"Oh, Rhoda, no!" The Bad Seed on TCM tonight (Thurs., Dec. 10)

[Eve]

One of my favorite good bad movies. If you've never seen it, grab it! No matter how many times I've watched this I get sucked in.

It's high camp, and awful, but it's also terrific. Nancy Kelly (I so want her hairdo!), Henry Jones, Eileen Heckert and America's Sweetheart, little Patty McCormack, acting their hearts out, chowing down on the scenery. But it's also a terrific story and holds you riveted. You can have Rhoda Morganstern, give me Rhoda Penmark!

(As another third of the high-camp overacting trifecta, TCM is also showing Suddenly, Last Summer at 6:00: "They're going to cut--out--my--BRAIN!").

[Otto]

Given all the possibilities I almost hesitate to limit you, but what would the third member of that trifecta be?

[shamrock227]

Oh, yay! Thanks for the heads up. I like Suddenly, Last Summer (my Mom does a killer impression of Liz Taylor from that film) but I love The Bad Seed.

(I'm almost happy that House is a rerun tonight).

And I second Otto's question.

[Carl Corey]

Isn't today Tues. Dec. 19?

[Eve]

Originally Posted by Carl Corey

Isn't today Tues. Dec. 19?

Ooop. Wishful thinking.

I love how in Suddenly Last Summer, the Katharine Hepburn drag queen (there's no way that could actually be Katharine Hepburn!) hires batshit crazy Monty Clift of all people to give Liz Taylor a lobotomy (I wonder if she demanded a receipt?).

[Eve]

Originally Posted by Otto

Given all the possibilities I almost hesitate to limit you, but what would the third member of that trifecta be?

I'm thinking Valley of the Dolls.

[Labdad]

Don't forget William Hopper as Colonel Penmark, father of Rhoda.
There's one scene that makes my teeth hurt, it's so sweet:

Rhoda: What will you give me for a basketful of kisses?
Col. Penmark: I'll give you a basketful of hugs!

Hopper is best known to 50-somethings like me as Paul Drake from the original Perry Mason series.
He was also the son of gossip columnist supeme, Hedda Hopper.

The Bad Seed definitely falls into the it's so bad it's good category.

And the ending! I won't spoil it, but hang with this camp thriller all the way to the end!

[Otto]

Originally Posted by Eve

I'm thinking Valley of the Dolls.

Ooh, and now I am too! Definitely a worthy inclusion in the trifecta. Broadway doesn't go for booze and dope indeed!

[shamrock227]

Originally Posted by Eve

I'm thinking Valley of the Dolls.

Perfect!

I own the special edition DVD set of Valley of the Dolls. It's just so deliciously campy. (I can't tell you how many times I've read the book, as well).

Although, I have a big place in my heart for Peyton Place. Can we make that 1st runner up?

[Ludovic]

Originally Posted by Eve

I'm thinking Valley of the Dolls.

Never saw that, but the sequel was one of the funniest things I've ever seen, and inspired many quotes within me and my roommates house.

[lissener]

I played The Bad Seed in the video store where I work the other night. People of all ages were just riveted. Kids in awe, young parents bewildered and perturbed, older customers hooting with delight. Definitely one of the greatest accidentally bad movies of all time. Let's hope the planned remake (no details yet; hopefully Dakota Fanning will outgrow the part before it's filmed) does it justice. Which of course it won't.

[Eve]

Originally Posted by lissener

I played The Bad Seed in the video store where I work the other night. People of all ages were just riveted. Kids in awe, young parents bewildered and perturbed, older customers hooting with delight.

It's true! You just cannot turn it off or look away! "They gotta li'l pink 'lectric chair fo' girls, an' a li'l blue 'lectric chair fo' boys!"

[Otto]

Originally Posted by lissener

I played The Bad Seed in the video store where I work the other night.

I daresay you play the bad seed most places you are.

















For the humor-impaired, the above is a joke.

[lissener]

Originally Posted by Eve

It's true! You just cannot turn it off or look away! "They gotta li'l pink 'lectric chair fo' girls, an' a li'l blue 'lectric chair fo' boys!"

Stop, you're killing me.

I read somewhere that the "excuse" for why the acting was so hilariously awful was that most of the cast (and maybe the director?) were lifted right off of Broadway, where they'd been doing the show every night for a very long run. So they were still projecting to the cheap seats.

Another movie that would make a brilliant double feature with TBS is Tomorrow, the World!, (1944; 12 years before TBS) in which Skippy Homeier (you can't make this stuff up) plays Emil Bruckner, a Nazi Youth whose parents were killed in the war. He comes to America to live with his uncle, Fredric March (no really), and insists on wearing his Nazi uniform and preaching the wonders of the Turd Reich at the dinner table. This kid's acting style makes Patty McCormack look positively restrained. A must see for fans of The Bad Seed.

