The Real Story Of Hollywood's Tough Guy

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  • Опубликовано: 7 июн 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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Комментарии • 715

  • @user-ch3lt4ve6b
    @user-ch3lt4ve6b Месяц назад +830

    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!

    • @jasonladd6400
      @jasonladd6400 Месяц назад +68

      Great story to have dude. I would love to have a memory like that. He was more than just an actor, exuded character.

    • @pacomaciasarrate6809
      @pacomaciasarrate6809 Месяц назад +33

      Great story, thanks.

    • @jasenweitekamp2036
      @jasenweitekamp2036 Месяц назад +20

      Awesome story!

    • @silverburst6123
      @silverburst6123 Месяц назад +18

      Great story!

    • @HogMan2022
      @HogMan2022 Месяц назад +19

      What an awesome story / comment!

  • @IntrospectorGeneral
    @IntrospectorGeneral Месяц назад +561

    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 Месяц назад +21

      They worked together on the travels of Jamie Mc Phetter

    • @jimrogers2089
      @jimrogers2089 Месяц назад +43

      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 Месяц назад +16

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

    • @nicholasklangos9704
      @nicholasklangos9704 Месяц назад +12

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

    • @rockmanx6857
      @rockmanx6857 Месяц назад +6

      Tragic & Extraordinary 👏🧐

  • @malcolmtucker7981
    @malcolmtucker7981 28 дней назад +85

    Michael Winner on telling Bronson about Deathwish "I told him I had this script about a man whose wife and daughter are mugged and then the man goes out and shoots muggers. I mentioned that I’d had it for five years but no one seemed interested. Charlie said, ‘I’d like to do it.’ I said, ‘What, you mean you want to do this movie?’ And Charlie replied, ‘No, I’d like to shoot muggers.'

  • @bluemouse5039
    @bluemouse5039 Месяц назад +97

    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 Месяц назад +10

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

    • @jerryoshea3116
      @jerryoshea3116 12 дней назад +4

      Yep,born into a large Irish family in London,( 8 kids)that's exactly how I felt wth my ' Ol Man' a someone to be avoided!

    • @desyncer
      @desyncer 4 дня назад +3

      It's especially conflicting for me after my brother had a daughter and seeing how my dad behaves with her and I just wonder "Was this so hard to do with your own children?"

  • @user-ps1ft1hy4j
    @user-ps1ft1hy4j Месяц назад +152

    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 Месяц назад +14

      Steve McQueen was the same way.

    • @patrickmorgan4006
      @patrickmorgan4006 Месяц назад +14

      @@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.

    • @patrickmorgan4006
      @patrickmorgan4006 Месяц назад +3

      @@TheKilgoreKid I agree.

    • @user-ps1ft1hy4j
      @user-ps1ft1hy4j Месяц назад +3

      @@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.

    • @patrickmorgan4006
      @patrickmorgan4006 Месяц назад +5

      @@user-ps1ft1hy4j Yeah, this is what makes it a good bar debate question. McQueen, by all accounts, had a tough upbringing, and he did train with Lee, but he just doesn't strike me as being a good fighter. You would think that being a show off, he would have worked fighting into a role at some point if he was good at it. I don't think he would want any part of Bronson. But who knows?

  • @stephenclemence5856
    @stephenclemence5856 Месяц назад +306

    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  Месяц назад +19

      No problem! Thanks for the comment.

    • @LaShondaFelton32083
      @LaShondaFelton32083 Месяц назад +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 Месяц назад +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 Месяц назад +3

      @@LaShondaFelton32083Great idea.

    • @LaShondaFelton32083
      @LaShondaFelton32083 Месяц назад +1

      Thank You,@@LSUfan!

  • @mattp4079
    @mattp4079 Месяц назад +93

    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 Месяц назад

      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 Месяц назад +6

      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 28 дней назад +7

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

    • @Phobero
      @Phobero 10 дней назад

      It Is a vain and weird activity though

  • @Gunners_Mate_Guns
    @Gunners_Mate_Guns Месяц назад +100

    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.

    • @Gentlegamerde
      @Gentlegamerde Месяц назад +10

      was looking for this comment!

    • @EmpyrionBlackthorn
      @EmpyrionBlackthorn Месяц назад +6

      Epic western right there

    • @MattiasSvanberg1987
      @MattiasSvanberg1987 Месяц назад +3

      My favorite movie of all time.

