Movies - TV
Dean Martin Got (Bad) Cowboy Costume Advice From Marlon Brando For Rio Bravo
By WITNEY SEIBOLD
Dean Martin felt out of his element on 1959’s “Rio Bravo,” his first Western, and didn't know how to dress for the role. According to an essay written for Turner Classic Movies, Martin asked Marlon Brando for advice on how to look the part and Brando led Martin down the wrong path — the costume Martin put together was the exact opposite of what director Howard Hawks wanted.
Hawks recalled the day Martin came to set, and instead of looking like the gritty alcoholic Dude, Martin resembled Gene Autrey or Roy Rogers. Hawks said, “[Martin was] dressed like a musical comedy cowboy. I said, ‘Dean, look, [...] I want a drunk. I want a guy in an old dirty sweatshirt and an old hat.’ He went over, and he came back with the outfit he wore in the picture.”
Luckily, Martin nailed it on his second try, and in the film, appeared in a rumpled hat, dusky coat, and a patina of sweat to transform into a suffering alcoholic. Martin continued to act regularly until his retirement in the mid-1980s. His final film was “Cannonball Run II,” and his final TV appearance was the short-lived 1985 detective series “Half Nelson” with Joe Pesci.