tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post306016262545011481..comments2024-03-26T05:01:57.793-07:00Comments on DREAMS ARE WHAT LE CINEMA IS FOR...: DIE! DIE! MY DARLING! 1965Ken Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-92112798482381752722023-08-03T13:01:06.741-07:002023-08-03T13:01:06.741-07:00The primary difference is that Hammer never did an...The primary difference is that Hammer never did anthology horror films while Amicus went almost all-in on them (also, Amicus films tended to be contemporary where Hammer films were period settings). <br /><br />Interestingly, Price didn't do an anthology for Amicus but rather the AIP co-production Madhouse. And then, just to muddy the waters further, he DID do the 1981 anthology film The Monster Club, which was directed by Roy Ward Baker and produced by Milton Subotsky, who were both Amicus alumni-- but Amicus itself had gone under in 1977.<br /><br />And yeah, even though I do know something of the differences between the two studios I do have to double-check from time to time!Nequamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10829037166873574240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-49999415343665198702023-08-03T05:46:58.163-07:002023-08-03T05:46:58.163-07:00Funny indeed! Despite having read two rather wonde...Funny indeed! Despite having read two rather wonderful books devoted exclusively to the films of Amicus Studios and the history of Hammer Films, I'm hopeless when it comes to telling them apart. Accuracy always matters in film journalism, so it's good to get the odd clarification when necessary (for I hadn't known that about Price) I didn't know that about Price!).<br />But, with apologies to the Hammer/Amicus fans out there, I'm afraid the two UK studios will always represent something akin to what I find in the novels of Harold Robbins and Sidney Sheldon: A difference without a distinction. Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-16364858215986949742023-07-31T09:30:03.897-07:002023-07-31T09:30:03.897-07:00It's funny you mention Vincent Price in connec...It's funny you mention Vincent Price in connection with Hammer Studios. He never did a film for them, though he did a few for sister studio Amicus, which shared enough elements with Hammer (Lee, Cushing, even at least one director) that it's easy to get confused.Nequamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10829037166873574240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-54600947919107511662020-09-10T13:45:32.090-07:002020-09-10T13:45:32.090-07:00It's been a while since I last saw it, but Ban...It's been a while since I last saw it, but Bankhead in LIFEBOAT is pretty terrific. It's the ideal contrast role for those who may only be familiar with her from her campy performances in this film or as Black Widow on the Batman TV series.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-54861027417498162342020-09-09T17:59:18.624-07:002020-09-09T17:59:18.624-07:00Never seen this film, but I am a huge fan of Tallu...Never seen this film, but I am a huge fan of Tallulah Bankhead in Lifeboat. This is a genuinely great performance, bigger than life, but also perfectly tuned into the ensemble. She never upstages anybody. She modulates her character and her vocal delivery depending on who she's acting with (John Hodiak, Walter Slezak, Henry Hull, Mary Anderson, Canada Lee.) so that you begins to see all the sides of a very complicated woman. Then as the elements and the isolation take their toll (all shot in a studio tank!) the character is more or less stripped bare. I can well imagine she might have been a great Blanche Dubois. KIPnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-87995801172259308582020-08-15T23:41:34.148-07:002020-08-15T23:41:34.148-07:00Hi Jeff - No need to apologize. You didn't nee...Hi Jeff - No need to apologize. You didn't need to respond, but I'm glad of the opportunity to say hello again.<br />Yes, all is fine with me and thanks for asking. Just doing more journal writing these days...SUCH unusual times we're living in!<br />Anyhow, my family left Baltimore when I was too young to remember. I still have distant family there, but the last time I visited was when I was 10 years old taking my first plane trip in 1968. I don't remember what neighborhood I was born in (Argyle Avenue sticks in my mind) but I don't think it was very nice...hence the fast getaway by my parents, and I am indeed a big fan of John Waters. <br />Now that I think of it, I'm sorry I commented on those dancers in "Applause"! Of course its better to hold your youthful memory of the show in your head. <br />Hope you're well and I'm off now to check on another post where I see you have commented. Take care, Jeff!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-47122726348939520012020-08-15T15:16:04.006-07:002020-08-15T15:16:04.006-07:00Greetings, Ken = thank you for your nice reply! So...Greetings, Ken = thank you for your nice reply! Sorry for my delay in responding but I neglected to tick the notify me button...