Don Murray’s career took off like a bull out of a rodeo gate, a perfect metaphor, considering his screen debut as the brash, unrelenting young cowboy Bo Decker, who woos and, eventually, wins Marilyn Monroe’s heart in Bus Stop. Promoted as “Hollywoods’s newest hunk of a man”, he received an Oscar nomination for the role, and went on to star in dozens of films, television shows and plays alongside a multitude of Hollywood’s A-list elites. Not wanting to be shoehorned into a specific “type”, he selected roles that were diverse, yet always brought a sense of dignity and humanity to even the most despicable kind of character. While signed to a 7 year contract with 20th Century Fox, he insisted that he be free to work on other projects of his own creation in between theirs, and was given the rare option of turning down roles he didn’t like. For example, he turned down the role of Brick in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, because he didn’t want to portray an alcoholic immediately after his role as the troubled heroin addict Johnny Pope in A Hatful Of Rain. You’re welcome, Mr. Newman. Side note: Don was originally offered the role of Polo, Johnny’s younger, uneducated brother in Hatful, but he found Johnny to be a more complex, interesting character, so he asked for the switch. Anthony Franciosa, who played Polo in the original Broadway production, was cast, and subsequently nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his work.
Don was active behind the camera as well, writing, producing and directing several films, the most notable of which was The Hoodlum Priest, which he co-wrote under the pseudonym Don Deer. As a committed advocate of Social Justice, he felt having more control over the final product was the only avenue to fully explore the controversial issues of his times, though most of his independent projects didn’t see major distribution.
He was awarded a star on Hollywood’s Walk Of Fame in February, 1960, when the Chamber of Commerce did the nominating and placement themselves, for free, instead of their current practice of relying on Publicists and Fan Groups to promote their selections (and pay the $95,000 fee!).
However, this piece is not meant to be another Celebrity Bio (or Obituary, considering the timing). It’s the story of a man of deep-seated convictions, who put his blossoming career on hold to “walk the walk” and had a hand in the creation of one of the most well known and respected International Relief Agencies of the Modern Era.
As an ardent pacifist, Don believed the taking of another human’s life was wrong under any circumstances, and refused induction into the Army during the Korean War. Conscientious Objector was a rare status in those days, especially during the Anti-Communist fever fostered by McCarthyism and HUAC, so he was taken into custody. His mother, a former dancer with Flo Ziegfeld, gave an impassioned appeal to the Draft Board about how vital non-combatants were to the war effort, and how victory could still be achieved with those who carried no weapons, and they were moved enough to release him to Alternative Service. His intent was to serve with the Red Cross in Korea, but they were accepting only certified medical personnel, so he found acceptance in Europe with the Church of The Brethren, a non-creedal collective of Anabaptist Denominations that originated in the early 18th Century. While there are many Districts and Associations around the world, they are unified by their commitment to Pacifism, and the image of a “cold cup of water”, as described in Matthew 10:42. After training in Germany he was sent to work in an internment camp in Naples, Italy, populated by refugees from WW ll Axis nations who couldn’t be assimilated locally, as the city was virtually destroyed by Allied bombs and retreating German demolition teams, but feared returning home, because their local despots were still in power: Spain, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and Albania. He helped build a school, taught them how to play basketball (“I had the toughest time getting them to use their hands, instead of feet!”) and prepared and served meals.
The conditions of the camp were generally appalling: leaky pipes and roofs, no heat and food that was either donated by local Samaritans or the refuse from US Military installations. Alcoholism, boredom and depression were rampant, and there was little opportunity to leave the camp, save for specific tasks or errands. However, he developed great affection for the residents, especially the many who were industrious enough to plant gardens and assist with repairs and maintenance, and made a silent vow to find them all a permanent home.
Upon his return to the US, he arrived in time to marry his girlfriend, Hope Lange, and be the last actor to read for Bus Stop. He’d contracted Hepatitis from a rotten portion of shellfish and lost 30 lbs off his already slender, athletic frame, so he put on every stitch of clothing he had for his meeting with director Joshua Logan. Logan had taken an interest in Don the year before, and wanted him for his film of William Inge’s Picnic, but Don turned it down because of his commitment to the camp in Naples. I could fill a whole Diary describing his challenges on the film, but I promised to focus on his other work, so all I’ll offer is that his Hepatitis evolved into a massive fever which resulted in him performing the entire Rodeo sequence with a temperature of 105 degrees. Being the FNG on set, he wasn’t even offered a chair, much less a trailer, so he had to cool himself in the shade of the Grandstands between takes, and needed his Mentor from American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Peyton Price, to help him dress every day. He deserved an Oscar for that scene alone…
In any case, the next step was raising funds to relocate the families in Naples, so they set up a non-profit org called HELP (Homeless European Land Program). They sold most of their furniture and wrote and performed a Playhouse 90 episode For I Have Loved Strangers, which aired live on December 19, 1957. The set was meant to display an 800 number, for viewers to call and donate, but a CBS Exec pulled the card just before the cameras rolled, saying it wasn’t his job to provide a platform for actors’ “random social causes”. Nevertheless, between their salaries and donations from viewers who found HELP on their own, they managed to raise close to $100K.
Returning to Italy, Don found a suitable plot of land near Simaxis, a Commune 10 km east of Oristano in West Central Sardinia. He was able to cut through the bureaucratic obstacle of a foreign national buying land because Bus Stop was a massive hit, thus experiencing his first taste of Celebrity accommodation. They first formed concrete blocks by hand, using the results to construct homes and a henhouse, along with other structures associated with Agriculture. The refugees were released from the confines in Naples, and welcomed to their new homes, which became a vibrant, self sufficient village that is still very much alive...
I’m going to break this into two parts, because I’m only halfway done, but I hope I’ve whet your appetites enough to stay tuned...