Hopelessly Devoted To: LaWanda Page

Published July 24, 2020 by biggayhorrorfan

LaWanda Page Main

Best known for fully bringing Aunt Esther’s opposition-style antics towards Redd Foxx’s opinionated Fred Sanford on the classic sitcom Sanford and Son to full bloom, the irreplaceable LaWanda Page was also a highly regarded comedienne with material that was a little bluer than mainstream ‘70s television audiences might have expected.

Terror fans, meanwhile, are sure to remember Page’s hysterically accurate response to some supernatural shenanigans in the ‘80s cult classic Mausoleum. While the exaggerated tone here may suggest something akin to the less than PC characterizations of Eddie “Rochester” Anderson and others, Page always maintains her control and, by the film’s end, her character seems like one of the smarter ones when it comes to dealing with the film’s bloody antics.

Page, who died at the age of 82 in 2002, also made appearances in such favorites as Friday, The Meteor Man and Shakes, the Clown earning her a much deserved and devoted following that continues to this day.

LaWanda Page Shakes

Until the next time, SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

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LaWanda Page Mausoleum

Cowardly Scarecrow Announces Cabaret

Published August 27, 2019 by biggayhorrorfan

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The Chicago theater community has, as a friend likes to say, “Huge News!!!” Cowardly Scarecrow Productions has recently announced its fall production of Cabaret, beginning on October 5^th, 2019. Renowned for their long running production of Musical of the Living Dead, this version of the Kander & Ebb classic is sure to be filled with this production house’s finely tuned sense of the gothic. No macabre essence of this piece is sure to go unexplored here.

This version is also armed with the undeniable talents of Caitlin Jackson (above), this site’s choice as the Midwest’s premium diva of the silver tongued boards! Jackson, who was recently nominated for a Jeff Award for her skillful performance of Cheryl in (last year’s hysterically fun, progressive version of) Evil Dead: The Musical, is sure to create a Sally Bowles for the memory books!

Cowardly Scarecrow Benefit Picture

Local enthusiasts can help CSP achieve their ultimate creative intentions by attending a benefit for them on August 31^st: https://www.facebook.com/events/2426383007409353/.

Others, meanwhile, can hum charmingly off key versions of Tomorrow Belongs to Me while checking out the show’s growth at https://www.cowardlyscarecrow.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/CSTCINC/.

Until the next time, SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

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Music to Make Horror Movies By: Rosemary Clooney

Published December 23, 2018 by biggayhorrorfan

An icon imbued a modern hit with a touch of class this past week when the divine Rosemary Clooney’s Magic is the Moonlight was featured in the holiday edition of The Chilling Tales of Sabrina.

Clooney, long regarded as a top notch song stylist, had one of her finest moments when she recorded Love, an album of emotional romantic fare, with Nelson Riddle, her secret paramour at the time. I Wish It So was one of the more haunting, atmospheric pieces from that collaboration.

The always memorable Clooney, who passed away in 2002, is always being remembered at http://www.rosemaryclooney.com/.

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Until the next time, SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

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Music to Make Horror Movies By: Margaret Whiting

Published January 28, 2018 by biggayhorrorfan

Margaret Freak

If Stevie Nicks musically dominated the third season of American Horror Story then, in a fair world, the brilliant Margaret Whiting would have been the focus of the show’s powerful and controversial fourth season. Whiting, who indeed had a song featured on the Freak Show arc, was a multi-generation hit maker with songs charting in the pop, country and easy listening markets throughout the decades.

In fact, her album Wheel of Hurt, featuring her last big hit, owes as much to the sound of Nancy Sinatra as Rosemary Clooney. The World Outside Your Arms is one of that offering’s most poignant expressions.

Whiting’s queer connections, meanwhile, extend to her longstanding relationship (and eventual marriage) with gay porn maverick Jack Wrangler. She also provided the singing voice for Susan Hayward’s proud Helen Lawson in the camp classic Valley of the Dolls.

Margaret Capital

Until the next time, SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

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Music to Make Horror Movies By: Alice Faye

Published January 14, 2018 by biggayhorrorfan

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Beautiful. Violent. A showcase for the brilliance of Doug Jones. Yes, Guillermo Del Toro’s The Shape of Water is many things. But, as an ode to the cinema of old it, nicely, also introduces modern audiences to the majesty of such golden age troupers as Alice Faye, Carmen Miranda and Betty Grable.

As a prominent part of the soundtrack, Faye’s husky, thoughtful version of You’ll Never Know definitely mimics the emotional lives of the outsiders at the film’s core.

Not surprisingly, Del Toro hasn’t been the first genre specialist to recognize Faye’s brilliance. Eagle eared viewers may remember her signature stylings from Innocence, a Season Two offering from Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, as well.

Auteurs recognize. Now, it’s your turn.

Until the next time, SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

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