Years ago, I worked after school in an art gallery in midtown Manhattan. One day after delivering a package, I happened to walk by a tiny well-dressed elderly woman. I did a sudden double take as I realized I was looking at Ruth Gordon. I gawked, she smiled and gave me a wink, and kept right on walking. She made my day.
@@BlackDoveNYC It's so educational on so many topics while being highly entertaining. We learn about each nominee, but we also learn about the history of cinema and of our culture. I've watched every video at least 3 times already, and there is so much to learn that I know I will go on watching them over and over.
@@janetmiller175 It's in my top 10 favorite movie list. It's been known to make me tear up. Touching and uplifting underneath the genuinely funny black comedy. :)
Spoilers. . . . . . . . The reveal of her tattoo as a survivor of the Holocaust only makes the character's joie de vivre that much more understandable. It's one of the very best characters put to film and I LOVE that it gets well-deserved acknowledgement here.
The fact that she wasn't at least nominated shows the Academy's disregard for the horror genre, which makes no sense (Mia Farrow, too). Sci-fi as well, which explains why Sigourney Weaver didn't win for Aliens.
I met Ruth Gordon Back in November 1984 backstage at Whoopi Goldbergs first Broadway show. Mike Nichols was there, and Ruth Gordon with their wearing a pink raincoat with pink galoshes, and a pink rain hat. This wonderful video about her reminded me of exactly how memorable she really was. It was just a passing “How do you do?” but she was great! I was already a fan at 22 and it was such a treat to meet her and on the Eve Whoopi signing on to do “the color purple”
I’m obsessed with Ruth Gordon. Best Oscar speech of all time “I can't tell you how encouragin' a thing like this is..” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched her episode of Columbo - Try and Catch Me, as she plays mystery writer Abigail Mitchell. She was really brilliant.
"“It pays to stay alive; you never know what’s going to happen” is among the numerous quotable nuggets from Ruth Gordon’s three delightful memoirs. She’s long been one of my favorite people, so this brilliant and inspired video essay was enthralling. Check out “Whatever Happened to Aunt Alice?” where she battles Geraldine Page!
Honestly, as someone that dealt with constant rejection and people telling me I wouldn't have the business I own now with 20+ employees... I love stories like this. She never gave up. It's remarkable.
I'm so happy you mentioned Mia Farrow's snub for "Rosemary's Baby" - she really anchored that movie beautifully. Thanks for throwing that in. I remember after she was also ignored for her remarkable work in "Broadway Danny Rose" thinking, "Well, here we go again...".
She is the heart of everything we, as an audience, go through in Rosemary's Baby. That's a tough thing to perform - having full knowledge during filming, while keeping us all on her naíve and increasingly terrified journey. That's art in subtlety.
This is one of my favorite channels on UA-cam. I'm an English professor with a passion for classic films. I appreciate the level of research, and I certainly appreciate the thought and work it takes to make discussions interesting and entertaining as well as informative. In addition, I teach a course in horror lit, and the channel often notes that the genre deserves more recognition than it receives. Obviously, I am of like mind.
@@do9138 Thanks for commenting! What a blessing to be able to teach what you love. Personally, I can't abide the horror genre, but I have a good friend who loves it....I hope BKR continues for many years to come.
I do think she deserved an Oscar for Rosemarys Baby. It was a "simple role" that she made so dynamic all by herself. She was funny, irritating, charming, chilling, compassionate, cold, and a genuine scene stealer in every moment she's on screen. She reminds me so much of Thelma Ritter. A powerhouse actress that doesnt even have to really try, a good performance comes naturally to them.
Just because they make it look effortless doesn't mean they aren't putting the work in. I think it's like a Swan on a lake - all we see is this still, graceful bird gliding across the water, but underneath its legs are going like crazy to keep it moving! I hope this doesn't seem argumentative/rude, I just think it does them a disservice to suggest they didn't work hard at their craft. Yes, they had incredible talent, but they also worked at refining it and knew how to hone those skills.
The movie is so close to the source material and I swear, it was written for her. The woman in the novel IS Ruth Gordon. Just the most brilliant casting.
I love Ruth Gordon. Her performances in Rosemary's Baby and Harold and Maude are some of my favorites. She's a little wacky and crazy in a very lovable way. I adore her.
The whole bit about talented actors who are “discovered” and become a star after many years is so commonplace. For example, in Mainstream Hindi Cinema, we had Neena Gupta who worked in some credible roles across media but got her break much later, Lilette Dubey who was a Stage Icon but made her film debut in her 40s and Boman Irani who started his film much later in life.
It happens in the music industry too. Pulp were billed as an 'overnight success', despite having been touring for 15 years and releasing an earlier album. I'm sure there's plenty of other examples, I think the news/print media just like the concept/template, and it's aspirational so sells well, so they apply it wherever they can. Why let the truth get in the way of a good story?
I’m so glad you are delving into the supporting category and that you started with Ruth Gordon, who won for the year I was born, and who was a talented, enduring and resourceful badass extraordinaire. You said what I’ve always thought: She won for an non horror movie performance in a horror movie. In my opinion, she is one of the actors who won for a comedic role. And I love how you called her Minnie a Satanic Dolly! So perfect and true. I’ve never thought of it that way. I wish I could have seen her Dolly Levi. Thanks for this wonderful tribute to a great woman.
Thank you for highlighting “Ruth Gordon” I always thought she was one of the greats. That reporter was right, sometimes you just have to survive, the rest will eventually see how great you are.
I don't have a lot of goals in life, but one I do have is to be as Ruth Gordon (or Thelma Ritter)-like as possible when I reach retirement age. What a fabulous woman!
