The Untold Family Tragedy of Mercedes McCambridge
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- Опубліковано 22 січ 2024
- Mercedes McCambridge Son John Markle and the family massacre. Friends with James Dean she bizarrely found James Dean's DEATH CAR at the Accident site.
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#mercedesmccambridge #jamesdean #wizardofoz #exorcist #truecrime
I worked at an optometrist office in La Jolla from 98-2002. The building she lived in was across the street. The first time I met her I did not know who she was. She was very nice and funny. She then told me that she was an actress and that she had an Oscar. A few days later I visited LA and was walking on Hollywood Boulevard and saw her star. I got to know her very well in those years that I worked there. She shared a lot of great stories with me. She was an amazing person.
How fortunate for you. Very cool!
@@DearlyDepartedTours
I was a college student at the University of Portland in Portland, Oregon in about 1978. I was working in the library and the 2 regular employees became really excited and ran to the windows to see Mercedes McCambridge who was staring in the college play. I remember her walking so boldly wearing a cape-like garment and it seems she was a large woman. I watched your video because of that memory and wanted to get a closer view, so thank you for this. I will now subscribe. ❤
She was certainly a lady with a very strong constitution about her.
Thanks Scott
OMG! John wants to blame his mom for his decision to murder his family and everything else that led up to it. Wow....uh, no. I've never heard this story. Poor Mercedes. Thanks for doing this video.
He knew the Clinton's makes me think they had their grubby paws in on the action regarding the scams he was pulling.
This is why you don't neglect or ignore your children. It has a horrible affect on them.
The extreme selfishness of deciding your family should not be allowed to live because you have brought them scandal and financial ruin.
He killed his whole family to lay a guilt trip on his mother - that is what his letter pretty much says.
@@poetcomic1 Yes. No one should have to die because some guy had hurt feelings over his mother's life-long neglect, but the neglect is still the catalyst for what happened. Bad parenting always leads to unhappy children. It doesn't always end horribly like this, but it often takes its toll in other ways.
my mom was an alcoholic , such tortured souls, and they do leave so much tragedy behind. such a well done production, thank you . i remember so many of Mercedes performances, the stand-off with Joan was outstanding. rest in peace to the dear innocent children.
My mama was too as well as bipolar. She was mostly Choctaw and came from a family history pf alcoholism a d abuse. I was her target, primarily but really, so were most people. She died relatively young, 53, I had to sign to take her off the ventilator. I was 33. I had a lot of issues due to everything. That was almost 30 years ago. I realize every day how so much of her behavior effected me and still does.
so similar, i am so sorry. @@retha1875
@@retha1875 my father in law was only 50 when he died from alchoholism, his two sons now in their 70s have suffered their whole lives with terrible memories and emotional problems. The family was fractured by the time they were teens and their mother had personality problems also. I hope you can break free from the remaining residue of of all of it. Remember, you are #1, and a survivor, be good to yourself.
@@retha1875 🫂
My late father was an alcoholic People don't drink because they are happy. They drink to forget
The level of tragedy in her story has left me feeling gutted. How horrible!
My head is spinning. That was a lot to take in all at once! Great storytelling, Scott!
Glad you enjoyed it!
That is awful for Mercedes, having to read that note from her son. Alcoholism is patient and if you stop drinking and then start again, alcohol will pick up where you left off. I have been sober for 32 years now and I am grateful to have had great support in the begging of my AA journey,k RIP Mercedes, you will never be forgotten. Thank you, Scott for sharing her story.
Her son blamed her for all of his problems.
@@GeminiladyJackson-xq6hc Sadly true.
Mercedes came to my high school to talk about AA and her alcoholism. Years later she was an influence in my own struggle with alcohol. I knew her life was tragic, but didn't know her son was an annihilator to boot. Poor woman, some humans are just born to lifelong tragedy and suffering.
Whoa! I've always liked Mercedes McCambridge from Giant but had no idea about her son. Yikes! What a sad story. Thank you Scott, informative as always. ❤
I thought to myself "How interesting can Mercedes McCambridge be?"...I am so glad I watched it. Fascinating 🎉
This tragedy is news to me, how absolutely heartbreaking. RIP dear sweet souls. Thank you Scott for an excellent production.
She was a good actress. I love the movie Giant. How traumatizing to see James Dean's death car.
What an amazing story! Thank you for sharing the life of Mercedes McCambridge. I didn't realize how sad her life was. May she rest in peace.
I have never understood how someone could kill their family just because they hit rock bottom and want to die. Especially your children. 😢
Oh my gosh what a horrific story, so sad.
I love Mercedes performance in Giant (one of my favorite films also), she was brilliant in that roll.
Thank you for sharing this story, Scott!
