GREY GARDENS (2009)
So fucking good. Should've been a theatrical release. Neatly a decade later and it holds up like a classic.
Lange's comeback tour de force performance garnered her the Emmy, rightfully so, while Barrymore's revelatory turn.nabbed her the Globe and SAG, deservedly so.
It also won all the top prizes at the Emmy, including Best movie.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 125 | May 14, 2018 2:03 PM
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Indeed, it was very good.
by Anonymous | reply 1 | January 4, 2018 5:33 AM
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I'm sorry Barrymore never got to follow it up with similar work. She's really wonderful in it.
by Anonymous | reply 2 | January 4, 2018 5:38 AM
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The musical numbers are poignant and bittersweet.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 3 | January 4, 2018 5:39 AM
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Michael Sucsy would pull more brilliance out of Lange for her short cameo.in The Vow.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 5 | January 4, 2018 6:12 AM
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This scene with Jeanne Triipplehorn as Jackie O. showcases the brilliance of the film and it's leading ladies perfectly..
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 6 | January 4, 2018 6:19 AM
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Thought it was fabulous. Drew was - as someone said earlier - a revelation! I remember reading an interview with her a little while back saying something along the lines of how much effort she put into it - much more than she’d ever put in before - and how it was too hard - and that she didn’t really wanna do that level again. Very honest interview. She’s great!
by Anonymous | reply 8 | January 4, 2018 7:11 AM
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Rewatched it recently and it was even better than I remembered it. No doubt the performance of Drew’s career.
by Anonymous | reply 9 | January 4, 2018 8:55 AM
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They were both so perfect. They had fantastic chemistry.
They actually lived together for a month on location, sharing the same room, improvising, telling each other their secrets and watching old black and whites. Lange insisted on this much like Kim Stanley did with her for "Frances". It shows and definitely paid off.
You feel the love between these two effortlessly.
by Anonymous | reply 10 | January 4, 2018 5:37 PM
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R4 they had a side by side comparison up on YouTube. She is eerily good and spot on.
by Anonymous | reply 11 | January 4, 2018 5:38 PM
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Both performances were outstanding, but Barrymore’s was Indeed truly revelatory. Who knew she had that in her?
by Anonymous | reply 12 | January 4, 2018 5:41 PM
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I think Lange was just as revelatory, especially in the documentary recreations. Barrymore was exquisite, too.
by Anonymous | reply 13 | January 4, 2018 5:49 PM
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one of the most depressing films i have ever seen....
by Anonymous | reply 14 | January 4, 2018 5:53 PM
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When Lange's character is singing "Tea for Two" on her bed and brushing her hair, it felt like Lange had left the room and Big Edie took over her body.
by Anonymous | reply 15 | January 4, 2018 5:54 PM
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Drew's little leg-kick-shake.... Oh!
by Anonymous | reply 16 | January 4, 2018 6:08 PM
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Yas! to both R15 and R16.
by Anonymous | reply 17 | January 4, 2018 11:38 PM
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I love the Documentary Now Take on this.
by Anonymous | reply 18 | January 5, 2018 2:59 AM
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I had this movie and both the documentaries on DVD. What bothered me was Jeanne's accent as Jackie O. was scarce to non-existent just like Susan Sarandon as Bette in Feud.
by Anonymous | reply 19 | January 5, 2018 3:15 AM
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tripplehorn did fine speaking.....
by Anonymous | reply 22 | January 5, 2018 4:00 PM
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Thinking about Drew’s reluctance to get that involved in a performance at that level again - and the comments from others about how she and Lange lived together for a while and immersed themselves in the lives of those they were about to portray -
Just wonder if it’s a survival strategy?
I mean - you hear about actors getting really inmersed in roles - to the point where it’s damaging from a mental health point of view. Seriously - playing pretend constantly, for months - years! - on end - is almost like some arcane mental torture that the CIA or KGB would have cooked up in the fifties. And if you’re not absolutely mentally rock solid and stable to begin with - think of what it could do to your psyche...
I’m talking Vivien Leigh as Blanche du Bois levels of crazy.
But even ‘actors’ like Cruise and Segall - always playing the action man, macho leading guy in role after role, year after year. - and in their public personas to promote all that - surely it’s gotta fuck with your head? They seem to think they are those characters now.