    • @Gunners_Mate_Guns
      @Gunners_Mate_Guns Месяц назад +3

      @@MattiasSvanberg1987 It's on my top five list, alongside:
      One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest
      Rocky
      The Shawshank Redemption
      Blade Runner - My personal #1

    • @MattiasSvanberg1987
      @MattiasSvanberg1987 Месяц назад +3

      @@Gunners_Mate_Guns Great choices.

  • @jasonladd6400
    @jasonladd6400 Месяц назад +100

    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 Месяц назад +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 Месяц назад +2

      Taught me how to drive a truck.

    • @nicholasklangos9704
      @nicholasklangos9704 Месяц назад +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 Месяц назад +3

      Sad but true now!

    • @steveelder5306
      @steveelder5306 29 дней назад +2

      made from an Elmore Leonard book of the same title.

  • @davidholman48
    @davidholman48 Месяц назад +107

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

    • @Spruce_Bingsteen
      @Spruce_Bingsteen Месяц назад +5

      Right on!

    • @faeembrugh
      @faeembrugh Месяц назад +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 Месяц назад +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 28 дней назад +5

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

  • @user-vl8qw8hp1g
    @user-vl8qw8hp1g Месяц назад +198

    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 Месяц назад +13

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

    • @darrinmills7309
      @darrinmills7309 Месяц назад +10

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

    • @lorimcquinn3966
      @lorimcquinn3966 Месяц назад +6

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

    • @patrickmorgan4006
      @patrickmorgan4006 Месяц назад +5

      @@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 21 день назад +1

      Mine too, one of our favorite was Hard Times

  • @doug2078
    @doug2078 Месяц назад +88

    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 Месяц назад

      resting spot, beautiful. What the heck?

    • @doug2078
      @doug2078 Месяц назад

      No body asked you !!@@bondoly66

    • @saltpeter7429
      @saltpeter7429 Месяц назад +3

      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 Месяц назад

      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 29 дней назад +5

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

  • @effdonahue6595
    @effdonahue6595 Месяц назад +145

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

    • @Spruce_Bingsteen
      @Spruce_Bingsteen Месяц назад +2

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

    • @effdonahue6595
      @effdonahue6595 Месяц назад +2

      @@Spruce_Bingsteen it cracks me up every time 😆

    • @mickeythebull9842
      @mickeythebull9842 Месяц назад +3

      A great line in a terrible movie.

    • @johnlloyddy7016
      @johnlloyddy7016 Месяц назад +1

      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 Месяц назад +6

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

  • @ddibner
    @ddibner 28 дней назад +10

    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......

  • @2012ouroboros
    @2012ouroboros Месяц назад +46

    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.

  • @Ambienfinity
    @Ambienfinity Месяц назад +134

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

    • @KevinGonzales-zv9xb
      @KevinGonzales-zv9xb 29 дней назад +3

      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 25 дней назад +1

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

    • @tidefanyankee2428
      @tidefanyankee2428 21 день назад +2

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

    • @andrewdevine3920
      @andrewdevine3920 10 дней назад

      ​@@chonconnor6144 I wrote my thesis on life experience.

    • @grawakendream8980
      @grawakendream8980 9 дней назад

      that was probably cptsd

  • @01Sassoon
    @01Sassoon Месяц назад +42

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

    • @crowe6961
      @crowe6961 Месяц назад +14

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

    • @patriciafeehan7732
      @patriciafeehan7732 28 дней назад +10

      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 25 дней назад

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

    • @jonathanzoellick8602
      @jonathanzoellick8602 21 день назад

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

  • @andrewanderson3572
    @andrewanderson3572 Месяц назад +46

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

    • @tony9t
      @tony9t 2 дня назад

      I thought the same when that was mentioned 👍🏻

  • @maryschade1906
    @maryschade1906 Месяц назад +51

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

    • @user-ps1ft1hy4j
      @user-ps1ft1hy4j Месяц назад +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 Месяц назад +2

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

    • @patrickmorgan4006
      @patrickmorgan4006 Месяц назад +1

      Yes. That is one of my favorite Bronson movies.

    • @benjammin4247
      @benjammin4247 29 дней назад +3

      That movie was an absolute ass kicker.