"... more than anything else, she has survived. She was too short to be an actress, but she acted anyway. She was not pretty enough to be in the movies, but she was in films anyway." Darn... as someone with severe inferiority complex in some aspects of myself, this hits so close to home that I have teared up and almost cried. I have never heard about Ruth Gordon before, but, from this video at least, she seems like such an inspirational person. Thank you for this video 💖😭
when you talked about horror usually getting snubbed at the oscars the first thing that came to mind was Kathy Bates' amazing performance in Misery (And also one of the funniest oscar speeches in a while, "and apologize to the ankles..."). Would love to see a video about that year's best actress category.
My first cognitive awareness of Ruth Gordon was in Rosemary's Baby which I first saw in the summer of 1980 at a local theatre. I was captivated by Ruth's performance and henceforth was gladdened whenever I would catch her in another film role. She was so unique as an actress and in my opinion, undervalued in the film industry. Thank you for highlighting her career here. I'll have to do a search for her other performances on my available streaming services.
My favorite scene in Rosemary is the cake scene. It’s utterly brilliant and bizarre the way she used the fork and devoured the cake like a gargoyle. That scene was (chef’s kiss)
I know, right? The way she somehow uses her entire body to thrust that forkful of cake into her mouth is appallingly funny and so disturbing. And so crazily New York in a way.
Ruth Gordon’s career is a gift to us. Your editing and commentary flow are a pleasure. 🎯 You’ve connected many elusive dots. What a panoramic body of work to explore. I’ll view this many times. 📌 It’s a “must share”.
Excellent presentation. One reason Farrow wasn't nominated for "Rosemary's Baby" was because Universal rush-released "Isadora" (which they subsequently withdrew, recut and re-released as "The Loves of Isadora") to get a nomination for Vanessa Redgrave. I think that Redgrave bumped Farrow from the list.
Another astonishing video from Be Kind Rewind! I loved learning about Ruth Gordon’s life and career, including her time as a screenwriter. I also enjoyed the analysis of the Academy’s mostly pitiful history with the horror genre and how Gordon was able to overcome that stigma to take home the Supporting Actress trophy for Rosemary’s Baby. This channel is the best of the best, just pure Heaven for film and Oscar aficionados. Great work!
I clicked on this video so fast. I remember as a kid first seeing Ruth Gordon in Every Which Way But Loose, and i was just so enamoured with her and her work.
i love her oscar speech!! that was amazing. i read her autobiography (a really long time ago) & what stuck out to me was her expression of the migration she mentioned many 'midwester girls' were making to either broadway, or to hollywood, in the post flu pandemic/post war 1920s. my grandmother was a part of that. she became a 'fit dept store' model in cleveland. then returned home to realize it was all FALLONY. still, i love ruth gordon . . .
Thank you for a lovely tribute to an all time original, the great Ruth Gordon. I have all her books and reread them periodically just to give myself a boost; what a terrific writer, as her screenplays can attest. She was so inspirational and such a great star of stage and screen and tv, where she was the best talk show guest back in her heyday. I was lucky to see her give a talk at NYU in the early 1980s and by that time Ruth Gordon was a tiny little old lady who was absolutely swarmed by adoring students when she finished. She transcended generations and was far ahead of her time. She gave me an autograph which I treasure, and was an absolute firecracker, a dynamo and a brilliant woman who persevered with humor, talent and determination.
I loved her. Even as a kid, I was drawn to her. She was so delightful. She was born the same year as one of my grandfathers. I never realized she was as old as she was. She had such a young spirit.
My family always looks forward to these videos - you really understand how to craft an experience! We are so spoiled with these high-quality, fascinating, and entertaining videos! Thank you :)
I didn't know that Ruth was in Inside Daisy Clover! That is my favorite Natalie Wood movie. The scene where she's dubbing for missed lines on the soundstage and gets more and more claustrophobic is my favorite scene in the whole film. Unfortunately, the only movie I watched that Ruth Gordon was in was Rosemary's Baby! I would love to see you do a video essay on Natalie Wood next!
Yes to all of this. That scene really makes the whole movie (very underrated redford performance in it too). Would love a video about NW's work in the 60s.
@@robertgoyette5863 I think her daughter had the best explanation of that scene in her mom's HBO documentary. She explained how that scene of her screaming inside the booth and how nobody outside could hear her was symbolic for her and many other women in Hollywood during that time. They felt like they were not being heard and instead were being ignored and pushed aside by powerful, cis, het, white men
@@helenl3193 Yeah... 😔 The good thing is there are more spaces for us to speak our minds. However, we still can't get out of the patriarchal mindset. We haven't progressed enough, but at least we have gone past the days of "shut up and look pretty!"
It’s worth mentioning, her first husband Gregory Kelly is credited by her as helping her learn to act on stage at a time she was constantly being panned by critics. Her persistence and unwillingness to quit says a lot about her personality.
I can not stress you enough on how much I love Ruth Gordon. She has the gift of scene stealing like later actresses such as Sylvia miles, shohreh aghdashloo to even Monique she has the ability to erase everyone on set and have the audience focus on her. Her character Minnie castevet in Rosemary’s baby is a gemmed crown in the world of cinema and she will always be remembered righteously so.
Ruth Gordon -- one of my favorites of all time! I love all the little things she adds to her performances -- like licking her finger when she is serving cake in that Rosemary's Baby clip. Those nuances that make you know exactly who the character is. She was also a staple on talk shows at the time and she was always thoroughly entertaining (as you might expect a brilliant writer to be).
The genre bias isn’t just about horror too, fantasy, sci-fi, and comedy are overlooked as well. Animation isn’t a genre but medium but it’s also treated as genre and not taken often seriously. Musicals get sometimes more respect depending on decade and what kind or film it’s in question. Drama is the only consistently respected genre, thrillers so quite well on occasion as well. And if horror is popular it’s treated as thriller.
Honestly, this might be one of my favorite of your videos, such a great breakdown of a great actress and career, I love it. I also cannot believe that I still haven't seen Harold & Maude up until now and I have to change that immediately!