It would explain a lot...
I always think you have to cut actors some slack when they appear odd. Their professional lifestyle is so schizophrenic!
by Anonymous | reply 23 | January 6, 2018 9:43 PM
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Lange has long suffered from depression,since youth. She's mentioned how acting has always helped her work through her dark moods.
by Anonymous | reply 24 | January 7, 2018 6:12 AM
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R23 I've wondered how actors are able to mentally handle playing characters as well, especially disturbed ones
by Anonymous | reply 25 | January 9, 2018 3:58 PM
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Daniel Baldwin played my great-grandfather, Cap Krug, in this movie. He was the former Secretary of Interior who has an affair with Little Edie and gives her the fur coat at the Barbizon in the movie, a fur in which she appears on the poster for the original documentary.
Cap was known in our family to give furs to the women in his life so that detail really rang true for me.
by Anonymous | reply 26 | January 9, 2018 4:04 PM
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The documentary was far better.
by Anonymous | reply 27 | January 9, 2018 4:11 PM
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The documentary was far different.
by Anonymous | reply 28 | January 9, 2018 4:17 PM
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Drew did her very best work
by Anonymous | reply 29 | January 9, 2018 4:42 PM
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Really amazing, both Lange but IMO especially Barrymore. The accents and odd way both the mother and even more pronounced the daughter (in real life as well) spoke were so perfect in the actors, again, especially with Barrymore. Barrymore got the movements, the way Edie walked and danced and marched. I don't think I've ever seen a more perfect performance from any actors as these two. I have to give kudos to the hair, makeup and costume people as well. What a class A film this was.
by Anonymous | reply 30 | January 9, 2018 5:21 PM
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Lange and Barrymore utterly sublime.
by Anonymous | reply 31 | January 10, 2018 3:59 AM
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If this had been a theatrical release, Lange and Barrymore both would've been nominated for Oscars. I wouldn't have even known that was Jessica Lange in the role, it seemed like Big Edie was brought back to life.
by Anonymous | reply 32 | January 10, 2018 4:37 AM
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[quote]I've wondered how actors are able to mentally handle playing characters as well, especially disturbed ones.
Jessica Lange nearly lost her marbles playing Frances Farmer. She had immersed so much of herself into the character that she couldn't quite shake her off. Kim Stanley advised her to do a comedy immediately. "Any comedy you can get your hands on," she implored. So Lange went and did Tootsie. She confessed that she would never again do that to herself.
by Anonymous | reply 33 | January 10, 2018 5:11 AM
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lange, perfection as usual, but i felt barrymore, as usual, was just so so
the original remains one of the best docs ever made!
by Anonymous | reply 34 | January 10, 2018 5:14 AM
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I love that.you know that, R33.
by Anonymous | reply 35 | January 10, 2018 5:17 AM
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It serves as the perfect companion piece to the documentary and A's a lush and vibrant docudrama all it's own.
Lange and Barrymore achieve an achingly effervescent synergy that is rare on any screen, big and small.
It's a classy, realistic and surprising take on the mother daughter tearjerker.
Brilliant!
by Anonymous | reply 36 | January 10, 2018 5:34 AM
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The way a teary eyed Lange dedicates half of her award to Drew is everything. I love how Drew mouthed, "I love you, mother darling."
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 39 | January 13, 2018 5:34 AM
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Generally, I can't stand Drew Barrymore - bot watching and listening to her is worse than Lee Press On Nails on a chalk board. That said, I think that her portrayal was breathtakingly brilliant in this film. She was astoundingly good and I gained a new respect for her after. Lange is amazing in everything always - and she was spot on yet again in this role. I agree that had this been a theatrical release - many awards might have been won. Spectacular film!
by Anonymous | reply 40 | January 13, 2018 5:55 AM
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Suuuuure, R162. It's the real women who are jealous of the transwoman, and not the other way around. Sure.
by Anonymous | reply 41 | January 13, 2018 7:43 AM
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R20, I believe that "Dex" is short for C.K. Dexter Haven, in "The Philadelphia Story. "
by Anonymous | reply 44 | January 28, 2018 2:53 AM
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It really is a shame this wasn't a theatrical release. It would have been Oscars all around. I found Drew to be very moving in this. I always cry during the last 5 minutes where Little Edie finally leaves and performs her act. It genuinely moves me to tears. So beautiful.
