Actors and actresses tend to have huge egos. William Holden was no different. Born in 1918, a year before my dad, Holden died at the tender age of sixty-three during a drunken ramble through his two-storied apartment.
Holden starred in dozens of movies and won the academy award for best actor in 1953 for the movie Stalag 17. His wife at the time said it was because the Academy overlooked his role in Sunset Boulevard. Holden likely believed that this because his acceptance speech, “Thank you,” was the shortest ever given.
I did not see Sunset Boulevard or Stalag 17 (although I am going to make it a point to do so) but I saw him in my three favorite Holden movies: Picnic, The Bridge on the River Kwai, and The World of Suzie Wong.
William Inge, one of the greatest American playwrights of all time penned Picnic. What a movie! There were too many wonderful performances to mention, but Kim and Bill stole the show. The intimate scenes will rip your heart out, I promise.
The Bridge on the River Kwai is so powerful that it defies description. Even the bad person, played by Sessue Hayakawa, has depth and substance, and Bridge has possibly the finest ending in cinematic history.
Still, my favorite Holden movie is The World of Suzie Wong. A disillusioned American gives up his secure career and moves to
The cinematography is wonderful, and remains in my memory long after viewing the film. When I saw the movie as a teenager, I fell in love with Nancy Kwan and her inevitable tragedy broke my heart.
Yes, I like William Holden movies and The World of Suzie Wong is my favorite. As I think about it now, maybe I liked Nancy Kwan the most.