I love it that she always discusses all the nominees. I didn't really know much about Estelle Parsons until I saw this video. Now I admire her even more than I had.
I love the film The Actress about her early years with Spencer Tracy as her father and Jean Simmons playing the young Ruth as she is embarking on her career. It is a charming film.
I'd be interested in seeing a vid on Helen Hayes' two Oscar wins in the same vein as the videos on Ruth and Tallulah. Hayes is another one I never really "got" but was such an important and revered actress throughout the 20th Century. It would be interesting to see an analysis as to why she never became a true "movie star" in the traditional sense, but like Gordon maintained longevity in the public eye (and also like Gordon seemed to have a universally beloved status similar to Betty White).
What a wonderful video! Ruth was a wonderful woman, and I particularly enjoy her in "Lord Love a Duck" with Roddy McDowall. It's a smallish part in a very silly movie that's well worth the watch.
Love this film- it is far-out, but also contains some startling dramatic moments and memorable performances, particularly from Tuesday Weld and Lola Albright, who IMO were worthy of Oscar consideration, but that's another story.
My favorite book find of all time was from a small independent book store that was selling a 1st edition SIGNED copy of Ruth Gordon’s autobiography My Side. It was a fantastic read from a great writer and one of my most cherished possessions. Wish she got more recognition. ♥️
My favorite Ruth Gordon moment in "Rosemary's Baby" is in the finale, when Mia Farrow drops the knife. Gordon quickly snatches it up and rubs at the floor with concern. You may have the literal son of Satan in a bonnet in the room, you may be plotting the downfall of western civilization, and a hysterical woman may have been brandishing a butcher knife at you, but.... MIND the parquet flooring, please!
The best thing about your videos is that i get to know more about classic movies and actresses, it's kinda like going to school, but for film and acting. I like that.
I didn't know much about Ruth Gordon beyond "Rosemary's Baby" and "Harold and Maude", so I really enjoyed this video. Crazy to think she started her career in 1915; that photo of a young Ruth wearing Edwardian clothing made me realize just how long she had been working before she got the credit she was due. What a talented, amazing woman.
I remember in the late 1970s, Ruth Gordon & George Burns both had big resurgence! As a little kid, I watched them pop up in movies & TV sitcoms. They were all over and always entertaining.
Fun fact. Winona Ryder said her favorite star growing up and prototype for all her characters was Ruth gordon. She adored her. Right away you know the girl has taste
My introduction to Ruth Gordon was Every Which Way But Loose-Clint Eastwood. It was my dad's pick for family night out. She made that movie bearable. Good point on the Betty White observation!
I was one of those youngsters who was in awe of Ruth Gordon. I first saw her in the Eastwood films, the Rosemary's Baby and her various guest star appearances on TV. I remember when I heard Ruth Gordon was going to be on Newhart., I knew I was in for a treat and i was.
If you look back on that Oscar year three out of the five acting winners were vets, Jack Albertson, Kate Hepburn and Gordon. I can’t imagine any of the runners up coming close to her (Medford probably a distant second). Her previous nominations, plus her comedic skill she injected into Rosemarys Baby put her more than over the top. She had quite the final act in her last twenty years of life. Two golden globes, an Oscar and an Emmy. Loved her in My Bodyguard too. Truly an original. They don’t make ‘em like this anymore. As talented a screenwriter as actress. Thank you Ruth for all you gave us.
My goodness, you are such an EXCELLENT reviewer. Can't get over the thoroughness of your research and how clearly you present of your subject matter, often dealing with very complex historical situations, yet bringing it all together seamlessly. Thanks!
thank you so much! amazing as always! I think Lynn Carlin gave the best supporting performance this year, buth Ruth absolutely deserved her award! and yeah, Mia Farrow snub is still shocking to me after all these years
Hi Lizzy, I started watching your videos during the lock down and now am a big fan. Anytime I see a new video from you it goes right to the top of my priority list. That being said I wanted to say that this video in particular was food for my soul. I turn 50 this year and as of late have felt like I no longer have my hand on the pulse of current culture and can't participate. However after seeing this video on Ruth Gordon who up to her passing aged 88 was very hip and engaged; I have a new hero (Ruth Gordon is who I want to be when I grow up) and I have you to thank for that. So, thank you. You really help pull me out of a low spot.
@Jason Mack I’m so very pleased you’re enjoying these stellar essays re: some of the best, even though some actors may not be popular. I’m in my 40’s, the parent of a son named, literally, Eastwood, who is 22 and in college and we’re quite proud. I’m glad it’s making you feel you have amazing content for your mind. I, too, feel like I’ve lost my pulse on the current culture, but after seeing what’s out there, it doesn’t bother me as much, as everything I’m seeing, I don’t believe, isn’t worth a nanosecond of my time. With exceptions, of course, like ‘Mare of Easttown’, and a select few others. Believe you me, I know what it is to be low, so I can very much empathize, perhaps that’s what drew me to your quite candid comment. Glad you’re feeling better and found someone you’d like to be ‘when you grow up’! I’d love to be Cate Blanchette or Liz Taylor. PS- I was named after Hepburn, but my parents didn’t know it was spelled with an ‘a’ instead of an ‘e’! Love & Light from Miami Shores🦚 Stay safe mate🌎🙏🏼 Meditations and Prayers for Ukraine🇺🇦
Thank you So much for highlighting Ruth Gordon. I truly believe my favorite actual Actresses(Actors) of all time are Ms. Gordon, Lillian Gish, and Helen Hayes. They were not Studio produced Stars...Garbo, Shearer, Crawford....but ridiculously talented performers (and with Ruth, a writer). And granted Hayes was more Broadway than film. They each were unbelievable pioneers that had nearly a century long staying power ..Wow wow....and personally, R Gordon in Harold and Maude is in my top 5 all time performances in what is a perfect movie.
so many of my favorite people/films in one video! Ruth Gordon, Natalie Wood, Rosemary's Baby, The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter, John Cassavetes!! I'm forever begging for a video on Gena Rowlands 💜💜
She's one of those characters I feel I've known and been fascinated by since my earliest memories. A tiny woman with an eccentric energy, I can remember seeing pictures of her in Rosemary's Baby before I ever saw the film, and the same thing for Harold and Maude. I just love her so much in those films. What a wonderful actress!!!
