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CNN Live At Daybreak

Jack Lemmon Remembered

Aired June 28, 2001 - 08:08   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BRIAN NELSON, CNN ANCHOR: And now the death of a Hollywood legend: Academy Award-winning actor Jack Lemmon has died from complications related to cancer. Jack Lemmon was 76.

And entertainment reporter Bill Tush joins us from New York this morning with a look at Lemmon's career.

Good morning, Bill.

BILL TUSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Brian.

I mean, how do you talk about Jack Lemmon? I am looking over all these papers and things. He's had a career that lasted over 50 years. It began when he first got out of the Navy. He was an ensign in the Navy; 1949, he started in television in a show called "That Wonderful Guy." His last film was done in 2000, called "The Living Century."

He won two Oscars, one for best supporting actor in "Mister Roberts," where he played an ensign with Henry Fonda. And that was in 1955. He won another one for "Save the Tiger" in 1973.

He is remembered for so many films, probably best remembered for his teaming with his good friend Walter Matthau. That began back in the 1960s when they did "The Odd Couple" together. Everybody thinks of "The Odd Couple," they think of Tony Randall and Jack Klugman. But back in the days when Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau did it, it was the film version, a big hit back then.

They also think of Jack Lemmon in "Some Like it Hot," where, for most of the movie, he and Tony Curtis played a woman trying to join an all-girl band in order to avoid the mob, who was chasing them. Of course, their co-star in that film -- there she is -- Marilyn Monroe. And that was, like I said, one of his most talked-about movies -- "Days of Wine and Roses," another one, where he played an alcoholic with Lee Remick. And it went on and on and on.

And television career: He was nominated for several Emmys all the way up until 1997, I think it was -- if I got the year correct on that -- for "12 Angry Men." There was one year just recently -- about one or two years ago -- he was nominated for an Emmy, but lost out to another actor. And the other actor got up on stage, called Jack Lemmon to the stage and said, "This belongs to you."

Well, he died at the age of 76. He suffered from complications of cancer. He died at 12:01 this morning. I think that was a.m., 12:11 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. He was accompanied by his wife, Felicia Farr, his son, Chris Lemmon -- also an actor -- and his daughter, Courtney.

His publicist, long-time publicist Warren Cowan, said he was a beautiful person. His wife described him as basically what he played in the movies. A lot of times, he played a klutz. The first time he won an Oscar was at the Pantages Theater back in, as I said, 1955. And he was talking one time about how he went up to the get the Oscar. He went up, leaned on a railing, looked down at his new tuxedo and saw a sign that said "Wet Paint." And it was all over his tux.

There's a lot to talk about Walter Matthau. We'll be doing it all -- not Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon -- and we'll be doing that today.

NELSON: The two are somewhat inseparable.

Thank you, CNN's Bill Tush from New York.

And just a note here: CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE" at 9:00 tonight will remember Jack Lemmon the entire hour. Once again, that's at 9:00 Eastern time tonight, an entire special on "LARRY KING LIVE" on Jack Lemmon.

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