    • @ashrafbadreddine9470
      @ashrafbadreddine9470 16 дней назад

      outdated sfx aside, hands down one of the best movies ever. Wonder why they didn't make a sequel :P

  • @Spruce_Bingsteen
    @Spruce_Bingsteen Месяц назад +31

    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!

    • @vincentcrowley5196
      @vincentcrowley5196 Месяц назад +2

      Al Lettieri , famously played Virgil Sollozzo in the Godfather. The only other film I saw him in was Mr Majestyk.

    • @themalaailaanaa1347
      @themalaailaanaa1347 29 дней назад +1

      So that roundhouse was real.

    • @Spruce_Bingsteen
      @Spruce_Bingsteen 29 дней назад

      @@themalaailaanaa1347 😄😄

    • @g.sergiusfidenas6650
      @g.sergiusfidenas6650 6 дней назад +1

      Lettieri died not too long afterwards, guy was already in rough shape when that movie was being made, don't know why he thought it was a good idea to maybe get into a fist fight against a WWII vet.

  • @janicesouthworth1131
    @janicesouthworth1131 Месяц назад +35

    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 Месяц назад +44

    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.

    • @daleupthegrove6396
      @daleupthegrove6396 Месяц назад

      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 Месяц назад

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

    • @daleupthegrove6396
      @daleupthegrove6396 Месяц назад

      @@fazole Season 3 Episode 30; Heritage.

  • @mickeyray3793
    @mickeyray3793 Месяц назад +61

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

    • @user-gz2ob9rp6r
      @user-gz2ob9rp6r Месяц назад

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

    • @ss_whole
      @ss_whole Месяц назад

      It's "10 to Midnight"

    • @user-gz2ob9rp6r
      @user-gz2ob9rp6r Месяц назад +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 27 дней назад

      @@user-gz2ob9rp6r Correct!

    • @mattepton5731
      @mattepton5731 13 дней назад

      Hard Times was a good one as well

  • @sum1has2
    @sum1has2 Месяц назад +44

    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 Месяц назад +10

      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 Месяц назад +3

      Shoot he was a fine looking man

    • @GCKelloch
      @GCKelloch Месяц назад +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 Месяц назад +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.

  • @theodoreyoung7946
    @theodoreyoung7946 Месяц назад +41

    He was also a decorated war hero from WW 2.

  • @thomashugus5686
    @thomashugus5686 Месяц назад +14

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

  • @jessvolina6007
    @jessvolina6007 Месяц назад +7

    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!

  • @Allronix
    @Allronix Месяц назад +47

    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 Месяц назад +13

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

    • @Gunners_Mate_Guns
      @Gunners_Mate_Guns Месяц назад +8

      Yep, one of the best TZ episodes.

    • @mega5k
      @mega5k 29 дней назад +3

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

    • @timothy____1989
      @timothy____1989 26 дней назад +1

      One of my fav TZ episodes of all time👍🏼

    • @Gunners_Mate_Guns
      @Gunners_Mate_Guns 26 дней назад

      @@mega5k She sure was!

  • @SlowLew222
    @SlowLew222 Месяц назад +26

    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

    • @Swelte
      @Swelte Месяц назад +1

      So true

  • @jimjoseph1656
    @jimjoseph1656 Месяц назад +17

    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

  • @fembotheather3785
    @fembotheather3785 Месяц назад +14

    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.

  • @paulzammataro7185
    @paulzammataro7185 Месяц назад +21

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

  • @user-lc9co9kv9j
    @user-lc9co9kv9j Месяц назад +17

    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 Месяц назад +32

    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.

  • @Iwishtheirwasnopain
    @Iwishtheirwasnopain Месяц назад +14

    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!!

  • @NanaBren
    @NanaBren Месяц назад +9

    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 Месяц назад

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

    • @NanaBren
      @NanaBren Месяц назад

      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 Месяц назад +1

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

  • @philipjohnson2652
    @philipjohnson2652 Месяц назад +16

    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.

  • @JrRickard
    @JrRickard Месяц назад +28

    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.

  • @riffs66
    @riffs66 Месяц назад +31

    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.

  • @fsoiberg
    @fsoiberg Месяц назад +15

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

  • @michaelchristian5089
    @michaelchristian5089 Месяц назад +8

    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.

