IF YOU ask movie aficionados over 50 years old who they remember most in the screen classics, ?Seven Brides for Seven Brothers? and ?West Side Story,? their reply would most likely be ? Russ Tamblyn. The actor was also properly cast in ?Tom Thumb.?

Russ was a pixie-looking actor, dancer and champion gymnast. So, when he was cast as one of the virile but lonely brothers in ?Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,? his true mettle was put to the test. Fortunately, Russ succeeded both as an actor and a robust, agile dancer. His acrobatic stunts were nothing short of breathtaking, and the film itself became one of Hollywood?s most exciting screen musicals.

Indelible mark

Tamblyn was introduced in ?The Boy With Green Hair? and had earlier appeared with Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr in Cecil B. de Mille?s ?Samson and Delilah.? But, it was in ?Seven Brides for Seven Brothers? and ?West Side Story? that he made an indelible mark as an actor, dancer and acrobat. In the latter, he portrayed Riff and was accorded a well-deserved Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination.

The highly skilled performer came from a theatrically inclined family. He also appeared in ?The Long Ships? and ?How The West Was Won,? none of which could equal the impact he created in his iconic musicals.

At the height of his success, he married an extremely beautiful starlet who bore him a daughter, Amber, who recently won a starring role in the successful series, ?Joan of Arcadia.? Unfortunately, Russ? undisputed talent, curly red locks and large beady eyes weren?t quite right for the dramatic features of the ?60s, so he soon ran out of juvenile roles to play.

Thereafter, the studios stopped making musicals ? and the glory days of Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse and Esther Williams ended. Cyd, Esther, and even Fred (?On The Beach?) tried drama, but retired soon after realizing that their ?specialized? training was unsuitable for that era?s genre of choice.

Just the same, Russ had made his mark, courtesy of his remarkable performances in two of cinema?s most outstanding musicals, where he danced, tumbled and leaped his way into viewers? hearts!