👍👍
Good Christ!! I had no idea. This is all so haunting. Shades of John List, with a Hollywood overlay. That poor doomed family. Extraordinary work, as always. Thanks, Scott.
The big difference being that List didn't kill himself.
Excellent point. That smarmy bastard found a way to continue his absurdity of a life while depriving his innocent family of theirs...🥺
@@ellenfagan4338I threw up in my mouth a little when in John's final written twelve page letter he ordered for the bodies of his family (who he'd just murdered) to be cremated - as if he was disposing of property. And then he blames everything on his mother!!! Scumbag.
@@ellenfagan4338 His religious belief allowed him to send his family to "a better place", thus in his mind he was a savior, not a murderer.
I always wondered if he truly believed that or if he made up that "press release" in his head so he could move forward with his life. Haunting either way!
Outstanding video, Scott! Always found McCambridge to be an actress you couldn't take your eyes off of when she was on the screen. Had no idea of the tragedies in her life. Well done, Sir...
This was absolutely fascinating! Thank you! She scared the crap outa me in The Exorcist!
Did the scary voices for a very possessed Linda Blair in that movie.
Thank you Scott , you never disappoint , interesting interesting story Mercedes “ stood out in Giant” among the major stars like rock Hudson james Dean Liz Taylor, great actress , she went thru so much Your videos are always so interesting , fascinating really , thank you. May all RIP especially Mercedes son’s family very sad.
You have a knack for covering THE most interesting Hollywood stories. Thank you!
WOW! I had no idea that the woman who played Luz in Giant was the voice in the Exorcist!
Yeah, I knew about her voice over in The Exorcist, but I didnt know about her role in Giant or connection with James Dean or the whole thing about her son and his family. Good Lord. RIP Mercedes!
Thank you for this bio on Mercedes Mc Cambridge. She was one tough lady. There was more talent in her little finger than most of the actresses combined in modern day Hollywood.
Scott I hope you read this....I absolutely love these stories, please do more. Its amazing to find out all about someones life and this lady who I had never previously heard of. You are a brilliant storyteller.
Amazing old Hollywood stories. I love it. Thank you for bringing it to us!
Scott Michaels, you have a great voice for storytelling 💕💜
Wow, thank you!
She was a regular on *CBS Radio Mystery Theater* - absolutely loved her on that radio show, as a teen I listened to it religiously in the late 70's and early 80's, it was hosted by E.G. Marshall, you can find all the episodes here on UA-cam, if you are not familiar, give the show a listen, its fantastic
I'm listening 🎧 to CBS Radio Mystery Theater right now!
@@GeminiladyJackson-xq6hc Nice! first time? I love listening at bedtime and falling asleep to it. E.G. Marshall is such an amazing host
@@maha77 I had been listening 🎧 to CBS Radio Mystery Theater since I was a small child in the late 1970's. The episodes with Mercedes McCambridge were great!
@@GeminiladyJackson-xq6hc Her voice and acting are amazing, I just love her. What a great childhood to have CBSRMT, just like mine!
@@maha77 When I was a kid listening to Mystery Theater, I didn't appreciate it like I do now. Thank you for your kind comments.
Dang Scott, this was excellent story telling. I was glued to the screen. Almost got in trouble watching this at work.
Thanks Scott..one of my favorite actresses. Glad she’s not forgotten.
I've been to that gas station and by the place where James Dean was killed. It was during the one and only time that I've been to California, and we found it all by accident. Very fortuitous
I don’t remember ever hearing about this lady . What a tragic ending for her son and his family .
John Markle was a deeply disturbed man.
Wow, alcohol is a patient drug...wow and SO true, I have lived it most of my days...Thank you for posting this, Blessings...
Fantastic! I thought I had heard ALL of the crimes of Actors/Actresses. This is brilliant, thankyou.
You are an amazing storyteller. This one was a hard one. That poor family.
What a truly awful thing for anyone to do to their mother, just think of the guilt and horror the poor woman must have lived with and his poor family, who paid the ultimate price for his criminal behaviour. Thank you for this multi layered story, so much content in so little time.
Thank you for sharing her story, Scott. I have always been intrigued by Mercedes McCambridge, although I have seen her in very few of her movies and have known nothing of her life. Well done!
Great video Scott good thing you pay homage to this awesome actress without her The Exorcist would not even be the same film
Thanks Scott, what a strange and sad life the lady had. I wonder how much she must have blamed herself, after the Son's vile blaming.
Scott, your work never disappoints. This story was insane. Thank you.