by Anonymous | reply 45 | January 28, 2018 4:07 AM
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[quote] I love how Drew mouthed, "I love you, mother darling"
Americans are always saying I lurve you - it gets on my nerves.
by Anonymous | reply 46 | January 28, 2018 4:10 AM
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Seriously, they couldn't have done a limited theatrical release in a few cities to get Oscar nominations? What were they thinking? Jessica Lange was so incredible I forgot I was watching her, it was like watching Big Edie, and Drew Barrymore was wonderful as well.
by Anonymous | reply 47 | January 28, 2018 4:20 AM
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"Is it true that Jack Kennedy gave you gonorrhea?"
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 48 | January 28, 2018 4:24 AM
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Did Little Edie's pussy stink?
by Anonymous | reply 49 | January 28, 2018 4:26 AM
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What a masterpiece this film is.
by Anonymous | reply 50 | January 28, 2018 5:06 AM
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WOW. Thanks OP, I hadn't heard of this film. I too never cared for Drew Barrymore but she is fabulous in this. Jessica is amazing in the couple clips posted here. Thanks, OP, darling!
by Anonymous | reply 51 | January 28, 2018 5:28 AM
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Oh geez. I just saw Jerry on a GG clip, and I recognize that face from a vintage porno I downloaded from Pornhub. I need to find it.
by Anonymous | reply 52 | January 28, 2018 7:46 PM
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I’ll give it a grudging thumbs-up. I am slightly obsessed with the Edies, and didn’t think this move was exactly... necessary. But Lange and Barrymore gave excellent performances.
by Anonymous | reply 53 | January 28, 2018 8:10 PM
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R51 You're welcome. Hope you watch it!
by Anonymous | reply 54 | January 29, 2018 12:31 AM
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The Marble Faun as L. Edie called him. She wasn't very fond of him. He was the caretaker for the 2 women. He even wrote a book about his experience that was discredited by others who closely knew the Beale women. He was completely cut from the 2009 film and wasn't even mentioned.
by Anonymous | reply 58 | February 1, 2018 4:10 AM
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R58 I remember him in the documentary. Unruly hair, Scorpionic eyes. I didn't realize he wrote a book about the Beales.
by Anonymous | reply 59 | February 1, 2018 4:15 AM
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This movie was initially planned as a theatrical release, but when the producers couldn't make that happen, HBO stepped in. I don't know if they just couldn't get the financial deal they were looking for or lower international pre-sales, I just know that when the film was initially announced, it was intended as a theatrical release and HBO picked it up once it was completed.
Add me to the short list of those who thought Barrymore was fine but no great shakes. That being said, she's such a terrible actress that this was a towering achievement for her and the best thing she ever did and will ever do. Lange, OTOH, was near miraculous.
by Anonymous | reply 60 | February 1, 2018 5:07 AM
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The chick who shows up in the doc with the old guy for a birthday party also wrote a book about the Beales. Can't remember her name, but her claim was that she was also living in the house at the time of the filming, but the Maysles thought it would play better if it was presented that the Edies lived alone. I don't remember a lot about it other than the uncontrollable flea problem and Big Edie tried to sabotage Little Edie's efforts to attend the documentary's premiere.
by Anonymous | reply 61 | February 1, 2018 5:09 AM
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What is the name of the book Jerry Torre has supposedly written? I’m questioning that as there is no record of one anywhere.
by Anonymous | reply 62 | February 1, 2018 5:39 AM
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jessica: alwys so brilliant
barrymore: alwys just ok....
by Anonymous | reply 63 | February 1, 2018 5:45 AM
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R62, "The Marble Faun of Grey Gardens" by Jerry Torre and Tony Maietta
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 64 | February 1, 2018 6:55 AM
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how many threads are needed for this depressing as fuck piece of crap?
by Anonymous | reply 67 | February 4, 2018 6:13 AM
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R67 I don't know. How many threads on you you got going, Edie?
by Anonymous | reply 68 | February 4, 2018 6:22 AM
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The director recently tweeted blooper reels from the movie.
Lange is too much, lol.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 69 | April 13, 2018 3:29 PM
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[quote]What is the name of the book Jerry Torre has supposedly written?
