The Gig Kahuna
"30 years and 55 pictures - not more than five were any good, or any good for me." The self-effacing man who quipped this, was none other than Gig Young. Gig was probably more famous for rivaling
Elizabeth Taylor in the spouse department, than for his cinematic moments.
Eat your turkey leg out Henry V111
Throughout his filmic career, Mr Young was ritually billed as the second banana lead actor. His primary role came. when the Minnesota native
was 27, in the 1940 release Misbehaving Husbands, where he didn't play any such mischievous married man, instead was cast as a floorwalker. These would be the days Young was still gigging as Byron Barr (his birth name).
Soon after he got his first few breaks, he would sign up for the Coast Guard and would take a temporary exit from acting, until the end of WW2.
After the war, he would return to the celluloid scene and Byron Barr would become Gig Young, a name which was
inspired by his character role name in 1942's Gay Sisters, a film he would star along with both George Brent and Barbara Stanwyck.
Many more opportunities for film roles would manifest after his name change, and Young's career would remain consistent. He possessed a natural
ability for portraying genial drunkards, primarily in the comedic realm, however in 1951 he would star
along with James Cagney and give a provocative dramatic performance in Come Fill The Cup
It was evident that Young was every bit on the level with an actor of Cagney's proportion, albeit Young would
never quite emerge , as his contemporaries,
who often times were lesser actors, would.
In George Seton's 1958 comedy Teacher's Pet - Gig's dynamic
portrayal of psychologist Hugo Pine would unfortunately go overshadowed and eclipsed
because of Clark Gable's presence in the film.
He needed to do more brown-nosing here
Rumours would eventually circulate that his troubled lifestyle did sabotage his screen career later in his
life. He developed an intense drinking problem and would be fired from productions as a result,
he was a victim of self-fulfilled prophecy, as he was once quoted saying in 1951, "So many people who have been nominated for an Oscar have had bad luck afterwards." Eighteen years after musing this; he would take home his golden boy for his golden hour as Rocky, the marathon dance emcee
in Sydney Pollack's They Shoot Horses Don't They?
In 1974, the prophecy would ring true, as he would be terminated the very first day of shooting on the set of Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles where he was the first 'The Waco Kid,' the infamous role that would ultimately be passed on to Gene Wilder. From this point on, his career would suffer greatly.
A true to form Scorpio, Gig had many loves, five to be precise and one of his ladyloves was twenty years his junior, the bewitching Elizabeth Montgomery. The pair's marriage would only survive seven years. His first wife Sheila Stapler passed away from an illness two years into their relationship. In a very short time
after Stapler's death, Young would embark on a torrid relationship with actress Elaine Stritch and eventually would propose to her,
albeit Stritch and Young never would make it to the altar.
Tragically, in 1978 and less than a month into Young's marriage to a young German actress named Kim Schmidt, a woman he had initially met on the set of the 1977 film Sceptre, they
would soon wed following a brief courtship.
It would be alleged that Gig turned a gun on
his newlywed, shortly before turning the gun on himself and taking his own life.
Hey gals give Gig a chance will ya?
To this day, when I watch one of my favourite Spencer-Hepburn efforts; Desk Set, I do silently add Young to its equation. With his inherent charms and
soul-infused convictions in every performance, that would never go bereft of believability or passion, it is almost criminal that he ever had to say such self deprecating words as these : "30 years and 55 pictures - not more than five were any good, or any good for me."
Elizabeth Taylor in the spouse department, than for his cinematic moments.
Throughout his filmic career, Mr Young was ritually billed as the second banana lead actor. His primary role came. when the Minnesota native
was 27, in the 1940 release Misbehaving Husbands, where he didn't play any such mischievous married man, instead was cast as a floorwalker. These would be the days Young was still gigging as Byron Barr (his birth name).
Soon after he got his first few breaks, he would sign up for the Coast Guard and would take a temporary exit from acting, until the end of WW2.
After the war, he would return to the celluloid scene and Byron Barr would become Gig Young, a name which was
inspired by his character role name in 1942's Gay Sisters, a film he would star along with both George Brent and Barbara Stanwyck.
Many more opportunities for film roles would manifest after his name change, and Young's career would remain consistent. He possessed a natural
ability for portraying genial drunkards, primarily in the comedic realm, however in 1951 he would star
along with James Cagney and give a provocative dramatic performance in Come Fill The Cup
It was evident that Young was every bit on the level with an actor of Cagney's proportion, albeit Young would
never quite emerge , as his contemporaries,
who often times were lesser actors, would.
In George Seton's 1958 comedy Teacher's Pet - Gig's dynamic
portrayal of psychologist Hugo Pine would unfortunately go overshadowed and eclipsed
because of Clark Gable's presence in the film.
Rumours would eventually circulate that his troubled lifestyle did sabotage his screen career later in his
life. He developed an intense drinking problem and would be fired from productions as a result,
he was a victim of self-fulfilled prophecy, as he was once quoted saying in 1951, "So many people who have been nominated for an Oscar have had bad luck afterwards." Eighteen years after musing this; he would take home his golden boy for his golden hour as Rocky, the marathon dance emcee
in Sydney Pollack's They Shoot Horses Don't They?
In 1974, the prophecy would ring true, as he would be terminated the very first day of shooting on the set of Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles where he was the first 'The Waco Kid,' the infamous role that would ultimately be passed on to Gene Wilder. From this point on, his career would suffer greatly.
A true to form Scorpio, Gig had many loves, five to be precise and one of his ladyloves was twenty years his junior, the bewitching Elizabeth Montgomery. The pair's marriage would only survive seven years. His first wife Sheila Stapler passed away from an illness two years into their relationship. In a very short time
after Stapler's death, Young would embark on a torrid relationship with actress Elaine Stritch and eventually would propose to her,
albeit Stritch and Young never would make it to the altar.
Tragically, in 1978 and less than a month into Young's marriage to a young German actress named Kim Schmidt, a woman he had initially met on the set of the 1977 film Sceptre, they
would soon wed following a brief courtship.
It would be alleged that Gig turned a gun on
his newlywed, shortly before turning the gun on himself and taking his own life.
To this day, when I watch one of my favourite Spencer-Hepburn efforts; Desk Set, I do silently add Young to its equation. With his inherent charms and
soul-infused convictions in every performance, that would never go bereft of believability or passion, it is almost criminal that he ever had to say such self deprecating words as these : "30 years and 55 pictures - not more than five were any good, or any good for me."
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