The Real Story Of Hollywood's Tough Guy

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  • čas přidán 17. 05. 2024
  • It might be surprising to consider, but Bronson was one of the most bankable actors of his lifetime. When discussing the 1974 film Mr. Majestyk, producer Walter Mirisch once stated, "Charlie is making $20,000 a day for a six-day week, plus ten percent of the net, plus $2,500 a week walking-around money. On his next picture, he'll probably make more".
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Komentáře • 589

  • @user-ch3lt4ve6b
    @user-ch3lt4ve6b Před 18 dny +565

    I had to replace his Sonitrol alarm panel at one of his homes, around late 1990-early 1991. He had 2 homes we protected, 1 in Malibu, and this more modest, almost tract home on N. Beverly Blvd. in Beverly Hills. I remember his wife had passed away recently, and you could tell he was grieving. But he was alone, no maid or “people” around. It was my last service call of the day, and it only took a few minutes to replace the board, send signals, and change the keypads. All the while, he was asking questions. He asked me if you could bypass metallic window tape with a chewing gum wrapper, a la Eddie Murphy in B,H. Cop. Told him no, the gum wrapper isn’t real foil anymore. Sensing my curiosity about all the alarm questions, he said he’s reviewing a script he just got, (Death Wish 5), and he’s supposed to kill a bad guy with a remote controlled soccer ball. He asked me if it could be done. I said Sure! it’s the movies! He then asked me if I wanted a beer. I said I can’t, I have to drive home to Huntington Beach. He then said in that voice: “You mean to say you won’t have a beer with me?” 😳 I think I had 2, and we discussed the soccer ball gag. A bomb? I asked. Yeah… I said I guess it’d work realistically if the reciver and explosive somehow didn’t make the ball too heavy, or lopsided. About halfway through saying this I realized he was winding me up, & I started laughing, and he laughed, too. He said something like: Aw hell, who cares if it’s remotely believeable?…😆
    So he might’ve been mean on movie sets when things go bad, or hate interviews, but he was a gracious host to me. Tried to tip me $100, and I said the last few hours were priceless, and I was on O.T. anyway because it was nearly 7 pm! I had a quicker drive home, and I think he had a 8pm dinner reservation, so he got to arm his new panel and we both left his place. And yes, he shook my hand twice: When I met him at the door, and when we parted. So no OCD around me. A very nice, very intelligent guy!

  • @IntrospectorGeneral
    @IntrospectorGeneral Před 19 dny +300

    Kurt Russell told the story of working with Bronson in the 1965 Guns of Diablo. Hearing it was Bronson's birthday the 14 year old Russell bought Bronson an RC airplane. Bronson said nothing and went to his trailer leaving Russell feeling like he'd done something wrong. Bronson later explained that he'd never received a present before. After Bronson's death 39 years later Russell received a package. The RC aircraft in its original box.

    • @richardgutermuth2043
      @richardgutermuth2043 Před 17 dny +14

      They worked together on the travels of Jamie Mc Phetter

    • @jimrogers2089
      @jimrogers2089 Před 16 dny +25

      That's a great video, gave me a tremendous amount of respect for Bronson (and Kurt, for thinking to buy him a gift).
      Also, so humorous imagining him confronting the studio head over a boy skateboarding.

    • @kirbyculp3449
      @kirbyculp3449 Před 15 dny +10

      Bronson was probably hoping for the Sonic Blaster, especially from Kurt.

    • @nicholasklangos9704
      @nicholasklangos9704 Před 14 dny +7

      I’d heard that story too in an interview with Russell, amazing heartwarming!

    • @rockmanx6857
      @rockmanx6857 Před 12 dny +3

      Tragic & Extraordinary 👏🧐

  • @Ambienfinity
    @Ambienfinity Před 14 dny +85

    Bronson had that rarest of qualities so many modern actors are missing: charisma.

    • @KevinGonzales-zv9xb
      @KevinGonzales-zv9xb Před 8 dny +1

      Really, I need to look up the definition of charisma, I thought Bronson was the direct opposite of charisma! Charles Bronson is a cigar store Indian, but he has an amazing presence!

    • @chonconnor6144
      @chonconnor6144 Před 4 dny +1

      100% but he has 2 things most lack, charisma AND life experiences.

    • @tidefanyankee2428
      @tidefanyankee2428 Před 9 hodinami

      @@chonconnor6144 Yep, in a time when actors "play" tough guys, Bronson actually was.

  • @user-ps1ft1hy4j
    @user-ps1ft1hy4j Před 16 dny +102

    The famously tough Jim Brown once said Bronson was the kind of person he would least like to fight, because "I could knock him down all day, but he would keep getting up!"

    • @bluebyyou7504
      @bluebyyou7504 Před 13 dny +10

      Steve McQueen was the same way.

    • @patrickmorgan4006
      @patrickmorgan4006 Před 12 dny +10

      @@bluebyyou7504 That brings up a great bar debate question. Who would have won a fight between Bronson and McQueen? They were about the same size, but Bronson was several years older. McQueen also had a tough upbringing and in the 60s he did some martial arts training under Bruce Lee, so it is debatable, but Bronson was just a total badass so my money would be on him.

    • @GoplayIntheRoad
      @GoplayIntheRoad Před 11 dny +7

      ​@@patrickmorgan4006Bronson

    • @patrickmorgan4006
      @patrickmorgan4006 Před 11 dny +2

      @@GoplayIntheRoad I agree.

