| Remembering Tucker Smith: 'Ice' from 1961's 'West Side Story' | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 03:48 pm EST 12/23/21 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 03:36 pm EST 12/23/21 | |
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| I love Steven Spielberg's magnificent new movie of ''West Side Story,'' but it's also inspired me to revisit Jerome Robbins' and Robert Wise's Oscar-winning classic. And to me, one of the most iconic images from the 1961 picture is the sight of the Jets, shoulders hunched, racing toward the camera in ''Cool.'' It was led by Ice, a newly created character for the movie. And he was played by Tucker Smith, a charismatic, good-looking young actor & dynamite dancer. Smith not only performed ''Cool'' to finger-snapping perfection, but dubbed some of Russ Tamblyn's singing in ''Jet Song.'' So who was Tucker Smith and whatever happened to him? According to Wikipedia, he made his Broadway debut in ''West Side Story'' and became one of the stage pros to make the leap to the big screen. Even after the Oscar-winning movie came out, he played Riff in the 1962 Los Angeles and 1963 Sacramento productions, and toured with it in Tokyo in 1964. His second (and last) Broadway appearance would be in another Sondheim musical: the short-lived ''Anyone Can Whistle'' (1964), starring Angela Lansbury. He played various roles and understudied Treasurer Cooley. Wikipedia says Smith went on to small roles in film and TV, sometimes as a dancer (and uncredited in ''How to Succeed in Business,'' ''Hello, Dolly!,'' etc.). He did ''Parade'' with Carole Cook and Michele Lee; appeared in a 1973 musical of ''Gone With the Wind,'' and toured with Carol Channing in a revue. ... In the 1970s, Smith ran a bar in North Hollywood called Tucker's Turf, and apparently its name was a nod to his ''West Side'' storied past. With such a dazzling debut in ''West Side Story,'' one might've expected more stardom for Smith. But David Ehrenstein, author of the book ''Open Secret: Gay Hollywood, 1928-2000,'' says Smith did not pursue a Hollywood career because he was openly gay. Smith died at age 52 in L.A. His death was attributed to cancer, and Ehrenstein says it was due to AIDS complications. Smith passed away on Dec. 22, 1988, so yesterday would've been the 33rd anniversary. Thanks to the 1961 ''West Side Story,'' Smith's legacy and image live on, forever ''Cool.'' |
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| Link | 'Cool' from 'West Side Story' (1961) |
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