What a lovely lady! I had the privledge of talking with Betsy Palmer at the 2007 Crytpicon in Minneapolis and found out some interesting things about her casting in the original "Friday the 13th".
I met Betsy in 1971 when I had won the roll of Louis in the King and I, but the producers couldn't find a companion Prince. I had started the rehersals with her playing my mother (Anna) when they found a couple of kids who had already done the show together. She was so nice to me about losing the part that we began a penpal relationship that lasted over 10 years. She was sooooo much more talented than F-13 could ever show, she was a wonderful stage actress; she never got the film carreer she deserved, in my humble opinion.
@@finster1968 This reminds me a bit of Lorraine Gary, who played Ellen Brody in the Jaws franchise. She was a talented actor in my opinion, portraying this believably down-to-Earth wife comfortably at least a decade into her marriage who loves her kids and supports her husband even when she fears for his life. I 100% believed their chemistry, with the original Jaws' dinner scene where she watches Brody and his youngest son Sean being such an iconic moment. Roy Scheider and little Jay Mello made the scene, of course, but Lorraine's face watching them together is the icing on such a wholesome cake. This picture is painted of a family dealing with an extraordinary situation posed by the threat of the shark, and her supporting role of being unable to do much of anything about it except be there for her family and trust Brody makes for a compelling mother-figure. Sadly, her film career began and ended with Jaws. She has eight movie credits to her name total, her final one being in the abysmal Jaws: The Revenge which not only tainted her name in the industry but very nearly killed Michael Caine's career too. She's had several television appearances, her most recent one being in 1978, but Jaws 4 was a pathetic last nail to put in her acting coffin. She deserved better and never really got a chance to show her stuff.
I fell in love with Betsy Palmer during the reruns of "I've Got A Secret" on GSN and had the pleasure of meeting her at the Chiller Theater convention in New Jersey. Very sweet and down-to-earth lady, and still looking wonderful today at 81 years young.
She kissed you dude! that's rad as sh*t haha. Such a sweet lady. RIP Betsy. So awesome that you got a chance to talk to her and record this. And i can't believe no one gave a comment besides me in all these years like whoa
Haha, at the beginning I got the impression Betsy was playfully flirting with you. I would have come back with some kind of line. I can tell she has a sense of humor.
I totally agree. It's a shame that producers of the sequels wanted to use her without PAYING HER (offering her very little) for her appearences. Betsy Palmer has a place in horror movie history as "Pamela Voorhees" the mother of one of the most psychotic monsters, and a bad ass killer herself.
I love Betsy Palmer !! Lovely lady .. wish I could have met her.. When she starts off 'I noticed you from the moment I walked in to this room'.. I thought with that she was going to do him in..(kill him later).Mrs Voorhees style... she would have then gone on to say 'did you know I had a son called Jason..?' I would have run from the room. lol
I once gave her a fake parking ticket~ she had a classic Benz with the lic plates BEEPEE, that was the car that eventually broke down requiring her to take the part in F-13.
She was so perfect as Mrs. Voorhees, I remember seeing the movie the night it opened and she scared the living shit out of everybody in the cinema. The movie was crap without her. No wonder everybody remembers her in that role. Nobody else could have played it like that.