  • @moxohol
    @moxohol Месяц назад +11

    The detailed research is self-evident. Good job!

  • @nw133
    @nw133 Месяц назад +18

    Thank for the great narration of Charles Bronsons life story.

  • @itsjohndell
    @itsjohndell Месяц назад +17

    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 Месяц назад +5

      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.

  • @star11987
    @star11987 Месяц назад +3

    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.

  • @earlchase357
    @earlchase357 Месяц назад +4

    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.

  • @Maniac1607
    @Maniac1607 26 дней назад +2

    His poor upbringing, and the childhood teasing he went through as a result, left permanent scars. I'm glad he made millions.

  • @galatian5
    @galatian5 Месяц назад +7

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

  • @HeavensProtocol
    @HeavensProtocol Месяц назад +9

    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 Месяц назад +1

      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.

  • @evryhndlestakn
    @evryhndlestakn Месяц назад +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 Месяц назад +2

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

    • @evryhndlestakn
      @evryhndlestakn Месяц назад +3

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

    • @wildbillharding
      @wildbillharding Месяц назад +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 Месяц назад +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.

  • @keysersoze5920
    @keysersoze5920 Месяц назад +5

    RIP Mr. Bronson & Ms. Ireland.

  • @mrnelsonius5631
    @mrnelsonius5631 Месяц назад +6

    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.

  • @niradnagrom2356
    @niradnagrom2356 Месяц назад +18

    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 Месяц назад +2

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

    • @RaySierra
      @RaySierra Месяц назад +2

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

    • @fazole
      @fazole Месяц назад +4

      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 Месяц назад +1

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

    • @theimp5901
      @theimp5901 Месяц назад +2

      Work as a kid in the mines , no pushup necessary , but I'm sure he maintained .

  • @user-lc1wk5dh5h
    @user-lc1wk5dh5h Месяц назад +9

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

  • @buckminsterfullerene2149
    @buckminsterfullerene2149 Месяц назад +12

    Proud to be Lithuanian 🇱🇹

  • @EarnestSmith-jm8qv
    @EarnestSmith-jm8qv Месяц назад +4

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

  • @From-North-Jersey
    @From-North-Jersey Месяц назад +12

    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.

    • @JeffMTX
      @JeffMTX 17 дней назад

      Yeah, they're running our dam country now...

  • @XavierKatzone
    @XavierKatzone Месяц назад +3

    Very nicely done-THANKS! 👏🏻👏🏻❤️

  • @cackleberrywilson5956
    @cackleberrywilson5956 Месяц назад +4

    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 ❤❤😂

  • @burkejones8277
    @burkejones8277 27 дней назад +2

    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.

  • @SpiritintheSky.
    @SpiritintheSky. Месяц назад +4

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

  • @yvettevitacaponigro
    @yvettevitacaponigro Месяц назад +2

    Thank you for the post! 👍🏻✌🏼😊

  • @tunguskalumberjack9987
    @tunguskalumberjack9987 27 дней назад +6

    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.

  • @theimp5901
    @theimp5901 Месяц назад +2

    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.

  • @isceladiaz9961
    @isceladiaz9961 Месяц назад +5

    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!!!!

  • @user-tc3yg4ls3i
    @user-tc3yg4ls3i Месяц назад +8

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

  • @johnny5805
    @johnny5805 Месяц назад +4

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

  • @bassplayer1966
    @bassplayer1966 Месяц назад +3

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

  • @johnnycee5179
    @johnnycee5179 Месяц назад +4

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

  • @KrackerJak
    @KrackerJak 26 дней назад +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.

  • @jt2473
    @jt2473 Месяц назад +8

    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.

    • @JeffMTX
      @JeffMTX 17 дней назад

      I think it's one of the greatest movies ever made. Could not tell you how many times I've watched it! 100? more?

  • @derekstocker6661
    @derekstocker6661 Месяц назад

    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!

  • @stevep5408
    @stevep5408 Месяц назад +4

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

  • @sailordude2094
    @sailordude2094 Месяц назад +7

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

  • @kahlesjf
    @kahlesjf Месяц назад +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."

  • @sharendonnelly7770
    @sharendonnelly7770 Месяц назад +1

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

  • @bmepdoc9675
    @bmepdoc9675 Месяц назад +5

    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.