Two Cunts and a Raccoon.
by Anonymous | reply 72 | April 13, 2018 7:59 PM
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R72 cracked me up.
If you hookers like “Grey Gardens”, may I also recommend the documentary “Tabloid” which is on Netflix. That broad is another lunatic you can’t help but like.
by Anonymous | reply 73 | April 13, 2018 8:05 PM
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This cat just stuck it's face in my ass!
by Anonymous | reply 74 | April 13, 2018 8:40 PM
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R74 lol. She's so cute in that blooper.
by Anonymous | reply 75 | April 13, 2018 9:12 PM
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Caught this for the first time in years.
Really great film. Amazing work by Lange and Barrymore.
by Anonymous | reply 77 | April 19, 2018 1:49 PM
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Tabloid is about the guy who threw acid on his wife and blinded her? They freak me out.
by Anonymous | reply 78 | April 19, 2018 1:52 PM
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Edies Big and Little must be spiritually satisfied that after death they became the huge stars they'd always aspired to in life ****standing ovation****
by Anonymous | reply 79 | April 19, 2018 5:59 PM
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Jerry Torre is a homosexual.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 81 | April 20, 2018 1:58 AM
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R81 made me think of this
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 82 | April 20, 2018 2:00 AM
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Wow, was this thing released THAT long ago? It doesn't seem that long. Anyway, it was entertaining but nothing beats the real "Grey Gardens." Even now it's still hard to believe that there are people that fucked up. Two crazy women who used to be rich living in squalor in a crumbling mansion, surrounded by filth...and WANTING to live like that. It still boggles the mind.
by Anonymous | reply 83 | April 20, 2018 2:10 AM
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I think they were both marvelous!
by Anonymous | reply 85 | April 20, 2018 2:33 AM
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Hard to believe but yes the film debuted nine years ago next month. I still remember watching it the night it premiered with my mom.
by Anonymous | reply 86 | April 20, 2018 3:05 AM
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R86 it premiered with your mom?
by Anonymous | reply 88 | April 20, 2018 8:12 AM
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Well, if only that bitch Jack-O had lent them money to flip that dump. The Gray Gardens house just sold in 2017 for 15.5 million.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 89 | April 20, 2018 8:37 AM
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R89 Imagine the Beales' reaction to that sum of money!
by Anonymous | reply 90 | April 20, 2018 4:02 PM
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Little Edie could've married well and had it all. Stay away from married men!
by Anonymous | reply 91 | April 20, 2018 4:07 PM
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Little Edie was too unstable to attract a man who would stay with her for any length of time. The bitch was totally fucking batshit.
by Anonymous | reply 92 | April 20, 2018 4:08 PM
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Was Little Edie always that batshit though or did she become more so due to her, erm, home life?
by Anonymous | reply 93 | April 20, 2018 4:16 PM
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Apparently Little Edie was always a bit "off," but of course she got worse as she got older.
by Anonymous | reply 94 | April 20, 2018 4:18 PM
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R92 at least she could've divorced and remarried until she got enough $$$
by Anonymous | reply 95 | April 20, 2018 4:21 PM
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Little Edie could have married J Paul fuckin Getty! His summer family home was just a stone's throw from Grey Gardens. They grew up together. She didn't want to marry him or anyone else, except that Sec of Interior guy forget his name. It's German. She should have married Getty when she had the chance, let the marriage run it's course after producing a few children, and she'd have been set for life. Jackie did right by them after finding out how bad the situation was. She not only fixed it so they could stay in the house, but put them on the dole at $400/mo in early 1970's dollars. She hadn't seen either of them in decades.
by Anonymous | reply 96 | April 20, 2018 4:30 PM
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Julius Krug. It came to me just after I posted the above comment. Sec of Interior Julius Krug
by Anonymous | reply 97 | April 20, 2018 4:32 PM
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She was always eccentric and noncomformist, even as a glamorous young woman modelling in NYC. She didn't want to snag a rich husband like she was expected to, getting involved with a married man instead of an eligible bachelor was her way against rebelling against the strictures placed on women of her time and class. Of course she was too loopy to give any thought to securing some financial independence, so she ended up living with her even crazier mother and got REALLY eccentric.
