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Frank Sinatra sent mobsters to castrate Marlon Brando
Frank Sinatra reportedly threatened to kill or castrate Marlon Brando during the filming of the musical film Guys and Dolls, in which the two actors had a notorious feud.
The film, released in 1955, was based on the successful Broadway musical of the same name, and featured Brando in the lead role of Sky Masterson, while Sinatra played Nathan Detroit, the second lead.
However, Sinatra had lobbied hard for the lead role, which was originally offered to him by producer Samuel Goldwyn.
Several other actors were considered before Brando eventually accepted the role, after receiving encouragement from his friend Cary Grant and others.
Brando, who was known for his method acting, agreed to appear in the film on the condition that his singing would be dubbed, as he was not known for his vocal abilities.
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However, this did not happen, and Brando was assigned a vocal coach to help him develop his singing voice.
Brando was not pleased with the results, and reportedly told his vocal coach that he sounded “like the mating call of a yak.”
The press mocked the idea of Brando, a tough guy known for his brooding roles, appearing in a musical, and many of his co-stars were unhappy about the situation.
Tensions between Brando and Sinatra began to escalate on set, and the situation reached a boiling point when Sinatra refused to help Brando with his vocals.
The two actors stopped speaking to each other, and communicated through intermediaries.
Brando’s devotion to method acting and love of multiple takes, as well as his tendency to flub lines, were openly mocked by Sinatra, who called him “Mumbles.”
Sinatra, who was known to have connections to the Mafia, reportedly sent one of his henchmen to pass on threatening messages to Brando.
There were also concerns that the situation might become physical, and at one point Brando was abducted and threatened by unknown assailants.
According to Brando’s friend Carlo Fiore, Brando was riding his motorbike when he was accosted by three men who threatened to kill or castrate him.
Brando was eventually dumped in the Hollywood Hills and managed to flag down a passing car to bring him home.
The feud between the two actors was said to have been fueled by a variety of factors, including jealousy over women and professional rivalry.
Sinatra was reportedly still in love with his ex-wife Ava Gardner, and was jealous of Brando’s s^xual prowess with both men and women.
There were rumors that Gardner had spent time in Brando’s dressing room on set, which only added to Sinatra’s anger.
Despite the tensions between the two stars, Guys and Dolls was a box office success, grossing $20 million on a $5 million budget.
The film received positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances of both Brando and Sinatra.
However, the feud between the two actors continued long after the film was finished.
In his memoir, Brando wrote that he had never liked Sinatra and found him to be a “phony.” Sinatra, for his part, was said to have never forgiven Brando for winning the Oscar for his performance in On The Waterfront, a role that Sinatra had also coveted.
The feud between the two actors has become legendary in Hollywood history, and is often cited as an example of on-set tensions between co-stars.
In recent years, there have been renewed interest in the story, with several books and documentaries exploring the feud in detail.
The story of the feud has also been adapted into a stage play and a television series.
Despite the bad blood between the two stars, both Brando and Sinatra went on to have successful careers in Hollywood.
Brando appeared in numerous films, including The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, and Last Tango in Paris, while Sinatra continued to act and also had a successful music career.
Both actors passed away in the late 1990s, but their feud remains a memorable moment in Hollywood history.