With his
seemingly gruff mannerisms and dark, rugged looks, Caruso specialized in
characterizations of gangster on the loose, Indian chiefs on the warpath,
outlaws on the run, and hatchet men on the rampage. Yet in real life, the
man who heckled, hacked and horded at the expense of Roy Rogers, Joel
McCrea, Audie Murphy, James Arness, and even Abbott and Costello was a model
citizen in his beloved community of Brentwood, California where he served on
various committees, attended church regularly, helped numerous charities and
organizations, and worked closely with youngsters as a Boy Scout troop
leader.
One of the real joys he had was cooking authentic Italian
dinners for casts and crews on set of movies on which he happened to be
working. He was unconditionally devoted to his wife and two children and was
always true to his friends and fans. "He just loved people," says Tonia,
Caruso's wife of 63 years, "and everyone loved him."
With that classic continental look, the American-born Italian
was often called upon to play characters of varied ethnicities including
Mexicans, Greeks, Slavs, Arabs, and particularly Native Americans.
Caruso was a staple of Alan Ladd's films (12 in all) and
their friendship lasted from the moment they met while auditioning for parts
at the start of their careers, until Ladd's death in 1964.
Caruso enhanced several classic films like Zebra Force,
The Asphalt Jungle, and Phantom of the Rue Morgue. He also
made an interesting guest star in a host of TV shows, from Superman
and Star Trek to Gomer Pyle and Get Smart. In the
Westerns department, his appearances include numerous episodes of Wanted:
Dead or Alive, The Adventures of Jim Bowie, Gunsmoke,
The Wild, Wild West, Zorro (in a recurring role as Don Juan
Ortega), The High Chaparral, and Bonanza. In "The Saga of
Squaw Charlie", one of the finest episodes of the latter show's 14-year run,
Caruso portrayed an Indian too gentle to be accepted by his own tribe, and
who's falsely accused by the scummy element of Virginia City of killing a
young white girl who had befriended him. In Wildest Westerns Issue #4
in what was to be Mr. Caruso's last interview, the charming actor said, "I
loved doing that Bonanza show. I played the heavy for so many years
that I finally got a shot at playing a sympathetic character, and it was one
of my favorite parts to do."
Caruso enjoyed working with the best of Hollywood's golden
era like Errol Flynn, Laurel and Hardy, Randolph Scott, Robert Mitchum, Rod
Cameron, Gary Cooper and Lex barker (in a film that almost cost Caruso his
life while shooting a scene with real lions!). "There are only two actors I
regret never having the opportunity to work with: John Wayne and Clark
Gable," Caruso told WW. However, he did work with Ronald Reagan in
Two Westerns -- Tennessee's Partner and Cattle Queen of Montana.
Before marching off to the White House, Reagan had no less than 100 movies
under his belt; Caruso has the distinction of being the only actor to kill
Reagan on celluloid. The two remained friends until Caruso's death.
On screen and off, Anthony Caruso touched people's lives. He
was a class act, and today, remains a tough act to follow. |
