Holland woman to share her story about Marlon Brando, Littlefeather at Holland Museum

HOLLAND — Holland resident Annie Olson, who recently told The Sentinel about her unique connection to Marlon Brando and, tangentially, Sacheen Littlefeather, will be featured in a free event at Holland Museum.

Holland Museum and the Alliance for Cultural and Ethnic Harmony are collaborating on the program, during which Olson will share her story of being invited to attend “An Evening with Sacheen Littlefeather” at The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles in September.

More:Littlefeather apology strikes chord with Holland woman who attended 'Godfather' premiere

More:Sacheen Littlefeather dies at 75, less than three weeks after public apology from Academy Awards

In the early 1970s, Olson was married to Jim Thomas, a full-blood Tlingit Indian from Alaska. The couple became heavily involved in Native American affairs and activism, eventually connecting with the Yakama Nation.

It was through this connection that Thomas and Olson were introduced to Marlon Brando and learned about his own passion for social justice. Brando asked the couple and two others to attend the premiere of "The Godfather" in his place, with the intent of garnering attention for the Native American movement.

On March 15, 1972, Thomas and Olson attended the premiere, Olson said, for the same reason Sacheen Littlefeather would attend and ultimately refuse the Oscar for Brando's performance in "The Godfather" a year later.

Olson has felt the weight on her shoulders through the decades, and was invited to attend the formal apology to Littlefeather, who was heckled and dismissed in Hollywood for years after her refusal of the Oscar on Brando's behalf.

Subscribe:Get all your breaking news and unlimited access to our local coverage

Littlefeather died only weeks after the event in mid-September, where she was the guest of honor. Recent allegations from her biological sisters, Rosalind Cruz and Trudy Orlandi, have added another wrinkle to the story — in a recent opinion piece published by the San Francisco Chronicle, they claimed Littlefeather wasn't Native American at all.

“It is a fraud,” Cruz said. “It’s disgusting to the heritage of the tribal people."

Some have dismissed the claims as irresponsible journalism. Olson is one of them.

Olson will speak from 7-8:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, at Holland Museum.

— Austin Metz is a former Holland Sentinel reporter.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Annie Olson to share her story about Marlon Brando, Littlefeather at Holland Museum