<br /><br />Any way, I think you are right - if you had remained in Baltimore, no doubt our paths would have crossed and we would have become best of friends! When did you leave Charm City? In what neighborhood dod you grow up? Are you a John Waters fan?<br /><br />Anyway, I am not surprised to hear those applause gypsies were in some sort of body stockings or tights, but in my mind they will always be naked under those aprons...mmmm...lol! I am so bad.<br /><br />Otherwise, I am sorry to see that you haven't posted in a while and I hope all is well with you. I still have a few older posts to discover and there are a few other previous posts on which I might like to comment, so I will be revisiting those.<br /><br />Thank you again - take good care! <br /><br />Jeff, from Baltimorejobj69https://www.blogger.com/profile/14657669609224295536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-52274663619623423702020-07-03T19:00:37.505-07:002020-07-03T19:00:37.505-07:00Hi Jeff
I thank you for saying hello in such a nic...Hi Jeff<br />I thank you for saying hello in such a nice (and entertaining) way! In so many areas we clearly think alike. I too, took DDMD a lot more seriously when I saw it as a kid. Even now, I look at it trying to grasp which parts were so harrowing to me then. It plays like a totally different movie to me now (comic and tongue in cheek).<br /><br />And how fabulous to have seen Powers twice inf LOOPED! And I’m so glad you brought up having seen her in APPLAUSE because, 1) the only person I know who’s ever seen her in it, and 2) since my partner and I have been together (since 1996) that production has been a running gag between us. Like you, my 1st exposure to the show was the televised production which I recorded on my audio tape recorder and listened to so much that I knew the words by heart. I’d always wanted to see a production of the show but it was never mounted. Then in 1996 here in LA they announced that Stefanie Powers was coming to town with a pre-Broadway tryout of the show. I was beside myself with excitement over it. Well, they must have hit a hurdle between Baltimore (my home town, by the way) and LA…the show was canceled and since that time, whenever Stefanie Powers’ name is mentioned or whenever she appears, I find myself going on a small jeremiad about how DARE she cancel the only production of APPLAUSE I’m likely ever to see?! And if memory serves, someone like Ann Reinking of Tommy Tune was directing, only making it worse.<br /><br />So you see, with your being from Baltimore, sharing a similar history with Applause and DDMD and having actually seen the Powers production practically makes you a distant relative.<br /><br />By the way, you probably know this, but the Bacall TV APPLAUSE is available on YouTube. My childhood memory of it is better, but that gay bar number still works marvelously. Also, all these years I harbored the notion that I got to see the male dancer’s bare backsides during the APPLAUSE number. Now that I can see it in color instead of that smallish B&W screen we had, I can see the guys are all wearing body stockings. In retrospect, what was I thinking…this was 1973! I don’t think TV had it’s first bare backside until St. Elsewhere in the 80s (I’ll bet Poseidon would know!).<br /><br />Given my feelings for APPLAUSE, you sharing your experience seeing it is much more on-topic than you think. I love that score but you’re right. Its very dated. Perhaps, like PROMISES, PROMISES or BELLS ARE RINGING, someone will think to revive it as a period piece, with no need to update it. <br /><br />I’m very happy you found this blog, and I do hope you visit again. And it never matters if a post is older, if you want to comment, please do. I always hear so much about how readers like reading the comments posted. <br />Reading yours was a real pleasure. Look forward to hearing from you again Jeff. Thank you! (And I should be the one apologizing about rambling on!)Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-25515834412886861712020-07-03T10:49:50.515-07:002020-07-03T10:49:50.515-07:00Hi Ken! I realize that I am years late to this pos...Hi Ken! I realize that I am years late to this post but I wanted to write to let you know how much I have enjoyed your site, having been introduced to it by another favorite, Poseidon's Underworld.<br /><br />I remember first seeing DDMD! on what I believe was a Saturday afternoon Sir Graves Ghastly television broadcast. Being an impressionable eight-year-old I recall being so afraid of Mrs. Trefoile and her crew and wringing my hands over the peril Patricia was in! What a different watch it became over the years! Definitely a camp fave.