My curiosity with Marlon Brando began some years ago. You see I grew up in Libertyville, Illinois about an hour north of Chicago. It is the same town that Brando called home during his formative years. When I was a kid, my brother had to give a presentation on Marlon Brando. I remember watching Brando roll down that California highway on his motorcycle in The Wild One. His rebellious nature and unique acting style sparked my fascination at that moment. I had always heard rumors of this mysterious character that had roamed the streets of Libertyville, but it was only then that I was able to put a face to the name (and what a face it was!!)
A couple of years later, I was in U.S. History class at Libertyville High School. I was assigned a presentation in which I had to choose someone from American history to make a collage about. I chose Marlon Brando. As I printed out photographs, I came to the conclusion that he was the best looking man I had ever seen. I went to the library and rented A Streetcar Named Desire so I could have a movie clip to show during my speech. I watched the film and came to another conclusion: he was the best actor I had ever seen. I rewinded the infamous “STELLLLLA!” scene about a dozen times utterly impressed by the range of emotion he offered. A few days later, my presentation was over but my research was only beginning.
It’s been over seven years since then and my library of Brando DVDs continues to grow. I have read his autobiography, watched retrospectives, given reports on him, practically memorized Streetcar (and consequentially have fallen in love with Tennessee Williams’ plays), and Googled him about a million times. All of my life I have had a deep interest in history and motion pictures. It was only fitting that I was raised in the same place the best actor in history hailed from. I’ve come to believe that Marlon and I are kindred spirits. I appreciate all of his eccentricities and know that we would have been great friends. I created this website to compile all of the research I have done on his life in Libertyville. Please enjoy the site and thanks for stopping by!
Laura Hickey
