By: Beverly Washburn / Hollywood Memoriesthought I’d write this month about a strangeI little film I did in 1964 called “Spider Baby.”It was a very low, (and I mean low) budgetfilm. Right around eleven dollars. Ok, I’m exaggerating, but it wasabout $65,000.00 which in the film world is nothing!It was filmed in only 13 days. The reason I opted to do this film wasbecause it starred Lon Chaney Jr. I was a big fan of his and thought itwould be fun to work with him.Boy, was I right! He was wonderful and I adored him.There is a scene where he is supposed to cry, and should you eversee it, those were REAL tears! He was passionate about doing this littlefilm, but sadly he never got to see it because he died before it was everreleased.And I kid you not, a couple of weeks ago, they actually showed SpiderBaby on Turner Classic television. Can you believe it?I would hardly call it a “classic” given the fact that the budget wasso low, the time frame of making it was so short and it was all very“campy” and “tongue in cheek.” In fact, if you Google “Spider Babythe movie” you’ll see the trailer and in it, they even left in an “out take”of me making a face - which they also left in the movie!The movie sat dormant for many years until Quentin Tarantino saw34A Classic Film?NomadlandBy: Renee Riendeau / Movie RevelationsYes, Jessica Bruder’s 2017 book, “Nomadland:Surviving America in the Twenty-firstCentury”, is non-fictional. However the director,Chloe Zhao, was masterful in including elements and events of realpeople along with her fictionalcharacters.Quartzsite, Arizona (home of themovie) a tiny desert town, about129 miles west of Phoenix wheretwo million RVers, flea marketenthusiasts, ham radio operators,off-road motorists, rockhounds andsnowbirds gather every year. Thesepeople are referred to as “nomads.”That term is defined as a group of people who move from placeto place to find food, or according to the seasons, or any person whowanders or moves around. Director Zhao stated, “Quartzsite is one ofthe wildest towns she’d ever been to, it’s special!”You meet “Fern”, a 61 year old widow who lost her job at a Gypsumplant in Nevad. She’s taken to living alone in her camper and travelingnorth in Nevada looking for work.You see a lot of beautiful country as she drives along. Many ofAmerica’s 60s-70s generation whose economic future was shattered bythe 2008 crash are in the same situation as Fern.April 2021it. He is a friendof Jack Hill, thewriter/directorand he wasinstrumental ingetting it released.It now hasa huge cultfollowing, alongwith its ownSpider Baby featuring (left to right) our Beverly, SidHaig, Jill Banner and Lon Chaney, Jr.website. Theyhave even made Spider Baby t-shirts, dolls, cartoons etc. and to mysurprise, has fans from all over the world! Who knew?Interestingly, without doubt, one of the most classic and memorablefilms of all time “Casablanca” received a Rotten Tomatoes score of 97.And Spider Baby received just under that, at 92! What?At any rate, Spider Baby remains one of my favorites, simply becauseof working with Lon Chaney Jr. I am blessed indeed.Until next time, remember you’re not fully dressed without yoursmile.Beverly Washburn graced the silver screen as a child actress andis the author of Reel Tears. You can contact Beverly at: bjradell@hotmail.com.They are the grey haired, middle class reduced to poverty. So theybecome “nomads” roaming the country in camper vans in which theysleep.They are looking for seasonal work in bars, restaurants, and inthis film, a gigantic Amazon warehouse in Nevada. The film is acharacter study of the forgottenand downtrodden, and captures therestlessness left in the wake of therecession.With artistry and grace, Zhaoincludes non-professionals intoan imaginary story built arounda cheerful, resourceful middleage woman. Bob Wells, a radicalnomadist lectures at the variouscampgrounds and is quoted assaying, “ No final goodbye just; I’ll see you down the road.Frances Louise McDormand is an American actress and producerwho has won numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards,as well as eight Screen Actors nominations. Critics (and I join in) insaying her role in the movie is the performance of her career.Renee Riendeau is the movie critic for “Renee’s Revelations”on Anthem Alive SCA-TV. As a dog sitter she operates “ Renee’sRoommates” out of her home and can be reached atrriendeau@aol.com.
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