Episode 105 – Dancing On The Edge With Legendary “West Side Story” Star Russ Tamblyn - Part 1
In the latest episode of “Hollywood Obsessed,” host Tony Miros interviews legendary actor Russ Tamblyn, who is best known for portraying Riff, the leader of the Jets gang in the classic 1961 Academy Award-winning musical “West Side Story.”
During their fascinating conversation, Russ expresses his surprise that people still ask him about “West Side Story” all these decades later. He reveals that it took him 25 years to write his memoir, “Dancing on the Edge,” and describes the challenging process. Russ shares amusing childhood memories, like how his mother found him doing a handstand on a telephone pole and how growing up in a show business family inspired him to act. He recalls spending Saturday mornings at the theater, entertaining kids between shows, and learning tap dancing from famed tap dancer Willie Covan. Additionally, he mentions that Lloyd Bridges gave him his first acting role and how he became friends with Dean Stockwell while filming “The Boy With Green Hair.”
He shares his experiences working on Cecil B. DeMille's "Samson and Delilah" and recalls having lunch with Hedy Lamarr and seeing Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin film a scene in their first film. He notes that Victor Mature wasn't very muscular in real life and remembers attending school with Elizabeth Taylor on the MGM lot. He also recounts a funny run-in with Gene Kelly, working with Spencer Tracy in "Father of the Bride," meeting Marilyn Monroe, and lending money toHoward Hughes, which was never repaid. And he reflects on being an MGM contract player during Hollywood's golden age.
He shares stories about meeting André Previn on the studio lot and how he was often assigned roles without auditioning. He recalls taking 27 takes for the famous jumping-on-the-board scene in “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” and working with choreographer Michael Kidd. He discusses the unusual reputation of actress Julie Newmar and how the studio dyed his hair red for his roles. How he became a popular dance star at MGM and enjoyed working in the film “Tom Thumb,” the first film to use blue screen technology. Even though Glenn Ford didn’t want him to dance in their western, his favorite dance to do was the "shovel dance" from that film. Additionally, he humorously describes having Paul Newman in the trunk of his car and mentions the perks of working in the industry, like having a publicity department to manage stars' issues.
RUSS TAMBLYN
Russ’ career as an actor, dancer, choreographer, director & artist has spanned nearly eight decades.
He was born & raised in Los Angeles, Tamblyn trained as a gymnast in his youth. He began his career as a child actor for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He appeared in the musical “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” (1954), subsequently portrayed Norman Page in the drama “Peyton Place” (1957), for which he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and in “West Side Story” (1961), he portrayed Riff, the leader of the Jets gang.
Russ started his television credits with dancing on the “Ed Sullivan Show” and had guest-starring roles in various shows, including “Gunsmoke”, “Babylon 5”, “Quantum Leap”, and “Nash Bridges”. But he is most remembered for his performance as ‘Dr. Jacoby’ in the landmark TV series “Twin Peaks”. He later reprised this role as Dr. Amp in David Lynch’s final series – “Twin Peaks The Return”.
In 2024, Russ completed a twenty-four year writing project – his memoir, “Dancing on the Edge.“.
Russ Tamblyn Official Website - https://russtamblyn.com
Russ's Book "Dancing On The Edge" -https://www.blackstonepublishing.com/products/book-gh2i
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Russ Tamblyn
Actor / Dancer / Author
Russ’ career as an actor, dancer, choreographer, director and artist has spanned nearly eight decades. His roots began in the heyday of Hollywood; he was discovered by Lloyd Bridges who gave 10 year old Russ his first part in a play, Stone Jungle. This launched Russ into an extensive career in motion pictures, television and theatre.
Russ’ first motion picture credit came in 1948, when he played a supporting role in “The Boy with Green Hair”. Cecil B DeMille saw a special quality in Russ and cast him as young King Saul in the epic, “Samson and Delilah”. Many films followed, including “Father of the Bride”, and “Father’s Little Dividend” in which he portrayed Elizabeth Taylor’s brother. The title role in “The Kid from Cleveland “was next, but it was his dynamic performance in Warner Brothers’ “Retreat Hell!” that won him a long-term contract with MGM Studios. While there, Russ starred in the classic musical, “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”, bringing him world-wide fame for his dancing and acting. He also starred opposite Debbie Reynolds in “Hit the Deck”. His musicality, championship tumbling and cat-like agility, blending with his strong dramatic skills, made Russ ‘MGM’s Most Popular Young Star’. Russ’ career skyrocketed with an Academy Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actor in the critically acclaimed film, Peyton Place. He also received a Golden Globe Award for ‘Most Promising Newcomer’. From there, Russ was offered starring roles in some of the hottest films in Hollywood, including “tom thumb”, “Don’t Go Near the Water”, “High School Confidential”, “The… Read More
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