The life and trims of Tony Curtis
The career of Tony Curtis peaked in the 50s and 60s and headed off into TV in the following decade. Stephanie West recalls her first memory of his impact.
There’s an old joke inspired by Tony Curtis – or more accurately, his hair. And it reflects just what charisma and power he wielded as a huge star in the Hollywood studio system in his heyday.
In the 50s, many men wanted the style sported by this breathtakingly handsome and dashing actor. Signed to Universal, married to Janet Leigh, in this decade he was a golden boy but it was his coiffed dark locks that were so emulated. With a curl up front, and a smart parting at the back, it was known as the duck’s tail in America, and sported by Teddy Boys here in Britain, the much coarser duck’s a**e. But it was also known as “A Tony Curtis”.
Even Elvis copied the look. Curtis recalled being sought out by Mr Presley on a studio lot, and being told: “Mr Curtis, I want you to know I am a big fan.”
And by the 70s, that influential Curtis hairstyle was the subject of the first joke I ever heard, or rather, was old enough to understand and retain.
“A man walks into a barber’s shop,” my granddad informed me, adding that the man said: “I want my hair cut like Tony Curtis.” After the barber gives him a nondescript chop, the customer declares: “Hey, Tony Curtis doesn’t have his hair cut like this”, to which the barber replies: “He does if he comes here.”
This was told to me in a cafe in Burnley, and it seemed logical to me that of course men here, couldn’t have the same haircut as the glamorous man in The Persuaders.
Of course by the 70s, the golden age of Tony Curtis was already on the wane.
He was still a class act, starring as he did in the TV series The Persuaders with Roger Moore, with a tune that simply resonated with atmospheric promise, reminiscent of the Mad Men theme today. But by then his best films were behind him.
From The Vikings to Spartacus, The Defiant Ones – where his role as a racist prisoner, escaping with fellow inmate Sidney Poitier, brought him an Oscar nomination – to Some Like It Hot, smooching with Marilyn Monroe and wearing more makeup than she did. After the 70s, he always worked, but never matched the early glory.
But with news that he has died, aged 85, in the razzle dazzle town of Vegas, this Bronx-born son of Hungarian immigrants leaves some great turns. A cut above