Carol Burnett in "The Exorcist"

I don't believe this for a second, of course. But it could have worked if they ALSO cast Harvey Korman as the older priest, Lyle Waggoner as the younger one, and Tim Conway as Regan. Now THAT is my brand of entertainment!

Not at all true that it wouldn't have worked. Burnett had just done a dramatic role in the film Pete n Tillie the year before with Walter mattau where they played the parents of a dying boy. Geraldine Page got a Supporting Oscar Nom (presumably not for playing the boy). So Burnett had proven she could do drama and was a huge star.

Burnett was always looking for dramatic roles to prove she wasn't just a goofy comedienne. In 1979, she did a tv movie "Friendly Fire" about her son dying in Vietnam. So it's not unusual that she would consider the role. But if I were her manager I would have discouraged her from taking the role.

I was going to sing the song, "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgetown".

[quote]Fonda was a crazy bitch back then and sent a telegram that read "Why would I want to appear in a capitalist bullshit rip-off like this?

That may have been bitchy, but that doesn't sound crazy at all to me. Indeed, why would she have wanted to do it? She was the #1 female star in the world back then, and it's not a great role (though I am impressed with Burstyn's performance nonetheless), and it would have done nothing for her career-wise.

Wonder how some of those other choices could have affected that year's Oscars. Jackson won her second for Best Actress that year in a big upset because it was a wide open field with something "wrong" with all of the other nominees. Burstyn's problem was the nature of the film, but could Hepburn or Bancroft's elite repuation of counteracted that some and helped them pull off a win.

Harvey Korman as Burke Dennings.

[quote]She was the #1 female star in the world back then, and it's not a great role (though I am impressed with Burstyn's performance nonetheless), and it would have done nothing for her career-wise.

actually r5 in 1973 Fonda was in the middle of her post-Oscar, post-Vietnam slump. She should have jumped at the role. She barely worked from 1971-1977. She only became the biggest female star on screen in the late 70s.

[quote]Fonda was a crazy bitch back then and sent a telegram that read "Why would I want to appear in a capitalist bullshit rip-off like this?”

A-B-S-O-L-U-T-E-L-Y ..... I mean with the incredibly moving FUN WITH DICK & JANE right around the corner and all .............

What happened to Shirley MacLaine?

She always says Blatty based the character on her. She drop out?

[quote]What happened to Shirley MacLaine? She always says Blatty based the character on her. She drop out?

One of her past life personalities contacted her and said they would prefer she not accept the role as they didn't want to participate.

There’s a really bizarre connection between the backstory of Cruising and The Exorcist.

Paul Bateson had been in The Exorcist, and I saw his picture on the front page of the NY Daily News as a suspect in all these murders. I got in touch with his lawyers and asked if he’d agree to see me. He was being held at Riker’s Island, pending trial. He was very anxious to see me. He told me his story, which was the real and final motivational kick for me to do the film. This is also why I basically leave the murders unsolved in the film. What Bateson said to me is he was being charged with the murder of a man named Addison Verrell, who was the theater critic for Variety in New York. He admitted to me that he had murdered Addison. He picked him up in the Mineshaft and brought him home, hit him over the head with a frying pan, killed him and cut him up. He put his body in a plastic bag and dumped him in the east river. There were many such bags that were being fished out of the East River, which is how they got Paul Bateson. In very small print on a part of the bag it said “Property of NYU Medical Center. [Laughs] That’s how they traced these bags with body parts They were just body parts that were unidentified. They were called CUPPIs, which stood for Circumstances Unknown Pending Police Investigation. He was being held for about eight CUPPI murders. He told me the place offered him a deal. If he confessed to four or five more murders, they would reduce his sentence. They wanted the headlines: Fifteen murders solved. I asked him, “What are you going to do?” He said, “I don’t know. I’m thinking about it.” Anyway, he got out about 10 or 15 years ago so he must have taken that deal and gone into witness protection.

At least my mother's alive, so she can't possibly be sucking cocks in Hell, right?

Cruising got a lot of attention again two years ago for informing the James Franco movie Interior. Leather Bar, which used the footage you cut from your film as a broader discussion about male sexuality. What are those legendary missing 40 minutes?

Just pornography. There was one scene that I took out that involved an actual incident with two cops who were watching the area around the Mineshaft because of the violence in and around it. These two cops at one time were bored with the detail and started to play strip poker. The penalty being the one who lost would allow the other to beat him on the ass with his billy club. I think it’s one of the most provocative scenes I’ve ever shot. I just filmed everything that took place at the Mineshaft with Pacino watching and wondering and it’s down to just a handful of shots now. I’d shot 40 minutes worth. I put it into the cut I showed the ratings board knowing that they’d get rid of all of it and leave me with what I needed to tell the story. I wouldn’t put that footage back in. I think if I did that now it would be exploitive. It was nothing that moved the plot.

R10 Shirley did her own horror movie a year prior.

MacLaine can't really act.

Burstyn and Blair looked alot alike, so..

I can totally see Regan screaming at Burnett that her mother sucks cocks in Hell.

Only then to have Vicki Lawrence as Thelma Harper bust through the door yelling, "The Hell I do!"

Then as Regan screams and moans as she is being tortured and levitate, she'd say, "Boy howdy I bet the neighbors are just lovin' this!"

Then r17, Naomi sashays in and says, "Miz Harper, is this another one of your grandchildren? Vint and I can't live with all this commotion."

There should be a thread devoted just to "Cruising."

#19, been there done that got the bumper sticker

That's the problem with Burnett- everyone expects her to mug at serious moments. And I know she wants to.

What is it with funny ladies wanting to do drama? Mary Tyler Moore in Ordinary People, Lucille Ball in Stone Pillow, Rosie O'Donnell in Riding The Bus With My Sister

Jane was smart to turn it down. The Exorcist is one of the most repulsive movies every made.

She should have said that about "Monster-In-Law," too.

No one's mentioning that Freidkin has become a member of Opus Dei, and a virulent homophobe? Was this mentioned by the interviewer?

The Exorcist was offered to three women. The studio wanted a big star. They wanted either Audrey Hepburn, Anne Bancroft or Jane Fonda — all of whom were stars. We offered it to Audrey first, but she was living in Italy. She said, “I’ll do this if you shoot it in Italy.” I thought about it a long time but decided I couldn’t. I’d have to bring every actor in from America. I’d planned to shoot it in Georgetown, where I did shoot much of it. I didn’t speak Italian so how would I communicate with an Italian crew? I urged her to come to American just for the shoot, but she turned that down so we turned her down. Then we offered it to Anne Bancroft, who said she’d be happy to do it, but she was in her first month of pregnancy and asked if we’d wait a year. We couldn’t. I would have loved to have had her. She’d have been great. Then we offered it to Jane Fonda, who sent back a telegram that read “Why would I want to appear in a capitalist bullshit rip-off like this?” I’ve seen Jane recently and asked if she remembered it and she didn’t, but that was her rejection of it.

