#zekial marko

[sigurism]

Alain Delon Mélodie en sous-sol (Any Number Can Win) Dir: Henri Verneuil

[basicallyanotherwitchesthing]

John Trinian - House of Evil - Pyramid - 1962

[sesiondemadrugada]

Once a Thief (Ralph Nelson, 1965).

[tcm]

Alain Delon’s Unrequited Love Affair with Hollywood By Raquel Stecher

With his piercing blue eyes, aloof demeanor and natural charisma, it was inevitable that French actor Alain Delon would become an international sensation. The suave French film star became known for playing brooding anti-heroes on both sides of the law. He catapulted to fame in Rene Clement’s PURPLE NOON (’61), the sun-baked drama based on Patricia Highsmith’s celebrated mystery novel. Other plum roles came his way including films such as the art-house darling L’ECLISSE (’62) and acclaimed crime dramas ANY NUMBER CAN WIN (’63), LE SAMOURAI (’67) and BORSALINO (’70).

When Delon got his start, he was a fresh face in a new era of celebrity and filmmaking. Delon’s good looks, fashion sense, his many romantic affairs with some of the most beautiful women in the world and his real-life connections to dangerous gangsters all added to his mystique. In his prime, Delon was a huge box-office star not only in France but throughout Europe. As his celebrity grew, he found fans in Japan, China and Russia. But there was always one market that was missing in Delon’s portfolio: Hollywood.

Hollywood came knocking at the very beginning of Delon’s acting career, even before he was an actor. After a tumultuous upbringing and years of youthful rebellion that culminated with being dishonorably discharged from the French Marines, Delon found himself in Paris where he took numerous odd jobs. It was there he befriended local up-and-coming actors, one of whom invited him to go to the Cannes Film Festival. Henry Wilson, David O. Selznick’s talent scout, spotted Delon there and had him do a screen test in Rome. Selznick offered Delon a contract with the provision that Delon must learn English beforehand. Delon signed the contract but later backed out of it when his actor friends introduced him to French film director Yves Allegret. Allegret became Delon’s mentor, guiding him to develop a natural style of acting telling Delon “don’t act, live!” Delon got his first acting role in WHEN THE WOMAN BUTTS IN (’57) and the rest is history.

Even with the success of the French and Italian productions Delon starred in, he always had it in the back of his mind that the apex of his career would find him making films in Hollywood. When he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance in Luchino Visconti’s THE LEOPARD (’63), Hollywood came knocking again. He tested the waters with the UK produced ensemble film THE YELLOW ROLLS-ROYCE (’64), in which he plays opposite Shirley MacLaine and George C. Scott in one of the story’s three vignettes. After several failed negotiations, including a role in a Sam Peckinpah production that never came to fruition, Delon snagged the lead role in the American film noir style drama ONCE A THIEF (’65). The project was quite similar to ANY NUMBER CAN WIN and even shared the same writer, Zekial Marko. However, the film did modestly well in the States and fared better overseas. It was even premiered in Tokyo to capitalize on Delon’s international fame.

Other roles in English-speaking films came his way including parts in the war drama IS PARIS BURNING? (’66), the silly Western spoof starring Rat Pack members Dean Martin and Joey Bishop TEXAS ACROSS THE RIVER (’66), the sexy British drama THE GIRL ON A MOTORCYCLE (’68) and the Spaghetti Western starring Charles Bronson and Toshiro Mifune RED SUN (’71). Most of these films did modestly in the American market but fared better in other countries where Delon was a more established star. Delon was considered for parts in FANNY (’61), LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (’62), THE LOVED ONE (’65), THIS PROPERTY IS CONDEMNED (’66) and GUNS FOR SAN SEBASTIAN (’68), none of which happened.

In the 1970s, Delon made two more concerted efforts to break into the Hollywood scene. He reunited with Burt Lancaster, his co-star in THE LEOPARD, for the CIA spy thriller SCORPIO (’73). Then there was THE CONCORDE… AIRPORT ’79 (’79), the fourth entry in the popular AIRPORT franchise. This film did so poorly that it put the nail in the coffin to both the AIRPORT films and Delon’s Hollywood career.

So what went wrong? Why was Alain Delon, who enjoyed fame around the globe, unable to make a splash in Hollywood? The answer to this is complicated. For one, American audiences are notoriously finicky and sometimes international success doesn’t guarantee box-office clout. Also, Hollywood is known for getting in its own way and many success stories have come from talent who were able to transcend limitations. Delon was given smaller roles in films with ensemble casts or very strong lead actors such as Burt Lancaster, Anthony Quinn, Charles Bronson and Jack Palance who overshadowed Delon on screen. These parts were beneath what he was capable of. 

Delon’s accent was another barrier to entry even though he spoke English well and his accent gave him an air of sophistication. It’s very difficult for French speaking actors to break into Hollywood. There are a few notable exceptions such as Louis Jourdan, Charles Boyer and Maurice Chevalier. But those stars didn’t have Delon’s brand of masculinity and sexual prowess, that was highly prized in France and elsewhere but was not as appealing in the States. In the end, Hollywood didn’t give Delon a chance to shine. However, Delon demonstrated that he didn’t need Hollywood to cement his status as one of the cinema’s great leading men.

[movies-derekwinnert]

Any Number Can Win [Mélodie en sous-sol] **** (1963, Any Number Can Win [Mélodie en sous-sol]) -

Any Number Can Win [Mélodie en sous-sol] **** (1963, Any Number Can Win [Mélodie en sous-sol]) –

Director Henri Verneuil’s 1963 French-Italian crime drama Any Number Can Win [Mélodie en sous-sol] stars Jean Gabin as old career criminal Mister Charles and Alain Delon as his former cellmate Francis Verlot, and is based on the novel The Big Grab by American author Zekial Marko (using the pseudonym of John Trinian).

Mister Charles (Gabin) comes out of prison after serving five years for…

[sigurism]

Alain Delon Mélodie en sous-sol (Any Number Can Win) Dir: Henri Verneuil

[sigurism]

Alain Delon Mélodie en sous-sol (Any Number Can Win) Dir: Henri Verneuil

[sigurism]

Alain Delon for Mélodie en sous-sol (Any Number Can Win) Dir: Henri Verneuil

[sigurism]

Alain Delon Mélodie en sous-sol (Any Number Can Win) Dir: Henri Verneuil

[sigurism]

Alain Delon sur le tournage du film 'Mélodie en sous-sol'

[sigurism]

Alain Delon & Zekial Marko Once A Thief Dir: Ralph Nelson

[sigurism]

Alain Delon sur le tournage du film ’Mélodie en sous-sol’ (Any Number Can Win)

[sigurism]

Zekial Marko Once A Thief Dir: Ralph Nelson

[sigurism]

Zekial Marko & Alain Delon Once A Thief Dir: Ralph Nelson

[sigurism]

Alain Delon, John Davis Chandler, Ralph Nelson, Zekial Marko Once a Thief opening credits Dir: Ralph Nelson

[sigurism]

Once a Thief posters