Episode 106 – Dancing On The Edge With Legendary “West Side Story” Star Russ Tamblyn - Part 2
In the second half of Tony's conversation with actor Russ Tamblyn, he reflects on receiving an Academy Award nomination for "Peyton Place." He shares experiences working with Elvis Presley in "Jailhouse Rock," discusses landing a role in "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" without knowing how to dance, and describes filming the iconic number "Goin' Courtin'" with Jane Powell.
He shares his experience working with Jerome Robbins on "West Side Story," emphasizing how strict Robbins was with the dancers. He recalls filming the prologue on the streets of New York and mentions that he developed shin splints from dancing on the asphalt. He remembers how hot it was in NYC that summer and recounts how they began to do a rain dance on set, surprising everyone when it actually started to rain. Additionally, he reflects on his astonishment when Robbins was fired from the project. Although he was initially concerned, he later felt relieved because Robbins had stated at the start of the shoot that there would be no tumbling in the film. After Robbins was let go, they allowed him to incorporate some tumbling into his dance numbers.
He discusses the tension between Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer on the set of “West Side Story” and shares his joy in playing Riff. He recalls attending the film's premiere, where Fred Astaire praised his dancing, and describes having his hands and footprints enshrined at the Chinese Theater with Rita Moreno and George Chakiris. He also highlights his enduring friendship with Chakiris, which has grown through attending autograph conventions together.
Russ discusses his initial hesitation to take on a role in "The Haunting," but he ultimately found it to be one of his favorite performances. He expresses confusion about the unexpected popularity of his film "The War of the Gargantuas," which he initially thought would go unnoticed but has instead become a cult classic. Russ believes"Twin Peaks" was destined to be a major hit on television. He recounts meeting David Lynch at Dennis Hopper's birthday party, and a year later, Lynch contacted him to play the role of Dr. Jacoby in his new TV series. He admits he was shocked when "Twin Peaks" was canceled after just two seasons, but he was thrilled to be asked to reprise his character in the "Twin Peaks" revival, "The Return." He also talks about continuing to work on various projects, such as "The Haunting of Hill House" for Netflix.
RUSS TAMBLYN
Russ’ career as an actor, dancer, choreographer, director & artist has spanned nearly eight decades. He was born & raised in Los Angeles, he trained as a gymnast in his youth, and 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.
His television credits include dancing on the “Ed Sullivan Show” and 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 his role in David Lynch’s final series – “Twin Peaks The Return”. In 2024, he completed a 24 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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