Happy Birthday, Tony Azito

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Tony Azito (July 18, 1948 – May 26, 1995) was a New York stage actor who most of you have never heard of because he didn't have enough in the way of major movie roles before his untimely death from AIDS at the age of 46. I only saw Azito live twice, once in Pirates of Penzance and once in Richard Foreman's Threepenny Opera. He was that rare combination of highly talented dancer, physical comedian, and character actor, a modern-day Ray Bolger.

The Wikipedia entry offers the following early bio info:
Azito was part of Juilliard's famous "Group I," the first students admitted to the drama program administered by John Houseman. His fellow students included Patti LuPone and Kevin Kline. Soon after arriving, Azito fell under the influence of choreographer Anna Sokolow and began studying modern dance — although, at six-foot-three (190 cm), Azito was an unusual candidate for dance training... This newfound interest in dance aggravated Houseman, who was apparently anxious about the number of gay men in Group I and had already clashed with Azito over a cross-dressing incident. Partly as a result of his conflict with Houseman, Azito left Juilliard without taking a degree and, as "Antonio Azito," spent two years performing in Sokolow's company.

Here's a clip of him being brilliant in a small role in a very forgettable (never made it to DVD) movie, Chattanooga Choo-Choo (1984). Not sure how I even knew about this one! Sorry for the quality; it's captured from a 25-year-old VHS tape.

If I'm counting correctly, that back roll is at least eight shots, so it's fair to assume the wine glasses were glued on for some of those. Still, that back roll to a free headstand is a cool pratfall. I remember trying it and sort of getting it, and I was doing it the hard way because I didn't realize that Azito was "cheating" by taking some weight on his free hand as he went up. Either way, though, you'd better have a flexible neck!

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''I'm just loose. I’m so loose that a physical therapist I know has threatened to send all his students to watch me.'' — Tony Azito

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Azito got far more attention as the sergeant in Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance, which went from the Delacorte Theatre in New York's Central Park to Broadway and then to a movie. He received a Tony Award nomination and a Drama Desk Award for this role.

Here's a clip of him from a live stage performance at the Delacorte doing the Tarantara number and the Policeman's Song opposite none other than Linda Ronstadt. Again the quality could be better, especially the audio. The choreography, though, is a delightful fusion of Keystone Cops with the splayed limbs and marionette-style movement that were Azito's trademark. The choreographer, Graciela Daniele, won both a 1981 Tony Award and a 1981 Drama Desk Award for her work on this show.

ASIDE:  In case you're wondering what he's singing, here are the lyrics:

WHEN A FELON'S NOT ENGAGED IN HIS EMPLOYMENT (his employment)
OR MATURING HIS FELONIOUS LITTLE PLANS (little plans)
HIS CAPACITY FOR INNOCENT ENJOYMENT (-cent enjoyment)
IS JUST AS GREAT AS ANY HONEST MAN'S (honest mans)
OUR FEELINGS WE WITH DIFFICULTY SMOTHER (-culty smother)
WHEN CONSTABULARY DUTY'S TO BE DONE (to be done)
AH, TAKE ONE CONSIDERATION WITH ANOTHER (with another)
A POLICEMAN'S LOT IS NOT A HAPPY ONE
AHHH
WHEN CONSTABULARY DUTY'S TO BE DONE, TO BE DONE,
A POLICEMAN'S LOT IS NOT A HAPPY ONE.
WHEN THE ENTERPRISING BURGLARS NOT A'BURGLING (not a'burgling)
WHEN THE CUT THROAT ISN'T OCCUPIED IN CRIME (-pied in crime)
HE LOVES TO HEAR THE LITTLE BROOK A'GURGLING (brook a'gurgling)
AND LISTEN TO THE MERRY VILLAGE CHIME (village chime)
WHEN THE COSTER'S FINISHED JUMPING ON HIS MOTHER (on his mother)
HE LOVES TO LIE A'BASKING IN THE SUN (in the sun)
AH, TAKE ONE CONSIDERATION WITH ANOTHER (with another)
A POLICEMAN'S LOT IS NOT A HAPPY ONE
AHHH
WHEN CONSTABULARY DUTY'S TO BE DONE, TO BE DONE,
A POLICEMAN'S LOT IS NOT A HAPPY ONE (happy one).

Azito had small roles in a lot of other movies, as well as playing the villain Monolo on the Miami Vice television show, so perhaps there are some other good clips out there. I did actually watch him in Private Resort, a 1985 teen movie (with an unrecognizable Johnny Depp) and all I can say, dear reader, is that you don't pay me enough. Dreadful movie, no Azito clips worthy of your attention. But if I find anything else, you'll see it here first. Meanwhile....

Links:
A 1981 NY Times article describing Azito as "Buster Keaton injected with silly putty."
The NY Times obituary.

Behind the Scenes: Johnny Depp in "Benny & Joon"

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As you've probably noticed, the special features that come with DVDs these days are not necessarily all that special. Even when they get into performance issues, editing technique, or visual effects, the information is usually pretty basic. There are, however, some juicy enough tidbits out there for the nibbling, which I was reminded of when I recently chanced to give Benny & Joon (1993) a second look.

If you've seen the movie, and I suspect most of you have, you can skip this paragraph... Benny is a sweet guy, an auto mechanic who spends most of his spare time taking care of his sister Joon, who is bright and paints but has some real mental health issues, never specified but probably schizophrenia. A young eccentric comes into their lives in the person of Sam, a barely literate outsider with a heart of gold, a movie buff who reveals considerable hidden talent whenever he's channeling Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin. Sam turns out to be good for Joon and vice-versa and, after a crisis, all ends happily, or at least with hope for all the major characters. A sentimental tale, what the director labeled a fairy tale, but it's quite well done and worth checking out.

The movie makes a strong, positive argument for the role of clown wisdom in everyday life. One reviewer described Sam as a "clown savant." Not surprisingly, the screenplay is by a former clown, Barry Berman, who used to perform for Ringling. As played by the great Johnny Depp, Sam is childlike, timid, insightful, generous, imaginative, and creative — the fool who turns out to be the wise man. Nice job, all.

The movie is also noteworthy for its physical comedy sequences — rare in Hollywood movies — choreographed by Dan Kamin and performed quite adeptly by Depp. Dan is a mime and movement performer, teacher, author, and coach. He has written extensively on Chaplin's movement technique and was Robert Downey's coach for the movie Chaplin (1992). Click here to check out Dan's web site and all his many offerings; there are also some videos of Dan's own work on YouTube. Maybe someday we can get him to tell our blog readers about his experiences working on these movies!

So here are the specially featured morsels I have for you.; nothing earth-shattering, but interesting enough. In this first one, cinematographer John Schwartzman has some interesting things to say about experiments with camera speed. You might want to skip the second part because he's rambling on about other stuff while we watch Depp practice with his dinner rolls.

The next four are from the commentary track by the director, Jeremiah S. Chechik

1. The diner scene, with those dancing rolls in action:

In case you missed it, Chechik points out that Dan Kamin is the customer sitting to our right in the three-plate sequence. BTW, I love Depp's slide to catch the tray at the end of the counter. I am, however, a stickler for physical truth in performance, so I can't help noticing that there's no way he would have gotten there on time. Still, close and clever enough to sell it.

2. A very short rolling chair bit that Chechik likens to Tati.

3. Hat technique used to sneak into the high-security wing of the psychiatric hospital. Too bad it wasn't done in a single shot!

4. Depps's climb up the side of the hospital building à la Harold Lloyd, which also turns out to be the movie's climactic scene: