It has been a rough two weeks for the entertainment business when it comes to the passing of major celebrity names as Karl Malden has passed away at the age of 97. Malden died in his sleep about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, his manager Bud Ross tells CNN.
Malden won an Oscar for his performance alongside Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire and was also nominated for another one of his performances opposite Brando in On the Waterfront in 1955.
Only five years ago at the 2004 Screen Actors Guild Awards he was recognized with a Life Achievement Award and has long been recognized as a Hollywood icon.
My personal experience with his movies has been relatively limited considering the overal breadth of his career but I have seen him in films such as A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, Baby Doll, How the West Was Won, The Cincinnati Kid, Patton and his one and only appearance on TV’s “The West Wing”.
For those that have never seen any of the films I just mentioned you can catch up on three of his classic performances next Friday, July 10, on TCM as they have already adjusted their programming schedule with the following three films:
8 p.m. (ET) On the Waterfront (1952) — Malden earned an Oscar-nomination for his performance as a priest who helps prize-fighter wannabe Marlon Brando come to terms with a corrupt boss. Elia Kazan’s gritty drama co-stars Rod Steiger, Eva Marie Saint and Lee J. Cobb.
10 p.m. (ET) A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) — Malden took home an Academy Award when he reprised his Broadway role for Elia Kazan’s adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ play. Fellow Oscar winners Vivian Leigh and Kim Hunter co-star, along with screen powerhouse Marlon Brando.
12:15 a.m. (ET) Birdman of Alcatraz (1962) — Malden co-starred opposite Burt Lancaster in this true story about Robert Stroud, a convict who became a world-renowned bird expert. Thelma Ritter, Betty Field, Neville Brand and Telly Savalas also star in this John Frankenheimer drama.
I have already set my DVR for Birdman of Alcatraz as it is one I haven’t seen and recommend those of you with access to TCM do the same.
