For most of us,
the image of the quintessential pirate has to be that of Long John Silver,
or more precisely, of Robert Newton’s colorful portrayal of Long
John Silver— "The first man what
makes a move can count amongst 'is treasure a ball from this pistol."
You and I might be able to read such simple lines, but none of us can
really say them with the flair and flamboyance that Newton breathed into
his character. His tones, his mannerisms, his delivery all etched themselves
into our hearts.
Indeed, usually, Newton would add an extra Arrrrrrr just to further pepper what he had said. And more often than not, his comments were accompanied by the lifting of an eyebrow as if to further capture and accentuate the moment.
And what moments Newton brought us. Some may have called his acting, overacting, but for most of us, such antics brought Long John Silver to life. For us, Robert Newton was how a pirate would speak, and would act, and would walk. His antics entertained us; his good humor mystified us and held us captive.
As youngsters we easily identified with the young Jim Hawkins, but it was Long John Silver’s attentive manner toward the boy that made us feel that we were Jim Hawkins and that Long John Silver was somehow talking to us. In some ways, Long John Silver was not like a pirate at all. Rather, he was more like a father, reassuring us and filling us with confidence and a sense of self-importance.
Who can ever forget his deliberate mispronunciation of Jim Hawkins’
name?
" 'Awr-kins. 'Tis a proper seafarin'
name, too."
Somehow the way Long John Silver spoke it seemed most fitting—
"Ar, Jim, you're the spit 'n' image o' me when I was your age. 'Ead
full o' pirates. But ye'll find, same as I, that the biggest satisfaction
a man gets is doin' 'is duty."
Yet,
as kindly Long John Silver may have spoken to Jim Hawkins, we never lost
sight that Long John Silver was indeed a pirate, and therefore, quite
unsavory, untrustworthy, unscrupulous. It may have shocked us to see Long
John Silver holding a knife and holding Jim Hawkins as ransom, but somehow
we expected Long John Silver to do the unexpected. We knew he was a dangerous
pirate, but even in this threatening scene, Robert Newton was able to
make us believe that he would have never hurt the young boy. Long John
Silver may have been cunning, but he was never insincere or bereft of
honor.
Robert Newton, of course, became one of the most famous actors of his
time. At least, between 1947 and 1951 his popularity made him one of the
top ten moneymakers of any British actor. People loved him, and people
loved his flamboyant characterizations. In 1952, Robert Newton even played
the leading role in the movie, Blackbeard the Pirate.
However, Newton was not limited to sea-faring parts or even villians.
His acting was much more rounded that the delightful, “Arrr,
Mateys.”
He did play Bill Sykes in Oliver Twist (1948),
but in an early Alfred Hitchcock movie, Jamaica Inn
(1939), Newton played the part of a romantic 
hero,
who investigates the on-goings of some 19th century smugglers on a Cornwall
coast. Along with Newton, the movie includes roles both by Charles Laughton
and a young Maureen O'Hara. Apparently, Hitchcock had a penchant for discovering
raw talent.
The last movie, though, in which Newton performed was perhaps as flamboyant as Newton himself.. Indeed, Michael Todd’s, Around the World in 80 Days (1954) had an abundance of cameo roles, but Newton’s part as Inspector Fix was almost as central to the story as David Niven’s leading character, Phileas Fogg. In this move, there were no Arrrrrs, but the delightful facial expressions of Robert Newton remained as entertaining as his Long John Silver portrayals. Any success, though, was short-lived. Less than one month after completing the movie, tragedy struck with Mr. Newton dying of a heart attack in the arms of his wife.
On Wednesday 1 June 2005, Robert Newton’s birthplace was marked by a Blue Plaque in Shaftesbury, Dorset, England, exactly 100 years after his birth.
May ye rest in peace, Long John Silver, Armen.
"Shiver my timbers, a landlubber I'll
never be."
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