Miss Hannigan: Stefanie Londino’s Villainous Triumph

Published November 30, 2024 by biggayhorrorfan

As a theater loving grade schooler, I spent many a weekend afternoon spinning my Annie Original Broadway Cast album. Unbeknownst to me, those tunes must have found a way into the fabric of my soul.

Decades later, when a river of nostalgia carried me to a downtown Chicago theater to witness the 2023 touring production of the show, the lyrics of those songs came, instantly, back to me in waves of sonic glory. I was also surprised to rediscover how sharply humorous and grimy some of the show’s most celebrated numbers are. It’s A Hard Knock Life and We’d Like To Thank You Herbert Hoover, for instance, contain some truly black imagery.

Even more surprisingly, I had forgotten that Miss Hannigan and her criminal cohorts planned to kill Annie as part of their plan to abscond with Daddy Warbucks’ reward money. Thus, Hannigan’s comic villainy is shadowed throughout with a truly dark core. This revelation led me to further reevaluate the show and led me back to the theater when it returned to Chicago this winter.

Nicely, actress Stefanie Londino, who has played the role in the last two tour settings, also adds a bit of rock ‘n roll heart to the character, playing her with a combination of Patti Smith grit and Dorothy Loudon grease paint pizzaz. Her take is definitely a little leaner and meaner…and sexier than such former portrayers as Marcia Lewis and Alice Ghostley. One can even believe that Bundles, the laundry man who is part of a pivotal orphanage-based plot point in this show, would have gladly taken Londino’s Hannigan for a clean sweep across his sheets – a rather new factor for audiences, experience-wise.

Indeed, by adding a bit of saucy modernity here, Londino helps leaven the show’s occasional sentimentality. That bite is sure to appeal to people unfamiliar with it and its seemingly too sweet legacy as this production winds its way across the US until the spring of 2025.

More information on Londino and the tour, itself, is available at https://annietour.com/tour/.

More on this eclectic performer, who also fronts a band called West Side Waltz, can be found at http://www.stefanielondino.com/, as well.

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

Shark Bait Retro Village: Strike Force – Fallen Angel

Published May 20, 2024 by biggayhorrorfan

After being terrorized by Scott Jacoby’s Bad Ronald, in the cult classic tv film of the same name, one would think that actress Cindy Fisher would be a bit leery around charismatic, misunderstood strangers. I would further assume that this would especially apply to mysterious figures played by actor Judson Scott, a man whose piercing blue eyes and knife sharp cheekbones always spelled imminent and inexplicable celluloid danger. But, hey, a job’s a job…and playing a questioning spirit named Sunset on the Fallen Angel episode of the short lived, early ’80s series Strike Force had to be a fun one.

For those uninitiated, Strike Force, a rare failure for the Aaron Spelling conglomerate, specialized in bringing a sleazier, Dirty Harry vibe to Friday evenings on ABC in the 1981-82 season. Plotlines, over the first few entries, revolved around revenge fueled families who gruesomely decapitated their victims & perverted, low-class charmers who kidnapped, raped and murdered beautiful, unsuspecting women. Led by stern jawed Robert Stack, the regular (crime solving) force also included the prolific Dorian Harewood, former Australian pop star Trisha Noble, the handsome Michael Goodwin (who went onto the even shorter-lived nighttime soap The Hamptons) and favored character actor Richard Romanus, often utilized as the team’s comic relief.

In accordance with similar outings, Fisher’s moneyed Sunset is sensationally whipped by Scott’s Johnny Lee here, after refusing to take part in a Manson style massacre he orchestrates. Fleeing him and his devoted cult members, she soon holes up with the Stack’s crew on a small farm. As Johnny and his associates wage war upon them, further casualties mount. (The handsome Shannon Presby, best known as the lead in Sean Cunningham’s The New Kids, plays a sadistically reverential follower who is arrested by Noble and Goodwin.)

Of course, after the bullets stop flying, Sunset and the show’s regulars, unsurprisingly, have survived the opposing onslaught. But as the end credits fade, it remains ambiguous, a la Patty Hearst, to what degree the show’s shamed heiress with have to pay for her initial involvement with these sadistic degenerates. Nicely, the emotional resonance of this question is amplified by the work of Fisher, who brings both vulnerability and edge to her creation. *

* (Fisher would play a more traumatized version of this character a few years later on an episode of TJ Hooker. In Trackdown, a 4th season episode of the show, her young married is captured by Richard Hatch’s sadistic criminal, giving her another showcase role and a place of note in ’80s television entertainment.)

