Save a lot of graves, do a lot of relatives favours

[sovay]

spatch just called to tell me one thing which he thought I would enjoy and one thing which he knew I would not.

The enjoyable thing is that Madonna seems to have come out; I just thought that had happened ages ago.

The unenjoyable thing is that Angela Lansbury has died. Like the Queen and the light of certain stars, she was expected to go on forever.

Because she was so superbly ubiquitous on stage and screen, it took me some time to place my earliest exposure to her. The likeliest candidate is The Court Jester (1955), after which the next best contender is a three-way toss-up between National Velvet (1944), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), and the original cast recording of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1978). For better or worse, whether she appeared to me thereafter as Sibyl Vane, Eleanor Iselin, or Mrs. Potts, Mrs. Lovett left the strongest impression, a monster of cheerful and ingenious pragmatism with one terrible schoolgirlish spot for a man who hasn't existed for fifteen years—always had a fondness for you, I did, as tragically delusional in her own businesslike way as the man she daydreams will retire to the seaside from his Jacobean revenge. When she was younger, she had the linnet-voice of Johanna. I have been listening to her with Len Cariou, with Bea Arthur, with the audience of her imagination as Momma Rose. I have named a fraction of her history as a performer. She got to be a grande dame and a gay icon and even Madame Arcati, in the theater where her own mother had made her stage debut nearly a century before. I was glad of her in the world in her own form as well as the ones she acted. In her memory, I am still going to go eat a slice of meat pie.

Comments

[oracne]

She was a Titan.

[minoanmiss]

I cannot think of a better tribute than a meat pie. *raises my glass*

[davidgillon]

a three-way toss-up between National Velvet (1944), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), and the original cast recording of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1978).

I'm fairly sure Bedknobs and Broomsticks was mine. I'm not sure if I saw it on its original cinema release, but it would have been very shortly afterwards if it wasn't.

[desireearmfeldt]

It weirded me out when I saw The Court Jester and discovered that was her. (Having been introduced to her probably via Sweeney Todd but in any case as middle aged.)

[troisoiseaux]

The unenjoyable thing is that Angela Lansbury has died.

:(

[skygiants]

Bedknobs and Broomsticks was definitely mine, and I was always so delighted any time I accidentally stumbled over her earlier work by surprise -- I nearly fell out of my chair when she turned up as a baby in Gaslight.

[alexxkay]

Her performance in The Manchurian Candidate was iconic.

Not necessarily in a good way. I remain convinced that a generation of young Republicans saw their worst fears crystallized in that character, and that much of their vitriol towards Hilary Clinton stems from that source.

[rachelmanija]

I used to watch Murder She Wrote every week with my grandparents, and was quite surprised when I discovered Sweeney Todd in college.

[julian]

Other than Murder, She Wrote, my first exposure to her as a person who could act was, really, _The Manchurian Candidate_, which I saw at 25 and it slammed into me like a freight train.

Also: Madonna wasn't out? What?

[thawrecka]

It had not occurred to me that Madonna might be in any closets, but also people talking about the tiktok video where she may or may not have come out aren't entirely sure what she meant, apparently! Anyway, I can't say I ever assumed she was straight.

[sovay]

Anyway, I can't say I ever assumed she was straight.

I liked this tweet which spatch recounted to me.

[gwynnega]

I'm pretty sure I first saw her in Bedknobs and Broomsticks. After that, probably The Manchurian Candidate and The World of Henry Orient. Oddly enough, I didn't see any of Murder She Wrote until a few years ago, when I ended up watching many episodes on cable.

[sovay]

Other than Murder, She Wrote, my first exposure to her as a person who could act was, really, _The Manchurian Candidate_, which I saw at 25 and it slammed into me like a freight train.

I can see that. It has that effect even on people who weren't trained on Jessica Fletcher.

Also: Madonna wasn't out? What?

I don't know what to tell you!

[sovay]

I used to watch Murder She Wrote every week with my grandparents, and was quite surprised when I discovered Sweeney Todd in college.

I went kind of the opposite way! I have seen Murder, She Wrote, but only once or twice.

My parents accidentally saw the first national tour of Sweeney Todd for their anniversary. Nonetheless, I grew up with the cast recording in the house.

[sovay]

Bedknobs and Broomsticks was definitely mine, and I was always so delighted any time I accidentally stumbled over her earlier work by surprise -- I nearly fell out of my chair when she turned up as a baby in Gaslight.

She's so young! I always forget she's not in the 1940 British original, except she would have been even younger! She's in at least one film noir, too, and I don't care if it's not likely to be very good, I need to check it out.

[sovay]

I remain convinced that a generation of young Republicans saw their worst fears crystallized in that character, and that much of their vitriol towards Hilary Clinton stems from that source.

It was not subtle or perhaps wise of the 2004 remake to model Meryl Streep's Senator Shaw so blatantly after Clinton, but I do not think that Eleanor Iselin was needed to make Clinton a target.

[sovay]

:(

*hugs*

[sovay]

It weirded me out when I saw The Court Jester and discovered that was her.

That movie was almost certainly my introduction to Basil Rathbone, Glynis Johns, and Mildred Natwick also. Danny Kaye always seems to have existed in my family lexicon. (My grandmother had a story about meeting him once.) The movie which I find most counterintuitive to contain Angela Lansbury is the 1948 Three Musketeers. It also contains Lana Turner, Gene Kelly, Van Heflin, and Vincent Price. I figure Louis B. Mayer just threw darts.