    • @user-ps1ft1hy4j
      @user-ps1ft1hy4j Před 11 dny +2

      @@patrickmorgan4006 McQueen was raised very harsh, just like Bronson. I dunno if anyone was as tough as Bronson, it seemed like just a natural disposition. But McQueen did train for years with Bruce Lee in private lessons, and was extremely desirous of having what Bruce had, just as it was Bruce's dream of having what McQueen had. They both were hard workers in their own main fields and admired each other's skills tremendously. McQueen was a good student, by all accounts. Years of training under Lee might count for nothing if someone had no real will to fight or killer instinct. But McQueen came up the hard way even from childhood, so I wouldn't count that experience and mind-set and even training for years, privately(makes a huge difference) under Bruce Lee as something to just brush off. I would not be surprised at all if McQueen's dream of being as good as Bruce, while Bruce dreamed of being as good as McQueen, paid off in McQueen being one hell of a threat.

  • @stephenclemence5856
    @stephenclemence5856 Před 20 dny +258

    I appreciate this 15 minute video about Bronson. Some people would have dragged this out into an hour, repeating everything over and over and getting a lot of things wrong. Thank you.

    • @Factinate
      @Factinate  Před 20 dny +17

      No problem! Thanks for the comment.

    • @LaShondaFelton32083
      @LaShondaFelton32083 Před 20 dny +2

      Hi, ​@@Factinate! Could You Please To Make 2 Videos One Are Kenneth Tobey, The Other Are Simon Oakland. Good Fabulous Job As Usual! Thank You So Very Much! Love LaShonda Felton💌💌💌💌💌💌❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

    • @evryhndlestakn
      @evryhndlestakn Před 18 dny +6

      Charles Bronson was the man. Not only his roles, you only have to see interviews he's in. A small & minor role he was in, it may have been his last but dont quote me on it, was the Sean Penn, written &directed, The Indian Runner, an excellent movie in my opinion & one in which I couldn't imagine any other actor in even that limited role. (I say limited, there were no minor roles for him).

    • @LSUfan
      @LSUfan Před 18 dny +3

      @@LaShondaFelton32083Great idea.

    • @LaShondaFelton32083
      @LaShondaFelton32083 Před 18 dny +1

      Thank You,@@LSUfan!

  • @jasonladd6400
    @jasonladd6400 Před 18 dny +77

    Mr Majestyk was regularly on the tv in the UK in the late 70s early 80s. As a kid with no father around back then it showed me to stand up to bullies which I eventually did. Wasn't his biggest film by any means but his presence still fills the screen.

    • @pinnacleproductions6275
      @pinnacleproductions6275 Před 15 dny +9

      Thank you for sharing! Back in that time there were a good amount of decent male figures for boys & girls without Fathers around. Nowadays it’s very hard to find a good male role model for Fatherless children, it’s hard to even find characters that could be looked up to.

    • @logangodofcandy
      @logangodofcandy Před 14 dny +2

      Taught me how to drive a truck.

    • @nicholasklangos9704
      @nicholasklangos9704 Před 14 dny +3

      So true and one of the biggest messages and lessons I took from that film! Watching it with my mom I asked her a few times, what’s wrong with those people, he just wants to deliver his watermelons and take care of his family and friends?! That’s why you have to stand up to bullies she said. That’s what I’m gonna do too...

    • @nicholasklangos9704
      @nicholasklangos9704 Před 14 dny +3

      Sad but true now!

    • @steveelder5306
      @steveelder5306 Před 7 dny +2

      made from an Elmore Leonard book of the same title.

  • @andrewanderson3572
    @andrewanderson3572 Před 17 dny +28

    Ugly? He definitely wasn't ugly, rugged and very manly yes, but not ugly. RIP Charles 🙏

  • @mattp4079
    @mattp4079 Před 17 dny +69

    He and Clint Walker were two actors that realized the importance of physical fitness in the days when doing pull ups or sit up was considered a weird, vain activity.

    • @MrNoneofthisisreal
      @MrNoneofthisisreal Před 16 dny

      After the fall of the Soviet Union, many KGB types came out and told the story of Communisms war on America. Most of what "Tail gunner Joe McCarthy said was proved true. The people who run Hollywood are the same ones that brought the false god of Communism to America. Ungrateful bastards. Taken in from Eastern European poverty they proceeded to begin the rot that we see now as Wokeism.

    • @michaellopez2070
      @michaellopez2070 Před 11 dny +4

      Paul Newman used to run a lot, and there’s footage of Steve Mcqueen hitting the heavy bag. There’s even footage of Marlon Brando jumping rope and being able to jump pretty high. Robert Redford ran and trained I’m sure, just by his running scenes.

    • @karlpartridge9546
      @karlpartridge9546 Před 7 dny +6

      I do sit ups and pull ups too cos not only am I weird I am vain as well

  • @bluemouse5039
    @bluemouse5039 Před 17 dny +48

    Charles Bronson said when his father died it was confusing for him at a young age other people expressed condolences for his loss, but he did not feel anything and didn't know what to feel, he didn't know if he hated or loved his father because to him his father was just some mean guy that lived with him

    • @user-ps1ft1hy4j
      @user-ps1ft1hy4j Před 16 dny +5

      That's something like how I felt about my abusive stepfather too.

  • @user-vl8qw8hp1g
    @user-vl8qw8hp1g Před 20 dny +169

    Charles Bronson was one of my dad's favorite actors. I loved his movies, too. I thought he was fantastic in The Dirty Dozen. Nobody can play a badass like Charles Bronson did!!!

    • @Tyrone1957
      @Tyrone1957 Před 18 dny +13

      My favourite actor from kid to adolescence. Now 67. And its still there.

    • @darrinmills7309
      @darrinmills7309 Před 16 dny +9

      I've read that he was always in excellent shape. Way stronger than he looked. A real old school tough guy.

    • @lorimcquinn3966
      @lorimcquinn3966 Před 14 dny +5

      He wasn't playing a Bad Ass, he was one.

    • @patrickmorgan4006
      @patrickmorgan4006 Před 12 dny +4

      @@lorimcquinn3966 Exactly. One cannot fake the badass qualities that Bronson had and could bring to the screen. He was a level above all but a very few actors in that respect.