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

Shark Bait Retro Village: Death Cruise (1974)

Published April 16, 2024 by biggayhorrorfan

Free, as we all know, doesn’t necessarily mean good. Thankfully, the characters in 1974’s Death Cruise are well clothed and coiffed – this is an Aaron Spelling production, after all – when a seemingly carefree gift begins to interfere with their mortality.

Obviously inspired by Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, this exercise in glossy horror finds 3 embattled couples fighting for their lives on an ocean liner. The recipients of a complimentary vacation, the sextet is all seemingly linked via a random series of previous trips and work circumstances. During fragrant dinners and alcohol-fueled poolside chats, no one can quite figure out the direction connection, though – a sure hindrance when they begin to be thrown overboard, pushed down rickety stairs and shot at.

Entertainingly. Jack B. Sowards’ script encourages soap operatic airs to swirl around these characters. Much to middle-aged David’s (Tom Bosley) regret, the dissatisfied Elizabeth (Celeste Holm) can’t let go of her grown children. The sarcastic Sylvia (Polly Bergen), meanwhile, is hard pressed to forgive her spouse Jerry’s (Richard Long) frequent, very public philandering. Young bride Mary Frances (Kate Jackson), lastly, would just like a child from the carefree, self-indulgent James (Edward Albert). Unsurprisingly, as Sowards’ diabolical plot twists unfurl, these issues take a backseat to staying alive.

Nicely, brisk direction by Ralph Senensky compliments the mysterious set-up here and he, wisely, gets out of the way of his highly professional cast, letting them do what they do best. To that end, Holm commits to a magnificently drunken takedown of Bosley’s David, a man who spent years attending to business dealings and ignoring his spouse. Bergen also shines as her character, very fashion forwardly, tries to outrace death.

Moving along quicker than the clipped enunciation that Jackson often gives to her troubled anti-heroine’s dialogue, Death Cruise is currently streaming, without cost, on YouTube. A boon, of sorts, for those who are unafraid of the price they might have to ultimately pay for such an economical viewing fee.

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

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Sharkbait Retro Village: The Spiral Staircase

Published January 31, 2020 by biggayhorrorfan

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If the thought of the steel toed Holland Taylor taking over for the unrivaled Ethel Barrymore in matriarchal duties fills your heart with glee – as it should – then the 2000 television film reimagining of The Spiral Staircase will be right up your alley.

This third full length adaptation of Ethel Lina White’s classic Some Must Watch emphasizes the horrific elements of this piece. Revolving around a killer obsessed with handicapped women, its participants are now decidedly stranded on a sheltered island during a powerful storm. Thus, Taylor has much atmosphere to work with as she fills Barrymore’s boots portraying the rich and secretive Mrs. Warren. Joined by gorgeous nighttime soap mainstay Nicolette Sheridan (as her mute nurse) and former glamour boys Judd Nelson and Alex McArthur (Madonna’s Papa Don’t Preach video), Taylor simply and subtly steals the show here. SS2

Appreciatively, screenwriter Matt Dorff applies some new twists, allowing fans of the other versions to surprised by the revelation of the culprit (or culprits) here. Granted, the 1975 theatrical offering with Jacqueline Bissett may have been a bit more gruesome in its displays of violence, but this version does feature some nicely shadowy malevolence and makes crashing use of its titular inspiration in the final moments of this much adapted piece of gothic horror.

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

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Hopelessly Devoted to: Laurinda Barrett

Published October 3, 2019 by biggayhorrorfan

Edge Laurinda

Esteemed theater actress Laurinda Barrett is probably best known to celluloid buffs from her work in the 1968 film adaptation of Carson McCullers’ The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. Eagle eyed viewers will also remember her appearance in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Wrong Man, as well.

Laurinda Wrong Man Thankfully, working with the Master of Suspense must have prepared Barrett for her work as Molly Sherwood on the long running mystery soap The Edge of Night. With knife like precision and incisive skill, Barrett enacted Sherwood’s reign of terror with a rare sensitivity – and a cold blooded determination. Illogically predisposed to do away with anyone who seemingly threatened a loved one, Sherwood not only calmly killed those she considered perpetrators, but also anyone she suspected may have knowledge of her crimes.

Utilizing horror influences to the extreme here, this EON plotline reached its pinnacle when Sherwood stabbed one offender while wearing a disturbingly cheery clown hand puppet to mask her fingerprints.

A veteran of multiple soap operas, including All My Children and Guiding Light, it is ultimately Barrett’s macabre run as Molly that lingers on in viewers’ minds. Decades after those initial airdates, this observation is a true testament to the richness and power of her work all those years ago – and proves that even without superstar status, this dedicated performer made a true impact on people’s lives.

