Monday, June 16, 2008

WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH HELEN? LINK


A LOT. Same goes for the the production of this truly golden rotten movie from 1971 - one of my absolute favorites. For one, I love anything with Shelly Winters in it (even if she doesn't drown in the film, which she usually does). I've been considering a tattoo of her name written in the font from the band Judas Priest, but someone told me I should get one of her swimming underwater in the Poseidon Adventure.

The plot is totally out there: The mothers of two convicted male teenage murderers (Shelly Winters & Debbie Reynolds) just sort of bump into each other and become friends while sharing a cab home from their prospective sons murder trials! I always thought this was a gay couple subtext because they go on and on with each other about trying to accept their two murderous sons and how they don't understand it, yet love them. From the start of the movie, Shelly had received a cut on her hand from a mad stalker while trying to struggle out of the courthouse. The two women take the cab in the middle of the night to Debbie's place, which is a children's dance studio. They get creepy threatening calls and see a creepy man across the street in a raincoat. They decide that the only thing to do is to join forces and start a new life.. SO they move to Hollywood and open a little girls Shirley Temple dance school!!! Unfortunately, Shelly can't hold it together and nuts up throughout the movie, climaxing during their Shirley Temple dance performance for the NRA!!!! (of course).
I also LOVE LOVE LOVE the latent dandy of a queen supporting role character actor who hams up the entire movie by creeping up on Shelly Winters over and over in the movie - to her terror - then he apologizes for startling her, asks her a mundane question and walks away! Work!
"Whoever Slew Auntie Roo" is on the other side of the cd, is rotted, but not as good.
Click the TITLE TO THIS POST to view the shenanigans on Utube, the url was unfortunately withheld... R

2 comments:

Helen the Felon said...

Well, don't I have a new favorite movie. Pray to jeebus that Netflix has it...

Reavis Eitel said...

Netflix DOES have it - and on the other side is of the dvd they send is "Whoever Slew Auntie Rue" (sp) which isn't as great but demented nonetheless. -Reavis