[BrainGlutton]

FYI, there's a remake in the works.

The original, believe or not, was nominated for four Academy awards.

[Eve]

Originally Posted by lissener

Tomorrow, the World!, in which Skippy Homeier (you can't make this stuff up) plays Emil Bruckner, a Nazi Youth whose parents were killed in the war.

Omigod, I love him in that! He was expelled from Germany for overacting! "Oncle, you vould merry a JEWESS?!"

[Eve]

Never fails to knock my silk stockings off (except for that awful Production Code ending, of course). Nancy Kelly's performance is downright operatic--can you believe she did that on Broadway every night for nearly a year?! Worn to a frazzle, she must have been!

[StGermain]

I saw Tomorrow The World! not too long ago. Little Skippy tries to kill his cousin, who sold her hair to buy him a watch for his birthday. After the li'l psychpath is caught, he cries some crocodile tears so the cousin says, "Aw, shucks - he didn't really mean it. Have some birthday cake, Skippy!" I bet the following year Young Adolf murders them all (not just the Jewess) in their beds.

StG

[Chefguy]

Originally Posted by BrainGlutton

FYI, there's a remake in the works.

The original, believe or not, was nominated for four Academy awards.

Good. It needs remaking if only to restore the stage ending. The movie ending was dictated by censors and it sucked, IMO.

[lissener]

Originally Posted by Eve

Never fails to knock my silk stockings off (except for that awful Production Code ending, of course). Nancy Kelly's performance is downright operatic--can you believe she did that on Broadway every night for nearly a year?! Worn to a frazzle, she must have been!

Showed it in the vidstore again tonight. Well, I tried to; someone rented it right out of the machine. I ordered the DVD of Tomorrow the World! tonight. That'll be fun to play in the store.

[Eve]

Originally Posted by Chefguy

Good. It needs remaking if only to restore the stage ending. The movie ending was dictated by censors and it sucked, IMO.

No no no no no--a remake would be disastrous!

[Otto]

I'd forgotten about that goofball spanking coda at the end. That was just wretched.

I loved drunken slatten Hortense Daigle. Whatever else one might say about the film or the performances, I can't argue with Eileen Heckart's nom for Best Supporting Actress. She was awesome.

[lissener]

Originally Posted by Eve

No no no no no--a remake would be disastrous!

There is absolutely no way that a remake could ever, ever work.

[Chefguy]

Originally Posted by Eve

No no no no no--a remake would be disastrous!

Even with Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Tilly and Tom Cruise?



Okay, that even shocked me.

[freckafree]

My sister rented The Bad Seed at Thanksgiving and we all just enjoyed the hell out of it, including my sixth-grade son, who'd never seen it before. Truly a great bad movie.

Afterwards, my son, who has terrible handwriting, said to me, "Well, Mom, at least you'll never have to worry about me winning a penmanship medal!"

[Eve]

Originally Posted by Otto

I loved drunken slatten Hortense Daigle.

Did you notice she was married to Sam Drucker? No wonder he ran off to Hooterville to open a General Store!

[Eve]

Originally Posted by Chefguy

Even with Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Tilly and Tom Cruise?

Only if Tom Cruise plays little Claude Daigle . . .

[elfkin477]

Originally Posted by Chefguy

Good. It needs remaking if only to restore the stage ending. The movie ending was dictated by censors and it sucked, IMO.

I watched the last few minutes last night, and have now seen both endings. Neither of them is much to write home about, but at least the orginial one serves justice.

The novel Nursery Crimes by B M Gill is definitely derivative, but shows a far better childish monster than the movie.

[Caridwen]

I love The Bad Seed.

I'd add Mildred Pierce to the trifecta.

[Miss Mapp]

When people talk about the awful ending, I always wonder--do you mean the spanking business at the very end, or the other part?

If it's the spanking, I'll agree it's stupid, but if it's other, then I have to disagree. There aren't enough movies

SPOILER:

in which a smarmy little precious brat gets zapped by lightning.

I'm much happier seeing that than I would the book's "twist" ending.





BTW, does anybody else think Nancy Kelly's character is headed for a breakdown even before things start happening?

[jsc1953]

Originally Posted by lissener

There is absolutely no way that a remake could ever, ever work.

Isn't this essentially a remake?

[Askia]

Originally Posted by jsc1953

Isn't this essentially a remake?

If so, it completely validates lissener's opinion. Ugh. That movie stank.

[teela brown]

Originally Posted by Askia

If so, it completely validates lissener's opinion. Ugh. That movie stank.

It did, but it did have a couple of things going for it:

SPOILER:

We get to see Macaulay Culkin cash in his chips.
Also, young Elijah Wood was a cutey.

