DARK SHADOWS FORUMS
Members' Mausoleum => Calendar Events / Announcements Archive => Calendar Events / Announcements '24 I => Calendar Events / Announcements '07 II => Topic started by: Julia99 on August 07, 2007, 05:19:09 PM
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Grayson passed 8-7-1985
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She was great in Night of the Iguana. I was truly enthralled watching her scenes.
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Wow, long time. It's nice that you posted the anniversary here.
nancy
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Thanks for the reminder, Julia99.
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22 years. Man, it has been a while. Longer than I thought originally. Such a shame too, because I could just see her and JF on stage next week, hamming it up.
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22 years. Man, it has been a while. Longer than I thought originally. Such a shame too, because I could just see her and JF on stage next week, hamming it up.
Oh, if only Grayson had made it to a Fest or two...
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Oh, I miss her so much, and yet, whenever I put on Satan in High Heels, or Night of the Iguana, or one of her stratospherically-megafabulous Magda episodes, it's as if she's never gone. Her flame still burns brightly in my heart.
I love the moment in Night of DS when her character says to Selby's: "We're rare people, you and I..." Rarest of the rare!
Since I have a firm belief in reincarnation I love the thought of a fierce young woman with curly dark red hair, "no boobs, no bottom," raspy Bankhead basso voice and attitude that could slice titanium out terrorizing the world... off in the distance I hear her unforgettable, rollicking laughter.
G.
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In a world that celebrates & obsesses over nonentities like Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton, I find myself missing more & more an independent, professional, and eccentric individual like the glorious Grayson Hall! I'm sure Grayson is in some afterlife that is like a neverending cocktail party where she is throwing back drinks, puffing away & delivering bon mots to a delighted crowd. Grayson, I still miss you!
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Such a maverick. I loved how she made her roles her own. I glad that I have the DVD's to see her work.
If she isn't already back, she will be. But she does stay alive in our hearts.
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It's interesting that she and David Ford died on the same day, two years apart. I respect both of their works on Dark Shadows.
I hope they are resting in peace......
Murph
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I just realized the episode 291 aired on 8/7/1967 . That was the show where Barnabas goes to Julia bedroom. She says I think Good Evening Barnabas Collins. A very good show.
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Such a sad loss. :(
I too wish she had been at a few fests.
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No one can ever play Julia the way she so excellently did. It's great we have the DVDs so we can continue to celebrate her life, even though she is gone.
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In a world that celebrates & obsesses over nonentities like Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton, I find myself missing more & more an independent, professional, and eccentric individual like the glorious Grayson Hall! I'm sure Grayson is in some afterlife that is like a neverending cocktail party where she is throwing back drinks, puffing away & delivering bon mots to a delighted crowd. Grayson, I still miss you!
ditto [hello]
i never could see anyone else playing Julia she owned that part [love2]
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In a world that celebrates & obsesses over nonentities like Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton, I find myself missing more & more an independent, professional, and eccentric individual like the glorious Grayson Hall! I'm sure Grayson is in some afterlife that is like a neverending cocktail party where she is throwing back drinks, puffing away & delivering bon mots to a delighted crowd. Grayson, I still miss you!
Very well said.
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I am grateful that Grayson Hall chose to become an actress. She was memorable in every role she played. Truly she was not meant to become an office secretary or a pharmacist (though Dr. Hoffman's little black bag would indicate otherwise).
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i haven't seen ANY Of her films. other than "Dark Shadows" well both of them obviously. i NEVER thought of her as a good actress. in some scenes she can be good in. buut in some scenes such as her crying & her acting scared.it's jUst HORRIBLE!
just like Nancy Barret. she can act pretty good. buut when it comes to acting scared or frighted! it's just HORRIBLE! that's really the ONLY complaints i have on those 2.
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Oh, I miss her so much, and yet, whenever I put on Satan in High Heels, or Night of the Iguana, or one of her stratospherically-megafabulous Magda episodes, it's as if she's never gone. Her flame still burns brightly in my heart.
And whenever I put on high heels, I feel the flames of Satan. >:D ;) (just kiddin')
So much of what made DS work and keeps us all in its spell was all the wonderful chemistry between Grayson and Jonathan. I hope she would appreciate all the sincere affection you can feel here and at the festivals. If she were still with us, she would rule the gatherings.
Michael [9050]
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If she were still with us, she would rule the gatherings.
Much to Lara's consternation I'm sure! 8)
Truly she was not meant to become an office secretary or a pharmacist (though Dr. Hoffman's little black bag would indicate otherwise)
Especially what was IN her little bag of tricks! ;D
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ayuh i've read she was an odd one. of the WHOLE cast, she was pretty gothic in real liffe. no wait that what they said on one of the dvd sets interviews! ;D that honestly surprised me a bit. buut NOT much. she was from what they say QUITE a character even in REAL LIFE!