Laurinda Heart.png

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

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Review: Wicked Enigma

Published September 21, 2018 by biggayhorrorfan

Move over, Riverdale! The sexy cast of Wicked Enigma is ready to take your place.

Big words, perhaps, but this LGBTQ friendly project, revolving around the gothic, soap strewn craziness that ensues after a tragic onset accident, is full of attractive, well cast people doing their devious best to stay alive….very much like a certain, very popular CW show.

Nicely, queer fans are sure to thrill to the complicated romance of Max (Terrence Edmonds), an out and proud cinematic genius in the making, and Austin (Andrew Etzel), a well known yet extremely closeted actor. Edmonds and Etzel provide nice layers to their characterizations, aligning themselves, sympathetically, with the audience. But directors Edmonds and Jake Doull work wonders with all of the performers, particularly with Charlotte Evelyn Williams, who shines with vibrant defiance as the rejected Sasha, making the first episode a true pleasure to view.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=widX_SdHF_0

When you’re through, you can keep exploring the wild mysteries of Wicked Enigma at http://www.WickedEnigma.com, https://www.instagram.com/wickedenigm, https://www.facebook.com/WickedEnigmatv/ and https://twitter.com/WickedEnigmatv, as well.

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

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Linda Purl: The Terrifying Genre Credits of a Television Legend!

Published November 12, 2012 by biggayhorrorfan

How many acting schools was Big Gay Horror Fan rejected from due to his insistence on doing that “I never had an Angora sweater” monologue, originally introduced by Jamie Lee Curtis in the heart shaking (housewives as prostitutes) television film Money on the Side? Too many to count! One good thing did come out of that obsession, though. My lifelong love for journey man actress, Linda Purl, who co-starred in that film, was born in those very awkward moments.

Beloved for her work on the stage and such television shows as Happy Days, Matlock and The Office, beautifully eclectic actress Purl has shown her versatility in multiple genre projects, as well. From her compassionate yet tack sharp performance in 1982’s Visiting Hours to her recent appearances on the past season of True Blood (which increased hits on her buoyant website immensely), Purl always gives her all. Below, are some terror filled examples of her work.

Body Language (1992). In this USA television film take-off of Single White Female, Purl excels on multiple levels. Her Norma reels between stationed normalcy, animal sexiness and feral violence. That she and Heather Locklear (playing the good Bridget Fonda incarnation) look so much alike, adds effectiveness to the traditional plot devices, but most importantly, it is Purl’s acting that commands here. She is believable whether charmingly seducing or viciously smashing co-stars over the head in the film’s bloody denouement.

Murder She Wrote. “Dead Eye” (1993). This episode of the popular mystery series is notable due to its focus on the real tragedy of the John F. Kennedy assassination and for being the introductory episode of Wayne Roger’s charming/bumbling Charlie, who became a semi-regular on the show. Purl shows true emotional heart as she describes her character’s difficult childhood and she is able to use her taut technical skills as an actress in the final moments of this product, as well. As usual, motivations turn on a dime when series maven, Jessica (Angela Lansbury), reveals the real culprit and Purl makes her every sudden action believable within the formulaic confines of the show.

The Perfect Tenant. (2000). Here, Purl is the terrorized as Grease 2‘s Maxwell Caulfield tries to settle an old family score. This standard stalk n slash has some enjoyable moments (Caulfield’s calm malevolence as her murders Purl’s slacking, initial tenant and her boyfriend; Tracy Nelson’s frenzied turn as Caulfield’s girlfriend) yet the finest moments here occur between Purl and veteran actor Earl Holliman, whom portrays her father. The two seem to really respect and enjoy each other and their scenes are filled with warmth and life. (This, incidentally, is Holliman’s last listed credit on IMDB.)

(Purl’s firm, layered work on the above mentioned Visiting Hours is explored in this Horror Society article, as well: http://www.horrorsociety.com/2009/03/30/visiting-hours-great-performances/)

Meanwhile, Purl’s love for performing is just as magnificently evident in her singing career. She brings soft, smoky understanding to life’s everyday travails on numbers such as “This Girl’s In Love With You,” “I Can Let Go Now,” and “I’m Afraid the Masquerade is Over” on her debut CD, Alone Together.

Be sure to keep up with all of Linda Purl’s activities (bloody, musical and otherwise) at www.lindapurl.com!

But, before you do, be sure to enjoy this fun The Perfect Tenant trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VpDmADfmoU&noredirect=1

Meanwhile, Big Gay Horror Fan is always accepting new scare induced boarders at http://www.facebook.com/#!/BigGayHorrorFan, as well.

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