<br /><br />I was fortunate to see Stefanie Powers portray Ms. Bankhead (twice!) in Looped when the touring company came to Baltimore. She had just stepped into the role after Valerie Harper took ill and I think the Baltimore leg was her debut in the role. Though I had been looking forward to seeing Valerie Harper in the part she originated, I have to say that Stefanie did a very nice job. Seeing her the second time, probably eight performances later, I definitely felt that she had relaxed in the part and was truly finding her niche. Very enjoyable and I loved that she had the connection she did with the inspiration of the play. In local interviews, she did speak very fondly of Tallulah and attested to the fact that she always addressed her as Patricia.<br /><br />A bit unrelated, but I also got to see Ms. Powers in a production of Applause, portraying, of course, Margo Channing - or should I say, portraying Lauren Bacall portraying Margo Channing. I think the tour was expected to eventually move to B'way. It never did and though I don't know the reasons, I would suspect that one big reason was that the show just came across as extremely dated, even though there were some rewrites to make it more contemporary. Another was that Powers did not just have the power to bring the Margo character to life, especially in a large theatre. I was a bit crushed as I have loved the show from when I first saw it on a special CBS television event of the full show with the most of the original cast. To a budding 15-year-old gay boy, I loved Bacall as Margo as a re-envisioned musical theatre star, there was a happy scene in a gay bar (on 1973 television!?!), and even a glimpse of some cute male "gypsies'" bare tushes in one of the numbers. What a lucky boy I was! I immediately went to my local Woolworth's record department the next day and bought the original cast recording. I still adore the very 70s sounding pop score and, though it may be dated, a show's score is forever. In any case, I did feel a pang of sadness upon realizing it may never hit the boards again - unless you have a real star driving it. Unfortunately, it wasn't "Patricia."<br /><br />Sorry for rambling on! Thanks again from one of your new admirers...<br /><br />Jeff jobj69https://www.blogger.com/profile/14657669609224295536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-66221155432485524332020-02-03T23:21:19.848-08:002020-02-03T23:21:19.848-08:00I saw the Broadway production of Looped with Valer...I saw the Broadway production of Looped with Valerie Harper as Tallulah;a remarkable tour de force by Harper in a wonderful and hysterically funny 90 minute play. AS the film's title sequence indicates DDMD! is a cat and mouse tale and unfortunately Stephani Power's mouse is too weak an adversary and the one-sideness of it makes for a tired and tepid film that feels quite over-extended. I'm glad you mentioned the superior You'll Like My Mother (1972) which was more persuasive and less exasperating, and while Bankhead's last film is worth watching her constant croaking about purity, Stephen...do grow tiresome.Joseph Kearnyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03360334357262197758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-77823856899043691462018-03-07T12:56:03.765-08:002018-03-07T12:56:03.765-08:00Hi Christopher
Given how the portrait which figure...Hi Christopher<br />Given how the portrait which figures so prominently in the plot of DIE DIE MY DARLING looks so much like you, I truly wish I had some information about it to impart. I've never been able to find out who the actor/model is or what ever became of the portrait itself. I'd like to think some private collector of movie memorabilia has it, rather than imagine it has since been destroyed like so many props. <br />But since you've included you email, perhaps SOMEONE out there who knows more about the story and fate of that painting will contact you. ...and then you must come back here tell us about it.<br />In the meantime, I thank you for the very kind words, and I'm extremely happy you enjoy the blog!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-4848179816401251172018-03-07T08:32:40.722-08:002018-03-07T08:32:40.722-08:00Ken, I just read this marvelous blog about Die Die...Ken, I just read this marvelous blog about Die Die! A pal sent me the image of the son's portrait. Where is that painting now? Do you know who posed for it? I ask because, in truth it looks just like me!!! For a moment I thought someone had sent me a portrait of me!! Thanks for this great story.. and all the others you write, too! -Christopher Radko iRiverman@mac.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-87470966991952895882015-08-14T02:09:57.100-07:002015-08-14T02:09:57.100-07:00Hi Chris
Now that you mention it, i think I rememb...Hi Chris<br />Now that you mention it, i think I remember getting a glance at it on TCM some time way back, but, being unfamiliar with it (and not much of a Joan Fontaine fan to begin with) passed it over. <br />I'll keep my eyes peeled for the possible YouTube pop-up.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-15037556413419711642015-08-14T02:06:56.217-07:002015-08-14T02:06:56.217-07:00Hi Neely!