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Well, I never saw that much in the way of chemistry between Jonathan and Grayson (except as close friends, partners in arms as it were), and I certainly agree with B. Collins that Grayson frequently overaccted in a number of scenes on DS. I also got frosted listening to that tape where she says Jonathan was "dumb" and "not a very good actor"!! Hmm, could the green monster had been coming out there, who knows?? But anyway, I know she does have a lot of fans on the boards, so more power to you and I do agree that she would have made an interesting addition to a Fest or Ds gathering, too bad she never made one...
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Grayson_rules_
'Nuff said. ;D
As I said on the JuliaList [raising a chocolate bar]...
"To one gutsy broad..."
:-*
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If she were still with us, she would rule the gatherings.
In my "Grayson Hall at a DS Fest" fantasy, she comes sweeping onto the stage like Rosalind Russell in Auntie Mame, cocktail in one hand, cigarette holder in the other, addresses the audience as "darling," and basks in the adoration of her Legion. This would be followed by hilarious tales of life on DS and beyond, all delivered with great style and wit.
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In addition to regretting that Grayson did not live long enough to attend DS events and that I never got to meet her, I'm sorry she didn't live to see her grandchildren. Though it's hard to picture as (probably) 85 years old this year, even so, I imagine she'd still be considered the "way-cool Grandma"!
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Oh I think GH was invited to some of the DS events. They started back in 1978 as ShadowCons and had guests like John Karlen and then other actors from the show. Fans who were involved in the development of the latter Dark Shadows Festivals in 1983-1984 had a luncheon with her. My impression was that GH wasn't much interested in the idea of attending a convention, at least at that point.
In addition to regretting that Grayson did not live long enough to attend DS events and that I never got to meet her, I'm sorry she didn't live to see her grandchildren. Though it's hard to picture as (probably) 85 years old this year, even so, I imagine she'd still be considered the "way-cool Grandma"!
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I also got frosted listening to that tape where she says Jonathan was "dumb" and "not a very good actor"!!
Egad. I might just have acquired a frosting of some sort myself, after hearing this. I'm up on the lingo of the young, I admit it.
Life is a great big perverse drama. If there weren't a few abrasive, difficult people in the mix, we'd be "living" in Norman-Rockwell-Land, and regretting each and every moment of it. GH had no call to be criticizing JF's acting (misidentifying the source of the problem, I think...), but the drama which is life demands its quota of glorious asses. Some of them wear stylish early 60s suits into the late 60s, and suffer severe headaches under weighty weird-looking wigs.
Grayson was wrong, but in a glorious way.
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I also got frosted listening to that tape where she says Jonathan was "dumb" and "not a very good actor"!!
GH had no call to be criticizing JF's acting ... Grayson was wrong
Well, the perception of whether or not someone is or isn't a good actor can quite often be a subjective thing. And truthfully, Grayson was hardly the first person to say Frid's performances on DS weren't very good - she wasn't even the first (or only) of Frid's fellow DS actors to say it. :-
Now, of course, the majority of us might completely disagree. But those people are entitled to their opinions, just as we are to ours...
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Some years ago I had the privilege of speaking to one of the women who helped run Grayson's last fan club (that I am aware of--I'm thinking of the group that published the zine Shades of Grayson). She thought that Grayson held back from attending the Festivals because she had been in at least one mob-scene level crowd at a Frid appearance in the late Sixties and was afraid of her personal safety in the context of crazy crowd behavior. Grayson had a number of falls and accidents in later life and may have suffered from lowered bone density (we've speculated about this but I don't believe it has ever been confirmed). At the premiere of Happy End, she went on with her arm in a sling--pretty amazing! She was a firm believer in "the show must go on."
In an interview with a fan done while she was appearing in the play The Suicide (opposite Derek Jacobi) in '80, he asks her if she'd like to come to a DS Festival and she playfully responds: "Why not? We'll go together."
There was a special dinner organized by a few fans that around fifteen people attended in 1982. It was known as the Grayson Gathering. Thankfully the event was tape recorded so posterity does not have to imagine Grayson telling all the witty stories and bantering away with her fans. On that occasion, she spoke very lovingly of Jonathan Frid and called him "a dear man." I think in '73 when the other tape to which reference has been made here, Grayson and Sam were still smarting from Frid's refusal at nearly the last minute to do the second DS feature film, necessitating a complete re-tooling of the concept for the film. In the event, I think that NoDS was a more interesting concept--as a film--than a second Barnabas story would have been. Heresy? Perhaps. But it's my opinion. It helps of course that I think of Carlotta as one of Grayson's most fabulous roles.
cheers, G.
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Well, the perception of whether or not someone is or isn't a good actor can quite often be a subjective thing. And truthfully, Grayson was hardly the first person to say Frid's performances on DS weren't very good - she wasn't even the first (or only) of Frid's fellow DS actors to say it.
Indeed, Frid himself has even criticized his acting ability, stating he was always, "a slow study" and that he thought he was 'perfectly dreadful' on the show etc...Hey, who am I to argue? >:D
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I took the "dumb actor" remark to mean that Frid screwed up and didn't capitalize on his fame the way he could have. The Halls separately made comments to the effect that Frid was probably sorry he didn't take the second DS movie. I don't believe that decision was the last minute though, Gothick; the reason for the Halls' displeasure seemed to be tied to the fact that Frid was a cash cow and the biggest draw. Removing himself from the project hurt in the pocketbook and in terms of visibility. In the Halls' place, I would be sorely disappointed.