    • @jonathanzoellick8602
      @jonathanzoellick8602 Před 4 hodinami

      Mine too, one of our favorite was Hard Times

  • @effdonahue6595
    @effdonahue6595 Před 19 dny +120

    Death Wish classic line “Do you believe in Jesus? You’re gonna meet him” 😆

    • @Spruce_Bingsteen
      @Spruce_Bingsteen Před 14 dny +2

      Charles Bronson - Awesomely cool! I remember seeing/hearing that line in Death Wish II.

    • @effdonahue6595
      @effdonahue6595 Před 14 dny +2

      @@Spruce_Bingsteen it cracks me up every time 😆

    • @mickeythebull9842
      @mickeythebull9842 Před 12 dny +2

      A great line in a terrible movie.

    • @johnlloyddy7016
      @johnlloyddy7016 Před 12 dny

      Much as I like that line, it really doesn't make sense. If he was a bad guy why would he meet Jesus? Wouldn't meeting the devil be more apt?

    • @dalehood1846
      @dalehood1846 Před 9 dny +4

      @johnloyddy,. The punk was wearing a cross. When Bronson asked him if he believed in Jesus, hence the line.

  • @davidholman48
    @davidholman48 Před 18 dny +81

    Bronson didn't need height to be great. He was a force of nature.

    • @Spruce_Bingsteen
      @Spruce_Bingsteen Před 17 dny +5

      Right on!

    • @faeembrugh
      @faeembrugh Před 14 dny +4

      Little guys are often the most alarming people to be a fight with and against. They really don't hold back!

    • @Spruce_Bingsteen
      @Spruce_Bingsteen Před 14 dny +5

      @@faeembrugh Reminds me of the quote attributed to Mark Twain: "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog".

    • @doclouis4236
      @doclouis4236 Před 7 dny +3

      The man was like 5'10, how was that considered not good enough?

  • @Gunners_Mate_Guns
    @Gunners_Mate_Guns Před 19 dny +75

    Charles was an actor who could set the standard of a man as stoic and willing to do what he must.
    To me, he will always be Harmonica from "Once Upon a Time in the West," a true masterpiece.

  • @doug2078
    @doug2078 Před 18 dny +67

    I visited his grave site a few years back . A small cemetery in Vermont. His grave overlooks the mountains.
    A beautiful resting spot.
    Well done video !!

    • @bondoly66
      @bondoly66 Před 15 dny

      resting spot, beautiful. What the heck?

    • @doug2078
      @doug2078 Před 15 dny

      No body asked you !!@@bondoly66

    • @saltpeter7429
      @saltpeter7429 Před 12 dny +1

      Was his home over in Brownsville? I seem to recall something about that. I did a lot of work over in VT in the mid to late 90's and Charles Bronson stories were prevalent among the contractors and laborers of the area.

    • @doug2078
      @doug2078 Před 11 dny

      His daughter was into riding horses. They bought a summer home.So she could ride more.Ended up loving the area. And he spent the later years of his life there.@@saltpeter7429

    • @Z_worldwide
      @Z_worldwide Před 8 dny +2

      @@bondoly66Are you slow? What do you think he meant?

  • @2012ouroboros
    @2012ouroboros Před 17 dny +36

    Always liked Charles Bronson. He was a movie star way before Death Wish, though. Never knew he grew up speaking Lithuanian. Helps to explain why his accent was so good in The Great Escape. Tough early life. Seemed to work for him later. RIP.

  • @01Sassoon
    @01Sassoon Před 16 dny +33

    Bronson’s fear of fire probably came from his combat in the Pacific, on B29’s.

    • @crowe6961
      @crowe6961 Před 14 dny +12

      The coal mines can't have helped matters. Combine the two experiences? Makes a lot of sense.

    • @patriciafeehan7732
      @patriciafeehan7732 Před 7 dny +7

      Coal Mines may be loaded with methane and other gases, Bronson at age five allegedly was near the Mine Entrance when it exploded in fire. Trapping his father, brothers and a total of 300 men. This incident is recorded in local newspapers and only four of the Miners died. Luckily, all of his family members survived. A fear of fire or needing to have easy exit may have been the result of this traumatic experience.

    • @jeremymackevincaylor5041
      @jeremymackevincaylor5041 Před 4 dny

      Early b-29s had a very bad engine fire problem he may have been on one of the first ones.

    • @jonathanzoellick8602
      @jonathanzoellick8602 Před 4 hodinami

      He was a belly gunner on the B-17s.😊

  • @maryschade1906
    @maryschade1906 Před 17 dny +33

    B movie that we loved was The Mechanic with Jan Michael Vincent co starring. They both fit the roles perfectly

    • @user-ps1ft1hy4j
      @user-ps1ft1hy4j Před 16 dny +2

      That came out when I was a kid and it was HUGE back then. Everybody was talking about it, but a lot of kids were not allowed to see it.

    • @bluebyyou7504
      @bluebyyou7504 Před 13 dny +2

      That movie is intense. I saw it when I was like 12... Blew my mind.

    • @patrickmorgan4006
      @patrickmorgan4006 Před 12 dny +1

      Yes. That is one of my favorite Bronson movies.

    • @benjammin4247
      @benjammin4247 Před 7 dny +3

      That movie was an absolute ass kicker.

  • @janicesouthworth1131
    @janicesouthworth1131 Před 19 dny +30

    When my great grandfather died in the coal mines, my grandfather at age 13 had to go into the mines. That was the way it was. Always liked Charles Bronson.

  • @bruce8808
    @bruce8808 Před 20 dny +42

    Bonanza, The Big Valley, Gunsmoke, Have Gun, Will Travel and The Fugitive. Charles always pretty much played the tough guy in movies and covered a lot of guest appearances on T.V. series. R.I.P.