It’s a challenge to imagine anyone but her in that part.

She’s great. She had the quality that I most look for and admire, which is intelligence. She totally understood the nature of the piece and her role. But it was never offered to Streisand. At one point I met with Carol Burnett, who I thought was extraordinary in person. She had this really wonderful quality. I remember expressing that with [William Peter Blatty, novelist and screenwriter of The Exorcist] and he was all for it. Ted Ashley, the head of Warners, said, “You’re out of your mind. We’ll never get over the fact that she’s known as a comedian.” I think she would have been good, too. I was eager to do it with her, but that was one the studio clobbered. They were also very much against Burstyn. Years later, I met Ted Ashley at a black-tie gala in New York long after he’d retired and the film had by then made about $400 million. I said, “I guess Ellen Burstyn wasn’t the right actress, huh?” He replied, “If we’d had Jane Fonda we’d be at a billion dollars.” [Laughs]

As much as I love Audrey Hepburn, I don't see her in the role. I think Anne Bancroft would have been outstanding. Jane Fonda would have been too intense and it would have been all about her.

Even though DVDs are less popular and Blu-Ray never really took off ...........it was special 'behind the scenes' features that these kinds of nuggets that I miss from streaming movies instead .... I've yet to stumble upon deleted scenes, interviews, commentary, etc with the streaming platform. Would be fun.

27 replies? Sigh....They wanted Lucy to do it but Gary talked her out of it.

r29, Lucy showed them. The next year, she played a Regan-like character in a movie called Mame.

Audrey Hepburn would have been awful, although I can see why they wanted her: "Wait Until Dark" had been one of the most profitable scare movies in the years prior, and people were wondering if she was going to become a scream queen as she matured. (She very wisely had no interest in stereotyping herself that way, probably after seeing how desperate Joan Crawford seemed for doing that.) But her mannered style of acting would have been all wrong for Chris Macneil. Ellen Burstyn so nails that part exactly--her naturalistic style of acting blended perfectly with the horror of what happens to Regan.

R24, Wikipedia says he's an agnostic Jew. What are you talking about?

R32, R24 was most likely talking about Blatty.

I can't see Streisand in the role at all. She never would have allowed the demon to mess up her house like that. Babs doesn't let anyone, including Pazuzu, move her antiques around like that.

[quote] Jane Fonda. Fonda was a crazy bitch back then and sent a telegram that read "Why would I want to appear in a capitalist bullshit rip-off like this?”

Ah, yes, THAT's the Jane Fonda that we remember. THAT is the smug, superior Jane. Not the "Isn't she darling?" Jane clone of today.

Convenient that she doesn't even remember responding in such a way.

Jane is an American hero. She was a vocal opponent on the Vietnam War, one of the greatest tragedies in U.S. history.

R23, I read the script of MONSTER-IN-LAW before everyone signed onto it. It was a very different and a dark comedy. Not what we saw on the screen.

Carol Burnett was in a version of the excorcist.

According to notstarring.com, Kim Basinger, Brooke Shields, Jaimie Lee Curtis, Kay Lenz and Melanie Griffith were considered or auditioned for the Regan role.

that list seems odd r39. Wouldn't all of them except Brooke have been too old?

I checked Basinger and she would have been 20.

They were probably trying to find a girl over 18 who could pass as younger so they could work with her more than 4 hours a day

I wonder if the actors had any stake in the profits of the film (which has made like half a billion worldwide)? Even if their contract said something like, "0.01 % of gross" they would have been $et for life.

[quote]I wonder if the actors had any stake in the profits of the film.

This is an interesting question. It's difficult to tell which movie will be a hit and which won't. I would look at The Exorcist and think "what a piece of schlock along the lines of The Reincarnation of Audrey Rose." But it became a phenomenon.

I always hoped that Julie Andrews took a piece of The Sound of Music. She'd be a rich woman if she did.

r17 lmfao

[quote]I always hoped that Julie Andrews took a piece of The Sound of Music. She'd be a rich woman if she did.

Ironically, she made less money from it than Mary Martin did; her husband owned a piece of the show because it was his idea to do a show about Von Trapp family.

Actors make the really big bucks when they demand a percentage of the profits AND the movie is a big hit. That's how the biggest fortunes are made in Hollywood. For instance, Barbra Streisand only agreed to do the Focker movies if she got a big percentage of the profits. The Focker movies went on to gross $1 billion worldwide and are still making money. Needless to say, Barbra made a fortune for only a few weeks work.

When I was an actor in New York, I attended an open casting call for "Cruising," for only men. The casting person announced to the assembled crowd that everyone was being required to sign release forms, and would be asked to actually perform gay sex acts in the background during scenes. I was closeted at the time, but reasoned that I really didn't want it known that I was involved in such a thing, hoping to create some kind of career. It appeared that most of the men walked out, including myself. Some time later, I was in the Ramrod bar, down on West St., and a man burst in, calling for men to protest the shooting of the film a few blocks away. The movie had some trouble with gay protesters making noise during the shoot on Greenwich Village streets. I've never seen the whole thing from beginning to end, since it seems to purport that homosexuality can be "catching," if you expose yourself to it, the way the Pacino character does. It's really a smarmy film, using the gay element for sensationalism, while all along paying tribute to the "mainstream," straight audience. Didn't do it any good in the long run; the film was a terrific flop. Nobody went. (Which, frankly, was just as well, given its homophobic message.)

Doesn't anyone remember Freidkin's finest work?

Carol Burnett could have done the role. And, like Ellen Burstyn, she could've delivered an award-caliber performance leading to an Oscar nomination.

Carol Burnett's closest brush to getting an Academy Award nomination was probably "The Four Seasons." (That film came out about a couple years for the Oscar-nominated "The Big Chill.") And she was superb doing drama - especially standing out with the 1979 ABC TV movie "Friendly Fire," which garnered Burnett an Emmy nomination.

The considered choices are interesting. I like reading them.

[47] people stopped wringing their hands over Cruising more than 2 decades ago, and it's now considered a fairly well-made (if batshit crazy) thriller. And actual gay filmmakers have proven they can (and have) made more stereotypical, offensive films than straight filmmakers ever could. Give it up already.

Tim Conway as Kinderman would have been perfect casting. "Would yousa givea me ana autographa for mya daughtera?"

