Dan's Hamptons

On December 15, The Picture Show at Bay Street Theatre presents a conversation with Eli Wallach, hosted by Jeffrey Lyons, live on stage after the screening of The Misfits at 8 p.m. This rare, one-night-only event costs $20 per person, and the proceeds from the night will go toward supporting The Picture Show at Bay Street’s programming. A portion of the proceeds will also go to the National Film Preservation Foundation.

The Misfits (1961) is a poignant drama about the death of the old West directed by John Huston and screenwriter Arthur Miller. The film follows troubled ex-stripper Roslyn Taber (Marilyn Monroe) to Reno, Nevada where she is trying to arrange for a quickie divorce. Struggling, she practices her lines for the divorce judge to her experienced, wisecracking landlady Isabelle Steers (Thelma Ritter), desperate to rid herself of her husband, Raymond (Kevin McCarthy). Through Isabelle, she is introduced first to ex-mechanic, former WWII pilot, and widower Guido Racanelli (Eli Wallach) and then to “real” cowboy and rugged individualist, Gay Langland (Clark Gable). Both become interested in the young, voluptuous blonde woman, and she eventually falls in love with the gallant Langland – who is old enough to be her father. They are offered an unfinished house in the desert, abandoned by heartbroken Guido after the death of his wife, and move in together. Roslyn is exhilarated by the freedom of the wide-open spaces, and her new, passionate relationship with Langland. Things start to get complicated, however, when the men go after a herd of wild horses and take Roslyn along with them. The Misfits is best known for being both Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe’s final film.

Eli Wallach was born on December 7, 1915 in Brooklyn, New York. In a career that has spanned six decades, Eli is arguably one of Hollywood’s finest character and method actors, having amassed awards, critical encomiums and a list of credits that includes both classic plays and light-hearted films. Eli Wallach has worked alongside the biggest stars, including Clark Gable, Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen, Marilyn Monroe, Yul Brynner, Peter O’Toole and Al Pacino.

After serving as a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps during WWII, Wallach garnered a B.A. from the University of Texas in Austin, and studied acting with the Actors Studio and Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City. Wallach made his Broadway debut in the short-lived play Skydrift in 1945. He spent two seasons with Eva LeGallienne’s fledgling American Repertory Theater before landing the star-making role of “Mangiacavallo,” opposite Maureen Stapleton, in Tennessee Williams’ The Rose Tattoo (1951), for which he won a Tony Award.

Wallach began making appearances on the small screen’s many live dramas of the late 1940s and early 1950s. One of his most memorable performances was as the Dauphin, opposite Julie Harris’ Joan of Arc, in “The Lark” (NBC, 1957). He won an Emmy Award for “The Poppy Is Also a Flower” (ABC, 1966), an all-star public service tele-film about the rise of drug use in America. Wallach continued to appear in miniseries, such as “Seventh Avenue” (NBC, 1977), “Skokie” (CBS, 1981), “Anatomy of an Illness” (CBS, 1984) and “Legacy of Lies” (USA Network, 1992). His only attempt at a full series was as the patriarch of a mob family in the ABC drama titled “Our Family Honor” (1985-86).

Much of Wallach’s prominence came from his roles on the big screen, such as in the adaptation of the Tennessee Williams short story, Baby Doll (1956). He went on to portray numerous, often hot-headed characters, from the Mexican bandito in The Magnificent Seven (1960), to Clark Gable’s buddy in The Misfits (1961), to the contemptible Pistolero in Sergio Leone’s landmark western, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” (1967). Even in the 90s, the success of his big screen roles is a testament to his remarkable talent and true passion for cinema. He played the often imitated, never duplicated mob boss in The Godfather, Part III (1990). He has remained active onscreen in such diverse roles as a Wall Street businessman in The Associate (1996) and a rabbi in Edward Norton’s directorial debut, Keeping The Faith (2000). Whether in theatre, small screen miniseries, big screen premieres or intimate conversation, Eli Wallach, who is soon to be 91 years-old, is a true icon in the acting industry and has proven his talent through a lifetime of passion and well-deserved achievement.

Jeffrey Lyons, who will be hosting the conversation with Eli Wallach, also has a long history of acclaim. The well-known co-host of the PBS series “Sneak Previews,” 1982-96, Lyons has interviewed nearly every major movie and Broadway star over the past four decades. Born and raised in New York, he is the son of Leonard Lyons, whose Broadway column, “The Lyons Den,” was a New York tradition for forty years. A man of varied interests, Lyons studied acting with Lee Strasberg, attended the Julliard School of Music, trained with the New York Giants, and studied bullfighting in Spain. Jeffrey Lyons joined WNBC in October of 1996 as the station’s film and theater critic. His reviews and interviews can be seen on “Live at Five” and News Channel 4’s various weekend newscasts. His reviews can also be seen on NBC stations nationwide.

The screening of The Misfits and the following conversation with Eli Wallach and Jeffrey Lyons at the Bay Street Theatre is not to be missed. The Bay Street Theatre Box Office is open from 11 a.m.- 6 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday. You can purchase tickets at the Box Office by calling (631) 725-9500, or on line at www.baystreet.org.