2021 TCM Classic Film Festival: George Chakiris & Russ Tamblyn Talk West Side Story’s 60th Anniversary
This year's TCM Classic Film Festival is happening (virtually) May 6-9, 2021 on Turner Classic Movies and HBO Max. The 12th Annual Festival will open with a 60th anniversary screening of West Side Story (1961) with stars Rita Moreno, George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn, in addition to screenings hosted by iconic directors and actors such as Rob Reiner, Danny Glover, Ali MacGraw -- and dozens more.
Programming and Talent highlights of the Festival include:
Opening Night on Thursday, May 6 at 8pm ET features the 60th anniversary screening of West Side Story (1961) with stars Rita Moreno, George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn giving new and exclusive interviews. Opening Night will premiere simultaneously on TCM and HBO Max.
Blackfilmandtv.com was among a few journalists who spoke with George Chakiris (Bernado) and Russ Tamblyn (Riff) on their experience on West Side Story, which won 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor for Chakiris.
This is obviously a big anniversary year for this landmark film. Could I get your three takes on how important this film is still in 2021?
George Chakiris: Well, the film has been important all this time. It's important to me, first of all, because it's based on a classical story that is been around for many, many, many decades. So the story itself is very relevant in today's society as well. And I think that's one of the reasons, but audiences have responded to it over the years.
Russ Tamblyn: George and I were just talking on the phone yesterday, and George asked if any other film has gone 60 years or 70 years. We can't think of another film that's really been celebrated so much for so long, and still being celebrated, which I thought was an interesting. I couldn't think of anything other than maybe the Wizard of Oz, or something that they keep showing every year. West Side Story, certainly our version, has certainly been shown a lot. When Steven Spielberg's version comes out, there will even be shown more people say, "Oh, well, let's go back and see the first one again." So I think we're just going to go on and on and on. Hopefully,
George Chakiris: Just one really basic, simple point. Prejudice is alive and well and it always has been. That's a really key element of the story. That's one of the reasons why audiences can still respond to the story.
Russ Tamblyn: George and I have actually spent more time together after the movie than we did on it. Really, we spent well over the last 30-40 years, which seems like forever. We've done like a lot of conventions together and a lot of different projects. And so we've gotten to know each other really, really well in that period of time, which was not what we were. We were not so friendly on the movie because Jerry Robbins liked the idea of keeping the gangs apart. And of course, George and I stayed apart. Except for when we were fighting, and are yelling at each other, mainly me doing the yelling. But George, what? What do you think?
George Chakiris: Well, one thing that comes to mind is the camaraderie and the closeness that we all felt and still feel with each other. It reminds me that Bob Wise, after the movie was made, the girls used to get together with Bob and take him to lunch. They kept doing it. And Bob actually said that it was the first time in his experience of movie making, that he had retained such close friendships with people in the movie after the movie was over. So even for Bob, it was a special happening. Because he felt the film just brought us all closer together. And it remained that way for Bob as well.
With Broadway shut down due to the pandemic, last year was the years of play with Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and The Father and this year seems to be the year of the musicals. We have In The Heights, Dear Evan Hanson and West Side Story hitting theaters. Because of the pandemic, a lot of people are not making films with extras, and when you go back 60 years, if you look at this film, there were plenty especially during the dance scenes. Can talk about how challenging it was back then? Did you do take after take to get the dancing is correct?
George Chakiris: Well, the way you got the dancing was by rehearsing. You just had to keep repeating it. And of course, some days and weeks and so on, to get it right. So that when you were filming, you didn't have to think about that. But you know, it's interesting when you talk about crowds, and lots of people on screen, I know in Fame, and probably In The Heights as well, you do see a lot of people on the screen. There's something really wonderful and gratifying about that, to have all those lives on screen. If there's this much more energy that comes through, it’s because of all those people, and it's quite potent.
Russ Tamblyn: I did Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and that had a lot of a lot of dancers in it. We had two different different gangs. We had the mountain guys and everybody else in the city. I wrote about that in my memoir.. I'm finishing my autobiography called Dance on the Edge and it covers a lot of that. A lot of the fact that of dancing and different venues. But Westside story was certainly the monster of all monsters.
George Chakiris: Well, again, just to underscore your your question, when you talk about all the extras and all of those people on the screen, I remember when Fame first came out, one of the great things about that film was all of those young people on the street. The scene was just filled with people and it brought such energy and force to what we the audience were able to see and engage in and be part of and enjoy.
Russ Tamblyn: I know in regular movies, I so much enjoyed watching Lawrence of Arabia, and there's like a scene in there where there are hundreds and hundreds of extras on horses are going through the scene and and there was nothing fake or added about it. They were really there in the scene riding their horses. I was thought that was pretty amazing. They just they don't do that anymore. Now it's CGI.
George Chakiris: When you say computer generated, it can bring lots of people to the screen and people to the picture, but it's not the same energy as real people there. And I'll go back again toFame or something like that, because those people were actually there. They weren't computer generated and that that's a whole totally different form of energy, real energy, as opposed to computer generated energy.
Russ Tamblyn: True. And a lot of times there's a complication. I did a movie in Yugoslavia with the Sidney Poitier (The Long Ships) and the first day that Sydney came on the set he was supposed to be this guy who had an army of people. He was the only Black guy in the army. Everyone else was white. And they put them in blackface. When Sydney came on the set, he looked around, he said, "Where is my army?” The producer said "Well, here there are,” and Sidney says, "Why aren't they Black?” The producer says that "we couldn't find any black people in Yugoslavia. These are the extras that we had to get." Sidney looked at the producer, and he said, "I'll tell you what. You can find all the extras you want in Africa. I'm going back to the hotel now. Call me when you when you hire them, and then I'll come back" and he left the set. We got off for a couple of days. I remember they were busy trying to bring in some Black actors. I thought that was one of the most beautiful things he did. After that I became such a huge fan of Sidney’s. He was just such a gentleman.
There are a few films like West Side Story that were so decorated by the Academy Award with so many different wins. What was that night like for you all when you all got on really the big stage for so many winning awards?
George Chakiris: Well, Rita Moreno and I attended the Academy Award ceremonies together. So that made it a great night just to be with Rita. The car came to pick me up and then we've got Rita. I remember, as we were leaving her home to get to the car, she said, “I'm practicing my losers face.” We weren't all there. But Rita and I were lucky enough to be two of the people who were there. We just had an extraordinary, amazing, beautiful evening, I got lucky. And then the thing that made it more beautiful on top of that was because Rita got lucky to and Jerry and so many. We all got lucky. All of us got lucky that night. So it was a it was a just an extraordinary, really beautiful, beautiful experience. I was so happy for Robert Wise and for Jerry Robbins and for everybody out because they worked it all. It all happened really because first of all, I think because of Jerry, It started with Jerry Robbins. So over the years, no matter how difficult we think Jerry was, he was a perfectionist with himself first, but we owe him a debt. And I think by the way, I'm going to go ahead and say that Steven Spielberg owes him a debt of gratitude, because Steven Spielberg has a project thanks to what has preceded him. Sorry, I think that's the truth.