I remember being in a crowded hotel lobby near Pinewood Studios around 2010 and seeing a tall man with a hat on with his back to me. He turned around and I looked at an elderly man with a gaunt face but with the most piercing blue eyes I have ever seen. I must have shown astonishment because he gave a hint of a smile and then turned slightly to talk to someone. It was Peter O'Toole and it was then I understood the term 'star presence' or X factor. I could see, immediately, that this was what the lens picked up. He didn't have to do anything. He just had it. He may have been a drunk and a hell raiser but by goodness he certainly had the qualities of a movie star.
Peter O'Toole had such a bad reputation in Hollywood and the theatre for his drinking abilities that I think it prevented him from getting the major award recognition that he deserved. Eight Oscar nominations and zero wins plus many nominations for work in British theatre but little or no wins. My favorite Peter O'Toole performance is the 1982 comedy film My Favorite Year. He played an Errol Flynn actor who was always drunk all the time and had to hire assistant(s) to try and stay sober and prevent him from making a fool of himself on national TV. He was nominated for this but lost to Ben Kingsley in Gandhi. Ironically Gandhi was the type of film and role that Peter O'Toole would have played earlier in a large full size historical epic film that O'Toole would have won for in his first big film role in Lawrence of Arabia.
From James Garner’s wiki, he used Marijuana for the past fifty years of his life, and credited its Use as his being able to be low key, even tempered and less prone to Anger both on the Screen and off it. In fact, he said that it should have been legalized and that Alcohol should have been outlawed.
@@HeardYa From his performances, he always interacted very nicely on the Screen with his Female Co-Actresses. He never dominated the Screen with them, he played it like a Tennis match, serving and hitting the ball and then waiting for it to be returned to his side of the Court.
@@HeardYa That was always the pet peeves of most British Actors. American Actors were so much in “The Method form of Acting” like James Dean and Marlon Brando, like loving and breathing the part. Most British Actors would say “Just Do it”. While not British, Garner just did it in his Acting.
It's new to me that Bogart was a member of the rat pack. I'm also sure the members of the rat pack would have been just as surprised. Also, I don't think Lucille Ball of "I Love Lucy" fame would have been happy today if she was alive to be confused with Tallulah Bankhead. 3 out of 10 for trying.
There were two iterations of the Rat Pack. Bogart & Bacall were the leaders of the first group. Then Sinatra nestled in and sort of co-opted the group and made it his. His second iteration of the Rat Pack is the most famous. Look it up.
@@ingvarhallstrom2306 What on earth are you talking about? Humphrey Bogart never stood on a stage and sang, played an instrument, danced or jested around light heartedly. He wasn't an entertainer, he was a dead serious, straight faced actor. There is also nothing in his biography that suggests he was ever a member of the Rat Pack of any iteration and no video or audio documentation. Stop peddling utter BS will you.
This list needed to include Oliver Reed. No he isn't Golden Age Hollywood, but he was notorious for his drinking and brawling. And it was booze that put him in the ground.
I still shake my head when I think about the way Oliver Reed died. A 61 year old man challenging others to a drinking contest. The man was an alcoholic for decades and it's not something you can overpower. Eventually it takes it's toll on your body. I had a drinking problem as a younger man but I made a commitment to stop when I turned 40. I succeeded and I just turned 65. I don't miss it.
You're absolutely correct. Drinking seemed to be almost prerequisite with the great Shakespearean trained actors of the British Isles in particular. Many great musicians also I suppose, Keith Moon was Reed's favorite drinking buddy, with Reed sincerely heartbroken when Moon died.
My Dad used to work with Errol Flynn in Sydney Australia and became great mates often going sailing and spearfishing together, before sailing away to his fortune, often dad would get phone calls from him asking him to come to Hollywood.
Curly should be included, as his heavy drinking led to him falling ill, suffering the stroke that ended his Three Stooges career, and drastically shortening his life.
In my favorite year Peter o toole plays a character based on erroll Flynn Now we know why he was so good at it. Hillarious movie by the way. Well worth a watch if you haven’t yet seen it.
