HE WAS THE MOST ADMIRED ACTOR IN THE HISTORY OF THE MOVIES.
MARILYN MONROE CALLED HIM THE SEXIEST MAN SHE HAD EVER SEEN.
AND IF YOU WATCH HIS EARLY, INCREDIBLE PERFORMANCES IN ON THE WATERFRONT (1954), A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951), THE WILD ONE (1953), THE MEN (1950), AND MY FAVORITE BRANDO FILM - GUYS AND DOLLS (1955), YOU CAN SEE AN ALMOST PERFECTLY PROPORTIONED, SLEEK-LOOKING, BRILLIANT ACTOR.
BUT EVEN IN THESE VERY EARLY DAYS OF HIS MOVIE CAREER, THE GREAT MARLON BRANDO LIKED HIS CHOW.
RICHARD ERDMAN, A FELLOW ACTOR IN THE MEN (BRANDO'S FIRST FILM), SAYS MARLON'S DIET AT THE TIME CONSISTED OF:
JUNK FOOD, TAKE OUT AND "PEANUT BUTTER - WHICH HE CONSUMED BY THE JARFUL.
BY THE MID-FIFTIES, MARLON HAD BECOME RENOWNED FOR EATING BOXES OF MALLOMARS AND CINNAMON BUNS, WASHING HIS SWEET TREATS DOWN WITH A QUART OF MILK. CLOSE FRIEND, CARLO FIORE, SAID MARLON WOULD GO ON EXTREME CRASH DIETS IN THE FIFTIES AND SIXTIES, BUT THEN WOULD LOSE HIS WILLPOWER. HE WOULD SUBSEQUENTLY GORGE ON HUGE BREAKFASTS CONSISTING CORN FLAKES, SAUSAGES, EGGS, BANANAS AND CREAM, AND A HUGE STACK OF PANCAKES, DRENCHED IN MAPLE SYRUP. (INTERESTINGLY, ONE OF BRANDO'S NICKNAMES FOR HIMSELF WAS "BRANFLAKES").
FIORE WOULD BE DISPATCHED BY BRANDO'S DIRECTORS TO FETCH HIM OUT OF LOCAL COFFEE SHOPS. KARL MALDEN, A CLOSE FRIEND, SAID THAT DURING THE SHOOTING OF ONE-EYED JACKS (1961) BRANDO WOULD EAT "TWO STEAKS, POTATOES, TWO APPLE PIES ALA MODE, AND A QUART OF MILK" FOR DINNER. THIS DIET NECESSITATED THE CONSTANT ALTERING OF HIS COSTUMES DURING FILMING. AT HIS BIRTHDAY PARTY, THE CREW GAVE MARLON A BELT AS HIS PRESENT, WITH THE CARD "HOPE IT FITS". HIS BIRTHDAY CAKE WAS LABELED "DON'T FEED THE DIRECTOR" (BRANDO WAS ALSO THE DIRECTOR OF THE FILM). MARLON REPORTEDLY ATE AT LEAST FOUR PIECES OF THE CAKE.
HIS SECOND WIFE, MOVITA, ACTUALLY PUT A LOCK ON THE HOUSE REFRIGERATOR. BUT WHEN SHE AWOKE ONE MORNING, THE LOCK WAS BROKEN AND MARLON'S TEETH MARKS WERE FOUND ON A ROUND OF CHEESE. THE HOUSE MAID TOLD MRS.BRANDO THAT MARLON MADE NIGHTTIME RAIDS ON THE ICEBOX ROUTINELY. BRANDO ALSO LOVED TO FREQUENT HOT DOG STANDS LATE AT NIGHT. HE LOVED GOING TO THE LEGENDARY L.A. HOT DOG JOINT PINK'S AT 3 AND 4 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING AND WOLFING DOWN SIX HOT DOGS AT A TIME.
THE COSTUMER ON MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1962) CLAIMED THAT BRANDO SPLIT 52 PAIRS OF PANTS DURING THE SHOOTING OF THE FILM. THIS NECESSITATED A STRETCH FABRIC BE USED ON HIS WARDROBE REPLACEMENT CLOTHES. HE SPLIT THESE PANTS TOO. MARLON WOULD TAKE A 5-GALLON TUB OF ICE CREAM, ROW HIMSELF OUT IN THE LAGOON AND INDULGE HIMSELF.