Wonderful tribute to a great actress and human. I remember watching Harold and Maude as a deeply suicidal teenager and feeling an overwhelming kinship with her.
"Dorothy' Judy Holliday's character in "Adam's Rib" was "charged" with attempted murder, not murder. Thanks for covering one of my old Hollywood favorites.
This weekend I watched Thelma Ritter in “Pickup on South Street” on Criterion. Isn’t it time for a video appreciation? Six Oscar nominations the lady had, including four consecutive!
I sincerely love the way that you went off on an extended tangent, examining the actresses who were up for an Oscar the year that Ruth Gordon won the award. Very creative and brilliant! Kept me engaged in a way nothing else could have.
we are so lucky to have you on youtube. succinct, detailed, informative, professional, entertaining, no annoying gags and unfunny jokes, just seriously well-made videos
Wow! I was in college in the early nineties and saw Harold and Maude and loved it! I thought she was amazing! That being mostly pre-internet, I never knew about her career. Thank you for this! Always well done!
When I caught The Actress on TCM I was like, "I don't know a ton about Ruth Gordon, but I have to imagine Jean Simmons was wildly miscast." This video bolsters that opinion greatly. Such a charming person. People like to say Maude was one of the first MPDGs, but I feel like she had too much of an obvious inner life for that to be the case. If she had been played by a lesser actress, maybe I'd have a different opinion.
Originally Debbie Reynolds was slated to play in it. She was actually coached by John Gielgud in the Shakearian passages which never made it into the film. Ms. Reynolds also played the role in a Lux Radio production, I believe.. Judging from some costume photos, Reynolds would have been a better fit, but Simmons was flying high at the time.
@@thomasdonio2129 Oh, interesting. Debbie likely would've been a better fit, especially with her sprightliness. I don't want to seem like I think Jean sucks or anything, I just don't think she made sense in that role.
Years ago, I worked after school in an art gallery in midtown Manhattan. One day after delivering a package, I happened to walk by a tiny well-dressed elderly woman. I did a sudden double take as I realized I was looking at Ruth Gordon. I gawked, she smiled and gave me a wink, and kept right on walking. She made my day.
Wonderful. Occasionally I’d see actors on the NY street. They’d flash a smile. But a wink !!!
She was adorable🙂
I appreciate how it is never framed as if these actresses were competing against each other. You always manage to tell a story.
I liked that she thoroughly and succinctly delved into each actress’ career and put it in context for that point in time.
@@BlackDoveNYC That's why this channel is so GOOD...
This is the best channel on UA-cam. I love it so much that I joined Patreon for this channel alone.
@@BlackDoveNYC It's so educational on so many topics while being highly entertaining. We learn about each nominee, but we also learn about the history of cinema and of our culture. I've watched every video at least 3 times already, and there is so much to learn that I know I will go on watching them over and over.
She should have got an Oscar nomination for Harold and Maude!
Absolutely, my favorite movie of all time.
Unanimously agree
it's a performance that deserved so much more love at the time because now its a classic
@@janetmiller175 It's in my top 10 favorite movie list. It's been known to make me tear up. Touching and uplifting underneath the genuinely funny black comedy. :)
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The reveal of her tattoo as a survivor of the Holocaust only makes the character's joie de vivre that much more understandable. It's one of the very best characters put to film and I LOVE that it gets well-deserved acknowledgement here.
Ruth is an icon and should've been nominated again for Harold & Maude. However Rosemary's Baby deserved so many more nominations (esp Mia Farrow)
The fact that she wasn't at least nominated shows the Academy's disregard for the horror genre, which makes no sense (Mia Farrow, too). Sci-fi as well, which explains why Sigourney Weaver didn't win for Aliens.
@@KosOrSomeSayKosmo Sigourney Weaver did get nominated for Aliens lol
@@jeremywilliams3965 whoops, I meant didn't win, thanks!
I agree. Horror is now considered Oscar-worthy! I mean, look at Get Out and Us
@@GabyGibson I disagree. Toni Collette should have been nominated for Hereditary. She was amazing.
I met Ruth Gordon Back in November 1984 backstage at Whoopi Goldbergs first Broadway show. Mike Nichols was there, and Ruth Gordon with their wearing a pink raincoat with pink galoshes, and a pink rain hat. This wonderful video about her reminded me of exactly how memorable she really was. It was just a passing “How do you do?” but she was great! I was already a fan at 22 and it was such a treat to meet her and on the Eve Whoopi signing on to do “the color purple”
I’m obsessed with Ruth Gordon. Best Oscar speech of all time “I can't tell you how encouragin' a thing like this is..” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched her episode of Columbo - Try and Catch Me, as she plays mystery writer Abigail Mitchell. She was really brilliant.
That is a great episode.
@@daffyphack My second Favourite after Forgotten Lady...
I love her as the sheriff in Voyage of the Rock Aliens
Ruth Gordon's Oscar speech was genius!!
she is soo good in Rosemary's Baby - when she first meets Rosemary she asks "oh are you preg-a-nant?"
"“It pays to stay alive; you never know what’s going to happen” is among the numerous quotable nuggets from Ruth Gordon’s three delightful memoirs. She’s long been one of my favorite people, so this brilliant and inspired video essay was enthralling. Check out “Whatever Happened to Aunt Alice?” where she battles Geraldine Page!