Another one you should have definitely included was W.C. Fields. Everyone knew about his drinking. In fact they used to film his scenes in the morning, because by the afternoon found it impossible to work, being so inebriated.
I love the story about him always bringing a thermos to his trailer. When asked what he had in the thermos Fields claimed it was pineapple juice when it was really alcohol . One day when Fields was on the set someone poured out the booze and refilled the thermos with pineapple juice. After his scene Fields returned to his trailer. A little later he threw open the door of this trailer and yelled "Who put pineapple juice in my pineapple juice". He was going through the DT's when he died. In a way Bud Abbott might be considered a heavy drinker. Although he said he never drank before he had to work, the TV movie showed him drunk while working with Costello in Las Vegas. He attributed his drinking to trying to avoid seizures due to his epilepsy.
@@bjbell52 Yeah, Fields always had a way of making his drinking seem rather charming. One time, Harpo Marx was visiting, and they both went up into the attic. There, Harpo said cases of gin stacked from floor to ceiling. "Bill, why do you have so much gin?" Harpo asked. "Prohibition." Field replied. "But prohibition was repealed," Harpo protested. "You never know if it will come back," Fields explained.
I remember an interview with Peter o toole where he recounted a time he was drinking in a pub and it got to closing time but he didn't want to leave and he offered to buy the pub so he could keep drinking 😂
I'm not so sure that they see it that way. People in that industry are naturally risk takers, they follow their instincts and desires, not conservative, conventional wisdom on how to take care of themselves. And let's be honest, drinking is bad for your health, but it's fun while you're doing it. I think many of them understand that they may be cutting their life short, but it's a bargain that they believe is worth it.
I don't think that any exploration of the world's greatest drinkers would be complete without adding the name of W.C. Fields. Also, Honorable Mention to Oliver Reed, whose raucous behavior often resulted in bar fights getting him ejected from more bars than any other actor.
Dino did drink a little, but not on TV. He drank Martin's Apple Juice, and the juice in the glass fooled the viewing public. Dino did best at playing drunk as an act. Frank Sinatra, on the other hand, he was a real drinker and smoker.
Could we get an honorable mention for John Larroquette (quit drinking in February 1982)? What about George Peppard (quit drinking in 1978)? Not totally in the "Golden Age of Hollywood", but I suggest they held their own.
Alcoholism mustn’t be glamourised. My dear older brother and some of my dearest friends have died because of this disease and it is a disease and all these people featured died before their time. A horrific life
Blah Blah Blah. Many of us are here for the stories of the wild parties and antics of celebs of old Hollywood. Nobody thinks alcoholism is "glamourous". It's okay to have a fun look at a video, sheesh
Why are you showing pictures of Burt Reynolds at time slot 4:32. First, he wasn't mentioned in the video, and second, he has nothing to do with Spencer Tracy. Also, you showed the picture of Betty Davis and Lucille Ball to represent Tallulah Bankhead at 6:39. What do they have to do with her? Please make more than effort to represent the appropriate actor with the picture that is being talked about in your videos. Thank you for mentioning Errol Flynn. That guy's partying was legendary. There was a famous story that he snuck alcohol into Hurst castle into one of the guest houses of William Randolph Hurst. Errol Flynn with Clark Gable partied the night away. William Randolph Hurst prohibited people from drinking alcohol at his house.
Graham Chapman the brilliant comedian from Monty python had to be filmed in the morning because by afternoon he was too drunk to function. That constant drinking and smoking ruined his health.
John Barrymore was notorious for his drinking. He was drinking buddies with Flynn. Monty Clift also was a heavy drinker. He managed to keep it under control early in his career, but it became visibly worse after his accident. You can see it in his performances.
Yes..He was cast as the Waco Kid . Mel Brooks fired him. Just like Richard Pryor was cast as Bart, but was always late for shooting days. Mel Brooks kept Pryor on as a writer but re cast Cleavon Little.
