I could probably bring up the name Marian Waldman to a lot of people, and they would ask me just who in the hell she was. You know? Mrs Mac? The lewd alcoholic who hides her stash in anything from encyclopedias to toilets. Does this ring a bell? 'Black Christmas?' The drunken house mother for our bunch of telecommunicated stalked sorority girls? Oh, now you see.
Marian Waldman (better known as 'pookie' to people who were close to her) was a short little tart - 5ft3 - sassy and big boned - unashamed to go all out in her movie acting performances. Watching the original 'Black Christmas over the holidays became something of a learning experience. Not only did Marian Waldman tickle my fancy as our deranged house mother in Black Christmas - the foul mouthed drunkard who thinks the sorority girls would sit on the leaning tower of piza if they 'could get it up there' - she also played another off the wall character in Jeff Gillen's 1974 release of 'Deranged' - a story loosely based off the grisly findings at Ed Gein's farm in the 1950's -and- written by Canadian screenwriter Alan Ormsby.
In 'Deranged', Maureen Selby (Marian Waldman) is a widow with a complex. She talks to her dead husband. Chocolate is her one true vice''dammit!'' She's even more eccentric than in Black Christmas - and is just fun to watch. A very good character actor who should have gotten more roles.
Our main character in Deranged (Ezra Cobb - played wonderfully by Roberts Blossom, most notable as the old man in Home Alone) was having one last discussion with his mama while on her death bed. While feeding her pea soup, she drew close to him and gave his some motherly advice. Maureen Selby (Marian Waldman) was a friend of Ezra's mother. [Maureen] somewhere along the line had struck some points with Ezra's mom. She is explained to Ezra as being a trustworthy person. She won't break his heart like all those other ''sluts'' and ''whore's'. She's a fat heifer that won't steer him wrong. . Ezra could trust her... She's fat. It's made clear that fat women are more trustworthy - and she makes Ezra vow to hook up with her and eventually marry her. After all, he can trust her. She's fat.
When he finally meets our eccentric lady, he takes a liking, and discusses her big legs and her big round belly with his exhumed and rotting mother. (I forgot to mention that by this point, Ezra has exhumed his moms body and placed her back in bed. He talks to her quiet often) He thinks he should take a gun on his little excursion - just in case he gets lost in all that 'fat'. I'm dead serious here.
Ezra goes to formally meet her a second time - This time, Maureen has on a blond wig, where she and Ezra are to have a seance. They get into the groove and Maureen becomes all hot and bothered at the supposed manifestation of her dead husband - (which coincidently gives Ezra the permission to make her a woman again.) In other words, Maureen's dead husband (through Maureen) gives Ezra permission to give Miss Selby a good poking.
You get the picture. Waldman does her thing again, and comprises numerous personalities to fit her well rounded role. She is definitely one of the most underrated actresses of the 70's. Sadly, she passed away back in the mid 80's from eating herself to death. Of course, I'm kidding. I wish we could have seen more from her. She appeared in a few other movies (one being a made for television movie) but not much else. It would be suffice to say that she probably did a lot of stage work in between her movie career and trips to McDonalds.
I'd love to own a Mrs Mac action figure.
No comments:
Post a Comment