I really loved "Whatever Happened To Aunt Alice"!! Extremely under-rated movie!!
Yes Aunt Alice was a riot. Love that movie with another legend Geraldine Page
Honestly, as someone that dealt with constant rejection and people telling me I wouldn't have the business I own now with 20+ employees... I love stories like this. She never gave up. It's remarkable.
👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
I'm so happy you mentioned Mia Farrow's snub for "Rosemary's Baby" - she really anchored that movie beautifully. Thanks for throwing that in. I remember after she was also ignored for her remarkable work in "Broadway Danny Rose" thinking, "Well, here we go again...".
She is the heart of everything we, as an audience, go through in Rosemary's Baby.
That's a tough thing to perform - having full knowledge during filming, while keeping us all on her naíve and increasingly terrified journey. That's art in subtlety.
Your videos are consistently top-notch: impeccably researched, thoroughly insightful, and wonderfully entertaining.
And the writing. It manages to be authoritative, humorous, and affectionate.
AGREED!
This is one of my favorite channels on UA-cam. I'm an English professor with a passion for classic films. I appreciate the level of research, and I certainly appreciate the thought and work it takes to make discussions interesting and entertaining as well as informative. In addition, I teach a course in horror lit, and the channel often notes that the genre deserves more recognition than it receives. Obviously, I am of like mind.
@@do9138 Thanks for commenting! What a blessing to be able to teach what you love. Personally, I can't abide the horror genre, but I have a good friend who loves it....I hope BKR continues for many years to come.
@@KingoftheJuice18 I love this channel. I have watched every video two or three times. I have learned so much about actors that I have always admired.
Id love you to do a breakdown on Barbara Stanwyck and her career. One of my first loves. Just a brilliant unique actress.
Double Indemnity was one of the finest examples for character acting, and a definite game changer performance for women in Hollywood
Greta Garbo right after too.
I do think she deserved an Oscar for Rosemarys Baby. It was a "simple role" that she made so dynamic all by herself.
She was funny, irritating, charming, chilling, compassionate, cold, and a genuine scene stealer in every moment she's on screen.
She reminds me so much of Thelma Ritter. A powerhouse actress that doesnt even have to really try, a good performance comes naturally to them.
Just because they make it look effortless doesn't mean they aren't putting the work in.
I think it's like a Swan on a lake - all we see is this still, graceful bird gliding across the water, but underneath its legs are going like crazy to keep it moving!
I hope this doesn't seem argumentative/rude, I just think it does them a disservice to suggest they didn't work hard at their craft.
Yes, they had incredible talent, but they also worked at refining it and knew how to hone those skills.
Yes! She reminds me so much of Thelma Ritter! When Thelma was on screen, she dominated the scene. As did Ruth in Rosemary’s Baby
The movie is so close to the source material and I swear, it was written for her. The woman in the novel IS Ruth Gordon. Just the most brilliant casting.
Thelma Ritter never got the recognition she deserved.
I love Ruth Gordon. Her performances in Rosemary's Baby and Harold and Maude are some of my favorites. She's a little wacky and crazy in a very lovable way. I adore her.
Her performance in Harold and Maude absolutely changed my brain chemistry forever.
The whole bit about talented actors who are “discovered” and become a star after many years is so commonplace. For example, in Mainstream Hindi Cinema, we had Neena Gupta who worked in some credible roles across media but got her break much later, Lilette Dubey who was a Stage Icon but made her film debut in her 40s and Boman Irani who started his film much later in life.
It happens in the music industry too. Pulp were billed as an 'overnight success', despite having been touring for 15 years and releasing an earlier album. I'm sure there's plenty of other examples, I think the news/print media just like the concept/template, and it's aspirational so sells well, so they apply it wherever they can. Why let the truth get in the way of a good story?
I’m so glad you are delving into the supporting category and that you started with Ruth Gordon, who won for the year I was born, and who was a talented, enduring and resourceful badass extraordinaire. You said what I’ve always thought: She won for an non horror movie performance in a horror movie. In my opinion, she is one of the actors who won for a comedic role. And I love how you called her Minnie a Satanic Dolly! So perfect and true. I’ve never thought of it that way. I wish I could have seen her Dolly Levi. Thanks for this wonderful tribute to a great woman.
"And for those who didn't vote for me... Please, excuse me" HER OSCAR SPEECH IS LIFE GOALS! 😂😎
She’s blunt and funny🤣‼️
Thank you for highlighting “Ruth Gordon” I always thought she was one of the greats. That reporter was right, sometimes you just have to survive, the rest will eventually see how great you are.
I don't have a lot of goals in life, but one I do have is to be as Ruth Gordon (or Thelma Ritter)-like as possible when I reach retirement age. What a fabulous woman!
Ruth Gordon is amazing! I liked her normal approach to her character in Rosemary's Baby. It made the reveals more potent.
She has done everything! She even had her hagsploitation moment in "What ever happened to aunt Alice?" starring opposite Geraldine Page
Those hagsploitation titles are like Mad Libs
I fell in love with Ruth Gordon after seeing Harold and Maude. I’m so glad this video was made, she deserves so much more recognition.
"... more than anything else, she has survived. She was too short to be an actress, but she acted anyway. She was not pretty enough to be in the movies, but she was in films anyway."
Darn... as someone with severe inferiority complex in some aspects of myself, this hits so close to home that I have teared up and almost cried. I have never heard about Ruth Gordon before, but, from this video at least, she seems like such an inspirational person.
Thank you for this video 💖😭
I loved her in.... Every Which Way But Loose. She is so funny with every movement of her body, her face, movements, voice, hand gestures.....love her!
when you talked about horror usually getting snubbed at the oscars the first thing that came to mind was Kathy Bates' amazing performance in Misery (And also one of the funniest oscar speeches in a while, "and apologize to the ankles..."). Would love to see a video about that year's best actress category.
