A few fans have asked me how the panel at the Festival on the new biography of Grayson Hall went. I'm very pleased to report that the panel was exceptionally well-run, kicking off with some great opening remarks by author RJ Jamison. RJ asked "Are there any Grayson Hall fans in the audience?" and the wild and lusty cheering that ensued left no doubt she was, as it were, "preaching to the choir." After explaining some background to the publication of the biography and thanking those who had assisted her, RJ introduced a wonderful video montage showcasing a wide range of Grayson's non-DS work. Fans enjoyed clips from the 1951 "Lights out!" episode, Satan in High Heels (filmed 1960), Night of the Iguana (1964), That Darn Cat (1965), The Man from UNCLE (1966), Who are you, Polly Magoo? (also 1966), End of the Road (filmed 1968), Adam at 6 AM (filmed during Grayson's hiatus from the 1897 storyline in September of '69), Kojak (1974), and One Life to Live (1982).
After the video, Nancy Barrett took the stage and read excerpts from the book. I was impressed by Nancy's fluid command of correct Spanish and French pronunciation--she's clearly as well educated linguistically as Grayson herself. After the reading, Nancy generously stayed on board for a short Q & A. Nancy shared that nearly everyone adored Grayson because she was so "odd" and such a unique character that she disarmed just about everyone. She also noted that for Grayson, "family always, always came first," and that one of the reasons Grayson cherished being on DS is that it kept her family in New York City.
The half hour allotted to the program flew by all too quickly. Among other topics covered in the Q & A was the fact that Mike Nichols intended for quite some time to cast Grayson as Mrs Robinson in "The Graduate." A fascinating possibility, which almost certainly would have kept her out of "the shadows" forever. Since I personally cannot imagine Collinwood without Dr. Hoffman (world's record-holding houseguest), I'm personally glad "The Graduate" fell through for her. Grayson herself apparently regarded it as the greatest loss in her career.
"Grayson Hall: a hard act to follow" by R J Jamison is available at
www.graysonhall.net and through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
G.