Thank you, R24. For a number of reasons, those inclinations were already apparent from that film the director's so famous for, The Exorcist.

[quote] Thank you, [R24]. For a number of reasons, those inclinations were already apparent from that film the director's so famous for, The Exorcist.

It's already been pointed out that [24] was mistaking Friedkin for William Peter Blatty. Friedkin is not, nor has ever been, a virulent homophobe.

[quote]So Burnett had proven she could do drama and was a huge star.

No, she didn't. Her personal reviews for Pete & Tillie were mixed at best, and few thought she had pulled it off. It was hard to accept baggy pants comic Carol as the mother of a boy dying of leukemia.

[quote] No, she didn't. Her personal reviews for Pete & Tillie were mixed at best, and few thought she had pulled it off. It was hard to accept baggy pants comic Carol as the mother of a boy dying of leukemia.

Mmmm...nope. Here was all I could find, since the surviving reviews for the film are scant, but in all four mentions (the fifth original was TVGuide, which was more of a recap of the film than a review) were all positive for Burnett. Even the negative one was positive towards her. Were there bad reviews? I'm sure there were. But when all of the only surviving ones (all from major sources) had good things to say about Burnett, it's likely the majority were NOT mixed at best.

[quote] NY Times- You won't believe Miss Burnett, with no television mugging and those chipmunk teeth either swallowed or in full retreat. She is grand, even in one bit of tearful ferocity that would tax a Bernhardt. Matthau has given weightier performances but none more disarming. To one viewer, Christmas is already merrier with "Pete 'n' Tillie" and company on the scene.

[quote] Variety- In particular, Burnett is the key to the film’s viability by largely playing straight man to Matthau’s ironies, so there is a smooth credible transition to the drama of later reels.

New York Magazine also gave the performances of both leads a good review (snapshot of the magazine I couldn't cut and paste, but it's searchable)

Kael didn't like it, but because she didn't like the material and thought Burnett was talented and could do better with better material (I wasn't able to cut and paste the review, as it was from a book of Kael's reviews).

I think Carol Burnett could have done a great job in the part. Anne Bancroft? All wrong. Jane Fonda....maybe.

I'll give a shit about Jane Fonda possibly being considered for The Exorcist when she apologizes for her treasonous acts during the Vietnam War. But probably not.

Doris Day would have been fabulous as the mother, but she never would have agreed to star in such a movie.

Lauren Bacall should have been considered, too.

Do you think Liz Taylor would have been a good choice to play the mother?

I could Lucille Ball doing it. Though it might problematic when Lucy tearfully describes her daughters scratchy voice, and the other characters figure Regan's just a chain smoker like Ma.

Had carol been cast, the film could have ended with the demon leaving the girl, while Carol sang," I'm so glad we had this time together..."

Most of these women mentioned were far too old to have been the mother of a 12 year-old girl in the mid-70s.

Audrey Hepburn??!!

The only actress in that list who could have pulled off the angst and confusion as well as Burstyn, is Fonda. Cannot imagine either the awfully twee Hepburn or Maclaine doing it. Can you imagine A. Hepburn saying lines with force like 'Oh what are to talking about for chrissakes? did you see her or not? she's acting like she's fucking out of her mind!!' I can't.

I am not sure about Fonda, she does seem a little to brittle, never been a huge fan of her patrician acting style. Burstyn was a great choice, she does raw anguish better than anyone. I could see Bancroft too. Burnett to me will always be a comic genius, but I remember being impressed by her in the Four Seasons and Friendly Fire, even though I was a kid.

[R.58] Liz Taylor? Doris Day? are you fuckin insane?? they would have been all wrong, neither could have pulled off a great, believable performance , like Ellen Burstyn ( who I think should be more praised than she is ) No way could Doris Day pull that off! Liz Taylor would have camped it up so much she would have been fired by Freidkin on day one haha!

Anne Bancroft would have been interesting; combine her roles in The Turning Point and The Miracle Worker.

But Burstyn was spot-on (as always). She's proven to be such a ballsy actress. Most actresses would have shied away from such a gamy role, but she dove right in and nailed it.

Interesting, IMDB shows her work before The Exorcist was a couple supporting film roles and lots of TV. The movie really launched her career.

[R.65] Yep. A great actress, and she was at a time when acting styles were turning away from the theatrical and artificial, towards more visceral, and real ones. She was also very good in Scorsesse's 'Alice Doesn't Live here Anymore' (1974) I think she won the Oscar for it too. I love her scene with the two doctors after they have witnessed Regan thrashing around on the bed saying 'fuck me' the acting is so believable. You just cannot get anymore real than that.

[quote]According to notstarring.com, Kim Basinger, Brooke Shields, Jaimie Lee Curtis, Kay Lenz and Melanie Griffith were considered or auditioned for the Regan role.

Cue the Susan Richardson troll!

Kim Basinger would have been 19 when they made the film, too old!

Ellen Burstyn is perfect in the role. I can't imagine anyone else in the role. She perfectly captures the confusion, fear, shock and isolation the character experiences. She was definitely worthy of the Oscar that year.

[R.69] She was definitely worthy, who won it for 1973?

Burstyn was robbed that year. Glenda Jackson was very good in A Touch Of Class, but Burstyn deserved it more. I suspect Burstyn was considered a newbie back then, so they didn't give it to her.

Lana Turner would've been sublime as the mother. Nobody played the concerned mother better than her. She would have been more believable as an actress(the mother was an actress in the film) than Ellen Burstyn was.

Lana Turner couldn't even play herself, let alone a character. She was so damn wooden and dull. If ever an actress got by on looks alone it was her....oh and Gene Tierny, another charisma free zone!

Turner? Burstyn? Fonda? Bancroft?

BLAH!

This film had a Helen Lawson vehicle written all over it!

I wouldn't have needed no mealy mouthed priest in crisis, I'd have beaten the devil out that little bitch!

Holy water and crucifixes? Hell! Get me a 5th of vodka and leather strap!

Bette Davis would have been perfect, this reviving her Grand Guignol period: just a slight plot shift as the grandmother visiting to watch over things while Regan's mother is away filming on location. Davis witnessing her own real-life demonic spawn would've added just the right edge. Shelley Winters as the exorcist, Shaun Cassidy as Regan...

Jodie Foster, the perfect Regan...

I don't know why we are looking for alternate casting choices for Chris MacNeil. Ellen Burstyn was the perfect choice.

Burstyn was so good as Louis CK's elderly Hungarian neighbor in season 4 of "Louie."

When I first saw this title I thought of Carol Channing and giggled. Then I reread it.