    • @ImaRandomFemale
      @ImaRandomFemale Před 17 dny +3

      Charles Bronson is one of my favorite actors I love most of his movies and appearances in Gunsmoke but I do have to agree with some that Jill Ireland was not the best actress.

    • @daleupthegrove6396
      @daleupthegrove6396 Před 16 dny

      Bronson also starred in a T.V. series of his own called Man with a Camera where he played a former combat cameraman turned freelance photographer.

    • @fazole
      @fazole Před 15 dny

      Also he played a miner and art lover in one of the best episodes of the TV show Combat!

    • @daleupthegrove6396
      @daleupthegrove6396 Před 15 dny

      @@fazole Season 3 Episode 30; Heritage.

  • @Spruce_Bingsteen
    @Spruce_Bingsteen Před 17 dny +21

    I remember reading a story by some of the Actors and Extras that were in the movie 'Mr. Majestyk'. Al Lettieri, who played a mobster in the movie, discovered how tough Charles Bronson really was. Apparently, Lettieri tried to prove himself tough by either saying or doing something annoying to Bronson. Bronson gave his patented steely-eyed glare at Lettieri and challenged Lettieri to meet him in an actual real free-for-all fight after one of the scenes was over. Lettieri was nervous and sweating and wanted nothing to do with fighting Bronson, and avoided pissing off Bronson thereafter. Charles Bronson was a true Bad-ss!

  • @thomashugus5686
    @thomashugus5686 Před 16 dny +11

    Charles was one Hollywood actor that didn’t have to act tough! He was one tough SOB and he looked it up

  • @mickeyray3793
    @mickeyray3793 Před 20 dny +55

    Ill never forget his and Jill Ireland*s fantastic movie "From Noon to Three."😊

    • @user-gz2ob9rp6r
      @user-gz2ob9rp6r Před 14 dny

      Sort of sappy. Jill played in a bunch of his movies. Not sure , but I think the two were married.

    • @ss_whole
      @ss_whole Před 14 dny

      It's "10 to Midnight"

    • @user-gz2ob9rp6r
      @user-gz2ob9rp6r Před 13 dny +1

      ​@@ss_wholeNOON TO THREE. Graham Dorsey and Amanda Starbuck. They played the movie all month on an old movie channel and it was on every time I flipped to that channel. Wasn't a great movie IMO.

    • @davet766
      @davet766 Před 6 dny

      @@user-gz2ob9rp6r Correct!

  • @sum1has2
    @sum1has2 Před 20 dny +39

    Never a “pretty boy”, he was attractive to many women because of his overt masculinity. (With his childhood it’s understandable that’s what was encouraged in his personality. His fear of being trapped by fire is likely from working in the coal mines too.) Thanks for highlighting his sensitive side, which few people knew of.

    • @bendrui
      @bendrui Před 20 dny +9

      I wonder if his alleged fear of germs comes from having so many siblings in a poor family, and seeing them inevitably get sick. Did any of them die in childhood? We'll never know.

    • @Dreama88
      @Dreama88 Před 19 dny +3

      Shoot he was a fine looking man

    • @GCKelloch
      @GCKelloch Před 17 dny +4

      Regardless of looks, I just can't see him pulling off the naive awkward Clark Kent thing the way Reeves did, and I think they did want someone younger and prettier. Bronson was not ugly, but his face was leathery and puffy by age 50.

    • @user-ps1ft1hy4j
      @user-ps1ft1hy4j Před 16 dny +2

      @@GCKelloch There was nothing Clark Kent about this guy at all, and talk of him as Superman reminds me of when they were planning to have Nicholas Cage as Superman -- just preposterous.

  • @JrRickard
    @JrRickard Před 18 dny +27

    The Great White Buffalo. I remember seeing at the movies when i was 6. My first swear word was Holy shit! When the Buffalo was crashing through the woods.

  • @paulzammataro7185
    @paulzammataro7185 Před 15 dny +17

    Why no mention of being a B-29 gunner in WWII?

  • @user-lc9co9kv9j
    @user-lc9co9kv9j Před 18 dny +13

    I grew up without a dad so I would study Bronson hoping to emulate him. My favorites are Hard Times, Breakheart Pass, The Mechanic and Mr Majesty. But my all time favorite is St. Ives. Bronson said he always wanted to play someone who holds a pipe and stands by a fireplace. And the movie has plenty of action too. Him and McQueen were SUPERstars.

  • @bcsurvivor4713
    @bcsurvivor4713 Před 20 dny +30

    My hb is a huge fan of Bronson, but it sounds like he didn't have a happy life personal or professional, except when he was with Jill.

  • @From-North-Jersey
    @From-North-Jersey Před 15 dny +6

    The red scare was no joke, the russian version of the freedom of information act proved that 90% of the names on the list belonged there.

  • @fsoiberg
    @fsoiberg Před 18 dny +13

    It's not complicated, Bronson is just fun to watch...

  • @jimjoseph1656
    @jimjoseph1656 Před 19 dny +11

    He grew up around and knew my family. He often stopped by the restaurant my great grandfather played music at and lived next door to my 2nd great grandfather’s cousins as a child

  • @theodoreyoung7946
    @theodoreyoung7946 Před 18 dny +37

    He was also a decorated war hero from WW 2.

  • @jessvolina6007
    @jessvolina6007 Před 15 dny +6

    Phenomenal video. Most of his work was before me being born in 77 but when my dad introduced me to his films he quickly became a favorite. Great work on this, no filler BS, everything we needed, nothing we didn’t!

  • @riffs66
    @riffs66 Před 16 dny +18

    14 siblings in destitution, losing his breadwinner father, busting his back in a cole mine, then drafted into WWII - try sharing this upbringing with today’s sad, sorry, sensitive, bottle-fed youth to give them some perspective. It’ll probably fall on deaf ears, but it’s worth a try.

