~Honouring The Pristine Performances And Storied Career of Jack Palance~
(1919-2006)
It takes a lot for an individual to measure up to the gold plated title of legend. It’s a word that maybe nowadays is tossed around a touch too liberally. In the case of iconic, nearly six decade active acting stalwart Jack Palance, however, it fits like an engraved badge. He had more than secured that spot in the pantheon of performance prestige when he finally moved on from his brilliant life this past November at the inspiring age of 87. They didn’t come much better than this guy, folks.
Born of Ukrainian heritage in Pennsylvania, Palance, named Volodymyr Palahnyuk at birth, was raised in the small mining town of Hazle Township. Jack himself worked in those very mines for a time, but in the 30’s the rough and rugged sport of boxing captured the young man’s interest. Trading fists under the moniker of Jack Brazzo, Palance rallied up 15 wins in the ring initially, 12 of those being stone cold knockouts. Suddenly though, World War 2 came creeping in and Palance traded in his gloves for a fighter jet. This was the choice that would lead to a serious accident for Jack, but also solidify his gruff, chiselled looks that would become the blueprint for so many snarly, sly roles as the undying bad guy. While taking part in a training flight, piloting a B-24 Liberator, Palance was forced to bail from his burning aircraft over Arizona. The outcome would be some bad disfigurement of his face that resulted in plastic surgery. Jack would be forced to abandon his military hopes, but not before receiving the honorary Purple Heart, as well an award for good conduct and the WW2 Victory Medal. The accident would also turn out to be a blessing in disguise, as Palance would be cast in countless roles for his unique and menacing appearance, as well as incredible acting ability, for the next 50 plus years.
Following his graduation from Stanford University in 1947 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Drama, Palance gradually worked his way into the acting world. One of his greatest and earliest of roles, not for the big screen but for the Broadway stage, however, came purely by accident. Working as the understudy for a soon to be superstar by the name of Marlon Brando, Palance, while sparring with the future Godfather, accidentally missed the punching bag and broke Brando’s nose. The mishap knocked Marlon out of commission for a while and in stepped Palance to take his place in the part of Stanley Kowalski for A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE. It wasn’t long after before Palance was making his film screen debut, taking on a role in 1950’s PANIC IN THE STREETS as Blackie the Killer, the type of portrayal ol’ Jack would master throughout his career. At the time of only his third film role, Palance was becoming recognized as one of the most talented new character actors around, earning Oscar nominated praise for his part of Lester Blaine in the masterful, SUDDEN FEAR, opposite Joan Crawford in 1952. The very next year Palance would again be nominated for possibly his most famously heralded role of all, as stone-hearted Jack Wilson in 1953’s superb, SHANE, in which he had that so very memorable shoot-out with Alan Ladd. It would forever cement Jack as a diamond to have embedded in any cast. Awards and nominations continued to be no stranger to Palance over the early years, snatching up a Best Actor Emmy for the Rod Serling scripted, Playhouse 90 adaptation of REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT (1957). Such starting success for an actor could only mean a plethora of wonderful things ahead for a man with the talents of Jack.
When the 1960’s rolled around, Europe too discovered the capabilities of Palance and he began accepting roles in countries such as Italy and France. Some of his early European output, included Abel Gance’s AUSTERLITZ (1960), the Genghis Kahn based, I MONGOLI (1961) with the then highly popular Anita Ekberg, Richard Fleisher’s biblical masterpiece, BARABBAS (1962), and respected French director Jean-Luc Godard’s, LE MEPRIS (1963) (CONTEMPT). This was just the beginning for Palance in Europe however, as he would continue appearing in films, mostly out of Italy, up until the late 1970’s. In the meantime, Palance would return to television and film work stateside, appearing in shows like THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH, CONVOY, and THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E., as well as doing films in two genres that saw quite a bit of Jack, the recommended Western, THE PROFESSIONALS (1966) with Burt Lancaster and UK based director, Freddie Francis’ TORTURE GARDEN (1967), also featuring TV’s Penguin, Burgess Meredith. It wouldn’t be the last time Palance would work for Francis, taking the lead some years later in one of his hammiest performances as a statue worshipping, nutty antique dealer in CRAZE (1973). For the remainder of the later 60’s and into the glorious 70’s, Jack would mainly ply his trade in Europe, where they were more than happy to have him in anything. Films like Sergio Corbucci’s IL MERCENARIO (1968) (THE MERCENARY), Spanish eccentric, Jesus Franco’s JUSTINE (1969), Leon Klimovsky’s L’URLO DEI GIGANTI (1969), Gianfranco Baldanello’s lighter, IL RICHIAMO DEL LUPO (1975) (CRY OF THE WOLF) with Joan Collins, and Aristide “Joe D’Amato” Massacessi’s EVA NERA (1976) were good examples of the commanding presence Palance brought to these lesser known productions. By the mid-seventies though, Jack felt he was being somewhat typecast as the villain and to viewers, many of his roles from this period didn’t differ greatly from the others. By the time of his final Italian-shot film, 1977’s I PADRONI DELLA CITTA (MISTER SCARFACE) by Fernando Di Leo, Palance had decided to pack up and head for home.
In and out of the spotlight for the rest of the 70’s, Palance again popped up on American television (following a failed cop series called BRONK several years prior), co-hosting RIPLEY’S BELIEVE IT OR NOT! with his daughter, Holly Palance, up until 1986. The greatest success for Jack, strangely enough, wouldn’t come until the 90’s and into his seventies, when after taking significant roles in mainstream films like YOUNG GUNS (1988), BATMAN (1989), and TANGO & CASH (1989), he landed his biggest part as Curly in the hilarious, CITY SLICKERS (1991). Showing Billy Crystal the ropes on the screen, Palance was a natural in the part of the old West weary wrangler, and upstaged that year’s Academy Awards host Crystal and his role in Slickers too by doing a set of unbelievable one-armed push-ups during his acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actor. It remains one of the greatest moments in Oscar history. Palance just seemed to never stop, continuing to remain highly active on the big and small screens, and still turning in exceptional performances even heading into his eighties, such as with his outstanding take on the old Scrooge tale in top spot of 1997’s EBENEZER. His final film came in 2004, a TV movie directed by Ron Underwood called WHEN WE WERE GROWNUPS, for which he received great praise.
Even through the passing of his youngest child and only son, Cody Palance, who succumbed to cancer in 1998, the irreplaceable actor remained tough. The last several years he retreated to his Brooke-Holly Farm (named after his two daughters) for rest and relaxation, and to continue with his ever forming passion for landscape painting, of which he had published a book of in 1996, titled THE FOREST OF LOVE. Jack was a huge humanitarian with an endearing care for nature and the world as a whole.. No question, much of his artwork was inspired by such simple things as the environment around him, which he adored so much. Just this past October, a large portion of Jack Palance’s personal items (in fact, around 3000 of them) were auctioned off from his ranch, billed as “The Jack Palance Collection 2006” and all bearing a special authentic seal. Perhaps Jack felt the time was almost coming to say farewell, sharing a little piece of himself with all who cherished the man before heading off to a brighter place.
Truly a personal favourite of this writer, he was one of the few best of the best left from his era and it’s hard to see him go. You’d of almost thought Jack would be around forever, but sadly, there comes a time when we must say goodbye to even those who we look up to the most. A classic like Jack though was hard to ignore, and he’ll be even more impossible to forget, but always immortalized forever through his big heart and the endless hours of entertainment he provided to fans the world over. One of a kind, the likes of which probably never to be seen again.
-Article written by Cinema Nocturna contributing staff writer Devin Kelly, December 22, 2006
