An Interview with Karl Malden

Yesterday Academy Award winning actor Karl Malden died at age 97 of natural causes at home with his family. His long and varied career was rich with intelligently crafted roles. He is survived by his wife of 70 years Mona, two daughters Karla and Mila, three granddaughters and four great grandchildren.

It was a little over five years ago that I had the privilege of meeting Karl Malden for the first time at his home in West Los Angeles along with his kind and beautiful wife Mona. I was there to do an interview that would later be published in the American Srbobran.

But right now, that first meeting seems so long very long ago because it was before Karl Malden laughed and squawked like a chicken at me for me taking the path of least resistance with someone we both knew and weren't fond of. It was before he surprised my husband & I that first Christmas morning, calling to wish us Merry Christmas. And it was before I told him on several of his recent birthdays that 90+ years old wasn't old enough for a fighter like him to go -- he had to shoot for 100. And he almost made it.

I am not going to pretend that Karl Malden was "my best friend", but he was a special and dear human being to those who got the chance to spend time with him and I was lucky enough to have had that privilege.

My heart goes out to all his family and especially his wife Mona. Thank you for sharing him with us.

Below is that interview I did with him from 2003 that says more about him in his own voice than I can say with my own right now....

“Did you ever see the Kazan film “America, America”? Great little almost unknown film, but it tells a lot about Kazan’s real life experience.”

One of the best films ever! Here’s a link to it on the very good blog of a member of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Saco, Maine. Scroll about half way down.

http://greekodyssey.typepad.com/my_greek_odyssey/greek_cinema/

O God of spirits and of all flesh, You have trampled down death and have abolished the power of the devil, giving life to Your world. Give rest to the soul of Your departed servant Mladen in a place of light, in a place of repose, in a place of refreshment, where there is no pain, sorrow, and suffering. As a good and loving God, forgive every sin he has committed in thought, word or deed, for there is no one who lives and is sinless. You alone are without sin. Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your word is truth.

I teach this film! It is awesome.

One of his best but Hollywood will not release it in DVD format—I have spoken to Criterion people and they won't touch it either. WHY??? Any guesses? My own theory is that only one European holocaust is allowed in Hollywood: the Jewish one.

Awards
Win
Best Black and White Art Direction - Gene Callahan - 1963 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
U.S. National Film Registry - 2001 Library of Congress
Best Director - Elia Kazan - 1963 Hollywood Foreign Press Association
New Star of the Year - Male - Stathis Giallelis - 1963 Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Nomination
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pic - Paul Mann - 1963 Hollywood Foreign Press Association
Best Original Screenplay - Elia Kazan - 1963 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama - Stathis Giallelis - 1963 Hollywood Foreign Press Association
Best Picture - Drama - 1963 Hollywood Foreign Press Association
Best Director - Elia Kazan - 1963 Directors Guild of America
Best Picture - 1963 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Motion Picture Promoting International Understanding - 1963 Hollywood Foreign Press Association
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion P - Linda Marsh - 1963 Hollywood Foreign Press Association
Best Director - Elia Kazan - 1963 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pic - Gregory Rozakis - 1963 Hollywood Foreign Press Association

"My own theory is that only one European holocaust is allowed in Hollywood: the Jewish one."

Actually I think that it's Kazan, himself, that may be the issue.

But you can vote on the TCM site(right side) to get it put on video -- enough people & who knows?

We need to bombard Warner Bros with emails about this—a few years back a petition was started but I have no idea what happened. Of course the “issues” with Kazan started with the House Unamerican Act. committee but they have released other of his films. I think that another possibility for not releasing this film is the State Dept and the Turkish parastate. They need to maintain the Big Lie.

This link has an email form for WB.
http://www.warnerbros.com/main/help/customer_service.html

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