  • @SlowLew222
    @SlowLew222 Před 20 dny +24

    Thank you so much for this bio of Mr. Bronson. I was probably 11 years old when I saw the second bill of a double feature and it was "Mr Majestyk" .
    After that movie, I then read two of his paperback biographies. You really nailed his early life. I remember a lot of the details to this day and you caught that perfectly. I was amazed at all the stuff that you had that I had never heard of. I want to thank you for giving us another look into this great man's acting career. He'll always be my idea of macho

  • @Allronix
    @Allronix Před 20 dny +42

    One of his earliest roles was in the original Twilight Zone, the Season 3 opener "Two." VERY little dialogue in that episode, but it's absolutely chilling and magnificent.

    • @RobertaReal7980
      @RobertaReal7980 Před 20 dny +12

      I remember that. The other soldier was Elizabeth Montgomery who later stared in Bewitched.

    • @Gunners_Mate_Guns
      @Gunners_Mate_Guns Před 19 dny +8

      Yep, one of the best TZ episodes.

    • @mega5k
      @mega5k Před 7 dny +3

      I was going to comment this TZ episode. Was a good one and Montgomery absolutely stunning. 😅

    • @timothy____1989
      @timothy____1989 Před 5 dny +1

      One of my fav TZ episodes of all time👍🏼

    • @Gunners_Mate_Guns
      @Gunners_Mate_Guns Před 5 dny

      @@mega5k She sure was!

  • @itsjohndell
    @itsjohndell Před 20 dny +15

    The full story of his name change: Paramount screen tested him and offered him a contract if he would change his name. He was conflicted and as he sat at the bus stop across from the studio. He looked up at the street sign. He was at the corner of Melrose Blvd and Bronson Avenue. Bingo. This is a true story. If you ever take the studio tour ( best of all of them) you can tand on the spot.

    • @bmepdoc9675
      @bmepdoc9675 Před 19 dny +4

      Correct. To complete the timeline. There was once an eatery at 5511 Melrose Avenue, built into the side of a movie studio named Nickodell. That studio was at one time RKO Studios…then it became Desilu…before assuming its present identity as Paramount. Whatever the studio was called, Nickodell was the place folks working on the lot escaped to for a mid-day cocktail, and many important deals were made at its tables. When I Love Lucy was casting and they needed someone to play Fred Mertz, Desi Arnaz got a call from an actor named William Frawley and they arranged to get together and discuss the role over drinks…at Nickodell. If you stepped just outside the front door and walked about 30 paces east you'd be standing on the north west corner of Melrose and Bronson.

  • @Iwishtheirwasnopain
    @Iwishtheirwasnopain Před 19 dny +9

    Charles bronson was one of my favorites growing up! And I grew up in the 90s not 70s lol. But I adored bronson, he was like a hero to me, Mr majestyk and the death wish series loved em!!

  • @nw133
    @nw133 Před 20 dny +18

    Thank for the great narration of Charles Bronsons life story.

  • @galatian5
    @galatian5 Před 15 dny +6

    Just goes to show you the dude that's tough as nails still has a beating heart and a soul.

  • @fembotheather3785
    @fembotheather3785 Před 20 dny +9

    Death Wish was, at least not entirely pro-vigilantism as it shows how the violence changes Bronson's character and how sickened he is when he commits his first act of violence.

  • @stevenjohnson7442
    @stevenjohnson7442 Před 20 dny +19

    The Magnificent seven and the Great Escape,were box office failures in the States??🤔🤔
    I find this extremely hard to believe.

    • @wildbillharding
      @wildbillharding Před 19 dny +5

      So did John Sturges!

    • @tectorgorch8698
      @tectorgorch8698 Před 19 dny +2

      Yup, that is surely bullshite.

    • @tectorgorch8698
      @tectorgorch8698 Před 19 dny +3

      @@wildbillharding Just this morning I was wondering why Sturges gets so little regard these days. His filmography is astonishing.

    • @stevenjohnson7442
      @stevenjohnson7442 Před 18 dny +5

      The Great Escape,was one of the most successful films of 1963, but The Magnificent 7, as stated,did fail in the states (Unbelievable!) but was more successful in Europe.

    • @jguenther3049
      @jguenther3049 Před 13 dny

      Bookkeepers have some latitude where to assign studio overhead costs and can make a box office hit show a net loss by "creative accounting."

  • @HeavensProtocol
    @HeavensProtocol Před 18 dny +7

    My grandpa (born in 1919) said Charles Bronson was huge in Thailand. My favorite line is when he buys the car in Death Wish 3 "CASH".

    • @Kutanamar
      @Kutanamar Před 16 dny

      I love the following scene, when the goons are trying to break into it. They're like "what's it to you" or something, and he just says: "It's my car" then blam blam.

  • @NanaBren
    @NanaBren Před 17 dny +4

    I am a fan of Charles Bronson from way back. I didn’t realize that he was 53 when he got his break. There was something about his stoic strength and the look in his eyes that drew you in. He was believable. Although I liked all his work, my favorite character was in the movie, The Mechanic. He was a veteran of WWII and I respect him for his service. I’m glad they laid him to rest beside his beloved Jill. May they both rest in eternal peace. ❤❤❤

    • @mrjw6701
      @mrjw6701 Před 17 dny

      53 when he got his break are you referring to the lead role in death wish? He was a star before that

    • @NanaBren
      @NanaBren Před 17 dny

      I’m just repeating what they said. I presume they are speaking about Death Wish since he was lead. Did you ever watch The Mechanic? He plays a hit man.

    • @stoneangel777
      @stoneangel777 Před 12 dny +1

      I was too young when I saw the mechanic and it freaked me out😎

  • @moxohol
    @moxohol Před 19 dny +11

    The detailed research is self-evident. Good job!

  • @EarnestSmith-jm8qv
    @EarnestSmith-jm8qv Před 16 dny +3

    Mr. Bronson’s fight scenes in “Hard Times” were awesome. It’s amazing how well he kept in shape.