Ooh, I'd love to see that! Seconded!! 😁
Agreed!
Bates is phenomenal in everything she does. She is as funny in Fried Green Tomatoes as she is chilling in Misery.
My first cognitive awareness of Ruth Gordon was in Rosemary's Baby which I first saw in the summer of 1980 at a local theatre. I was captivated by Ruth's performance and henceforth was gladdened whenever I would catch her in another film role. She was so unique as an actress and in my opinion, undervalued in the film industry. Thank you for highlighting her career here. I'll have to do a search for her other performances on my available streaming services.
My favorite scene in Rosemary is the cake scene. It’s utterly brilliant and bizarre the way she used the fork and devoured the cake like a gargoyle. That scene was (chef’s kiss)
I know, right? The way she somehow uses her entire body to thrust that forkful of cake into her mouth is appallingly funny and so disturbing. And so crazily New York in a way.
Harold and Maude is one of my all time favorite films and Ruth Gordon herself is a legend of artistry in all it's aspects!
Ruth Gordon’s career is a gift to us. Your editing and commentary flow are a pleasure. 🎯 You’ve connected many elusive dots. What a panoramic body of work to explore. I’ll view this many times.
📌 It’s a “must share”.
Again! A gift we didn’t know we needed. I love Ruth Gordon.
Excellent presentation. One reason Farrow wasn't nominated for "Rosemary's Baby" was because Universal rush-released "Isadora" (which they subsequently withdrew, recut and re-released as "The Loves of Isadora") to get a nomination for Vanessa Redgrave. I think that Redgrave bumped Farrow from the list.
Ruth Gordon was a fantastic actress and extremely talented and brilliant!!!!!
Another astonishing video from Be Kind Rewind! I loved learning about Ruth Gordon’s life and career, including her time as a screenwriter. I also enjoyed the analysis of the Academy’s mostly pitiful history with the horror genre and how Gordon was able to overcome that stigma to take home the Supporting Actress trophy for Rosemary’s Baby. This channel is the best of the best, just pure Heaven for film and Oscar aficionados. Great work!
Love Ruth Gordon. I had a neighbour who I was friends with for 8 years who was so like Ruth Gordon. She was a riot
Her "GET OFF MY PROPERTY" line in Every Which Way should be a meme if it already isn't one lmao
Gotta love Ruth Gordon in Rosemary's Baby. She is so memorable.
I clicked on this video so fast. I remember as a kid first seeing Ruth Gordon in Every Which Way But Loose, and i was just so enamoured with her and her work.
i love her oscar speech!! that was amazing. i read her autobiography (a really long time ago) & what stuck out to me was her expression of the migration she mentioned many 'midwester girls' were making to either broadway, or to hollywood, in the post flu pandemic/post war 1920s. my grandmother was a part of that. she became a 'fit dept store' model in cleveland. then returned home to realize it was all FALLONY. still, i love ruth gordon . . .
Her role in Every Which Way But Loose was one of the best ever:):)
SOOOOO deserved. Her role in Rosemary’s Baby is so memorable and well done.
I must also say that this channel is a masterpiece every time and you are criminally underrated! Much love ❤
Thank you for a lovely tribute to an all time original, the great Ruth Gordon. I have all her books and reread them periodically just to give myself a boost; what a terrific writer, as her screenplays can attest. She was so inspirational and such a great star of stage and screen and tv, where she was the best talk show guest back in her heyday. I was lucky to see her give a talk at NYU in the early 1980s and by that time Ruth Gordon was a tiny little old lady who was absolutely swarmed by adoring students when she finished. She transcended generations and was far ahead of her time. She gave me an autograph which I treasure, and was an absolute firecracker, a dynamo and a brilliant woman who persevered with humor, talent and determination.
I loved her. Even as a kid, I was drawn to her. She was so delightful. She was born the same year as one of my grandfathers. I never realized she was as old as she was. She had such a young spirit.
My family always looks forward to these videos - you really understand how to craft an experience! We are so spoiled with these high-quality, fascinating, and entertaining videos! Thank you :)
I agree. Your work is of the highest level and we are the better and the wiser for it.
I didn't know that Ruth was in Inside Daisy Clover! That is my favorite Natalie Wood movie. The scene where she's dubbing for missed lines on the soundstage and gets more and more claustrophobic is my favorite scene in the whole film. Unfortunately, the only movie I watched that Ruth Gordon was in was Rosemary's Baby! I would love to see you do a video essay on Natalie Wood next!
Yes to all of this. That scene really makes the whole movie (very underrated redford performance in it too). Would love a video about NW's work in the 60s.
@@robertgoyette5863 I think her daughter had the best explanation of that scene in her mom's HBO documentary. She explained how that scene of her screaming inside the booth and how nobody outside could hear her was symbolic for her and many other women in Hollywood during that time. They felt like they were not being heard and instead were being ignored and pushed aside by powerful, cis, het, white men
@@rebeccassweetmusic4632 sadly things haven't progressed enough in that regard. 😔
@@helenl3193 Yeah... 😔 The good thing is there are more spaces for us to speak our minds. However, we still can't get out of the patriarchal mindset. We haven't progressed enough, but at least we have gone past the days of "shut up and look pretty!"
@@robertgoyette5863 Same! I love Natalie Wood.
Talent is talent. Her turns in Clint Eastwoods 'Every which way but loose' and 'Any which way you can' are comedy gold. She steals those films.
It’s worth mentioning, her first husband Gregory Kelly is credited by her as helping her learn to act on stage at a time she was constantly being panned by critics. Her persistence and unwillingness to quit says a lot about her personality.
