Fans, footage from the 1965 Oscarcast has been posted on Youtube which includes two glimpses of Grayson Hall, nominee for Best Supporting Actress of 1964 for her critically-acclaimed work in the film Night of the Iguana, in the audience at the ceremony.  First, the camera lingers on Grayson in the audience as her name is announced and she smiles a little nervously.  The second glimpse comes if you look carefully behind Miss Kedrova when she stops to give co-star Anthony Quinn an embrace; Grayson is smiling gloriously and you can get a glimpse of Sam sitting next to her:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS5zp5Z46I8

I have been told that in the complete video, you can catch other glimpses of Mr. and Mrs. Hall at various points in the proceedings.

I absolutely love Grayson's gown and the heavy black couture earrings with which she accessorized it.  The gown makes me think of the work of revolutionary Sixties French designer, Courreges.  It would be fascinating to know specifics of the gown.

She looks utterly glamorous, radiant, and simply stunning!

G.

I always thought the classic DS track "No. 1 at the Blue Whale" reminded me of a song that had been popular in the very early Sixties.  Today, my incredible co-worker Pete (who is like a living encyclopedia of 1960s pop music) was able to identify the song for me.  It was "Sleep walk" (how appropriate for DS!) by Santo and Johnny, originally released in 1959.  You can hear it for free here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1st_9KudWB0

The songs aren't really all that similar melodically are in terms of arrangement or texture; just a kind of feeling (to my ear) that makes one evoke the other.

Do you agree?

G.

Tonight on my way home I read in Billy Masters' weekly gossip column that Cher is giving a concert at Greystone in honor of the 50th birthday of Elton John's husband, David Furnish.  The concert is going to be a private invitation only party, or so the report implied.

I do wonder if there will be a DS theme, although since the Eltons are English, I doubt whether they know anything about the series.

G.

For some reason today, I was recalling Laura and Angelique's big confrontation scene in 1897.  When Laura says to Our Favorite Witch:  "What does it feel like to succeed as a ... whatever you are... but to be a failure AS A WOMAN?"  I think it is one of the bitchiest moments in all DS history.

One of the tragedies that's bugging the hell out of me right now is that NoDS is being released in its unrestored form.  I was really looking forward to seeing the restored piano scene with its exchange between Laura and Angelique, where the spiteful witch informs her rival:  "Oh, he knows what's happening, Laura my darling, and for *the first time in his life* he's really enjoying it!"

In some weird alternate version of the DS multiverse, this second scene (which takes place in the AU world of the movies) could be see as Angelique's payback for what Laura taunted her with in 1897.

G.

I think this is OT for just about everything but I'll just report it briefly here:  there are press releases circulating as of yesterday that one of the networks (NBC?) has commissioned a new Dracula TV series starring the epically luscious Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (of "Velvet Goldmine" and "The Tudors" fame) as the Count.  The blurb sounds distinctly lame but JRM fans will want to have a look.

It said something about the production company (Carnival something-or-other) being connected to super Brit-hit Downton Abbey, too.

Just reporting the news fwiw.

G.

Fans, it was forty-six years ago that we first tuned in to hear those mystic words uttered: "My name is Victoria Winters..."  On June 27, 1966.  (I personally did not start watching until nearly two years later, in June 1968, so I have no personal memories of this day to share.  But I know there are fans here who started watching on this day.)

Happy Birthday DS!

cheers, Gothique

Calling all devotees of the Divine One:

Check out this exciting link!

http://www.collinsporthistoricalsociety.com/2012/06/grayson-hall-blog-thon-set-for-june-22.html

Grayson's son, author Matt Hall, as well as the author of the definitive Grayson Hall biography, R. J. Jamison, are set to participate, along with a bevy of other fan sites, including a podcast.

Best,

G.

Last night I was reading about plans to do a new series of The Munsters on one of the major networks.  This time around, it sounds as if the series is going to be a full-on horror/drama series rather than a comedy.  The official blurb says that Herman's artificially assembled body is starting to rot and he needs to find a living human "donor" for a new heart.  Sounds tasty, doesn't it?  What surprised me is this time around, Eddie is described as a "child werewolf" which I definitely don't recall being part of the original scenario.  Makes me wonder if they're going to grab anything not nailed down from the 2012 Depp Shadows movie for this series.

I won't be watching, but no doubt I will be reading at least some of the reviews if this makes it to the airwaves.

G.