Lenny

Maestro Hero

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Lenny Loved Movies

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By Sarah Wright

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By his own account, Leonard Bernstein watched “On the Waterfront” in part or in whole at least 50 times—four months before its release. Of course, Bernstein’s score for Elia Kazan’s multi-Academy Award winning drama is the only original one he wrote; watching the movie over and over sounds about right. Perhaps Marlon Brando’s starring role had something to do with it, too.

In any case, Lenny loved movies. Collaborating with Stephen Sondheim to create “West Side Story” and Jerome Robbins for “On the Town” solidified his legacy. But there’s more to Bernstein’s relationship with moving pictures than is generally known.

As The Triplex prepares for the "Maestro" juggernaut, it makes sense to explore his broader relationship with film. For starters, his social circle was full of Hollywood people from Gregory Peck and Lauren Bacall to Paul Newman and Barbra Streisand. Not to mention Joanne Woodward, Humphrey Bogart, and Harry Belafonte. Or Franco Amurri and Susan Sarandon.

Directors, producers, and screenwriters were always in his orbit including Sidney Lumet, Otto Preminger, and Betty Comden. In fact, some of these exact same people rubbed elbows when the Bernstein’s hosted a controversial party in early 1970 at their Park Avenue penthouse.

When I read Tom Wolfe’s well-known “Radical Chic” essay last week, I noticed something curious about halfway through. Bernstein mentions Bayard Rustin, one of the key planners of 1963’s March on Washington. He said Mr. Rustin was supposed to have been at Felicia Montealegre Bernstein’s fundraiser for the Black Panthers, but was warned his life would be in danger, so he declined.

Whatever else one thinks of the Black Panthers, there are two new documentaries that peripherally relate to Felicia’s now well-documented meeting of the minds. One is “Radical Wolfe” about the party-crashing, three-piece suit wearing Tom Wolfe. His critique of the Bernstein’s private social event is ironic because he truly was not invited to the party. He saw an invitation on someone’s desk and took down the number, then phoned in his plan to attend. Tom Wolfe’s poor manners aside, the rest is history.

The other, much better documentary is “Rustin” about the life and legacy of Bayard Rustin. Like Lenny, Bayard was gay at a time when homosexuality was a crime, an obsession of J. Edgar Hoover, and a certain focus of the House Committee’s Un-American Activities investigation of pro-Soviet propaganda in Hollywood. Naturally, Rustin and Bernstein were both targets.

Speaking of documentaries, one of my favorite scenes of Bernstein takes place in a 1956 doc about Louis Armstrong. Toward the end of “Satchmo the Great” we see a stadium full of raw musical talent. Then Armstrong the trumpeter plays the “St. Louis Blues” for its composer, W. C. Handy, who’s in the audience. Backed by Bernstein and the Lewisohn Stadium Orchestra, it was an unforgettable evening of jazz and musical camaraderie. If the trio of Bernstein, Armstrong, and Handy doesn’t move you, check with your doctor.

As time went on, Bernstein would become famous for multiple Emmy, Grammy, and Tony nominations and awards. “On the Waterfront” also earned him his only Academy Award nomination.

And after reading his former assistant Charlie Harmon’s excellent memoir, I know Lenny loved movies, too, just like Ziggy played guitar.

One of my favorite anecdotes from Harmon’s book tells the story of the Maestro wanting to see Dustin Hoffman’s film Tootsie. Although the audience’s boisterous laughter made it hard to understand Hoffman’s lines, Lenny and a friend had some serious laughs after the show.

Wherever he is now, I hope Lenny’s still smiling. He is playing on multiple screens at The Triplex this week, so get up, get dressed, and go to the movies!

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