  • @Count_Smegulla
    @Count_Smegulla Před 13 dny +3

    Good sir, you honor the legacy of Mr Bronson. Well done! I loved Charles Bronson, I could not bear watching the vigilante movies as for the level of violence against women fried my 10 year old brain. Those movies made me hate injustice and to honor the chaste and sanctity of females and human beings in general. Thank you in retrospective Mr Bronson for the burning expression of all the evil that men do!

  • @jt2473
    @jt2473 Před 17 dny +6

    Copied from Wikipedia about your comment of being a box office failure:
    The Great Escape grossed $11.7 million at the box office after a budget of $4 million. It became one of the highest-grossing films of 1963.

  • @mrnelsonius5631
    @mrnelsonius5631 Před 16 dny +3

    I consider “Once Upon a Time in the West” classic cinema (so does Quentin Tarantino fwiw). Bronson’s great in it. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys “spaghetti westerns” and frontier epics from that period.

  • @earlchase357
    @earlchase357 Před 16 dny +3

    My Father looked almost exactly like Charles Bronson. When I was growing up my Dad, my Brother and I would watch Bronsons movies almost on a weekly basis. Good times.

  • @KrackerJak
    @KrackerJak Před 5 dny +1

    This was great! I love watching Charles Bronson. I've seen his acting sometimes criticised for not being expressive enough, But watching him, he always gives that impression that his characters have a lot going on under the hood.

  • @evryhndlestakn
    @evryhndlestakn Před 18 dny +6

    I commented before finishing watching, so was very pleased that you gave a satisfying description of The Indian Runner, rather than simply saying it was Bronson's final role.
    Thank you.

    • @wildbillharding
      @wildbillharding Před 18 dny +2

      The Indian Runner was not his final film, but it was his last film of note.

    • @evryhndlestakn
      @evryhndlestakn Před 18 dny +3

      @@wildbillharding you hung that out there but didn't include what his final role was. What was his final role?

    • @wildbillharding
      @wildbillharding Před 18 dny +4

      @@evryhndlestakn My apologies! Charlie bowed out with a short series - of three TV movies - called Family of Cops. I could be wrong, but I believe his last movie released to cinemas was Death Wish 5. I worked for Michael Winner on and off in the mid - '70s to early '80s and I know for a fact that Charlie so disliked Death Wish 3 that he never worked with Winner again.
      I spent hours on the Death Wish 2 sets talking to Vincent Gardenia, who played the main cop in the early Death Wishes and appeared in the classic movie The Hustler, and Charlie's make-up man, Philip Rhodes, who reminisced about working for Hollywood greats such as Leslie Howard. They were brilliant and I now regret not doing full interviews with them both.

    • @evryhndlestakn
      @evryhndlestakn Před 18 dny +3

      @@wildbillharding Outstanding reply!
      I'm so glad I asked. I saw another comment, or reply rather, that you posted mentioning Death Wish II. It can certainly be difficult to be sure of a person's motivations & why they are doing something at times (often the mighty $) as well as what they are getting out of it on a personal level. I'm fairly sure a reasonable chunk of The Indian Runner budget was spent on getting Bronson to take the role but I'm glad he did, he brings a certain quality to the character that's human & induces sympathy despite his obvious faults. Like a man lost in his own time.
      Thanks again for your reply.

  • @bassplayer1966
    @bassplayer1966 Před 16 dny +3

    I LOVE CB!!!! My oldest memory is seeing Hard Times with James Colburn in the mid 70's, OMG LOVE IT SO MUCH!!

  • @kahlesjf
    @kahlesjf Před 19 dny +6

    I think you are miscalculating his rise to stardom. You do not suddenly become the actor who commands the largest payroll in the world. According to Wikipedia: "Eventually, he returned to the United States to make more films, working with director Michael Winner. Their first collaborations included Chato's Land (1972), The Mechanic (1972) and The Stone Killer (1973). At this point, he became the world's number-one box office star, commanding $1 million per film."

  • @cackleberrywilson5956
    @cackleberrywilson5956 Před 14 dny +3

    Not mentioned is the fact that Charles Bronson starred in a late 1950’s TV show, MAN WITH A CAMERA. About a news reporter getting caught up in adventures filming for new stories. My Mother NEVER missed an episode ❤❤😂

  • @niradnagrom2356
    @niradnagrom2356 Před 18 dny +16

    This man had one of the best physiques in Hollywood ever and I never saw him do a single pushup. He was never asked about his fitness routine and never spoke of it but I would love to know how he did it!

    • @user-ps1ft1hy4j
      @user-ps1ft1hy4j Před 16 dny +1

      I remember reading before that he did what you would expect - go to the gym and lift heavy weights.

    • @RaySierra
      @RaySierra Před 16 dny +1

      In death wish 3 thiers a scene,where he's doing puships

    • @fazole
      @fazole Před 15 dny +3

      I saw some Hollywood promo film from the 60s showing fitness training and right there is actor Richard Jaeckal from the dirty dozen doing clean and jerks with a barbell, though the camera pans right past him. Also featured is Clint Walker doing pull ups and dips. There are also photos of William Shatner doing gymnastic workout on the rings.

    • @josephschufle3984
      @josephschufle3984 Před 13 dny +1

      @@fazole That would be a great video to see if someone could find it and put it up on CZcams. Do you remember the name? Was it a Hollywood Studios Pr piece or for an actual movie?

    • @straycatsam7963
      @straycatsam7963 Před 13 dny

      In the early days, Actor Jack Klugman was Charlie's roommate. Jack said Charlie's main exercise was climbing rope! That certainly explains the arms and grip. Also, Bronson trained with boxing prior to acting. So, we can assume the typical prize fighter exercises. Have a great day.