Mercedes was on a episode of the original Magnum pi .Thank you Scott for sharing this beautiful lady's life .How sad for her son to get that hopeless to kill his family an his self 😢😢
Yes I rember that ep I think she played a blind woman tm cared for
@@garymangan2761 yeo i have the whole collection of the original Magnum pi she was in a wheelchair an she was a former client of magnum
Loved this one Scott, I do remember this actress, I liked her, so horrific in regards to her family, but even the weird event at the gas station, Jimmy's car, how horrible for her to see that. Thanks Scott x
Thank You Karen! x
What a horrible thing to happen to anyone. That's why sometimes it's best NEVER to have children .
You've simply outdone yourself, Scott. What a HORRID man her son John grew up to be - pshew. Watching that snippet of Mercedes reenacting the voiceover is amazing! Thanks, now I'm talking to my dogs in the Pazuzu voice! When The Exorcist is remade again, l totally suggest Nathan Lane to do the Pazuzu voiceover!
Classic movies are being destroyed by remakes.
If we're discussing just this, there are 6 Exorcist movies + the TV version with Geena Davis (which was surprisingly good) so l don't see the harm. I feel your pain but decades have passed - it is what it is.
The House in Little Rock was in the Quapaw District... another VERY famous house is located there as well, Villa Marre. That was the house that was used as the outside of the Sugarbaker's Design Firm, and also where the character Julia Sugarbaker lived.
Who is Sugarbaker?
@@MB-vu3ow Sugarbaker's was the name of the design firm on the TV Show Designing Women. It was the last name of two characters on the show, Julia and Suzanne Sugarbaker. It was a fantastic show!
@@MB-vu3ow Do u know how to Google it?
@@LadyDragonsbloodoh,yes! Thanks a lot for answering.
@@MB-vu3owcharacter from a show called Designing Women.
Wonderful job Scott! What an interesting & tragic life Mercedes had. I will have to watch her films and study her.
I was unaware of this history. Thanks so much for sharing the story! Excellent presentation.
I loved the story about Dorothy's dress at the end....i'm so glad it was found again. Always loved that dress, it's iconic. The family story is very sad, i never knew any of this information, thanks for a great video once again. May she and her family RIP.
Scott has the best stories and ASMR voice.
Finally! I've wondered why this story has been talked about so rarely. I grew up in Little Rock. I vividly remember the murders. His wearing that mask on Halloween night during a violent thunderstorm and methodically murdering them all was nightmare fuel for the entire city. The house is still there, restored and has been lived in for years.
Very interesting story. Great narration Scott. Thanks for all you do. Hi to Troy.
Great story! Never had known about that tale. That was excellent storytelling Scott. Historically very entertaining. Keep up the good work. I have been following you for years and you do great work. Always much luck to you and your partner.
What she said about torturing herself to channel lucifer for the exorcist is pretty chilling. Her determination and dedication to that voice is unmatched to this day.
That scene with her in A Touch of Evil is going to be hard to forget.
What a fantastic story. Thank you Scott
What a weird story. Scott, you never disappoint!
What an enthralling story I never knew! Fantastic footage and amazing tale. By the way, Costa Verde was about 7 miles from our house. I remember when it was built as part of La Jolla Village (which was not La Jolla). :-) Great video, Scott! One of my favorites. :-)
Amazes me how some actors feel destroyed by the parts they get, then find a different living. The idea she started drinking again for a part. She obviously was a very troubled women. Ive always enjoyed her acting. Really sad.
Yep. Agreed.
This story makes me so sad .. i had no idea of any of this . Thank you , Scott .!
This was AMAZING 👏👏👏 Great historical content !
Mercedes McCambridge can be heard on Sirius channel 148, she plays the lead in "Defense Attorney" and has some what of a unique voice. Thank you for your work, always interesting.
I live in Little Rock and remember the murders-suicide like it was yesterday. It was such a horrible tragedy and I always felt such sadness for the wife and children of John Markel
Amazing story. Thank you.
What a complete "see you next Tuesday" John was.
C U next Tuesday
OMG !! What an incredible story. I truly enjoyed Mercedes McCambridge. Her life was certainly very sad
She was a great actress, she did the voice of Regan/Demon in The Exorcist also❤
When I first saw The Exorcist, I couldn't eat green pea soup for many years.
Grisely and bizarre. Strange also is the fact that Miss McCambridge, while a starlet at MGM, befriended and became lifelong friends with one of her fellow classmates, Donna Reed.
Why is it strange they became friends?
I appreciate these lesser known stories scott. Right on. Edit absolutely horrific
Such an interesting account of a very intriguing person. Thank you for such amazing content, Scott.
She also was on the CBS Radio Mystery Theater in the 70s...I still listen to them today...she was in about a dozen+ shows and they were pretty good episodes that she starred in. Her voice is very unique. I'm familiar with all the old classic movies you named that she was in but I never knew her name in those so I never correlated the two. Thank you for the work that you do... fascinating and educational!
