Brando,
Branded a legend in Hollywood
Like Tracy, Olivier,
Like John Barrymore, fine actors,
Like Frederic March, Paul Muni,
He spawned James Dean..Paul Newman, too
The pouting, brooding kind..
Steve MacQueen, another
To clone him was their plan,
But Marlon broke the mold..


He had the knack for the acting game
After him, films were not the same
He'd set the bar incredibly high
To reach such level, most could only try
He was raw and real as a jagged file,
And many'd strive to match the style..of Brando

Excelled in "On The Waterfront"
A boxing role of slur and grunt
Another favorite many'd pick
"The Wild Ones", now a classic flick
A tough biker, Marlon, film goers saw
There'd seldom been a ticket draw..like Brando

In Kazan's " A Streetcar Named Desire"
Marlon lit the role on fire,
Dramatic flair of a Roman King,
Made his yell of "Stell-AAh!" a mimicked thing
In those years, muscular and lean..
Force pulled females to the screen..for Brando

High critics would declare him bless'd
And say he, simply, was the best
He'd zoom sky-far above the "Norm"
Turn Tinsel Town, a fire storm
The great directors all'd compete,
To work with this emoting meat..called Brando

His gut crunch style was next to none,
Sheer brilliance that could shame the sun
"Get Marlon!" producers would insist
Of young male stars, he'd crown the list
No limit to how high he'd soar
On pedestals untouched before..was Brando

Then came some flicks, that didn't hit
And his career cooled down a bit,
Like, "Mutiny On The Bounty" where
He took on sea fictional fare
Few critics offered rants and raves
About this epic, on the waves..with Brando

But found new fame and made big news
In "Godfather"..tho' Oscar, he'd refuse
And the reason for refusal was
A sympathy for an Indian cause
One later film "Apocalypse, Now",
Made skeptics cheer, and fans cry, "Wow!"..for Brando

As he got old, and packed on weight
Few cameo roles came to his plate
He died in July, two thousand-four
The Method man we'd see no more
His swan song scene, TV would bring,
The famous kiss to Larry King..that's Brando..

That was Brando..