Richard Harris, a big friend of o'Toole was another notorious booze hound. He once turned up on a chat show with a black eye , caused by his boozed up lunacy the night before.
John, I think it was fairly unnecessary to show those actors as well. One would have to be an “I Love Lucy” aficionado, with a keen knowledge of Telula Bankhead, in order to make the connection. C’mon now, Factverse! We expect more than this from you. You’re above these gimmicks. ……aren’t you?
Bogie won his only Oscar for "The African Queen" even in an inebriated state beating out Marlon Brando in "A Streetcar Named Desire." Peter O'Toole however never won an acting Oscar for any of the 8 films for which he was nominated for, including "Lawrence of Arabia" but received an honorary Oscar in 2003 for his body of work. Richard Burton, on the other hand was nominated 7 times but never won a single Oscar.
Willlam holden. Dude was a nototious drunk. Fell while drunk, hit his head, and died. At least flynn went out happy. On a boat with a bunch of women with him. Probably drunk too.
Richard Harris and Oliver Reed really should have been up there with number one which should also have included Peter O’Toole as there near number one as well. Robert Shaw to round off the British/Irish as well.
Bogart was indeed one of the original Rat Pack, a term coined by his wife Lauren Bacall after one of the first nights of drinking with the likes of Mickey Rooney, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Cesar Romero, Jerry Lewis and Errol Flynn. Bogie was the group’s figure head and leader. Bacall was not amused. That was in 1955. Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford continued the Rat Pack after Bogie and Flynn died in (1957 and 1959 respectively). It was that group, living, working and partying in Las Vegas and New York primarily , who are regarded as THE Rat Pack. Bishop wasn’t a member for long when he asked Sinatra for a raise for working at one of his shows. Lawford was a member of the Kennedy clan via marriage (sister of JFK, RFK and Ted Kennedy) until 1966 when they divorced. Sinatra, Martin and Davis were the coolest of rats…
@@KIDMISSING You are correct, but there was no mention made to it. Something along the lines of: Even Lucy and Desi paid to her stardom. But to throw it in without any explanation was not good.
Curly Howard of The Three Stooges was very heavy drinker before his stroke in 1948 which led to eventually not being able to return to do The Three Stooges and was replaced by his older Shemp. Curly died in 1952 at age 48 in very poor health while his older brother Shemp died in 1955.
Curly did indeed drink a lot to cover for a hunting accident he had at 13 when he accidentally shot himself in the foot. Curly never got his foot properly amputated, and so he drank to ease the pain. The Three Stooges founder, Ted Healy was not only also a drunk, but he was a mean SOB when he drank, forcing Shemp to leave the act in 1933 when he got fed up with Ted's drunken abuses. Ted later was killed outside of a bar in 1937, beaten up to death by two men during a fight, one who was allegedly Walter Houston. While not actors, Gene Vincent and Sandy Nelson, both Rock & Roll musicians also had tragic accidents that led them to drinking habits. Sandy lost part of a foot and leg in a 1963 motorcycle accident, while Gene was struck by an Army staff car while crossing the barracks grounds in the Armed Forces, severely damaging his leg.
While it’s true that Bogart was part of the origin story of the “Rat Pack,” he couldn’t have had much to do with them after Lauren Bacall christened the group in 1955. Bogie was diagnosed with cancer in early 1956 and died in ‘57……
Very interesting would be indeed if anyone younger than 50 even knew who these people are. Peter who...? Tallullah what...? Frank...well, maybe for the songs, maybe...
Didn’t Sinatra say that if the Olympics ever added drinking as a sport, Dean Martin would be the coach? Martin was supposed to be a pretty heavy drinker.
Peter O’Toole was an alcoholic and one of his best friends and drinking buddies was actor Richard Harris, Harris was an alcoholic to. O’Toole stopped drinking in 1978 and Harris gave up drinking by 1981.
@@scottknode898 I think he started drinking again at some point, because in oscar gala when he was about to get a lifetime oscar he was about to leave because drinks werent allowed