ON THE SET OF THE APALOOSA (1966) MARLON'S DOUBLE HAD TO BE USED, IN LONG SHOTS, AFTER MARLON HAD EATEN LUNCH, BECAUSE MARLON COULDN'T FIT INTO HIS COSTUMES. DICK LOVING, WHO MARRIED MARLON'S SISTER, FRANNIE, SAID MARLON WOULD EAT:
TWO CHICKENS AT A SITTING AND (GO) THROUGH PEPPERIDGE FARM COOKIES.
IN WHAT WAS POSSIBLY MARLON'S STRANGEST EATING EXPLOIT, IT WAS REPORTED THAT DURING THE FILMING OF MISSOURI BREAKS (1976), HE FISHED A FROG OUT OF A POND, TOOK A BITE OUT OF IT, AND PUT IT BACK IN THE DRINK (!!!!!!!!!) (????????)
LIVING ON THE ISLAND OF TETIOROVA, MARLON LIKED TO CREATE HIS OWN "REAL LIFE MOUNDS BARS", CRACKING OPEN A COCONUT, MELTING SOME CHOCOLATE IN THE SUN, THEN STIRRING IN THE COCONUT FOR A TASTY TREAT (SOUNDS PRETTY GOOD ACTUALLY!)
BEFORE FILIMING APOCALYPSE NOW (1979), MARLON PROMISED TO LOSE WEIGHT, BUT HE JUST COULDN'T DO IT. SUBSEQUENTLY, HIS CHARACTER IS SHOWN IN THE SHADOWS FOR MUCH OF THE FILM TO HIDE HIS BUDDHA-LIKE BELLY. A 6"5" DOUBLE WAS USED IN LONG SHOTS BY DIRECTOR FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA TO GIVE THE CHARACTER MORE STATURE.
BY THE 1980'S, IT WAS REPORTED THAT ONE OF BRANDO'S GIRLFRIENDS HAD LEFT HIM BECAUSE HE WOULDN'T KEEP HIS PROMISE TO LOSE WEIGHT. HE ALWAYS SEEMED TO BE DIETING, BUT UNKNOWN TO HER, HE HAD SOME OF HIS BUDDIES THROW BAGS OF WHOPPERS FROM BURGER KING OVER THE GATES OF HIS MULHOLLAND DRIVE ESTATE.
BY THE LATE 1980'S. MARLON WAS ROUTINELY SPOTTED AT A BEVERLY HILLS ICE CREAM PARLOR, BUYING FIVE GALLONS OF ICE CREAM- WHICH HE WOULD DOWN HIMSELF. DURING THESE YEARS, THE 5' 10" MARLON'S WEIGHT WOULD BALLOON UP TO AN INCREDIBLE 350 POUNDS. REPORTEDLY, ONE OF HIS LAST FAVORITE "SNACKS" WAS A FULL POUND OF COOKED BACON IN AN ENTIRE LOAF OF BREAD.
TOWARDS THE END OF HIS LIFE, WHEN HIS LIFE WAS OBVIOUSLY IN DANGER FROM HIS OVER-EATING, MARLON DID MAKE A LAST-DITCH ATTEMPT TO DROP SOME EXCESS WEIGHT BY GOING ON A BLAND DIET AND AT ONE POINT, HE DID DROP 70 POUNDS.
BUT HIS HEART AND HIS LIVER WERE ALREADY SEVERELY DAMAGED BY HIS OVER-EATING HABITS, AND HIS SUBSEQUENT CRASH DIETS. AT ONE POINT LATER IN HIS CAREER, MARLON WANTED TO DO A MOVIE OF HIMSELF STARRING IN THE LIFE OF PABLO PICASSO. HE KNEW HE HAD TO DROP SOME WEIGHT TO PLAY THE ROLE. HE TRIED ONE OF HIS ROUTINE ODD DIETS, THIS ONE A "BANANA DIET", BUT HE COULDN'T LOSE ENOUGH WEIGHT AND THE FASCINATING PROJECT WAS NEVER DONE.
POSSIBLY ONLY ELVIS PRESLEY AND ORSON WELLES, AMONG SHOW BIZ AND MOVIE LEGENDS, LIKED TO INDULGE IN OVER-EATING AS MUCH AS THE GREAT MARLON BRANDO AND RIGHT UP TO THE END - WHICH, SADLY, FINALLY CAME ON JULY 1, 2004, MARLON NEVER LOST HIS GREAT LOVE OF FOOD - ESPECIALLY HIS BELOVED ICE CREAM.