*cough*

Thank you for thinking of me, R67, but I wouldn't have touched that role with a twenty foot pole. Eek! Scary.

R78 Also as Elliot Stabler's nutjob mother on "SVU."

I think Shirley McClain's psychic advisor was against her playing the role.

Ellen Burstyn is such a great actress...never became a SUPERSTAR because she keeps her private life private. I don't know one thing about her outside of her great performances.

Is anyone else offended by the tag on this thread ?.....eldergay

The AHA! is more important r84

Read Burstyn's memoir, it's great.

It's not much of a part. Any competent TV soap performer could have done the Burstyn part without minimizing the film. The whole movie is about vomiting and the cheap thrills, not the acting.

R87, I don't agree. Yeah, the thrills are what it's primarily about, but if it was as badly acted as a John Carpenter film, I don't think it would have been taken as seriously as it was.

Burstyn brought a depth to the role that elevated the movie. Otherwise, I agree, it would have been about vomiting and head spinning.

Can you imagine Babs tolerating the broken furniture or someone urinating on the floor while she sings Second Hand Rose at the piano? She would've given Pazuzu a run for his money. Bancroft would have been decent but still lacking the desperation Burstyn brings to the role. Fonda would've made the movie all about her character and acted it to the rafters. Burnett would've descended the staircase wearing a set of drapes while the daughter called her a cunt.

Burstyn was not very well known and that certainly added to the movie whereas Burnett would have been a distraction.

What about Angela Lansbury as mama. She just finished playing Mama Rose.

R90: Lansbury left Hollywood after [italic]Bedknobs and Broomsticks[/italic] to get her kids away from the Manson Family. And the London production of [italic]Gypsy[/italic] came a year after [italic]The Exorcist[/italic]. And if Warner Bros. had no interest in casting her in [italic]Mame[/italic] like they should have, what makes you think they would have wanted her for this? Not that she couldn't have done it, though.

Until around 1970, Ellen Burstyn was usually billed as Ellen McRae. I caught her on an old Perry Mason rerun the other day under that name.

Why'd they cast the young Max Von Sydow in the role of elderly priest? He clearly is way too young for the role and his old age makeup doesn't really hold up well. He looks like a younger man made up or like he has had powder thrown at him.

[quote]It's not much of a part. Any competent TV soap performer could have done the Burstyn part without minimizing the film. The whole movie is about vomiting and the cheap thrills, not the acting.

I'm sorry, I have to disagree. The scene where Burstyn loses it with the doctors were pretty amazing scenes, that's why she got the Oscar nomination.

Lee Grant should've been cast as the mother.

Burstyn and Jason Miller are the two best things about the movie.

[quote]Burstyn and Jason Miller are the two best things about the movie.

And, so was Linda Blair. It would have been interesting to see Brooke Shields in the role as Regan, but I think she was too young for the role at the time.

Best yet, Burstyn elevated Linda's performance. Linda wasn't an actress, and they had great chemistry together.

Best yet, Burstyn elevated Linda's performance. Blair wasn't an actress yet, and they had good chemistry together. Without it the movie wouldn't have worked.

also r94 the scene in the laundry room where she begs Jason Miller for help is pretty great stuff. (from politeness to desperation to out right hysteria)

Brooke Shields would have sucked big time as Reagan. For one thing, she was too movie-star beautiful and had a face that looked more like a teenager's than a 12 year old. And of course she couldn't act. Neither could Linda Blair (her acting experience consisted of a few commercials) but she had the cutie-pie face and voice that contrasted greatly with the gnarly face and voice of Pazuzu, so she fit.

Chris MscNeil was based on Shirley MacLaine, who was a friend of William Peter Blatty's. Chris is foul-mouthed, not particularly bright and an atheist. She's interested in the spiritual though, and at her dinner party invitesaf woman who is some kind of "seer" or spiritualist. She tells her to take the Ouija board away from Reagan, that dabbling in the occult can be disastrous. Chris seems to be well-liked by everyone who knows her, but she doesn't seem very likeable at all. In fact, she seems like just a rather dipsy movie star.

Shirley MacLaine would have been perfect to play her because she WAS her.

How can anyone criticize this film? It is one of the best horror films ever made. Period.

I think Brooke would have been wonderful.

"I think Brooke would have been wonderful."

She would have been terrible. And she was already stuck in a mold of her and her drunken mother's making: that of a sex symbol, a CHILD sex symbol. I think that's even more gross than spitting pea soup and spewing lines like "Lick me!" and "your mother sucks cocks in hell!"

R104, absolutely. Look at her Calvin Klein ad!

One of Burstyn's best moments is a subtle one. When Chris asks the cop (who is sniffing around about Burke's death) if he would like some coffee and she expects him to decline but he in fact would like some coffee, Burstyn's reaction is brilliant.

Burstyn took a Fay Wray role and made it a thousand times more than it would've been with a less resourceful actress. She's almost always amazing.

Looking back, her winning the Oscar that year over Jackson (great actor, weird ass role for her as romantic comedy lead and she had just rightly so won a couple of years before) might've been a great choice -- if there was no way they were giving it to Streisand. It also would've cleared up the next year for Gena Rowlands to win instead and everyone could be happy.

that Glenda Jackson win for A Touch of Class is so strange. I'd rank her 5th among the nominees. How'd that happen?

Agreed although she is so weirdly cast that she she does feel oddly sexy -- and smart, as always. But hearing Glenda rattle off awful Neil Simon-esque romcom lines is really strangest of all, like watching Dame Judi Dench performing in "Sugar Babies".

P.S. The general consensus has always been that Streisand had pissed off too many people and Woodward was an outsider and both had Oscar already. Burstryn was too "supporting", in a horror movie, no less, that a lot of voters hated and Mason (right?) was too new to the game. Jackson hadn't bothered to show up the first time she won and didn't show up again, though she did finally come stateside to present the next year.

It helped that "Touch of Class" was up for Best Picture, the only one besides Burstyn's, and they could honor it with one award anyway. I put it up there as one of the all time strange wins myself.

I shouldn't have come! They give Glenda Jackson one every bloody year and she never comes!

[quote]Dame Judi Dench performing in "Sugar Babies".

I'm calling her agent right now.

The fact that Jackson wan for that role was strange. The fact she was nominated for that insignificant role was even stranger. Unbelievable Ellen didn't get that fucking Oscar. And to those two demented queens who suggested Doris Day or Lana Turner be cast as Chris MacNeil? And you didn't mean it as a joke? OMFG. No words, except bless your simple minds and thank you for making me LOL.

Won, not wan.

