Improvising Out Loud Corey, Jeff; Corey, Emily; Nimoy, Leonard ...
05/2017
eBook
Jeff Corey (1914--2002) made a name for himself in the 1940s as a character actor in films likeSuperman and the Mole Men(1951),Joan of Arc(1948), andThe Killers(1946). Everything changed in 1951, ...when he was summoned before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Corey refused to name names and was promptly blacklisted, which forced him to walk away from a vibrant livelihood as an actor and embark on a career as one of the industry's most revered acting instructors.
InImprovising Out Loud: My Life Teaching Hollywood How to Act, Corey recounts his extraordinary story. Among the actors who would soon fill his classes were James Dean, Kirk Douglas, Jane Fonda, Rob Reiner, Jack Nicholson, and Leonard Nimoy. In 1962, when the blacklist ended, Corey was one of the industry's first trailblazers to seamlessly reboot his acting career and secure roles in some of the classic films of the era, includingButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid(1969),True Grit(1969), andLittle Big Man(1970), in which he starred as the infamous Wild Bill Hickok.
Throughout his life, Corey sought to capture the human heart: in conflict, in terror, in love, and in all of its small triumphs. His memoir, which he wrote with his daughter Emily Corey, provides a unique and personal perspective on the man whose teaching inspired some of Hollywood's biggest names to star in the roles that made them famous.
In New York it had been my belief that as a stage actor I needed to have a good part in a hit play so that I could be put under a studio contract in Hollywood. In Hollywood acting in films fueled all ...my desires to continue to investigate the art of the stage. I had heard that Mary Virginia Farmer, who had been associated with the Group Theatre and the Theatre Collective and had overseen the Federal Theatre Project on the West Coast, was living in Los Angeles. Upon the demise of the Federal Theatre, virginia rented space at
The Exercises JEFF COREY; EMILY COREY
Improvising Out Loud,
05/2017
Book Chapter
So much of what the actor does has to do with life itself. We all playact throughout the day and take on various roles within our private and public personas. The following études, or exercises, ...while designed for the actor, can also be used by the layperson to explore the events, relationships, and actions that fill his days. As we peel away the levels of our personal creative onion, we can learn much about ourselves and discover unexpected actions and solutions we might not have realized existed.
The études work best when supported by a total lack of censorship, a
It was never my intention to create movie stars or celebrities through my teaching. I never liked to see anyone fail, but my students’ trajectories to stardom or starving artist were not as essential ...to me as the quality of work they did and what they learned along the way. I filled my classes with men and women who were curious about acting, regardless of their profession or expertise. In fact, in addition to many struggling young actors, my classes were often populated by doctors, nurses, lawyers, and men and women from all walks of life who just wanted to
Breaking Down the List JEFF COREY; EMILY COREY
Improvising Out Loud,
05/2017
Book Chapter
Joe Strick, whom I had known at the Actors’ Lab, decided to get into film production. He wasn’t interested in a run-of-the-mill Hollywood project. He had seen Jean Genet’s very successful ...off-Broadway production ofThe Balconyand had negotiated with Genet’s agent in London to acquire the screen rights. Peter Falk was hired to play the Chief of police, Kent Smith the General, Ruby Dee the Thief, Shelley Winters Madame Irma, and Lee Grant was Carmen. Joe called and asked if I’d be interested in playing the Bishop. Just like that. No auditioning for the role. Fait accompli! While it
The Act of Teaching JEFF COREY; EMILY COREY
Improvising Out Loud,
05/2017
Book Chapter
Over my decades of teaching, I have conceived various exercises, or études, that reveal the choices and multiplicity of meanings that are available to an actor who wishes to go beyond the literal ...words of a script. A script is a powerful and imaginative resource, but the words themselves do not tell the story. I often use improvisation in my classes, but it is always with the intent of further discovery rather than to rehash the plot, which is so often the case in other classes. rehashing spins wheels and paralyzes the story into one or two options. Improvisation, when
Once the Hollywood Ten appeared before the committee, everyone in Hollywood knew the political tide had changed. I first heard the report of the Ten’s appearance on the radio. I literally trembled ...uncontrollably as I heard the news. The power of the committee was undeniable, and it was clear that nothing would stop its fury, righteous indignation, or misplaced sense of patriotism. while I could not shake the feeling of doom, I also knew there was no other choice but to go on anyway.
In spite of the troubles of the Ten and the demise of the Actors’ Lab, the
I must confess that after more than half a century of films, I can still be starstruck when I work with a truly great artist. My dear friend the director Ken Annakin hired me for a role inPaper ...Tiger,starring David Niven and the great Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune. I knew David socially and was delighted to have an opportunity to work with him. He truly was one of the classiest men I have ever met.
I had never met toshiro mifune but was very familiar with his work in Akira Kurosawa’sRashomon, Red Beard,andThrone of Blood
Refining the Approach JEFF COREY; EMILY COREY
Improvising Out Loud,
05/2017
Book Chapter
Overall, during my years as a college student I related well with the faculty members in the Theater Arts department at UCLA. my fellow students knew who I was and most, if not all, had seen movies I ...had been in. On more than one occasion I was a student in a class that used a film I had costarred in to illustrate fine American acting. I learned to get used to these uncomfortable encounters, and, by and large, professors and students alike treated me with the utmost respect. I was particularly gratified that Dr. Ralph Freud, the chairman of
Exits and Entrances JEFF COREY; EMILY COREY
Improvising Out Loud,
05/2017
Book Chapter
Along with the reboot of my career in film in the 1960s, I had the good fortune to return to acting on the stage as well. My former student Gordon Davidson was the founding artistic director of the ...Mark Taper Forum in downtown Los Angeles. Gordon directed the American premiere ofIn the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer,Heinar Kipphardt’s dramatic account of the Atomic Energy Commission’s hearing in 1954 that branded Oppenheimer as a security risk. He cast me along with my friends bert freed and John Randolph. Johnny had also been blacklisted, and bert was a political progressive