[Otto]

Originally Posted by Miss Mapp

When people talk about the awful ending, I always wonder--do you mean the spanking business at the very end, or the other part?

If it's the spanking, I'll agree it's stupid, but if it's other, then I have to disagree. There aren't enough movies

SPOILER:

in which a smarmy little precious brat gets zapped by lightning.

Different strokes I guess (which is sort of a pun for those who read the spoiler box). That ending was crammed down the throats of the filmmakers by the production code and was just completely ludicrous.

The spanking was also stupid, and, according to Robert Osborne, was forced on the filmmakers by the studio just in case people forgot that the "disturbing" things they'd just seen weren't real.

[Eve]

Originally Posted by Miss Mapp

BTW, does anybody else think Nancy Kelly's character is headed for a breakdown even before things start happening?

Oh, yes--one of the things I liked is that, basically, everyone in the movie is more than a little off-kilter. Can you imagine how thrilling it would have been to see in the theater, with Nancy Kelly, Patty McCormack, Henry Jones, Eileen Heckert, playing their original roles live? Jiminy, for a time machine. Isn't she great when she has that complete breakdown when Leroy meets his reward? Banging her hand against the table (she must have been black and blue for the whole run of the show!). And giving Rhoda her "vitamins." Just . . . creepy.

And the Broadway ending, where

SPOILER:

the other dies and little Rhoda lives, to go on killing.

[lissener]

Originally Posted by Otto

Different strokes I guess (which is sort of a pun for those who read the spoiler box). That ending was crammed down the throats of the filmmakers by the production code and was just completely ludicrous.

The spanking was also stupid, and, according to Robert Osborne, was forced on the filmmakers by the studio just in case people forgot that the "disturbing" things they'd just seen weren't real.

Yes, both the tacked on Hays ending (God punishes evildoers) and the credits shenanigans (Don't be disturbed, Audience; it's all make believe!) were total copouts. It should have ended with the mother dying and the Bad Seed living.

[DMark]

A hysterically funny musical, based on Gypsy, All About Eve, and The Bad Seed is Ruthless! The Musical. Look a little further down on the link and you can hear snippets from some of the songs - this is the LA cast version.

The original little girl star (Tina) of the first NY staging of this show was none other than a very young Brittney Spears!

[Dr. Rieux]

Originally Posted by lissener

Yes, both the tacked on Hays ending (God punishes evildoers) and the credits shenanigans (Don't be disturbed, Audience; it's all make believe!) were total copouts. It should have ended with the mother dying and the Bad Seed living.

The TV remake from 1985 kept that ending.

[lissener]

Originally Posted by Dr. Rieux

The TV remake from 1985 kept that ending.

Yes. It was based on the play, not the movie; kind of a re-filming of the play rather than a remake of the movie. Cheesy, but the whole package--even with both fake endings--are part of what redeems such a horribly bad movie and makes it endlessly watchable. As wrong as it is, I love the credits spanking, because it almost seems to be making a twisted commentary on the real dark side of the Ward-June-Beaver facade of the Fifties Family. Course, any such commentary is totally supplied by the modern viewer, but that doesn't make it any less deliciously creepy.

I think the end credits of Bob Balaban's masterful satire of Fifties mores, Parents, is a sly reference to The Bad Seed.

[Equipoise]

A song for everyone who loves The Bad Seed.

[lissener]

Originally Posted by Equipoise

A song for everyone who loves The Bad Seed.

Please, everyone who's participated in this thread, listen to this song. Please. "Oh, I've got the prettiest mother . . . he tried to pull himself back up on the wharf!"

[Askia]

Whoo-whoo! I just found my Mama's Christmas present!

(Mama's a big Bad Seed fan.)

[Eve]

Originally Posted by Askia

(Mama's a big Bad Seed fan.)

Did she send you to the Fern School?

[Askia]

No, but after I won a spelling bee medal she hired this creepy babysitter named Rhoda...

[Ghanima]

I first saw this movie when I was in elementary school. It was Halloween, and my sister and I hosted a "trick-or-treat" slumber party. My mom rented The Bad Seed for us to watch while we od'd on candy. It was awesome.

Saw it again, years later (now years ago) and it was still awesome!

[Eve]

Originally Posted by Ghanima

I first saw this movie when I was in elementary school. It was Halloween, and my sister and I hosted a "trick-or-treat" slumber party. My mom rented The Bad Seed for us to watch while we od'd on candy.

You have a fantastic (and slightly creepy) Mom, to think of that!

[Askia]

I just had a long conversation with a co-worker and realized my Mom had me and my brother watching The Bad Seed, Mommy Dearest, It's Alive! and The Exorcist from the time we were 5 to 12 years old.