[sovay]

I'm fairly sure Bedknobs and Broomsticks was mine. I'm not sure if I saw it on its original cinema release, but it would have been very shortly afterwards if it wasn't.

That's pretty great. I saw it once as a child and then had the fun of rewatching it with friends in grad school and discovering that I had remembered fragments of it with surprising clarity and most of the rest of the runtime had mentally fled the scene. (In fairness to my younger self, I had a habit of reading through Disney movies and may not have actually watched the entire thing the first time around.)

[sovay]

I cannot think of a better tribute than a meat pie.

It was delicious!

*hugs*

[sovay]

She was a Titan.

She was.

[sovay]

I'm pretty sure I first saw her in Bedknobs and Broomsticks.

As introductory Lansbury goes, I think Eglantine Price is a very strong choice.

After that, probably The Manchurian Candidate and The World of Henry Orient.

I've never seen The World of Henry Orient. Recommended?

Oddly enough, I didn't see any of Murder She Wrote until a few years ago, when I ended up watching many episodes on cable.

Various members of my family watched it on and off over the years, including my mother recently, but I have hardly ever seen it myself. I did mean to watch the episode that was the sequel to Strange Bargain (1949).

[alexxkay]

Oh, their fears definitely pre-existed. I'm just saying that Iselin... became their avatar?

[ethelmay]

'Weal pie,' said Mr. Weller, soliloquising, as he arranged the eatables on the grass. 'Wery good thing is weal pie, when you know the lady as made it, and is quite sure it ain't kittens; and arter all though, where's the odds, when they're so like weal that the wery piemen themselves don't know the difference?'

[sovay]

I'm just saying that Iselin... became their avatar?

I understand; I am just not sure that I agree with you.

[mrissa]

Yes. My Gran (great-grandmother) adored Murder She Wrote and frequently was either watching a rerun of it when we got to town or (more often) had just finished one and would tell us how good it was.

[mrissa]

I honestly came here to read the comments because I thought I must be missing something, that Madonna must have come out as nonbinary or genderqueer or something because...like...what. we were there. she told us already. I mean, good for her using the out-loud words, but...every analogy I'm coming up with is in fact LESS obvious than this.

[desireearmfeldt]

Huh, I have seen that Three Musketeers but remember almost nothing about it.

[davidgillon]

I'm pretty sure that I saw it as a Christmas showing (hence why I'm not certain if it was the official release) that was paid for by the local RAFA club (RAF Association - veterans club). I'm not quite sure if that was for all the local kids, or whether it was just kids of local workingmen's clubs* members who put their name down for it. My dad drank in the RAFA from time to time, but his national service was in the army and he was a member of the hospital club, not the RAFA. Not that he ever worked at the hospital either!

* Basically private bars, but if you're a member of one, you can drink at any in the country.

[gwynnega]

The World of Henry Orient has its problematic aspects, but it's a wonderful story about female friendship, set in early 1960s New York City. (Plus, Peter Sellers!)

[sovay]

I mean, good for her using the out-loud words, but...every analogy I'm coming up with is in fact LESS obvious than this.

It's made me feel much better about my grasp of social semantics and yet simultaneously very confused.

[selkie]

So, a thing that tells us something about how my brain archives visual media, for good or ill:
Dame Angela was Sybil Vane in a so-old-I've- seen -it version of Dorian Gray, and she sang a music-hall-esque song, "Goodbye, Little Yellow Bird," which basically sledgehammered you with the plot.
Long decades later, she sang "Goodbye, Little Yellow Bird" as Jessica Fletcher's "cousin" on an ep of Murder, She Wrote, on a music hall stage and all, and she must have been cackling her ass off the whole time.

Edit: Puts the duh in Madonna, if you ask me.

[sovay]

Long decades later, she sang "Goodbye, Little Yellow Bird" as Jessica Fletcher's "cousin" on an ep of Murder, She Wrote, on a music hall stage and all, and she must have been cackling her ass off the whole time.

All right, I need to see that.

(I love that version of The Picture of Dorian Gray.)

Edit: Puts the duh in Madonna, if you ask me.

Brava.

[selkie]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olSY_njuuZw

Also, LOOKIT THE TRICKSY EFFECTS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M729ZWAXjAE

[minoanmiss]

heh

Based on my knowledge of biology I don't think kittens and veal would have similar textures.

[minoanmiss]

yay! one of these days I hope to make some for you.

[sovay]

Based on my knowledge of biology I don't think kittens and veal would have similar textures.

It's been absolutely dire over the last day and a half, having the soundtrack of Sweeney Todd on permanent rotation in my head and knowing it would be rude to the cats to sing within earshot of them, "And I'm telling you them pussy cats is quick . . ."

[sovay]

Me: *clicks on link*

My mother, from two rooms away: "Oh, it's the one where she plays her English cousin who sings!"

(And named Macgill, like her mother who did go on the halls. Chef's kiss.)

I see from the wings we also have a wild Patrick Macnee.

[ashlyme]

The more I think of Angela Lansbury, the more I realise she was in countless things I watched as a kid. She really did seem immortal.

How was the meat pie?

[sovay]

She really did seem immortal.

And she was always herself. I've seen her earliest film roles in 1944 and 1945 and she's eighteen, nineteen years old in small parts and she's just right there.

How was the meat pie?

It was great!

[weirdquark]

I can't remember if I saw Court Jester before Murder, She Wrote or not, but I certainly didn't register that she was in it until much later.

(I had the same experience with coming back to Hello Dolly and being like "Michael Crawford is playing who?")