Jack Palance: His Extraordinary Life (Jerry Skinner Documentary)

[Music] this is veteran actor Jack pellets many recognize him as Curley Washburn in his oscar-winning role in the 1991 movie city slickers Jack's real name is volunteer palenik he was born February 18th 1919 in the small coal mining community of Ladder mermans Pennsylvania Jack's parents Ivan and an appellant ik were Ukrainian immigrants Jack's father Ivan worked as a coal miner for almost 40 years in the letter mermans on November 17th 1955 Ivan passed away of black lung disease at the age of 67 his death was five years after Jack's first movie role so Ivan lived to see his son become a movie star Jack's mother Anna was a housewife with six children of which Jack was number three she was raised in the Ukraine but is believed to have been an ethnic pole and a lived for 60 years at house number 433 latter mermans where she raised her family she passed away on July the 9th 1973 at the age of 83 as a youngster Jack would work in the mines on weekends and holidays he attended Latterman LANs elementary school and he said he hated demands the coal mining company forced the matters to purchase groceries from the company operated store when they could have bought it cheaper anywhere else Jack said he was like everyone else he had pleasant childhood memories playing among the coal piles and at the age of fourteen he entered a boxing contest and tied with a 17 year old for first place he attended Hazel Township High School where he excelled in sports especially football he actually won a scholarship to the University of North Carolina after a year at UNC at the age of 20 Jack decides to quit college in order to pursue a boxing career he won most of his fights and was establishing an excellent record using the name Jack Brazeau years later while reflecting on his boxing career jack said I got a broken nose and in my last fight I was punched in the Adam's apple and I couldn't speak for a week he said I decided why take a beating like this for a lousy two hundred dollars he returned home and went back to the man's for a short time in August of 1942 during World War two Jack joined the Army Air Corps he was Santa trained as a bomber pilot on a b-24 Liberator at San Antone Texas a year later of Wyatt and his co-pilot on a trade mission near Tucson Arizona while on takeoff the engines failed and the plane crashed Jack spent several months in a military hospital recuperating from his injuries Palance was honorably discharged in April of 1944 from his injuries after military service Jack attended Stanford University on the GI Bill and he supported himself by working several menial jobs while at Stanford he became interested and acted and decided to pursue a career on the stage by going to New York where he was able to obtain several bit parts to start with in January 1947 Jack pallets obtained his first stage role in the big tooth that starred Clara traveller and Philip thorn it opened at the booth theater on West 45th Street in New York Jack had one land in the play spoken in Russian he played the part of a Russian soldier his family actually spoke Russian and Ukrainian at home and Jack could speak six different language including English the play only ran for 21 performances but his exposure helped him to secure a place as understudy for the character Stanley Kowalski in streetcar named desire when Marlon Brando broke his nose on a punching bag and the theaters boiler room basement when a stagehand threw a wild punch that slipped off the bag and struck Brando some say that the stagehand was actually Walter Jack Palance as he was called in at any rate Brando went to the hospital and Jack went onstage in 1948 Jack will meet aspiring actress Virginia Baker they will soon become involved and we're married on the 21st of April 1949 the next year in 1950 director Eliquis and that Jack had worked for in streetcar named desire was directing a film entitled panic in the streets Jack Ponce made his first debut as Blackie a vicious street boss and killer that also had the Bluebonnet plague he played opposite Richard Widmark it was filmed almost entirely in the streets of New Orleans and because the film was such a success 20th Century Fox offered Palance a long-term country and while Jack was making his movie debut his wife Virginia was given birth to their first child a daughter Holly Kathleen pellets on 5th of August 1950 Holly will become an actress in her adult life known for her performance in The Omen the next year in 1951 after Holly's birth Jack will appear in a war movie named halls of Montezuma with a host of stars including Richard Widmark and Richard Boone it was filmed on location at Camp Pendleton California at the Marine base two things happen to Jack Palance in 1952 first on February the 9th Jack and Virginia will have their second child a daughter Brooke gabrielle pallettes Brooke will become an actress in her adult life and the daughter-in-law of Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Wilding second Jack will win an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for sudden fear with Joan Crawford the next year in 1953 pallets will become Jack Wilson gunslinger and the epic film shamed starring Alan Ladd Jean author and Van Heflin along with eight-year-old Brian to Wilton Jack will give an excellent performance as a hired killer one of the rocker gangs and he will win another oscar nomination for his performance Jack will play in two movies in 1954 the silver chalice and the sand of the pagan in 1955 