Title: Marlon & Greg: My Life and Filmmaking Adventures with Hollywood’s Polar Opposites
Author: Joseph Brutsman
Publisher: BearManor Media
ISBN: 1629338281
Pages: 420
Genre: Memoir / Biography
Reviewed by: David Allen
Hollywood Book Reviews
Marlon Brando, Gregory Peck: A Streetcar Named Desire; To Kill A Mockingbird; Godfather; Cape Fear…Whose life has not been touched by the searing performances of these two screen icons? Whose curiosity has not been piqued regarding their lives, their habits, their obsessions, their quirks?
Joseph Brutsman, the author of this remarkable memoir/biography, has had a ringside seat. In this up-close and personal account, we get it straight from the source. Brutsman, a cartoonist, screenwriter and producer, worked closely with and was a close friend of both men. His wife Avra was a personal assistant to Brando. His writing and producing partner Tony Peck is Gregory Peck’s son. Brutsman knows of what he speaks.
Brutsman has done a masterful job of organizing decades’ worth of anecdotes, episodes and insight into a sprawling majestic landscape, touching upon the most interesting aspects of Brando’s and Peck’s lives during their later years. Follow the actors (and the author’s) career arcs as they swoop and soar among the Hollywood Hills and beyond.
There are many stories to tell – no surprise. These men were giants – giant artists and formidable spirits. Open the book at any page and a potpourri of incident, reflection, and wryness will be yours. Further, the book is up-to-date, commenting as it does on the impact of the pandemic on the lifestyles of the gifted and the famous.
Marlon & Greg is every bit as multi-dimensional as its protagonists. Brando was a visceral brooding force, his life complicated by turmoil and angst. (Christian, Brando’s son, shot and killed his daughter Cheyenne’s boyfriend. Cheyenne later hanged herself.) Peck, on the other hand, was very much a social creature, a man of impeccable manners. On any given day his home was the stomping ground of the hoi-polloi. Names like Cheryl Tiegs, Martin Scorsese, Robert DeNiro, Tom Cruise, and Ingmar Bergman (this is the very short list) appear and reappear throughout the book.
What a treat! Read about Brando’s abortive attempt to sell bottled ‘Tahiti’ water with his picture on it, emulating Paul Newman’s Own. Read Brando’s acerbic pronouncements, always delivered from the hip – and the gut. Enjoy Peck’s sarcastic take on a succession of American presidents (Nixon, Bush, Reagan) whom he considered laughable.
Joe Brutsman is an able raconteur. His talent as a writer shines through in his depictions of these two men and the galaxy of fascinating stars that surrounded them. Brutsman tells of an estimable career path of his own, writing and producing a number of sitcoms along the way. He grew up in Minnesota, landing in Los Angeles but not before a life-changing interval in New York at the Juilliard School of Theatre. His insights on method acting and the world of theatre and television are riveting. He traces his love of the genre to his childhood pastime of drawing and watching cartoons like Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny and Fred Flintstone.
One of Brutsman’s take-home points is that these two actors – and giant spirits – were polar opposite. Yet somehow Hollywood and Brutsman compassed them. Fans of the big screen will relish the intimate working portraits that emerge from these pages.