I can not stress you enough on how much I love Ruth Gordon. She has the gift of scene stealing like later actresses such as Sylvia miles, shohreh aghdashloo to even Monique she has the ability to erase everyone on set and have the audience focus on her. Her character Minnie castevet in Rosemary’s baby is a gemmed crown in the world of cinema and she will always be remembered righteously so.
Ruth Gordon -- one of my favorites of all time! I love all the little things she adds to her performances -- like licking her finger when she is serving cake in that Rosemary's Baby clip. Those nuances that make you know exactly who the character is. She was also a staple on talk shows at the time and she was always thoroughly entertaining (as you might expect a brilliant writer to be).
Omg I was *also* fascinated by that scene in Rosemarys Baby. That whole movie is filled with her strange but natural choices
Harold and Maude is one of my all-time favorite movies! I knew nothing of her history so thank you SO much for that walk through her time! xoxo
It's just so great to have your documentaries to listen to. Thank you for making my life better.
The genre bias isn’t just about horror too, fantasy, sci-fi, and comedy are overlooked as well. Animation isn’t a genre but medium but it’s also treated as genre and not taken often seriously. Musicals get sometimes more respect depending on decade and what kind or film it’s in question. Drama is the only consistently respected genre, thrillers so quite well on occasion as well. And if horror is popular it’s treated as thriller.
It honestly amazes me that Sigourney Weaver managed to get an Oscar Nomination for Aliens since that's an Action Horror/ Science Fiction Hybrid.
Honestly, this might be one of my favorite of your videos, such a great breakdown of a great actress and career, I love it. I also cannot believe that I still haven't seen Harold & Maude up until now and I have to change that immediately!
I love it that she always discusses all the nominees. I didn't really know much about Estelle Parsons until I saw this video. Now I admire her even more than I had.
Not having heard of Ruth Gordon is unimaginable to me. Wonderful video.
She also went back to the academy and told the graduating class, "Never Give Up!"
Love, love, love Ruth Gordan. Once saw her and her husband at the Russian Tea Room in NY city. They were lovely people.
I love the film The Actress about her early years with Spencer Tracy as her father and Jean Simmons playing the young Ruth as she is embarking on her career. It is a charming film.
I'd be interested in seeing a vid on Helen Hayes' two Oscar wins in the same vein as the videos on Ruth and Tallulah. Hayes is another one I never really "got" but was such an important and revered actress throughout the 20th Century. It would be interesting to see an analysis as to why she never became a true "movie star" in the traditional sense, but like Gordon maintained longevity in the public eye (and also like Gordon seemed to have a universally beloved status similar to Betty White).
What a wonderful video! Ruth was a wonderful woman, and I particularly enjoy her in "Lord Love a Duck" with Roddy McDowall. It's a smallish part in a very silly movie that's well worth the watch.
Love this film- it is far-out, but also contains some startling dramatic moments and memorable performances, particularly from Tuesday Weld and Lola Albright, who IMO were worthy of Oscar consideration, but that's another story.
Ruth Gordon's career is the perfect example of what a true what an artist should be.
My favorite book find of all time was from a small independent book store that was selling a 1st edition SIGNED copy of Ruth Gordon’s autobiography My Side. It was a fantastic read from a great writer and one of my most cherished possessions. Wish she got more recognition. ♥️
It should get a reissue.
I definitely will search for this. Many thanks. 🏮
My favorite Ruth Gordon moment in "Rosemary's Baby" is in the finale, when Mia Farrow drops the knife. Gordon quickly snatches it up and rubs at the floor with concern. You may have the literal son of Satan in a bonnet in the room, you may be plotting the downfall of western civilization, and a hysterical woman may have been brandishing a butcher knife at you, but.... MIND the parquet flooring, please!
I wonder if that was the Inspiration for "That is MAHOGANY!" Scene in The Hunger Games where Katniss stabs a Table.
Thank you for always covering these legends! I love how much research you do into each person.
The best thing about your videos is that i get to know more about classic movies and actresses, it's kinda like going to school, but for film and acting. I like that.
Love Ruth Gordon. What an amazing and fascinating person and actor.
This has become my favorite channel and you have been guide to classic Hollywood
I didn't know much about Ruth Gordon beyond "Rosemary's Baby" and "Harold and Maude", so I really enjoyed this video. Crazy to think she started her career in 1915; that photo of a young Ruth wearing Edwardian clothing made me realize just how long she had been working before she got the credit she was due. What a talented, amazing woman.
I remember in the late 1970s, Ruth Gordon & George Burns both had big resurgence! As a little kid, I watched them pop up in movies & TV sitcoms. They were all over and always entertaining.
Fun fact. Winona Ryder said her favorite star growing up and prototype for all her characters was Ruth gordon. She adored her. Right away you know the girl has taste
My introduction to Ruth Gordon was Every Which Way But Loose-Clint Eastwood. It was my dad's pick for family night out. She made that movie bearable. Good point on the Betty White observation!
A very admirable actress.
I was one of those youngsters who was in awe of Ruth Gordon. I first saw her in the Eastwood films, the Rosemary's Baby and her various guest star appearances on TV. I remember when I heard Ruth Gordon was going to be on Newhart., I knew I was in for a treat and i was.
If you look back on that Oscar year three out of the five acting winners were vets, Jack Albertson, Kate Hepburn and Gordon. I can’t imagine any of the runners up coming close to her (Medford probably a distant second). Her previous nominations, plus her comedic skill she injected into Rosemarys Baby put her more than over the top. She had quite the final act in her last twenty years of life. Two golden globes, an Oscar and an Emmy. Loved her in My Bodyguard too. Truly an original. They don’t make ‘em like this anymore. As talented a screenwriter as actress. Thank you Ruth for all you gave us.
My goodness, you are such an EXCELLENT reviewer. Can't get over the thoroughness of your research and how clearly you present of your subject matter, often dealing with very complex historical situations, yet bringing it all together seamlessly. Thanks!