Can't tell you how much I love that ...Hi Neely!<br />Can't tell you how much I love that Judy Garland anecdote! I know it's not funny, but the visual and context is something out of one of those isolated memory skits in Woody Allen's "Radio Days"!<br /><br />Can't believe your husband was lucky enough to see Bankhead live. And in the role everyone including Tennessee Williams said she was born to play. I read about that production in both the recent Williams bio and in "Tallulah' and it does seems as if the audience's inability to take her seriously by this point turned everything she did into camp. Like present-day Faye Dunaway.<br /><br />Bankhead certainly seems like the kind of bohemian personality I always imagine the perfect "Mame" would be. You're lucky to be privy to TB stories from your husband no one else likely knows.<br />Thank you very much for contributing the bits of trivia about Bankhead in your comment, I know so many readers learn so much from reading this section.<br />And I thank you too for the very kind words, which are always appreciated. Glad you enjoyed it!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-24582696669771412232015-08-13T12:21:56.194-07:002015-08-13T12:21:56.194-07:00Devil's Own (aka The Witches 1966) is also one...Devil's Own (aka The Witches 1966) is also one of my very favorite horror flicks...Joan Fontaine produced it herself...it was her final theatrical film. NOT available on any American DVD to my knowledge, only European DVD versions...but is occasionally on TCM and I believe still available on the Youbiquitous Tube! I agree with Rod Labbe though, you can hardly call the still-very-handsome Miss Fontaine a "hag"--though some of the supporting plays fit that bill...!!angelman66https://www.blogger.com/profile/16471674180789592940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-89100331955283659452015-08-13T05:56:47.147-07:002015-08-13T05:56:47.147-07:00BTW, though it probably was a "perilous weeke...BTW, though it probably was a "perilous weekend" for Garland, that should have read "previous weekend" -- curse you autocorrect!Neely OHarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12967247631845210906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-56897799599945037422015-08-12T17:40:41.543-07:002015-08-12T17:40:41.543-07:00Hey Ken, another wonderful essay -- as another com...Hey Ken, another wonderful essay -- as another commenter has noted, you've elevated the hag horror genre by treating it seriously.<br /><br />Interestingly, "The Celebrity Next Door" was written for Bette Davis who broke her back, but aside from adding a few "Dahlings" and a reference to The Alabama Foghorn," I doubt revamping it for Bankhead took much work.<br /><br />And I can't remember which bio of Bankhead it was, but one that I read referenced a screening of DDMD in Bankhead's home, during which she stood and announced to the assemblage of friends she'd invited, "I would like to apologize for appearing on screen looking older than God's wet nurse!"<br /><br />And a quick aside on Bankhead's having "invented camp" -- my husband saw Bankhead as Blanche in a revival of "A Streetcar Named Desire" (in addition to having stage managed a summer stock production of a review starring TB titled "Welcome Darlings!" -- does he have TB anecdotes). He said she was absolutely brilliant in the role (for which she does seem ideal), but that the Bankhead claque greeted everything she did as hilarious high camp, effectively putting the kibosh on her performance.<br /><br />And for what it's worth, when a dear friend of mine was told along with the rest of his class of ten year olds that "Dorothy " had died the perilous weekend, he stopped breathing and had to be rushed to the hospital. Now if that's not the hand of God telling you you're gay, I don't know what is.<br /><br />Thanks for another great rumination-- always a delight to drop by!Neely OHarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12967247631845210906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-59656760794183715412015-08-07T23:59:34.568-07:002015-08-07T23:59:34.568-07:00Hi Rod