You kweens know that the Oscar never goes to the truly deserving. I should have won for my heartbreaking performance of the brittle mother in Ordinary People. Yet they gave it to that Spacek dame for basically playing a version of herself in Coal Whiner's Daughter.

And Bette sang her guts out in The Rose, but no, they had to award it to Junior Miss Field for standing on a table and holding up a sign.

Mary, they didn't give it to you coz you're a hateful cunt!

R47, are you posting that word-for-word in every thread you can possibly find?

Everybody knows that Streisand deserved the Oscar that year, but Hollywood was jealous of her talent and power and acted like a bunch of jealous babies by not voting for her. It proves how political the Oscars really are.

[quote]Everybody knows that Streisand deserved the Oscar that year,

No she didn't. She was basically playing a variation of herself: pushy, New York type with no nuance

I would've voted for Joanne Woodward that year for Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams. The movie was ridiculous (and homophobic) at times, but I thought she nailed her character.

Let's be honest though, the best lead actress performance of the year was Tatum O'Neal in Paper Moon. But because of her age, she had to be relegated to the supporting category where she won in a walk.

I personally think Sydow was magnificent in the role, R93. Very commanding, very spiritual, and he seemed to have encyclopedic understanding of the evil he was dealing with.

I agree he is great r121 but I just think it was an odd choice since he is clearly so young. He's only the right age NOW, like 40 years later!

[R94] I love you!

I strongly disagree that it was all about thrills. If it was they would have come a lot sooner than they do. This film transcends being a mere 'horror film' it is a supernatural thriller of great depth, which turns into a human tragedy then into a detective story. Lee J Cobb was great too! The film stands head and shoulders above all its contemporaries, like 'The Wickerman' 'The Omen' and even 'Don't Look Now' in fact it is hard to believe it was made in 1973 at all.

[quote]I don't know why we are looking for alternate casting choices for Chris MacNeil. Ellen Burstyn was the perfect choice.

Burstyn was the perfect choice but we are just speculating about the first choices who didn't/couldn't take the role.

Makes you wonder if Blatty wrote the story based on actual events in the MacLaine household (Sachi). Would explain why Shirley later got so into the mystical.

Woodward could have done it.

Interesting that they gave Chris the cut and dye job that Carol Burnett had at the time.

The movie had nothing to do with Shirley and Sachi, but the part was based on Shirley. Blatty had said this on numerous occasions.

[quote]I agree he is great [R121] but I just think it was an odd choice since he is clearly so young. He's only the right age NOW, like 40 years later!

I don't believe they knew how young he was (in his early 40s, IIRC) when they offered him the part.

Why are you all speculating on why Brooke Shields could/could not have done the role based on her persona at the time? She had no persona at the time. She was 7 years old when this was filming and her first screen role was still more than three years away (Alice, Sweet Alice). It's doubtful she even read.

I wonder if Carol is Googling her own name? What a shock!

This movie is overrated as is anything that depicts that worldwide child molester ring known as the Catholic Church as anything other than the hatemongering child molesters they are. That they gave the Oscar to that homophobe William Peter Blatty for his ridiculous script proves Oscar voters know no more about good movies then than they do now. There was nothing scary about this film, and it doesn't hold up next to other horror or thriller films of the same decade, and the sequels got exponentially worse. [italic]Jaws[/italic] was scary. [italic]Halloween[/italic] was scary. [italic]The Texas Chainsaw Massacre[/italic]. Heck, I've even seen Disney movies scarier than this! This was just ludicrously laughable Opus Dei agit-prop.

Anissa Jones auditioned for it

Lana Turner would have been awesome in the Burstyn part!!!!

I can attest to R118'c claim. My career was ruined by Hollywood because of envy and sadists.

[quote]Why are you all speculating on why Brooke Shields could/could not have done the role based on her persona at the time? She had no persona at the time. She was 7 years old when this was filming and her first screen role was still more than three years away (Alice, Sweet Alice). It's doubtful she even read.

You're probably right. Though, Brooke would have been an interesting choice to play the Linda Blair role, because of her crazy beauty at the time.

Brooke Shields became an overnight star, after Pretty Baby. If Brooke was older, she would have been amazing in the part. Also, Shirley MacLaine would have been great too as the mother.

[quote] Brooke Shields became an overnight star, after Pretty Baby. If Brooke was older, she would have been amazing in the part. Also, Shirley MacLaine would have been great too as the mother.

I actually don't see Shields coming off well in the role. She was very, very self conscious as an actress when she was starting and it came out in the form of mugging and stilted line readings. Blair was no great shakes as an actress herself, but she was self-assured. Brooke never seemed to be able to forget the camera was there until she hit television. Something in her clicked after that appearance on Friends and she found that self-assurance. Her minor role in the otherwise execrable film The Bachelor was comedic gold.

Wonder if they even considered Tatum who was very much on the scene at that time. Always wondered who the young starlet with her movie star dad was in the bathroom with Julia Phillips (per her book) while she was pitching the 12 year old whore in "Taxi Driver" to her. Dad said absolutely not, which makes me think it isn't Ryan and Tatum since he didn't seem to give a shit about her and her protection. (End of story: Dad said no way, 12 year old mini adult says 'Tell me more about it' as if it is all her decision. Any guesses? Clearly not Jodie who ended up doing it).

Kim Richards would've been sublime as Regan. I wonder why she wasn't tested?

P.S. Burstyn really earns her pay and her acting cred in those normal scenes with Blair; she picks up the slack and makes it feel natural somehow. And she's great at having a Subtext of trouble even before the mess begins (my old friend used to have issues with her because when she smiled, her eyes didn't match... and that's in general, not just in "Exorcist"). I'm sure there were amazing actresses up for it from the Kristy McNichol school, Cynthia Nixon, etc. though I doubt any could pull off the demon voice that had to be dubbed.

What about Anissa Jones - she auditioned. Don't know if that would have helped her or harmed her more in life.

I don't think Tatum was available. She was playing the lead in Paper Moon at the time (for which she beat Linda Blair handily for the Oscar that year).

Nobody's mentioned DL fave Pamelyn Ferdin.

Did Mercedes McCambridge ruin Linda Blair's chances at an Oscar?

To say the least. Especially since they tried to keep her contribution a secret. Hard to imagine folks thinking Blair was doing that voice herself but guess we were a more naive world then, ha.

Why wasn't Kitty Winn given a bigger role? She's barely in the movie.

[quote] Nobody's mentioned DL fave Pamelyn Ferdin.

And if they cast Sally Field as the mother they could re-enact the "We Can't Get the Hang of Chopsticks!" number from The Flying Nun.

