1960s screen teen ingenue Olivia Hussey was born on this day in 1951. In the following video, she reflects on her unusual adolescence:
Now let's take a little trip to Verona, courtesy of filmmaker Franco Zeffirelli:
The above is still Hussey's best known role, one that made her a star back in '68, whether that was her goal or not. But perhaps Billy Shakespeare is too highfalutin for you. Maybe you'd like a holiday film instead. We'll jump ahead six years:
Not much call there for iambic pentameter, huh?
Hi, Kirk!
ReplyDeleteI well remember the hoopla surrounding the 1968 film Romeo and Juliet. However I haven't seen it. Strangely, given my fondness for psycho slasher films, I haven't seen Olivia Hussey in Black Christmas either. The cast of the latter movie includes two other prominent actors of the period, Keir Dullea, who came to fame in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Remember the iconic scene with HAL? "Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do. I'm half crazy all for the love of you. It won't be a stylish marriage, I can't afford a carriage. But you'll look sweet upon the seat of a bicycle built for two." Then there's Margot Kidder, best remembered as Lois Lane in the Superman film series.
Thanks for the memories, good buddy Kirk!
"Open the pod bay doors, Hal."
DeleteShady, Black Christmas also features future SCTV stalwart, Andrea Martin.
Oh, and Shady, even if I kind of wish Hussey's career had taken a different turn, I do recommend Black Christmas, directed by Bob Clarke, who later gave us Porky's and (he must have had an intense interest in all things yuletide) A Christmas Story. This particular slasher film, in my humble opinion, is superior to Halloween or the 10,000 Friday the 13 movies. In fact, I suspect it served as the template for them.
DeleteThanks for letting me know, good buddy. Most of those H-ween and Friday 13 sequels are a snooze fest. You have me genuinely interested in seeing Black Christmas. I hope it's as good as Blacula. :)
DeleteBlacula has one of my favorite Classic Hollywood character actors, Elisha Cook Jr, as a one-handed coroner.
DeleteHe was one of my favorites, too, Kirk. Check out the little known film I featured on SDMM entitled What Price Gory:
Deletehttps://shadydell.blogspot.com/2012/10/what-price-gory-aint-nothin-but-hearse.html
:)
Zeffirelli's "Romeo and Juliet" was such a huge monster of a hit film! I saw it when I was an adolescent. Too bad its teenage stars never really went on to have any film success that equalled it again.
ReplyDeleteDebra, I actually saw it on a high school field trip. We had just read the play in English class. Olivia Hussey may not gone on to greater things, but she's had a much higher profile than the guy who played Romeo. In fact, I keep having to look up his name (Leonard Whiting, who Zeffirelli touted as the next Lawrence Olivier. I don't know about that, but he does a pretty good job in this film.)
DeleteI have never heard of her...how is that possible? And like Deb said, shame she didn't go on to do more.
ReplyDeletemaddie, I guess your high school didn't offer Shakespearean field trips. It's kind of telling when she advises young thespians in the first clip about getting a good agent. But according to her IMDb page, she's had a busy career nonetheless. And since judging by your last post you're obviously not put off by Shakespeare, I highly recommend the movie.
DeleteI remember this movie and I will always love her voice. I have seen her off and on on the TV. I think she is very talented.
ReplyDeleteBlack Christmas:
Oh goody another slasher movie from the lovely and wonderful so so PC crowd in La La Land that has women being killed in bloody and horrible ways. Yea !
cheers, parsnip
La La Land may have put out their share of those kinds of movies, parsnip, but Black Christmas is Canadian.
DeleteOh No ! PC alert Canada is being corrupted by America ! ! !
DeleteI dont' recall anything I've seen her in, but I do recognize her face
ReplyDeleteAdam, according to IMDb, the most recent thing she was in was the 2015 movie Social Suicide, a UK-made thriller about the Internet. She plays a mother of a teenager. Never seen it or even heard of it until now, so can't tell you if it's good or bad.
DeleteShe also does a lot of voice work in video games. She was the voice of Master Yuon Par in a game based on Star Wars.