Another point is that there are people who say an actor is a "bad actor" because he/she can't walk and chew gum at the same time in front of the camera. Working in front of the camera doesn't just require good acting skills but technical skills as well. Frid didn't have those technical skills. Does that make him a bad actor? For people who believe a good actor is also a technical actor, yes.
I suppose the litmus test is to try and decide why so many people remember the character of Barnabas Collins 40 years later . . . because of his long teeth? Pointy bangs?
nancy
Some years ago I had the privilege of speaking to one of the women who helped run Grayson's last fan club (that I am aware of--...) On that occasion, she spoke very lovingly of Jonathan Frid and called him "a dear man." I think in '73 when the other tape to which reference has been made here, Grayson and Sam were still smarting from Frid's refusal at nearly the last minute to do the second DS feature film, necessitating a complete re-tooling of the concept for the film. In the event, I think that NoDS was a more interesting concept--as a film--than a second Barnabas story would have been. Heresy? Perhaps. But it's my opinion. It helps of course that I think of Carlotta as one of Grayson's most fabulous roles.
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In Oct 1967, age 11, I watched Dark Shadows for the first time.
The episode was Julia running from room to room at Collinwood screaming "was it you Dave? Was it? Was it?"
At that tender young age, the episode scared me senseless!
But I was enthralled. I watched the closing credits, and Grayson was the first DS star whose name I knew.
I've since seen every DS episode she did 5 times over.
I've seen her in film and other TV roles.
She never failed to entertain me.
RIP dear lady.
You left too soon.
David
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Another point is that there are people who say an actor is a "bad actor" because he/she can't walk and chew gum at the same time in front of the camera. Working in front of the camera doesn't just require good acting skills but technical skills as well.
That's very true. And if I were to hazard a guess, I strongly suspect the lack of technical skills is what frequently prompts actors to criticize each other. I've seen many famous actors taken to task by their fellow actors for lack of technical skills.
I suppose the litmus test is to try and decide why so many people remember the character of Barnabas Collins 40 years later . . . because of his long teeth? Pointy bangs?
Believe it or not, though, some people do seem to only remember Barn for his pointy bangs. I've actually seen that exact type of comment in responses to some of the Depp/DS film online articles. Though the only thing such comments really manage to do is make it quite obvious that those people couldn't possibly have been DS fans. ::)
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Actually, I did like Grayson when she was Euphemia on One Life to Live, used to watch that, AMC, and General Hospital, now only GH. Can someone answer me one some OLTL trivia--were Drew and Delilah Euphemia's niece and nephew?? okay, I also remember Bo had a son named after Drew, but was the mother the singer Becky Lee Abbott who ended up marrying Drew, who was killed soon after?? I do remember that Delilah was married to Bo for awhile.... I know this is a bit OT, but I was wondering about it....thanks!!
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Hi Miranda,
I believe Delilah was supposed to be Euphemia's daughter. Grayson mentions on the Grayson Gathering tape that a line where she was supposed to say "to hell with her!" in reference to Delilah was cut because it was considered bad form for a mother to say such a thing about her own daughter.
Just think of any Jerry Springer episode of the last ten years in this regard and it will tell you what a different world that was, even as "recently" as 1982...
G.
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Thanks, Gothick, come to think of it I think that was the case, Drew and Delilah were cousins--I think I am right about little Drew's parentage and stuff, but who knows?? Thanks for the reply...
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I took the "dumb actor" remark to mean that Frid screwed up and didn't capitalize on his fame the way he could have. The Halls separately made comments to the effect that Frid was probably sorry he didn't take the second DS movie. I don't believe that decision was the last minute though, Gothick; the reason for the Halls' displeasure seemed to be tied to the fact that Frid was a cash cow and the biggest draw. Removing himself from the project hurt in the pocketbook and in terms of visibility. In the Halls' place, I would be sorely disappointed.
Another point is that there are people who say an actor is a "bad actor" because he/she can't walk and chew gum at the same time in front of the camera. Working in front of the camera doesn't just require good acting skills but technical skills as well. Frid didn't have those technical skills. Does that make him a bad actor? For people who believe a good actor is also a technical actor, yes.
I suppose the litmus test is to try and decide why so many people remember the character of Barnabas Collins 40 years later . . . because of his long teeth? Pointy bangs?
What makes me remember JF is his presence; the way he completely took over every scene. He ruled over scenes with all his fellow actors. As Barnabas, he won the heart of Liz, the respect of Mrs Johnson and Roger, the admiration of Vicky, Carolyn, and David, and the hatred of Burke Devlin. He made us dread Willie's every waking moment, he made us adore history, and he had a fine sense of dressing. JF's scenes with Grayson Hall are a tribute to two fine actors. They made their scenes come to life, I think, because they cared about their roles on the series. And not just for the bread. I think they portrayed their characters the way they did because they had a sense of respect for one another, a love of the characters they portrayed.
That's my take on it anyway.