it'll be the big knife will Ida Lupino and in December of 1955 Jack in Virginia will have their third child a boy named Cody John pallets Cody will become an actors like his father he'll be known for his role in 1988 young guns in 1998 Cody will be diagnosed with malignant melanoma and he'll pass away on July the 16th 1998 while in Tijuana at the age of 42 his father will support the melanoma foundation by hosting the Cody Palance immoral Golf Classic in 1956 the next year after Cody was born Jack played a washed-up heavyweight boxer on TVs Playhouse 90 it was a perfect part for the ex-boxer Jack will win best actors Emmy Award for his part in rec room of a heavyweight and in 1958 weary of being typecast Jack took his wife and his three kids and moved to Switzerland where he'll star in over a dozen films such as the man inside and the Mongols On February 8 1960 though Jack was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6608 Hollywood Boulevard it's located right in front of Frederick's of Hollywood in 1963 palace moved his family back to the u.s. in order to host a TV show called the greatest show on earth produced by Desi Liu it appeared on ABC from September 17 1963 until April 28 1964 in 1968 after 19 years of marriage Jack Palance and Virginia banker pellets divorced on June 2 filled after their divorce Virginia will become an actress and producer years later while walking across the street in Los Angeles Virginia was struck by an automobile and passed away on January the 1st 2003 at the age of 80 and to my knowledge he never remained in 1969 Jack will play a deranged father that leads as a family on lootings throughout the south after the Civil War vince edwards plays his only son that goes against the actions of the family and the Desperados in 1970 pilots will co-star will Lee Marvin in another Western called muddy Walsh in 1974 lb Dracula Jack's persona was perfect for this part and on September 21st 1975 Jack Palance will start a TV crime drama called bronc it will run for 24 episodes and pilots will play a sensitive police detective that chases crime bosses while looking after his crippled daughter from an automobile accident that had killed his wife it was a character far from the villains and he usually played Jack Palance will have a long and successful career appearing in over nanny movies and numerous TV westerns through the latter part of the seventies Jack's career and opportunities for good parts were slowing however it was revived by the TV series that he hosted Ripley's Believe It or Not it ran from 1982 through 1986 Jack was host all through the show's run while three different co-hosts appeared with him from season to season it included Jack's daughter Holly Marie Osmond and Kathy Sharif in 1986 Jack pots have been divorced from his first wife Virginia almost 19 years when he met Elaine Rogers a Brenna airlines spirit the laying in Jack began of romance on May the 6th 1987 they were married and it will last for almost 20 years until he's dead jack and elaine will have purchase a home near his birthplace of Hazleton Pennsylvania they were also on several cattle ranches when he was asked what he thought about his films Jack said well most of them are just garbage and I don't want you in 1989 he played in the hit movie Batman with Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson in 1992 42 years after his first film Jack palace reached the highest honor that Hollywood can be stolen an actor he received the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor as kerley Washburn and the Billy Crystal movie city slickers during his acceptance speech he surprised everyone by doing one-armed push-ups said he didn't know what else to do he said a few weeks into his first film the producer came to him and said Jack you're gonna win the Academy Award 42 years later he said I did now how did that SOB know that same year Jack wins the Oscar he was also inducted into the Western performance hall of fame in Oklahoma City two years later it will be city slickers tooth the Legend of Curly's goal with the original cast where Jack Moore played Duke the brother of the deceased Curley pallettes once said he went to see about seven movies a year so he only had time to see the best therefore he said I sell them got to see any that I was in on April the 22nd 2004 Dustin Hoffman and Jack Palance was scheduled to receive the Russians People's Choice Awards sponsored by Russian President Vladimir Putin rockland accepted his award seeing his parents were Russian and from Kiev when Jack was introduced to the audience he surprised everyone by saying I feel I've walked into the wrong room by mistake I think that Russian films are interesting but I have nothing to do with Russian or Russian films my parents were born in the Ukraine I am Ukrainian I am NOT Russian excuse me but I don't belong here and it's best if I leave Jack refused to accept the award even when offered in private he felt very strong about his Ukrainian heritage and its independence from Russia the next couple of years Jack's health began failing and on November the 10th 2006 at his daughter Holly's home in Montecito California among family Jack Palance passed away peacefully from natural causes at the age of 87 he was cremated and his remains was given to his family you [Music]

Channel: Jerry Skinner

Views: 1,078,181

Rating: 4.8668914 out of 5

Keywords: Jack Palance, Ukraine, City Slickers, Lattimer Mines, Holly Palance

Id: ESpluoz-iJg

Length: 17min 11sec (1031 seconds)

Published: Tue Aug 28 2018