Death of a Mad Housewife—Carrie Snodgress Dead at 57

[Eve]

Carrie Snodgress, actress who was nominated for an Academy Award for the 1971 film "Diary of a Mad Housewife," who appeared in dozens of other films including "A Night In Heaven," "Blue Sky" and "Ed Gein," who in recent years was a familiar guest star on TV programs like "Judging Amy," "Touched By An Angel" and "The West Wing," died April 1 in Los Angeles at the age of 57. No cause of death was available.

[Eve]

. . . Not a lot of Carrie Snodgress fans, huh? Just see if I tell you when Salome Jens or Monte Markham die!

[gobear]

Well Salome Jens played the female Changeling on Star TrekS 9, so at least the Trekkies would be upset.

And my wee 5-year-old libido was nascently roused by the rugged Monte Markham in The 200-Year-Old Man.

[wolf_meister]

Okay Eve, I'll admit I was a fan of hers in the 70's.
Not to badmouth anyone but didn't Neil Young live with her for awhile? She had a kid (some health problems with the kid I believe). Neil Young just took off and Carrie's career suffered. That's about the only bad story I ever heard about Neil Young but it did change my perception of him.

Monte Markham ?? He was great in "Second Hundred Years".

Salome Jens?? Fantastic in "Terror From The Year 5000".

Yes Eve I'm a big fan of those folks who never really made it into the mutimillion dollar realm of Hollywood. (Notice I posted the obituary for John Randolph?)

And here's wishing those others who are still among the living (Dabbs Greer, Henry Beckman, et al) the best of health.

Nice post Eve.

[yosemite]

Oh cap. This sucks. She was way too young!

She was in that Clint Eastwood movie—which one was it :trots over to IMDB: Pale Rider. Yeah. That's it. She was good in that. She's always been good—I've admired her work for a long time.

For some depressing reason, I always remember reading about her alleging that composer Jack Nitzsche had raped her. The LA Times article was . . . graphic and depressing. I had (have) an interest in film music so Nitzsche's name caught my eye. I can't listen to a movie with Nitzsche's music without thinking of that story.

And yes, Eve, please do tell us any news about Salome Jens or Monte Markham. I know who both of them are and I've always enjoyed their work!

[Eve]

Originally Posted by gobear

And my wee 5-year-old libido was nascently roused by the rugged Monte Markham in The 200-Year-Old Man.

Oh, you weren't the only one, dear. Monte Markham is still a damn good-looking fellow for his age . . .

[wolf_meister]

Folks - wasn't the show called "The Second Hundred Years"?

[Eve]

Originally Posted by wolf_meister

Folks - wasn't the show called "The Second Hundred Years"?

Yes, it was, and I can still mentally summon up that clip of him chopping wood in just a pair of tight jeans . . .

Well, let's get back to mourning Carrie Snodgress. There are other X-rated Monte Markham threads we can start.

[Caprese]

I am sorry to hear this news.
I do sort of relate to Carrie Snodgress in terms of Neil Young, but I very vividly remember her from Diary of a Mad Housewife. She was in Iron-Jawed Angels, too!
57 is way too soon to leave this planet.

[Caprese]

And yes, if someone starts a Monte Markham thread, I'll be there to represent.

[Mr. Frink]

I'm sure that Chicago radio's Buzz Kilman will be in mourning--he was a big Snodgrass fan.

Who did she play in The west Wing?

[dropzone]

Carrie Snodgress and Dan Castellaneta were the most famous people to come out of my alma mater.

[RealityChuck]

Snodgress was great in Mad Housewife, but really seemed to vanish after that. I wish she had had more roles worthy of her talent and I'm sorry to hear she's gone.

[jimmmy]

All the obits are ignoring her work in Pale Rider, in which she was excellent, billed as the female lead and recieved a bit of Oscar and Golden Palm Buzz.

She is also good as the rugged and worn Ruby in Wild Things

[tarragon918]

After seeing the reference in the Monte Markham thread last night, I looked unsuccessfully for this thread (okay, I didn't use that search function, but last time I tried to, I couldn't get it to work!), then I checked on IMDB--they, however, did not have any info on her death, nor had I seen anything about it on any of the news sites I peruse. Bah!

But on to Carrie ... wow!!! 57 is not that far off from my own age! A few weeks ago, I heard of the death of one of my high school classmates, so I've been in that thinking of my own mortality state of mind since then. Carrie was great in "Dairy of a Mad Housewife," which was pretty much a groundbreaking movie back in 1970. And yes, somewhere there in the early 70s, Carrie took off from Hollywood and was living with Neil Young, the father of her son Zeke. She returned to acting in 1978, though. If I'm remembering correctly, Carrie had this husky yet squeaky quality to her voice... could be endearing, but at times could be annoying. Strange the things one remembers! She had quite an extensive number of roles through the years; looks like her most recent appearance had been on The West Wing last year. RIP, Carrie!

[tarragon918]

Just checked on CNN.com's Entertainment site, and according to them, she died on April 1 of heart failure, while awaiting a liver transplant. Services have already been held, privately. Her son, Zeke, was born with cerebral palsy; she ended up suing Neil Young for support. Her life was not an easy one, despite being a "star."

[Eve]

Originally Posted by tarragon918

Carrie was great in "Dairy of a Mad Housewife," which was pretty much a groundbreaking movie back in 1970.

. . . and it also had quite a revolutionary effect on the milk industry . . .

[Eve]

Some things I didn't know, from her Daily Telegraph obit:

. . . Attractive yet unassuming in appearance, with a slim frame, straight light brown hair and husky voice, Carrie Snodgress struck a chord with audiences and critics alike. The reviews were ecstatic: "There is no pleasure for the dedicated moviegoer," said the Los Angeles Times, "quite like watching a vivid new personality light up the screen." British reviewers were equally enamoured, and they touted the arrival of "America's newest star".

She had also caught the eye of the rock star Neil Young, who asked to meet her. She agreed, despite knowing nothing about him. "I wasn't a rock 'n' roll girl," she explained in 1990, "I said, 'Neil Young, Neil Young, where do I know that name from?' " But having fallen "madly and passionately" in love with him, she broke her contract with Universal and joined him on tour . . .

So that's what happened to her career!

[Green Cymbeline]

I heard that Neil Young wrote these lyrics about Carrie Snodgress after seeing her in "Diary of a Mad Housewife"...the song is "A Man Needs A Maid."

A while ago somewhere I don't know when
I was watching a movie with a friend.
I fell in love with the actress.
She was playing a part that I could understand.

[pseudotriton ruber ruber]

I loved DIARY of A MH, and her in it. Her voice was unique, and it was a wonderful interpretation of a really good part. It made me read the book, and I've since taught the novel and the movie several times--my college students have always enjoyed it very much when I've done so. (Not lately, because I stupidly taped a Seinfeld episode by accident right over the first half-hour of the film...and can't find another copy in print anywhere.) I just thought she played Tina Balser perfectly, weary, with an untapped sexiness that the Langella character brings out (I thought they had great chemistry), and her husband's part was played perfectly by the unctuous Richard Benjamin. If I could get a copy of the film, I'd be watching it now for sure.