I think Big Edie was the crazier of the two, living in Grey Gardens as it crumbled into a filthy wreck with no running water was her idea, not Little Edie's. Little Edie was there because nobody else was offering her a free place to live, not because she liked filth and raccoons. When she finally got her freedom and a small income from Cousin Jackie, she chose to live in a condo where services were provided.
by Anonymous | reply 98 | April 20, 2018 4:34 PM
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Listen chickens, let this be a lesson. Don't fall in love with married men. And when you marry, do it for money not love.
by Anonymous | reply 99 | April 20, 2018 6:51 PM
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Anybody catch her act at Reno's?
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 100 | April 20, 2018 6:56 PM
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R100 The DL has to have some resident fabulous queen who was in attendance.
by Anonymous | reply 101 | April 20, 2018 7:07 PM
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OP's pic looks like a still from a French & Saunders parody...
by Anonymous | reply 102 | April 20, 2018 7:34 PM
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It's not a still. It's a clip.
by Anonymous | reply 103 | April 20, 2018 7:59 PM
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I wouldn't want to live at Grey Gardens no matter how "renovated" it is. That place must reek of bad karma.
by Anonymous | reply 104 | April 20, 2018 9:24 PM
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In the movie, there was a box of jewelry etc. why didnt they sell a broach or ring for some food and utilities
by Anonymous | reply 105 | April 20, 2018 9:37 PM
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They called me Body Beautiful Beale, it's true. That was my whaddyacallit, my uh ... sobriquet.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 106 | April 20, 2018 10:39 PM
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R106 Oh, shut up. It's a goddamn beautiful day. Now SHUT UP!
by Anonymous | reply 107 | April 20, 2018 10:52 PM
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Bowery boys just did a podcast on grey gardens last week - special guest the Marble Faun!
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 109 | April 21, 2018 12:08 PM
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Elusive image of the elderly Little Edie
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 111 | April 25, 2018 11:12 PM
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Here's a question I've never heard anyone ask before: Why didn't Little Edie just wear a wig?
by Anonymous | reply 112 | April 25, 2018 11:23 PM
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Why didn't Little Edie wear a wig? I think she thought it was more fashionable to wear a head covering. And indeed it did help her create her unmistakable, iconic, bizarre look.
by Anonymous | reply 113 | April 25, 2018 11:44 PM
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R112 She was a staunch character!
by Anonymous | reply 114 | April 25, 2018 11:45 PM
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When did Little Edie start losing her hair - before or after the money ran out?
If after, then there wasn't any spare cash to buy her a decent wig, or even a fashionable head scarf. So she covered her head in whatever was lying around the house, and a fashion icon was born!
by Anonymous | reply 115 | April 25, 2018 11:52 PM
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[quote] The DL has to have some resident fabulous queen who was in attendance.
Lots of bitches say they were at Woodstock too but that doesn't make it so.
by Anonymous | reply 116 | April 26, 2018 12:12 AM
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R115, if I'm not mistaken, Little Edie's hair started to fall out about the same time her father's financial situation started to fall out. It certainly is a symbol for the women's downfall.
by Anonymous | reply 117 | April 26, 2018 12:33 AM
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R115 Before. In the movie, she's losing her hair "again" BEFORE the financial downfall.
by Anonymous | reply 118 | April 26, 2018 12:58 AM
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That photo of the elderly Little Edie shows her wearing the exact same type of head covering as she did when she was living with Big Edie. Surely she could have afforded a decent wig at that stage in her life. I think she just liked wrapping her head in scarves and it didn't matter if they were expensive or not. It actually seemed to suit her. She looked weird; she WAS weird.
by Anonymous | reply 120 | April 27, 2018 12:38 AM
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She wasn't just weird, she was fucking nuts.
by Anonymous | reply 121 | April 27, 2018 1:36 AM
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She wasn't just "nuts," she was FANTASTICALLY, FABULOUSLY nuts! Nuts, but in a good way, right? Yes. I confess that before I knew much about her, I had assumed that she was Muslim because of the head covering - at first.
by Anonymous | reply 122 | April 27, 2018 11:40 AM
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More bloopers from Michael Suscy for mother's day
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 124 | May 14, 2018 1:54 PM
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Wigs were also very itchy back then.
I re-watched this (and the documentary) recently and it's even better the second time. Lange and Barrymore are perfect re-creations of the Beales.
by Anonymous | reply 125 | May 14, 2018 2:03 PM
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