Wow! I love it that your memory of seeing t...Hi Rod<br />Wow! I love it that your memory of seeing this film has remained so vivid after all these years! It's always great to see films like these at an age where our "camp" radar is not yet fully developed.<br />I think that accounts for your refreshingly sensitive take on Mrs. Trefoile. I've always wanted to read the book and see how the author's character stacks up against Tallulah's interpretation. From the little I've been able to read online, Stephanie Powers isn't engaged to anyone at all, and only just met her eventual rescuer en route to Mrs. Trefoile's house.<br />I'm unfamiliar with "The Devil's Own" but it sounds like it's worth trying to find.<br />Thanks a heap for sharing such a fondly remembered first encounter with "Die Die My Darling"!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-73880063165074010112015-08-07T20:16:53.805-07:002015-08-07T20:16:53.805-07:00Love your essay about one of my favorite Hammer fi...Love your essay about one of my favorite Hammer films! I'd first read about Die, Die, My Darling in Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, way back in 1965--but for some reason, the movie never made it up my way (Maine). That's odd, since we usually got all of the new Hammers! So, I had to wait until the film was shown on TV--I remember the moment like it was yesterday! January of 1967 on CBS, and I was not disappointed. My only knowledge of Tallulah Bankhead was from The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (I'd yet to see Lifeboat; at the time, I was only 14 and not exactly a classic film fan). I knew Stefanie Powers from The Girl from Uncle, and I think the Batman Black Widow episodes (featuring Tallulah) ran sometime before or directly after DDMD's TV debut. Anyway, the film mesmerized me, especially Talloo's performance. I'd go so far as to say it's her BEST film performance, touching all the bases. For me, though, it's Mrs. Trefoile's vulnerability that gets me, something I never noticed as a younger person. Her only child has abandoned her to go to a foreign country, where, apparently, he committed suicide. She has nothing, really, just her memories of a happier time. That she slowly slunk into insanity shouldn't come as any great surprise, given such a sad situation. Stefanie provides good support, but it's Tallulah's show all the way, and she really pulls out all the stops. The horror hag cycle was quite an interesting phenomenon, when you think about it. Either the older actresses are crazy and homicidal, or they're victims. My favorite of them all is Joan Fontaine's "The Devil's Own," released as "The Witches" in the UK. It also happens to be a Hammer film, and Joan plays it straight. That she was still a remarkably attractive woman makes this one stand out. Hope you discuss it someday! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14373213925848992124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-56350707137206087432015-07-14T09:48:06.326-07:002015-07-14T09:48:06.326-07:00Hi Wille
Thanks for the compliment! Yes, I think t...Hi Wille<br />Thanks for the compliment! Yes, I think this film is one you might enjoy , also. Bankhead made far too few films to let this one slide. Thanks to a recommendation from someone here, I recently saw her in 1945's "A Royal Scandal"- Bankhead on her game is quite a sight to behold. She's rather amazing and has such marvelous comic timing and delivery. There's no telling what her career could have been had she been able to keep her Lindsay Lohan side a bit more in check.<br />I've never seen "Crescendo," but saw the trailer while researching this film...looks JUST like another Hammer cheapie, and Powers without someone strong to play off of, always makes me think that TV was a good move for her.<br /><br />Director Narizzano had a very long relationship with writer Win Wells, whose death in the early 80s is said to have precipitated Narizzano's retreat from the film business.<br />I've never seen the film "Blue" but I have heard it is pretty awful. Curiously, Narizzano spoke of it as his favorite film!<br />I had no idea Bette Davis admired Bankhead. They would have been fascinating (or bizarre) onscreen together.<br />Should you ever get around to checking out "Die! Die! my Darling!" i hope you enjoy it as much as I do.<br />Thanks, Wille!<br />Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-19919503955575259692015-07-14T06:35:08.476-07:002015-07-14T06:35:08.476-07:00I am a late arrival to your excellent review, Ken....I am a late arrival to your excellent review, Ken. You bring depth to the hagsplotation genre! I've never seen this film and have hardly ever heard of it, all though it seems like the kind of film that I would like. Strange how Tallulah didn't make more films in the 60's. Was she that unreliable? She managed to complete this one. <br /><br />I like Stephanie Powers. I saw her in another 60's horror film called "Crescendo" and I Think that it may be similar to "Die!" (but not as good). <br /><br />I didn't know Narizzano was gay. Have you seen "Blue"? I haven't but it seems to have finished off his, Terence Stamps and Joanna Pettets careers. <br /><br />I saw Roddy McDowall in "Evil Under the Sun" the other day and he was a delight. Now I want to see the actress who inspired so many imitators. I read Bette Davis biography and she seemed to be in awe of Tallulah Bankhead. I don't think many people could have impressed Bette!