Lucille Ball would have been the best.

Could you imagine her reaction when Linda Blair's head starts spinning?

[quote]and it would have done nothing for her career-wise.

I have no clue what Jane Fonda has ever done. Actually, I don't think I've ever seen her in anything, ever.

R148, Watch "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" - her best movie!

It was said that Dana Plato was close to getting the lead. The stand-in was Eileen Dietz who later gained some fame as Sarah on "General Hospital."

[quote]Did Mercedes McCambridge ruin Linda Blair's chances at an Oscar?

Absolutely! If they would have waited till Brooke Shields turned older, it would have been a very different movie. Watching Brooke from beautiful to demonic girl would have been very dramatic and horrific.

[quote][R148], Watch "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" - her best movie!

I agree, and Fonda had great chemistry with the handsome Michael Sarrazin.

Agreed, R149. I think They Shoot Horses, Don't They" is a masterpiece. One of the best films to come out of the '60s and features a career-high performance by Fonda who is incredible as the fatalistic and doomed marathon dancer Gloria.

Sarrazin, Susannah York, Red Buttons, Bruce Dern (with whom Fonda would later appear in "Coming Home"), Bonnie Bedelia, Gig Young (in an Oscar-winning performance as the Emcee) - fantastic cast who are all at the top of their game.

Those "derbies" are excruciating to watch, especially the second one.

There was a stage version of The Exorcist" done in LA a few years back with Brooke Shields playing Chris [the Burstyn part] It had hopes of a NY production but it wasn't successful or commercial enough for a transfer.

I happen to know a few things that followers of this thread might be interested in. Part of this contradicts what I guess Friedkin has been saying of late.

What I remember is Fonda was offered it and was insulted not because it was capitalist claptrap [really, you could argue it is the exact opposite] but because doing a horror movie in the early 70's Los Angeles landscape meant your career as a leading lady was over. Horror was not in any way shape or form a genre that A list actresses considered doing in 73. Polanski's Rosemary's Baby was an exception but the thinking was that for the most part the horror genre was campy.

Fonda simply thought it would be terrible. I don't believe she sent any silly telegram about capitalism declining it. It was rejected via her agent for the same reason Dunaway and others didn't want to to do it. Horror was not an A list genre AND more importantly on paper "The Exorcist" looked like it could turn out to be a total career killing camp fest if the special effects were ham handed. Remember, nobody knew how it would turn out.

In brief, the real reason actresses were turning down the role is that it would look to the industry as though they were cooled off in the business. MacLaine though experiencing a slump then, probably turned it down for that reason also as she had just done a similar film a year or so before and another one would be too damaging.

Even the special effects team on The Exorcist were afraid up to the last minute they would all be laughed out of the business.

With regard to casting the girl, that was tougher than you would think. Parents were unwilling to let their daughters be considered for it fearing the trauma and life altering impact of doing that role. Linda Blair was chosen as much for her wholesome all american look as her steady personality. I think doing the movie was ultimately very traumatic for her.

[quote] It was said that Dana Plato was close to getting the lead.

Whoever said that was mixing this one up with [italic]Exorcist II[/italic], where she plays the autistic girl "cured" by Regan. What did she use, anointing oil?

R155, it might have been one of Plato's hallucinations, but the concept that she was going to play Regan has gone into UL territory. She claimed that mom didn't want her to do it, but since mom was such a Mama Rose, it's highly unlikely she was ever offered the role.

I remember the audience breaking out into laughter at a bit in Exorcist II when Plato's character reacts to something Regan says or does.

I think Friedkin or Blatty said Dana Plato was full of shit. Audrey Hepburn was 44 when The Exorcist was made, she definitely wasn't too old to play the mother of a 12 year old girl. Ellen Burstyn said in her book that she regretted not going to bat more publicly for Linda Blair when the stunt double and McCambridge made the allegations. She said that both did most of their own stunts and McCambridge's voice and Blair's were mixed together in some parts, but it is mostly Blair's voice. Blair and Burstyn was injured several times during the shoot and one of the scenes both were injured and both had some permanent damage.

One of the rumors about the 1973 Best Actress race was that it was the closest ever. With only 4 votes separating the winner and the person who finished 5th, with Jackson beating the runner up by 1 vote, the third place finisher by 2 etc...

OMG! Here's Helen Lawson presenting the 1974 Oscar for Best Actress to Glenda Jackson. Barbra Streisand was waiting backstage, having just come from the set of Funny Lady, ready to accept her Oscar. All of Hollywood thought Streisand was a shoe-in to win. You can ever hear Barbra's voice coming from backstage saying, "I made my...."

Lily Tomlin as the voice of the devil with Joanne Whorley as the whimsical yet put-upon mother. Rip Taylor as the priest. A young Judy Tenuta as Regan.

[quote]Streisand was a shoe-in

Oh, dear.

"The power of Christ compels you, whew-hew-hew-hew! *flings confetti*

Mason should have took home the Oscar that year. Everyone else had one except Burstyn and they weren't going to give out acting awards for that type of movie in 1974.

Besides Liz won her first Oscar for a similar role. Granted her film was putrid.

[quote]Mason should have took home

Oh, dear.

Burstyn was sure full of herself in that Oscar clip. I've never seen a losing nominee act so ungracious before at the Oscars. I'm glad the bitch lost now.

Nah, she was expressing the same "What a surprise" face that the rest of the audience felt. Clearly she pissed nobody off since they gave her Best Actress the next year.

Now that we know she never won on five nominations, giving it to Marsha Mason (for probably her best least Neil Simon tainted performance) would've worked too. It's a good film to watch also if you want to see a sweet sensitive James Caan, not the usual macho posing.

Marsha Mason should have won. Four Seasons was a brilliant underrated movie. Even Alan fucking Alda left the ham sandwich at home and actually acted.

[quote]Did Mercedes McCambridge ruin Linda Blair's chances at an Oscar?

yes r143, Burstyn discusses this in her bio.

Blair won the Golden Globe but then two controversies erupted. Mercedes was left off the credits and also the body double who did all the more sexual stuff came forward. It then started to seem like Blair really didn't do that much. Burstyn denies that and claims she and Blair worked very hard together to create that relationship.

R165 hi there, from 1976!

R169 here, my sig MEANT to say Talia Shire.

Too quick on the buzzer, Rose.

Now that you mention it, Shire coulda been great too.

All this talk made me revisit the film tonight (on Blu Ray, the extended version which is still odd if one was raised on the original) and Burstyn is more amazing than ever. She brings it the importance and colors that a truly great actress has (as opposed to say, Jaclyn Smith, or any TV movie actor). Burstyn was a stock TV guest star for a long time before she came into her own in the 70s -- much older than most actors do -- and she's been great ever since.

