nick manho

you know who i always think about on christmas day? rod steiger. i bet you can't guess why. you probably think it's a "redemption" think, right? rod was always playing those flawed guys who were having their morality tested:



the racist cop whose basic humanity pulls him through, that's christian, right? or what about this guy:



charley malloy, the creep who sells his own brother to the mob. isn't that a "judas" thing? it has to be based on some bible story or other, right? or, remember this role:



sol nazerman, the holocaust survivor who has to live out his days in a new york pawnbroker shop constantly being reminded of his horror. now that's a christmas day story, right?

well, no, it isn't any of those films. and it isn't rod's portrayal of pontius pilate in zeffirelli's, jesus of nazareth. and it isn't any of those symbolic characters rod played: al capone, napoleon, mussolini, the illustrated man (with all humanity tattooed on his body), w c fields (the cynical comedian who died on christmas day). it isn't any of those guys.

the reason i think of rod every christmas day is that when i lived in london, 20 or so years ago, every christmas morning i'd wake up and while i was making breakfast i'd put a record on to get into the christmas spirit. and it was always the same record i wanted to hear: oklahoma.

there's something about that music that makes you feel christmassy. something about the corn being as high as an elephant's eye that makes you feel illogically happy. and rod was in the film:



he plays the baddie. a guy with no redeeming features whatsoever, who falls on his knife and dies at the end of the film and everybody is happy.

"chicks and ducks and geese betta scurry..."