Waltzing with Brando

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"The Dick Cavett Show!"

Tonight's guest is Marlon Brando!

You'll go too far and then hate yourself in the morning.

- -Very nice to see you.

My guest flew all the way from Tahiti

to be here tonight, which set some kind of record, I think.

I'm very honored to have him here.

You have caught glimpses of him in the past

as Stanley Kowalski in "Streetcar Named Desire,"

Zapata in "Viva Zapata!"

Mark Anthony in "Julius Caesar,"

Terry Malloy in "On the Waterfront,"

Vito Corleone in "The Godfather,"

and Paul in "Last Tango in Paris."

He despises superlatives and he's often been called

the best actor in America or in the world,

but I wanna downplay that tonight,

'cause I want him to be happy.

Will you welcome please Mr. Marlon Brando.

Are you wiped out from the jet trip?

Yeah.

Yes, I am.

There are two books in print

purporting to tell the story of your life,

your rages, your excesses, your lusts, your dreams.

I think that I'm almost quoting

from the cover of one of them.

Can we trust those, and if not,

how do they get away with it?

Well...

I don't think...

I don't know what to say about that.

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When most folks think of Tahiti,

they think of white sand and mai tais.

My first visit wasn't so romantic.

You have to remember at this time,

I was an aspiring architect based in Los Angeles.

Ron.

Oh, pardon my intrusion, gentlemen.

Bernie, this is Jack Bellin.

I was just telling him how you started

and your groundbreaking work with Buckminster Fuller.

I, I hear you like to build great big domes

and stuff like that, it's pretty neat stuff.

Well, I guess you could say I'm passionate

about designing structurally efficient environments

that are easily constructed

in the most inhospitable areas of the world.

Yeah, me too, that's why I chose Beverly Hills.

You speak French, Bernie?

Works for me.

I'd like you to act as my representative

to locate a property where I can build a new resort.

I see, well,

where exactly were you thinking of building this resort?

Tahiti.

Tahiti?

Hm, he likes that, huh?

Come by my office tomorrow, we'll talk some more.

Ron.

Tahiti.

Sabrina, show me where Tahiti is on the map.

Yeah, sure, it's right here next to Switzerland.

What?

Just kidding, it's the capital of French Polynesia,

it's made up of hundreds of small little islands

like Tahiti, Bora Bora,

Moorea and others.

Smarty pants.

Hey, I think that this job is a great opportunity for you.

I just have so many valuable projects I'm working on here.

Well, yeah, you have valuable projects.

You also have your job as the historical conservationist

for the city of Los Angeles.

It's an unpaid position, but as I always say,

The experience could be invaluable.

Suppose it could turn out to be worthwhile.

I mean, just make sure you get paid this time.

Yeah, you should go, Dad.

It'll help you crawl out of your shell.

My shell?

What am I, a crab?

Ah-huh.

You're always looking for a new opportunity, just go.

Go.

Go.

Go.

Go, go, go, go, go!

-Go, go, go, go, go! -Okay, okay!

Okay, okay.

I'll go, I'll go.

Who knows? The experience-

Could be invaluable.

You guys are catching on.

And that's how I found myself on my first flight to Tahiti

for what I thought would be a short excursion.

Bonjour, monsieur.

So did you make the right choice?

Right choice?

Seat 12A, you had the chicken Kiev.

Yes, yes, yes.

You know, for dining 30,000 feet in the air, it was superb.

Is this your first trip to Tahiti?

Ah-huh, and if all goes well, there'll be many more.

How so?

My client wants to build a hotel here

and I'm supposed to sniff around the islands

and look for a suitable spot for it.

Hm, there's so many lovely spots here in French Polynesia.

Yep.

Here, tell me, you ever heard of the island?

Yeah, it's called Tetiaroa.

It's beautiful and remote, but it's private.

I think you won't be able to visit,

the owner is very protective of it.

Well, my client apparently knows the owner

and he wants me to visit for research.

Really? He knows the owner?

I'm sorry, I have to catch my next flight.

You be careful out there.

Careful? That shouldn't be a problem.

If anything, I'm told I'm way too cautious.

Hm.

[traditional Polynesian music continues]

Outside the bay, fishing, very nice. No Tetiaroa.

I really gotta visit that atoll.

Boats cannot go there.

See, it's protected by a coral reef.

Okay, well, then I'll just swim there from the boat.

Just get me close.

Yeah, he gets it, I'll swim.

He called me popaa,

it's the Tahitian word for sunburned, white Westerner.

It wasn't a great start.

This doesn't look so bad.

See the coral? It's very sharp.

And the current is very strong.

No need to worry, I was a Seabee in the Navy.

A Seabee?

Please, I can find another area for you to swim.

I'll be safe.

Stay here on the boat.

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I probably should've listened to his advice.

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[gentle orchestral music continues]

After a brief visit at the local hospital,

I thought I should meet

with the mysterious owner of the island.

Hello?

Oh, hey, I, I...

Hello?

Hello.

Bonjour.

Oh.

I'm looking for the owner of this house.

Who are you and what are you doing in my home?

Oh, well, I'm terribly sorry, I'm Bernard Judge and er,

your door was wide open.