Gold Coast Film Fest Honors Actor Bruce Dern

Actor Bruce Dern may have received the  Legend Award on Wednesday, yet he hardly considers himself a legend.

Still, as he told the audience at in Port Washington, he’s worked with legends.

Among those legends: Alfred Hitchcock, Elia Kazan, John Wayne and Bette Davis. And there’s another connection of special relevance to the North Shore – a personal tie to the likeness of the fictitious Daisy Buchanan from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.”

Dern starred as Tom Buchanan in the film adaptation of the novel in 1974. He was in his hometown of Chicago promoting the film when his childhood chauffeur tracked him down.

An aside: Dern, who was humble, gracious and off-color on stage, revealed some of his Gatsby-esque roots. His godfather was Adlai Stevenson; his grandfather, a governor of Utah; and his family business, Carson Pirie Scott, an upscale department store chain. Dern’s childhood chauffeur was now driving for Mrs. Pirie, “a dowager of society,” who at age 93, wanted to see Dern while he was in Chicago.

Dern visited Pirie at her townhouse on Lake Shore Drive. As Dern tells it, Pirie said, “I just thought you should know how proud your parents would be.” His parents, no longer alive, had discouraged Dern from acting. Yet there Dern was, on his home turf promoting a major motion film, in which he costarred with Robert Redford. Moved, Dern asked Pirie, “Why don’t you come [to the premiere] as my date?”

Pirie said something along the lines of “No, he wouldn’t want that.” Dern was confused by Pirie's response. And then she explained.

At about age 17, she was smitten with a young man, and introduced him to her parents. Her father spoke with him privately, and asked what the young man did for a living. Turned out that the suitor was a secretary for H.L. Menken, the writer. Not seeing much of a future for this young man, Pirie’s father told him that after this visit, he should have no further contact with his daughter.

She never saw him again.

But some years later the young man sent her a letter of apology. Before reading it to Dern, she said, “I’m Ginevra King. I’m the prototype for Daisy Buchanan. My boyfriend was F. Scott Fitzgerald.” Fitzgerald was apologizing for making her look like somewhat of "a heel" in the novel.

As she read the letter, Dern noticed the postmark on the envelope, which read, Great Neck, New York.

Dern shared other tales, including his friendship with Jack Nicholson, his Actor Studio training under Lee Strasberg, comforting Marilyn Monroe who went unrecognized by Greta Garbo (Dern was fairly positive Garbo snubbed her), and more.

He shared his passion for acting, the stage and film. In closing, he said, “Support this festival.” Afterward, he lingered in the theater, chatting one-on-one with audience members. 

The festival runs through June 5 in Port Washington, Great Neck, Roslyn, Manhasset, and New Hyde Park.

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