If Littlefeather got up there and she went long, he would cut her off. Sacheen Littlefeather went along with the request but she was unhappy.......... The camera cut to all of the nominees for Best Actor in dramatic fashion. For Marlon Brando, there was only a picture. When Liv Ullman and Roger Moore read his name, there was loud applause and whistles for Brando. The audience was applauding his work in ''The Godfather'' and, also, his return to sit on his throne again as the Greatest Actor In Film History. Then, the audience and the viewer noticed a strange sight: a small woman, in Indian garb, was approaching the podium. She climbed the stage and went up to the microphone. Moore held the Oscar out to her. She held up her hand and gently refused to take it. Moore looked astonished and none-too-pleased. More likely, he was shocked and confused, as was Liv Ullman. Sacheen Littlefeather waited for the applause to die down. Then, she spoke. And, then, the shit hit the fan for the 45th Annual Academy Awards........ ''Hello. My name is Sacheen Littlefeather. I'm Apache and I am president of the National Native American Affirmative Image Committee. I'm representing Marlon Brando this evening and he has asked me to tell you in a very long speech, which I cannot share with you because of time but I will be glad to share with the press afterwords, that he very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award. And the reason for this being are the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry [hissing and booing emits from the audience, along with scattered applause]---excuse me--- and on television in movie reruns, and also with recent happenings at Wounded Knee [ a standoff in Wisconsin between the government and Native Americans demanding treaties be honored]. I beg on this time that I have not intruded upon this evening and that we will in the future, our hearts and our understandings will meet with love and generosity. Thank you on behalf of Marlon Brando''......... On that note, Sacheen Littlefeather walked off the stage, sans the Academy Award for Marlon Brando. Roger Moore would carry it offstage......... The show immediately went to commercial but, behind the scenes, it was open warfare. Backstage, there were shocked opinions mixed with righteous indignation. John Wayne was furious. Clint Eastwood was seething with anger.  charlton Heston and, of all people, Raquel Welch, loudly proclaimed their displeasure. While some celebrities in the audience agreed with the point and message, the overwhelming feeling was that Marlon was very wrong to use this forum for his own personal political agenda. Throughout the rest of the evening, Marlon's ''stunt'' would darken the festivities, even as his picture ''The Godfather'' rang the big bell and won Best Picture. By evenings end, the feeling ran throughout Hollywood that Brando had pulled the ultimate ''fuck you'' to his own industry........ Sacheen Littlefeather did, indeed, meet with the world's press. But, the Fourth Estate only wanted to talk about Brando, not Wounded Knee. They wanted to know his real intentions, overlooking, that his intentions were out in the open, for all of the world to see. When it became known that Sacheen was also an actress, some cynics reported that it was all in jest, not to be taken seriously, ignoring the message and killing the messenger. Soon, Sacheen Littlefeather would become a media joke.......... Reportedly, Marlon Brando, watching the show at his home, laughed with glee over all of the fuss......... The fallout was typical Hollywood drama. While the general public seemed divided over what Marlon Brando had done, inside the industry, there were grudges formed. Of course, Marlon was still very bankable, so, he was still offered all of the great parts. And, the public was both outraged and amused by his antics. But, several powerful people, put off by his snub of the Oscar, would have nothing to do with him. In their eyes, he was ''damaged goods''. Paramount Pictures, especially, held a firm grievance. When Brando was approached to be in ''Godfather Part 2'', he held Paramount's feet to the fire because he was well aware of the studio bad-mouthing him around town. Paramount fought back, refusing to meet Brando's demands. And, it was this stalemate that was the reason Brando was not in the sequel to the movie that resurrected his career, and by extension, his life......... Like all things Hollywood, ''you keep your friends close but your enemies closer'' [Michael Corleone, ''The Godfather Part 2'']. The devils and the angels in that town have always swam in the same cesspool of hypocrisy. Sacheen Littlefeather would find small acting roles in a few forgettable movies. A few years after the Oscars, she would pose nude in ''Playboy.'' Her pictures were nothing to raise your tepee pole over. Soon, she would fade into obscurity, a curious trivia question about the Academy Awards........Marlon Brando would become a legend, both with his career and his life. His movie choices would run the gamut of very good to embarrassing. He only cared for the big money, he always claimed. Every once in a while, his greatness would creep out, in roles like ''Last Tango In Paris'', ''Apocalypse Now'', 'A Dry White Season'', and ''The Freshmen''. He also became a laughingstock in movies like ''Superman'', ''The Island Of Dr. Moreau'', and ''Christopher Columbus''. Hollywood still watched him with a wary eye, even showing all was forgiven Oscar-wise by nominating him for ''Last Tango'' and ''Dry White Season.'' Needless, to say, he never showed up for those awards [ he lost those nominations]....... His personal life continued to draw media scrutiny. He still championed the causes of the little man. His devotion to Indian Rights never flagged, even though, like most Hollywood activists, very little showed up for all of the effort. But, he always was very sincere in his efforts and deserved whatever acclaim bestowed on him. But, his story contained tragedy, also. In 1990, The House Of Brando was invaded by murder. Christian Brando, Marlon's eldest son, fatally shot his sister, Cheyenne's, fiancée, Dag Drollet, after a domestic dispute in the Brando home. Accounts at the time varied on what happened. When Christian's trial came, however, the real story came out. It was a simple argument over Drollet's treatment of Cheyenne that became heated, and, finally, deadly. Christian pled guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to five years in prison. He was released in 1996 and spent his remaining years until his death in 2008 working as a tree cutter and artistic welder. Cheyenne Brando, unstable to begin with, never got over her fiancee's death and committed suicide by hanging in 1995......... All of these personal tragedies overwhelmed Marlon Brando. He gained an enormous amount of weight, and, reportedly, weighed close to 400 pounds. His remaining years would find him in seclusion, rarely leaving his Mulholland Drive residence. He would die in 2004 at the age of 80 years old. At the end, said those around him, he was still the defiant, angry, street fighter that he had been his whole life. He fought the studios and the ''men in suits'', but, he always identified with the hardships of the oppressed and needy......... His ''stunt'' in March 1973 at the Academy Awards can be viewed in retrospect through two filters. The first filter, say his supporters, was a decent, caring man taking full advantage of his celebrity to draw attention to the Indian cause. That he sparked outrage was beneficial, for he shined the spotlight on abuse that needed to be spoken about. The second filter, say his detractors, was of a spoiled, pampered, publicity seeking egomaniac looking to cause some hell to an industry that had supported him and his crazy behavior for years. He was ungrateful, they claimed, and showed his true self by using a genuine problem and puffing himself up as a hero for the underdog......... The true answer? Well, the enigma of Marlon Brando----the dark wells of rage and mystery and compassion---- can never being fairly defined. There is confusion of character and actions. One side always cancels out the other...... Which, I think, is what he always wanted........