P.S. I just now thought the devil was paying me back for watching this again. Weird creepy noises all over my home I thought were coming from my kitchen. Turns out it is the actual Exorcist FX coming from the menu on the Blu Ray which is still on so running on a loop in the other room, waiting for me to make a selection. Creeped me the fuck out though!

P.S. Noticed that McCambridge indeed has a credit at end of "Exorcist", the "And..." end one that is often coveted. Was that added later or on the original release, I wonder? Seems like less of a secret than I remember -- and it's in the same type and color as the rest so odd they would go back and do that to the master. Anyone know?

[quote] Was that added later or on the original release, I wonder?

r172 they added it later. I think she may have even sued.

from wikipeia

McCambridge provided the dubbed voice of the demonically possessed girl in The Exorcist, acted by Linda Blair. According to director William Friedkin, she initially requested no credit for the film—fearing it would take away from the attention of Blair's performance - but later complained about her absence of credit during the film's premiere.[6] Her dispute with Friedkin and the Warner Bros. brass over her exclusion ended when, with the help of the Screen Actors Guild, she was properly credited for her vocal work in the film.[4]

The Omen was much better.

"The Omen" was certainly the best of the "rip off" films that were to follow, good enough to spawn a franchise. When was it, a couple of years later? The "Rocky" year, 1976, I think -- since that demonic theme was up for Best Song Oscar opposite the Rocky theme ,ha, the only way I keep up with time these days).

Friedkin said McCambridge cornered him in a parking lot, ranting in a drunken rage. But this was the first indication he had that she was unhappy with her place in the film (passive-aggressive much?).

Linda Blair won the role of Regan for two reasons. First of all, she had the right look: very cute. And Friedkin was convinced that she had the mental stability to play the role and not by negatively affected by it. After "The Exorcist" came out there were all kinds of rumors about Blair; that playing the role had caused her to have a mental breakdown, that she was confined in a mental institution, that she actually became possessed. It was all crazy talk. But she DID deteriorate mentally. At the age of 14 she started hanging out in clubs. At 15 she started fucking Rick Springfield (he was 24). Her parents, proud of the fact that their little darling was a movie star, pretty much let her do whatever she wanted, including welcoming her 24 year old rock star into their home. They let him live with them, this 24 year old who was fucking their underage daughter. She eventually became a diehard groupie; Linda Robinson said it wouldn't be a rock concert if Linda Blair weren't in attendance. She partied with the likes of Ozzy Osbourne and Keith Moon and traveled with Lynyrd Skynyrd She fucked Rick James, and Glenn Hughes of Deep Purple and a few member of Black Oak Arkansas. People magazine did an article about her that burbled about her love affair with some Connecticut musician; and quoted her as saying that their love was "a beautiful thing, even with Mom hanging around. We share the same bed as natural as cake and icing (the indulgent mother allows her baby girl to shack up in the family home.) " The article also contained this immortal quote from Blair about her penchant for rock stars: "They're sensitive, and though their heads might be all messed up, they are more screwed on than other people."

Blair eventually developed a cocaine habit that derailed her career. She also couldn't seem to get rid of her baby fat, which hindered her attempts to become a sex symbol. At any rate, she never really very talented, and that's probably why her career went nowhere fast.

In the execrable sequel to "The Heretic" she has a scene with poor doomed Dana Plato. In a voice that's as childlike as Plato's (Blair was an adult by then but still seems like a child) she asks Plato what's the matter with her. Plato says that she's autistic. Plato asks "what's the matter with you?." And Blair says "I was possessed by a demon. Oh it's ok, he's gone!" Talk about unintentionally hilarious!

R178, to this date, she denies that she was trying to buy coke. She claims that it was all a mix up and that she never tried to get coke.

"Repossessed... Again!" (2016)- Amy Schumer portrays Dami (daughter of the late Regan MacNeil) a nurse living in Alexandria, VA married to an ex-Priest (James Wolk). When strange things start going bump in the night, she realizes she's not the only one who can't hold down pea soup. Pazuzu: Whoopi Goldberg. Regan: Linda Blair. Chris MacNeil: Carol Burnett. Pope Francis: Jim Nabors. Mother Teresa: Edie Falco. John Edward: Himself. Directed by Mike White.

And yet r178, she lost to - wait for it - the equally untalented future crackhead Tatum O'Neal! BTW Her mother was actually in an institution.

Blair somewhat came back from her days with cije. O'Neal not so much.

Cije=coke. DAMN YOU SPELLCHECK!!!

Say what you will about Tatum O'Neal, R181, but she was fantastic in Paper Moon and absolutely deserved the Oscar that year. In fact, she deserved Glenda Jackson's LEAD Oscar that year for playing the co-lead in her film.

Agree about Paper Moon. It's what happened after that -Little Darlings anyone? - and the crack that ensued that everyone is talking about.

She's right up there with Whitney. All that talent that literally went up in smoke.

Tatum was also good in the Bad News Bears. A real childhood favorite of mine. I think that's the first movie I ever saw twice in the theater.

[quote]"The Omen" was certainly the best of the "rip off" films that were to follow

A lot of alleged "rip-offs" are actually better than the originals in many ways.

So weird when child actors, especially the women, lose it when they get older -- you think charm would translate and they have been trained to charm from childhood on. When I worked in Casting, we had in one Oscar nominated actress, nom'd as a child and then in her 20s, who looked like she had never been in an audition situation in her life. Made rookie mistakes like acting with an imaginary actor opposite her instead of the reader, etc. Clueless. And kind of sad because the director she was reading for was the same who'd taken her to the Oscar nom years before -- and had no interest in her now.

She was nice enough, though, and didn't grow up to be a mess, at least.

The Omen is my favorite series of "devil" horror pictures, because it has real continuity. It's a good trilogy, even if each one gets slightly worse than the last. But the Exorcist series has two genuinely great films-the first one, and the underrated gem Exorcist III:Legion. I saw that on opening day with my boyfriend, and we both jumped out of out skin at one point(anyone who has seen the movie knows exactly which part I'm talking about). Probably the most horrifying thing about Exorcist II is watching poor Linda Blair trying to dance like she's some great Broadway diva.

Is the Omen remake with Mia Farrow any good?

Call me a bad parent if you must but I would have let my 15 year old fuck a young Rick Springfield. If anyone deserved young tight pussy it was a young Rick Springfield.

Audrey Rose was good too. They just don't make good occult movies like this anymore. The last reboot of The Omen was excellent.