<br /><br />I must get a hold of "Die! Die! My Darling!" soon! soon!<br />-WilleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-12361069238654786012015-07-06T17:05:13.875-07:002015-07-06T17:05:13.875-07:00I know the director wanted a more serious film, an...I know the director wanted a more serious film, and indeed with almost any other actress he probably could have achieved that goal (as you note, Bette Davis would have been interesting and very different).<br />But with Bankhead, what you lose in perhaps never being taken seriously, you gain in watchability. Her delivery is a delight!<br /><br />As for the remake of "Baby Jane"...it HAS to be better than the TV movie with the Redgrave sisters. But all I can imagine are British actresses like Judi Dench and Maggie Smith in the roles. Who would be good today? All of our older actresses look appropriately cadaverous what with all the face lifting and serial-dieting, but which ones are brave enough to go there?<br />Thanks for commenting!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-77130848973623170762015-07-04T11:25:07.548-07:002015-07-04T11:25:07.548-07:00I first saw "Die! Die! My Darling!' back ...I first saw "Die! Die! My Darling!' back in 1966 when I was 10 and it was shown on television by CBS. I absolutely loved the movie. The force of Tallulah Bankhead's personality and her great acting ability made this movie something that was impossible not to watch. It was rumored that Bette Davis had turned down the role of Mrs. Trefoile. It would have been a completely different movie with Bette Davis. Bette's performance may have been slightly more subtle. Tallulah had a tendency to come on with the force of a sledge hammer.<br /><br />All of the performances in "Die! Die! My Darling!" are good, but it was Bankhead's film all the way. She had a way of delivering a line like nobody else.<br /><br />"Go upstairs and remove that FILTH at once!"<br /><br />"I shall SLASH your face, child!"<br /><br />"Stephen, she's here in this house, my darling!"<br /><br />Walter Hill will be remaking "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" They just don't make 'em like Davis and Crawford anymore so finding actresses that can deliver powerhouse performances like Davis and Crawford is not going to be easy.<br /><br />Come to think of it, if they ever did a remake of "Die! Die! My Darling!" who would replace Tallulah Bankhead? Tallulah was irreplaceable.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-68926502233721422652015-07-01T07:40:48.526-07:002015-07-01T07:40:48.526-07:00Now that you mention it, Heatherton and Bankhead D...Now that you mention it, Heatherton and Bankhead DOES sound pretty amazing!<br />Wonderful memories you have of the passing of these celebrities, especially the Garland story.<br />My are really vague. And I really was taken by surprise of your recounting the loss of all those Old Hollywood stars in 1973. I'm mostly surprised that, as a film fan, I have so little recollection of it.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-55462775016729177062015-06-29T17:51:37.083-07:002015-06-29T17:51:37.083-07:00Die! Die! My Darling! starring Tallulah Bankhead a...Die! Die! My Darling! starring Tallulah Bankhead and....Joey Heatherton!! Now that would be something so bizarre and mindblowing I don't know if I'd ever recover.<br /><br />If it hadn't been for those particular circumstances I'm positive I wouldn't have a memory of Bankhead's passing since I had no idea who she was at the time. <br /><br />It's funny how a specific piece of news will leave a memory of a time and place. For instance since you mentioned that you remember it I still have a vivid memory of hearing the news of Judy Garland's passing. I was in the back seat of the family car stuck in a traffic jam on the highway, we were taking my mother's cousin to the airport, they played a snippet of Over the Rainbow on the radio and then announced she had been found dead in London. This of course lead to much discussion between my folks and cousin and once they explained to us that Judy Garland was Dorothy my sister and I were crushed. <br /><br />Perhaps it's the conversation that makes the impression. Even though I again had no idea who she was at the time I recall when Veronica Lake died because my mother remarked that she and her sisters had referred to her as Veronica Snake during her heyday. Of course she died in the great celebrepocalypse of June/July 1973 that claimed over a dozen prominent stars, including Betty Grable, Robert Ryan, Joe E. Brown, Lon Chaney, Jr. and Bruce Lee among others, in under a month so that played a factor there. It was a huge thing with newspaper articles and TV spots devoted to the fact that they were dropping like flies!joel65913https://www.blogger.com/profile/14526657073681774683noreply@blogger.com