The Outsider

Tony Curtis as a serious actor was pretty much a joke at the height of his career when he was the darling of the teenyboppers; but he finally delivered an AAA+ role in this gritty and unforgettable saga of "drunken Ira Hayes" --- perhaps the best known World War II soldier after super-hero Audie Murphy. Audie Murphy was the greatest and most decorated soldier of World War II; but all Ira Hayes really did was help a few other men erect the flag at Iwo Jima. How this single act bestowed undeserved and unwanted fame on this fine Puma Indian man, and how this destroyed his life, are the essence of this extraordinary film. This picture knocked me out 45 years ago, a film you never forget.

Tony Curtis portrays Ira Hamilton Hayes, the Pima Indian Marine caught in the photograph by Joe Rosenthal, as well as he subsequent struggle with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Curtis gives a simple, telling performance as the made miserable by his acclamation as a hero, after he buddy James Franciscus was killed in battle. His death is whitewashed a bit, but it's a telling portrait of a man wrecked by the realities of war.

Nowadays we are supposed to express our disdain at the casting of a New York Jew as a Southwestern Indian. Without a box-office draw like Curtis in the role, it's unlikely the movie would have ever been made.

The official U.S. release date of "The Outsiders" is given as December, 1961, but in late August/early September of 1961, Tony brought the movie to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, CA. to give all us Marines a sneak peek. He had filmed much of the movie at MCRD, plus in Oceanside and downtown San Diego, so he let us "locals" have the first look. Before and after the showing, Curtis came on the stage at the base theater along with his wife Janet Leigh and MCRD Commannder Gen. Victor Krulak, and we jar-heads were totally impressed with ourselves for getting the VIP treatment from such bigshots. Curtis didn't play the usual featherweight role as Ira Hayes, but gave a tough, gritty performance as an alcoholic on the skids. I don't notice "The Outsiders" listed among Tony Curtis's credits in all these obituaries, but if you get a chance to see it don't pass it up.

This is the sad and touching story of Ira Hayes, with a fine acting job by Tony Curtis. Do not expect action scenes with battles and heroics. There is only a brief section that takes place on Iwo Jima;the rest is drama. Some may argue about this or that point of historical accuracy-- with good reason probably--but when all that is done, we're left with just a good drama about a young man who could not cope with the bizarre role of 'national hero' that fate forced upon him. The story is about how events outside his control affected his relationships with friends, family, his community, comrades and his country. We wish life could have turned out better for such a decent man.

This movie "The Outsider" was a pleasant surprise from the moment it started, until the very end of it. I thought that Tony Curtis was supurb as "Ira Hayes"...a part I feel should have won him an Acadamy Award Nomation and/or an Oscar. Tony Curtis was able to give the viewer great insight of the pain felt by this misguided Hero. Also, the raising of the flag on Mt. Suribachi on Iwo Jima looked so real...and gave me such a powerful patriotic feeling. This movie does not come around to view very often...and my one wish is that it would be shown more. It was one of the best movies I have seen in a very long time.