R189 stick with the original. Never mind that bitch.

Lucy would have been good but she would have insisted that Viv play Regan.

[quote]Audrey Hepburn was 44 when The Exorcist was made, she definitely wasn't too old to play the mother of a 12 year old girl

She looked too old at even at 44. Unfortunately, she looked far older than her age--certainly by today's standards. Perhaps due to her exquisite [italic]minceur.[/italic]

Only three years later she filmed "Sidney Sheldon's [italic]Bloodline[/italic]"--yes, that's the odd name of the film--and she looked like a woman in her mid-to-late-50s. It was even more bizarre because her character was 16 in Sheldon's novel. (See YT clips.)

Paramount shot her with the best lighting and the latest Nikon diffusion filters in close-ups but it didn't help much. She looked gorgeous but no longer young.

The many languages of Audrey Hepburn. What was she come kind of idiot savant when it came to languages? Why does she seem most comfortable and fluent in Italian?

R195 Audrey Hepburn grew up in Europe, lived (and traveled) in many countries. I'm not shocked she was polyglot--I'd be more surprised if she weren't.

Xaviera Hollander, wasn't born in the Netherlands but grew up there in part, and spoke 9 languages by age 18. They actually have much in common...not career-wise of course, but in terms of living under Nazi rule as infants and surviving to be intelligent and successful.

Tatum O'Neal did NOT deserve an Oscar. She'd never acted before "Paper Moon"; she had no acting experience at all. Her performance was totally manufactured, and had to be dragged out of it, bit by bit. She had to be bribed to say her lines! In the end Peter Bogdanovich managed to pull it off and got a credible performance out of her. But it was all HIS doing. It was not due to any talent or work on her part. And the role of Addie Pray seemed to suit her; in many ways, she WAS Addie Pray. Addie was a cigarette smoking, foul-mouthed little hoyden, a con artist, a thief, an accomplished liar even at her tender age. She was a very disturbed child. And certainly Tatum O'Neal was too. The offspring of two crazy parents, she was very fucked up and became even more so after winning her undeserved Oscar.

I thought Madeline Kahn deserved the best supporting actress Oscar that year.

R197 you hit it out the ballpark! Both Kahn and Candy Clark were more deserving. O'Neal is an Oscar stat (youngest person to win the Academy Award) and McEnroe wife, not much else.

Candy Clark should have won that Oscar!

She CARRIED "American Graffiti" and had the best part, was the sexiest, funniest, she was the best!

It's weird. It must be the language but Audrey seems like a different person in Italian. Passionate and open. More accessible and less the delicate flower.

ha, you guys are being beyond kind, Candy Clark was famously a lousy actor, "Graffiti" aside and only there because her spacy persona fit. She was great but hardly carried the film. If you think Tatum's post Oscar career was bad, go look at Ms. Clark's. The general thought was Sylvia Sidney would get a lifetime Oscar for that dreary movie which nobody was sorry didn't happen. Someone upthread said it best: bump Tatum up to Best Actress and give her that win over that bizarre Glenda Jackson win, give Kahn the Supporting for a true brilliant supporting role.

r187....Quinn Cummings auditioning for Steel Magnolias?

Tatum O'Neal did NOT deserve an Oscar in ANY category. She had no real talent, and nobody without talent should win an Academy Award.

I thought Madeline Kahn should have won, but I loved Candy Clark's performance in American Graffiti, too. She was perfect as the slutty, ditzy Debbie.

ha, major bonus points for R187 and with so few clues.

We used Candy Clark in a show too and she was sweet but, oy, stiff as a board. She was one of those starlets famous for bunking up with all her male costars, ha, starting with Jeff Bridges and who could blame her. And she looked nothing like Debbie in real life so that was always weird at first when you met her; she wasn't even blonde.

Remember the Oscar is for that PERFORMANCE, not a career, and Tatum's is still great. Well, okay, really, the movie is still great but she is a big part of it. (I know, I know, she looks like she has some bad days on set but she also has some classics, especially when she doesn't have to speak). Blair's work, which led us here, is looking more and more impressive as we discuss it.

Sorry, meant R202 for guessing right. I am R187.

Speaking of "Little Darlings", you can see that whatever charm or talent Tatum showed in "Paper Moon" was completely gone just a few years (and director) later. On the other hand, Kristi McNichol, who lost BNB to Tatum proved herself to be an amazingly natural and powerful presence.

Tatum wins but thought you'd get a kick out of seeing the runners up as she is announced. A tight race that year actually -- any of them could've taken it.

let's try this again

Julie Christie would have been good as the mother. So would Julie Andrews.

Was Deborah Kerr too old at the time to play the mother? She was so brilliant in The Innocents, which has a similar storyline.

P.S., Even her big moment got compromised. That's some other starlet on air when they announce Candy Clark's nomination. They find the real Candy in time for the announcement of the winner though, feather boa and all.

Demons are real and shouldn't be messed with. Ariana Grande shares the story of her demonic experience:

During a trip to the Stull Cemetery of Kansas City in August 2013, known as “one of the seven gates to hell on Earth,” Ariana told Complex magazine she felt demons in her presence. (The Catholic in me is screaming.) “I felt this sick, overwhelming feeling of negativity over the whole car and we smelled sulfur, which is the sign of a demon…,” she told the magazine. “I was like, ’This is scary, let’s leave.’ I rolled down the window before we left and said, ’We apologize. We didn’t mean to disrupt your peace.’ Then I took a picture and there are three super distinct faces in the picture—they’re faces of textbook demons.”

But it gets better, Ari claimed that “weird things” started happening to her after the encounter, including hearing a “really loud rumble,” “whispers,” and seeing “really disturbing images with, like, red shapes” when she shut her eyes.

Cultist fools will die at their OWN hands

Does Friedkin mention that Carol Burnett turned down the role Al Pacino ended up taking in 'Cruising' ? Something about that gay bar dance scene apparently ......

I'm not gonna do it unless Viv plays Regan. Plus she has to put on ten pounds and be five years older than me. Come on get it together!

I recall Carol Burnett playing the mother on one her movie parodies, with Vicki Lawrence as Regan, yelling "your mother darns socks that smell!"

[quote]I recall Carol Burnett playing the mother on one her movie parodies, with Vicki Lawrence as Regan, yelling "your mother darns socks that smell!"

I think that was SNL.

R17, I want to marry you.

Burnit was too busy breaking up happy homes.

Ouch, R218.

Is there now a 2017 Troll?

Fonda made the interesting "Tout va bien" instead, definitely not a capitalist bullshit rip-off!

Was Fonda equating capitalism with satanism?