Great idea for a topic, and fascinating to read various fans' perspectives on Grayson's multi-faceted, many-layered appeal. It is always a pleasant surprise to me to see the kind of passion Grayson arouses in her fans. For a long time, Grayson fans were a kind of "underground" in fandom--for some reason or other, the status quo in fandom tended to laugh at Grayson and her characters rather than adulate or honor her. It is always remarkable, though, whenever there is an honoring of DS actors who have passed on at a Festival, the kind of ovation Grayson receives whenever a clip of her is shown. Her fans have a truly passionate loyalty to her memory.
I think of Grayson as bringing another level of "the diva factor" to DS. There was already a kind of Old Hollywood diva energy on the show with Joan Bennett's presence (just look at the impossibly glamorous costume Liz was given to wear on that first episode). I wrote somewhere that Grayson may well have been the first Oscar (tm) nominated thespian to perform a regular role on a soap. Even though I think those statuettes are a dubious barometer (at best) for an actor's prowess, there's no denying the kind of prestige placement in the contest commands.
Some commentators have tried to explain gay men's love of Grayson, and especially Julia, with the rather simplistic explanation that Dr. Julia Hoffman dressed, moved, and wore makeup like a drag queen. I don't agree, though sometimes the wardrobe and makeup they gave her went way beyond over the top (we need a special topic for "the scary awfulness of Dr. Julia Hoffman's wardrobe"). I think the reasons why gay male viewers relate to Julia is because first of all, nearly ALL of us have been in the position of having to be regarded as a "friend" by a man we'd rather relate to as a lover. The cluelessness of Barnabas as to Julia's feelings (although he DOES occasionally acknowledge her feels and even more rarely hint that he does reciprocate them deep down) mirrors the cluelessness many of us knew from our str8 best friend that we had some crazy crush on in high school. I agree too with Brian that sometimes real life is campy. Hysterically so.
A friend recently told me a story that illustrates just how Grayson can hold an entire room captivated with her performance, even on "the night of nights." I had lent a copy of the "Grayson solo" MPI tape to a friend, who then lent it to another friend, who watched it with his housemate, who fell in love with Grayson at first sight. This was a guy who was posted in Germany during the Sixties and never got to see DS as a result. Well, T. insisted upon playing this video at the house's Oscar party to all their friends. This entire roomful of largely gay men were completely absorbed by Grayson's performance. They did watch the Oscars, but spent a large part of the evening taking turns doing impressions of Grayson's acting and discussing their favorite moments in her scenes!
All the best, Steve