  • @Kermit_T_Frog
    @Kermit_T_Frog Месяц назад +8

    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 26 дней назад

      According to The Numbers, the international box office for "The Great Escape" was only $228,926. ($11,744,471 domestically.) Am surprised to read in Wiki 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.

  • @dubhmoore575
    @dubhmoore575 Месяц назад +1

    Sweet ❤ thats a lovely video, u made my day 😇

  • @andrewdavies5835
    @andrewdavies5835 Месяц назад +5

    They don't make 'em like this anymore.

  • @SoulDaddy33
    @SoulDaddy33 21 день назад

    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!

  • @keithjackson4985
    @keithjackson4985 27 дней назад

    Well done video. Enjoyed this.

  • @tonnywildweasel8138
    @tonnywildweasel8138 7 дней назад

    Always admired CB. Thanks for this vid, appreciate it a LOT 👍

  • @HogMan2022
    @HogMan2022 Месяц назад +1

    What a great video!

  • @keithbuchanan8588
    @keithbuchanan8588 Месяц назад +25

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

    • @bmepdoc9675
      @bmepdoc9675 Месяц назад +5

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

    • @keithbuchanan8588
      @keithbuchanan8588 Месяц назад +4

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

    • @user-ps1ft1hy4j
      @user-ps1ft1hy4j Месяц назад +3

      He earned it. He worked out religiously.

  • @chipngo9758
    @chipngo9758 Месяц назад +1

    Charles Bronson was an absolute unit. Hero, Icon, Model, Actor, and a good man. Death Wish films are his best work.

  • @scottfergusson8411
    @scottfergusson8411 Месяц назад +8

    Red Sun was my favorite movie by him .

    • @Asherov
      @Asherov Месяц назад +1

      That, alongside Once Upon a Time and Farewell, Friend

    • @warchela
      @warchela 11 дней назад

      With Toshiro Mifune! Awesome movie

  • @smang7866
    @smang7866 Месяц назад +12

    Charles Bronson was my granny’s crush🤗

  • @jBKht931
    @jBKht931 Месяц назад +1

    Well done, thank you. ❤

  • @pavlosneofitou9903
    @pavlosneofitou9903 16 дней назад +1

    Charles Bronson is one favorite actors, Stoic is the right characterization
    the great escape, once upon a time in the west, Death Wish, The Mechanic 1972,
    Death Hunt, The Evil That Men Do, Murphy's Law, and so many others
    RIP. Thanks for all the good times.
    Thank you for this video, Just Subscribed, Greetings from Cyprus.

  • @EmpyrionBlackthorn
    @EmpyrionBlackthorn Месяц назад +1

    Most excellent video, got you a sub and like

  • @alfonsoportugal6754
    @alfonsoportugal6754 28 дней назад

    what a wonderful video!!!

  • @stevenjohnson7442
    @stevenjohnson7442 Месяц назад +20

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

    • @wildbillharding
      @wildbillharding Месяц назад +5

      So did John Sturges!

    • @tectorgorch8698
      @tectorgorch8698 Месяц назад +2

      Yup, that is surely bullshite.

    • @tectorgorch8698
      @tectorgorch8698 Месяц назад +3

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

    • @stevenjohnson7442
      @stevenjohnson7442 Месяц назад +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 Месяц назад

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

  • @victorowens9150
    @victorowens9150 Месяц назад +1

    Beautiful presentation on a legendary actor.

  • @rushmore3927
    @rushmore3927 Месяц назад +3

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

  • @juandis6140
    @juandis6140 28 дней назад

    Brilliant video, thank you

  • @larry6795
    @larry6795 Месяц назад +1

    Thank you for the insight to Mr. Bronson

  • @dancouger3677
    @dancouger3677 Месяц назад +6

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

  • @sarlaccstapeworm990
    @sarlaccstapeworm990 Месяц назад +1

    I THOUGHT (just by the title & thumbnail, I guess) that this was gonna be one of those A.I. narrated, fulla $#it type videos... I'm SO glad I was wrong!! 😂 I love anything "Bronson"! It was really great to see an entertaining, mini-biography type video that was this nicely narrated!
    Great video!! 👍

  • @mumblesbadly7708
    @mumblesbadly7708 Месяц назад +1

    I always enjoy watching your videos because of how your distinctive accent fills your narration with weird-to-me pronunciation of the English language. Where are you from?