Heck yes, I love Ruth Gordon! So excited to hunker down and watch this.
I love you so much for this! I adore Ruth Gordon and Harold and Maude is my all time favourite film. It changed my life as a teenager in the 80s.
thank you so much! amazing as always! I think Lynn Carlin gave the best supporting performance this year, buth Ruth absolutely deserved her award! and yeah, Mia Farrow snub is still shocking to me after all these years
Saw the almost 30mins length of this video with Ruth Garden in it. Instantly clicked!
Hi Lizzy, I started watching your videos during the lock down and now am a big fan. Anytime I see a new video from you it goes right to the top of my priority list. That being said I wanted to say that this video in particular was food for my soul. I turn 50 this year and as of late have felt like I no longer have my hand on the pulse of current culture and can't participate. However after seeing this video on Ruth Gordon who up to her passing aged 88 was very hip and engaged; I have a new hero (Ruth Gordon is who I want to be when I grow up) and I have you to thank for that. So, thank you. You really help pull me out of a low spot.
@Jason Mack I’m so very pleased you’re enjoying these stellar essays re: some of the best, even though some actors may not be popular.
I’m in my 40’s, the parent of a son named, literally, Eastwood, who is 22 and in college and we’re quite proud.
I’m glad it’s making you feel you have amazing content for your mind.
I, too, feel like I’ve lost my pulse on the current culture, but after seeing what’s out there, it doesn’t bother me as much, as everything I’m seeing, I don’t believe, isn’t worth a nanosecond of my time.
With exceptions, of course, like ‘Mare of Easttown’, and a select few others.
Believe you me, I know what it is to be low, so I can very much empathize, perhaps that’s what drew me to your quite candid comment.
Glad you’re feeling better and found someone you’d like to be ‘when you grow up’!
I’d love to be Cate Blanchette or Liz Taylor.
PS- I was named after Hepburn, but my parents didn’t know it was spelled with an ‘a’ instead of an ‘e’!
Love & Light from Miami Shores🦚
Stay safe mate🌎🙏🏼
Meditations and Prayers for Ukraine🇺🇦
Thank you So much for highlighting Ruth Gordon. I truly believe my favorite actual Actresses(Actors) of all time are Ms. Gordon, Lillian Gish, and Helen Hayes. They were not Studio produced Stars...Garbo, Shearer, Crawford....but ridiculously talented performers (and with Ruth, a writer). And granted Hayes was more Broadway than film. They each were unbelievable pioneers that had nearly a century long staying power ..Wow wow....and personally, R Gordon in Harold and Maude is in my top 5 all time performances in what is a perfect movie.
so many of my favorite people/films in one video! Ruth Gordon, Natalie Wood, Rosemary's Baby, The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter, John Cassavetes!! I'm forever begging for a video on Gena Rowlands 💜💜
Another excellent examination of a great actress and creative person. Thank you!
I love Ruth Gordon! Let’s go ♥️
Ruth was adorable as the Feisty Grandma in the 1980's classic film, "My Bodyguard".
She's one of those characters I feel I've known and been fascinated by since my earliest memories. A tiny woman with an eccentric energy, I can remember seeing pictures of her in Rosemary's Baby before I ever saw the film, and the same thing for Harold and Maude. I just love her so much in those films. What a wonderful actress!!!
Wonderful tribute to a great actress and human.
I remember watching Harold and Maude as a deeply suicidal teenager and feeling an overwhelming kinship with her.
Ruth Gordon was great in "whatever happened to aunt alice?" from 1969.
Thanks for doing an excellent (as usual) video on one of my favorite stars - Ruth Gordon.
What a superb tribute/retrospective/review of Ms Gordon. She’s an icon and you did her proud.
"Dorothy' Judy Holliday's character in "Adam's Rib" was "charged" with attempted murder, not murder. Thanks for covering one of my old Hollywood favorites.
This weekend I watched Thelma Ritter in “Pickup on South Street” on Criterion. Isn’t it time for a video appreciation? Six Oscar nominations the lady had, including four consecutive!
I’m always excited to watch one of your videos, but supporting actress AND Ruth Gordon? I’m dropping everything to watch right now!
I sincerely love the way that you went off on an extended tangent, examining the actresses who were up for an Oscar the year that Ruth Gordon won the award. Very creative and brilliant! Kept me engaged in a way nothing else could have.
we are so lucky to have you on youtube. succinct, detailed, informative, professional, entertaining, no annoying gags and unfunny jokes, just seriously well-made videos
Always loved Ruth Gordon's work - both writing and acting.
Absolutely fascinating. I am so grateful for a writer of your quality here on UA-cam.
This is excellent ! Thank you so much for making a video on a completely underrated artist.
Wow! I was in college in the early nineties and saw Harold and Maude and loved it! I thought she was amazing! That being mostly pre-internet, I never knew about her career. Thank you for this! Always well done!
Oh wow! I’ve been hoping you’d get around to making this video from the day I first found your channel! What a treat! Thank you!!!
When I caught The Actress on TCM I was like, "I don't know a ton about Ruth Gordon, but I have to imagine Jean Simmons was wildly miscast." This video bolsters that opinion greatly. Such a charming person. People like to say Maude was one of the first MPDGs, but I feel like she had too much of an obvious inner life for that to be the case. If she had been played by a lesser actress, maybe I'd have a different opinion.
Originally Debbie Reynolds was slated to play in it. She was actually coached by John Gielgud in the Shakearian passages which never made it into the film. Ms. Reynolds also played the role in a Lux Radio production, I believe.. Judging from some costume photos, Reynolds would have been a better fit, but Simmons was flying high at the time.
@@thomasdonio2129 Oh, interesting. Debbie likely would've been a better fit, especially with her sprightliness. I don't want to seem like I think Jean sucks or anything, I just don't think she made sense in that role.