  • @philipjohnson2652
    @philipjohnson2652 Před 19 dny +13

    Jill's favorite place, as she was battling cancer, was their farm in West Windsor, Vt. Named Zuleika, it was a 400-acre property where they raised horses and escaped the glitz and glamor of Hollywood. Their final resting place is the Brownsville Cemetery in West Windsor. Jill's ashes are purportedly in a cane buried along side Charles.

  • @sailordude2094
    @sailordude2094 Před 18 dny +7

    Great history, thanks! I love Bronson films. Kurt Russell has a childhood story about him and Charles on youtube, very touching.

  • @johnny5805
    @johnny5805 Před 19 dny +3

    Concise and not overlong. Definitely didn't need the thumbnail title about Mr Majestyk.

  • @SoulDaddy33
    @SoulDaddy33 Před 8 hodinami

    A terrific mini doc, thanks so much, very enjoyable.
    Mr. Bronson owned an RV park in Carlsbad, California called Lake Shore Gardens which was just walking distance to the ocean. He was known to visit the property, walk around to collect rents and say hello to his tenants. Surely, no one would choose to not pay the rent when it's Charles Bronson knocking on the door!

  • @bmepdoc9675
    @bmepdoc9675 Před 19 dny +4

    Used to live in Hollywood from the late 50's through 80s, just off of Bronson Ave, which evidently was the genesis for his surname change.

  • @scottfergusson8411
    @scottfergusson8411 Před 17 dny +7

    Red Sun was my favorite movie by him .

    • @Asherov
      @Asherov Před 16 dny

      That, alongside Once Upon a Time and Farewell, Friend

  • @stevep5408
    @stevep5408 Před 16 dny +3

    It had to be very tough for him when Jill died! Marrying her friend must have been hard alsoo.

  • @michaelchristian5089
    @michaelchristian5089 Před 15 dny +3

    I liked Bronson's quip In "The Magnificent Seven"; when Yul Brynner sees that he's chopping wood in order to eat & that he's heard that Bronson is broke, Bronson replies..."No, I'm doing this 'cos I'm an eccentric millionaire".
    Like Charles Bronson, Greta Garbo's films were only marginal successes in the USA but were big earners abroad. WW2 closed down many of those markets & she made her last film in 1941.

  • @user-tc3yg4ls3i
    @user-tc3yg4ls3i Před 19 dny +6

    He was a stud in The Wax Museum, big dude.

  • @12thDecember
    @12thDecember Před 20 dny +11

    I was never a fan of Bronson's "tough guy" persona. Thank you for showing who he really was as a person. Although it stinks what he and Jill did to McCallum, Bronson and Ireland were a lovely couple.♥

    • @ECO473
      @ECO473 Před 18 dny +4

      I guess the sweet irony for McCallum is that he outlived them both by decades.

    • @plasticweapon
      @plasticweapon Před 17 dny +2

      mccallum was glad to be rid of her. bronson's wife was hurt a lot worse, but i think she was well rid of him too.

  • @polarfamily6222
    @polarfamily6222 Před 15 dny +3

    Bronson is awesome. Thank you for doing this!

  • @theimp5901
    @theimp5901 Před 13 dny +1

    A gunner with 25 missions in the Pacific Theater in a B-29 . Got several medals including The Purple Heart. Hero. And the real deal.

  • @star11987
    @star11987 Před 17 dny +1

    I love Charles Bronson. Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape and Dirty Dozen were some of my favorite movies growing up. After hearing his story I grew to respect him so much more.

  • @user-lc1wk5dh5h
    @user-lc1wk5dh5h Před 19 dny +9

    I agree thank you for this well thought out and well presented piece. My Majestyk one of his best.

  • @johnnycee5179
    @johnnycee5179 Před 17 dny +3

    Bronson was a star to me before America recognized him and I live in America.

  • @rushmore3927
    @rushmore3927 Před 18 dny +3

    Im still love how that .32 caliber pistol in Death Wish launched them like a 50 caliber 😂

  • @sharendonnelly7770
    @sharendonnelly7770 Před 17 dny +1

    Loved his acting, such an under acclaimed talent that created unforgettable characters. One of my all-time favorite actors.

  • @keithbuchanan8588
    @keithbuchanan8588 Před 20 dny +24

    He was such a hunk. He was fortunate that he looked so good, & was in such good shape 4 his age.

    • @bmepdoc9675
      @bmepdoc9675 Před 19 dny +5

      Name a film in which this man was in anything but exceptional shape - regardless of time frame

    • @keithbuchanan8588
      @keithbuchanan8588 Před 19 dny +4

      @@bmepdoc9675 I can't. He was very fortunate.

    • @user-ps1ft1hy4j
      @user-ps1ft1hy4j Před 16 dny +3

      He earned it. He worked out religiously.

  • @tectorgorch8698
    @tectorgorch8698 Před 19 dny +6

    I love Stanley Baker, nice to see him in here!?!?

  • @buckminsterfullerene2149
    @buckminsterfullerene2149 Před 18 dny +11

    Proud to be Lithuanian 🇱🇹

  • @genegrant4332
    @genegrant4332 Před 17 dny +1

    Hope includes the story of Kurt Russell giving him a model plane on his birthday. Messed with Bronsons head.

  • @VNV67
    @VNV67 Před 14 dny +1

    I think that Charles Bronson was one of the most underrated actors of that time. I liked everything he did as well as I did Clint Eastwood. I liked Charles Bronson because he was a no BS actor.

  • @Kermit_T_Frog
    @Kermit_T_Frog Před 17 dny +6

    If "The Great Escape" and the "Magnificent Seven" were flops in the USA, that would be news to Americans. Both were among the highest grossing films of the year. This, back when overseas box-office was negligible. I cannot think of any movies better known in the States while I was growing up. Multiple, if not yearly, runs on TV. The movies that launched Steve McQueen's career. Those "Death Wish" movies probably were profitable by reason that they were made on the cheap. Still, most strange to say that Bronson's legacy was in B movies.

    • @Kermit_T_Frog
      @Kermit_T_Frog Před 5 dny

      According to The Numbers, the international box office for "The Great Escape" was only $228,926. ($11,744,471 domestically.) Am surprised to read that "The Magnificent Seven," grossed only 2.5 million on release in the USA, but 7.5 in Europe. So, there might be something to this. Still, both of these movies were among the most memorable movies I can think of growing up. "The Magnificent Seven" was so memorable that they shot three sequels to it. Not to mention a TV series based on it.

  • @BoomerMcBoom
    @BoomerMcBoom Před 12 dny

    Without Doubt
    One of The Best Biographical presentations on YT.
    Thank You

  • @isceladiaz9961
    @isceladiaz9961 Před 16 dny +3

    I had a crush on him since I was a teenager. I always thought he was the hottest, manliest hunk that ever lived. The way he walked, his great body and those squinty eyes! GRRRRR!!!!

  • @gazzgazeer
    @gazzgazeer Před 17 dny +3

    i liked Charles Bronson Great Actor ty

  • @gabbymordi9752
    @gabbymordi9752 Před 12 dny +1

    Where are the real, stoic men of America?
    Charles Bronson: All gone with me.

  • @snakebait5118
    @snakebait5118 Před 19 dny +3

    I own a 2010 Frontier and it's been faithful since I bought it. I'll buy another one if I can afford it!

  • @frankmorris2603
    @frankmorris2603 Před 17 dny +2

    Hard Times is the best fight movie made in my opinion.
    Bronson number one for realistic choreography and hardman persona.

  • @SpiritintheSky.
    @SpiritintheSky. Před 18 dny +4

    A most enjoyable and informative video, so well presented. Many thanks.

  • @burkejones8277
    @burkejones8277 Před 6 dny

    I was in the Marines with a guy from Vermont. In high school, he worked at a motorcycle shop. He said Bronson was probably the strongest person he ever met. He came to pick up a dirt bike they had done some work on, and he picked it up and set it in the bed of the truck like it was nothing.

  • @T-Man252
    @T-Man252 Před 7 dny +1

    Absolutely loved Charles Bronson...I put him on the same pedestal as Clint Eastwood....different actors different personalities both great

  • @dancouger3677
    @dancouger3677 Před 18 dny +6

    Click bait ! Where’s the terrifying occurrences in Mr Majestyk ?!?

  • @dplouro
    @dplouro Před 16 dny +3

    What a life.

  • @noelhernandez363
    @noelhernandez363 Před 15 dny +1

    The original tough guy was afraid of "germs"!! Hilarious 🤣🤣

  • @Playmudd4by4
    @Playmudd4by4 Před 15 dny +3

    This guy was a great actor good movies

  • @tunguskalumberjack9987
    @tunguskalumberjack9987 Před 6 dny +4

    One of my favorite Charles Bronson movies is “Death Hunt”, in which he plays Albert Johnson, a fugitive from the Mounties and local hunters in northern Canada. He’s suspected of being “The Mad Trapper”, a real life killer from the early 1900s, and the movie recounts his flight, gunfights with his pursuers, and discovery of the actual Mad Trapper who is butchering his human prey. It also stars Lee Marvin as the senior Mountie and Carl Weathers as one of the hunting party. It’s really violent and gruesome, but I saw it as a kid in the early 1980s and it really stuck with me, and I’ve seen it several times as an adult. I assume that it didn’t do well at the box office, because I never hear it mentioned and I’ve never found it on any of the streaming services I use. It’s a shame, because it’s a really enjoyable action movie, and Bronson, Marvin, Weathers, and the rest do a great job in it. If you ever get the chance, it’s definitely worth watching.

  • @keysersoze5920
    @keysersoze5920 Před 16 dny +3

    RIP Mr. Bronson & Ms. Ireland.

  • @ddibner
    @ddibner Před 7 dny

    Many, many years ago, my wife and I as your people in our 20s were driving through a remote part of NH on our way to a regional airport and we got lost. I saw two people working on a stone wall in a remote part of the drive. I stopped and ask the younger person how to get to the airport and he turned to the other person who looked up and answered the question. That was Charles Bronson. He was observant and focused, as if he was unsure what the outcome of this small exchange would be. I thanked him for the directions and for the endless hours that both myself and my wife spent watching his films. He paused, looked back to me and smiled with a wave of his hand. We drove off in silence....how lucky were we......

  • @Memorixt
    @Memorixt Před 8 dny +1

    Though the introducing sentence proved to be only clickbait, and wasn’t near as sensational as expected in its whole; the complete video was a fair resumee of Bronson’s life and career. Even if there is steel place for improvements to achieve a better coordination of the cutscenes with the commentaries, the video was worth a thumbs up.

  • @derekstocker6661
    @derekstocker6661 Před 17 dny

    Very well done on this, great video and very informative and well illustrated.
    I loved anything he did, to me he was the ultimate quiet but tough guy and his films will be valued for ever by so many who want a good story with action!

  • @aVerveQuest
    @aVerveQuest Před 15 dny +1

    I remember watching death wish 3 and seeing Charles Bronson running down the street doing his own stunts in his 60s. He looked 40, and live like a man of 35.

  • @davefellhoelter1343
    @davefellhoelter1343 Před 16 dny +1

    FYI Y'all? Working as a man, as a boy, is a GREAT PRIVILEGE and an Honor, only real Men Recieve! Giving Men an Edge on the competition and confidence for the rest of their days! Thanks! Dad! RIP GREATEST! " I miss" Y'all, YA"ALL!!

  • @andrewdavies5835
    @andrewdavies5835 Před 18 dny +4

    They don't make 'em like this anymore.

  • @yvettevitacaponigro
    @yvettevitacaponigro Před 19 dny +2

    Thank you for the post! 👍🏻✌🏼😊