Brilliant! Well done piece. I grew up listening to Mercedes on The CBS Radio Mystery Theater. She was always brilliant!
The James Dean crash is big lore around here. It was closest to Shandon. Yes, Marfa looks a great deal like it could've just been filmed somewhere in the Central San Joaquin Valley. Many films have been either fully or partially shot up here, and that terrible "Hands Across America," thing was as well. I can always see when they've shot of something here, and I tell my husband, "look, they just went through that intersection four times," lol. There aren't a lot of places close to L.A. you can say that about. The Bakersfield to Central Coast trip can be done three ways, depending on exactly which area you're leaving from and which coastal beach town you're headed to. But make no mistake, that like the road James Dean died on, all of them have the "blood alley" moniker for good reason. Be safe, and please don't drink or stream and drive all! Bless.
Wow…you really did your research on this one…outstanding segment. Thank you.
Wow. Thank you Scott. Very Very interesting video.
I read there was a big storm that fateful night, and it was suggested that the bangs from John's gun would have been indistinguishable from the claps of thunder. Chilling to think he would have worn that mask to hide his identity to kill his family.
It was projection, it wasn't he who was killing his family but a stranger, it made the murders detached and much easier.
@@BeachsideHank 😳
This was a good one Scott. So much to it.
I only know Mercedes from an episode from season 1 of Magnum PI called “Don’t Say Goodbye.”. She played a lovable blind woman.
Hello! Her son had to have had some major emotional and psychological issues. l may have missed this, but do you know how well or unwell she handled this tragedy?
Her threatening scene in “Touch of Evil” is chilling.
A great story told well. Thank you scott!
I will never forget her voice as the demon in the Exorcist. Utterly horrifying!!
I only remember her from Magnum PI, where she played a blind old woman called Agnes Kimball. Good actress.
This was absolutely interesting!!! Holy Moly Batman!!! What an epic story!!! Excellent coverage!!
Thanks very much!
I just got back from the hospital-glad to see one of your videos waiting for me
A tragedy filled warm-and-fuzzy welcome home. Get well!
thanx Buddy-I turned 65 and Hell broke loose on me-lots of blood all over the bathroom told me I was bleeding internally-the hospital stopped it-on a diet blah blah
@@DearlyDepartedTours
Scott, this was so informative and interesting; you did an awesome job telling this part of Mercedes McCambridge's life.
I love her so much, her radio work and films are so important to me but I didn't know about this tragedy until you shared it - thank you for the amazing channel
By the way, I *loved* her description of Marfuck TX. Also, she died in La Jolla, cremated and scattered at sea, per Find a Grave. Oh, and Carlotta was her real name for the "Bewitched" tie-in, per Findagrave
This was so creepy...but very interesting. Thank you for this video!
Another great video Scott! Thanks
I read her autobiography years ago but had forgotten about the Dean car story. I’ve always been intrigued by her weirdness. Creepy stuff happened to a very talented and unique person.
What an incredible actress with a tragic backstory.
Great video, Scott. I remember reading about Mercedes and her husband stopping at the gas station (near Cholame, CA.) and she saw the mangled car James Dean was killed in. I have been to that area a couple of times. I saw Linda Blair and William Friedkin a few years ago at an anniversary screening of The Exorcist. Wasn't impressed with either one of them. Very rude and standoffish. Perhaps they were stressed before arriving. Linda Blair had run a little late getting to the event, so that is understandable.
I met Linda about 30 yrs ago at an event during Halloween & she was great fun! She spent a good 15 minutes telling me about her horses & said she was fortunate she only does a few appearances & lives quite well. I asked why she wasn’t working more & she said she enjoys a quiet life. Very charming. She actually held my hand while we spoke which was very sweet & completely unexpected.
I had the pleasure of meeting Mercedes McCambridge while working at Livengrin in Bensalem, PA where Ms. McCambridge was the President 1977-1982. Ms. McCambridge was a lovely Lady and she would walk around Livengrin with a dramatic flair with a big smile for all who encountered. Livengrin is a Rehabilitation Center For Alcoholics with both Inpatient and Outpatient services available. I worked there typing Psychosocials of Inpatient Clients. I learned a lot about alcoholism, was fortunate to meet the Therapists. I eventually moved on from that job but I will always remember the poem The Man In The Glass/The Gal In The Glass. What is ironic is that because of transcribing the Psychosocial reports, I never had a desire to drink unless it was a social occasion or celebration but one or two was enough for me; now I do not even do that. Alcoholism is a disease and my heart goes out to anyone who goes through that he**.
Thank you for making and sharing this video. I never knew this happened, what a tragedy.
Scott!! I had never heard any of this, how riveting to learn her story and that she touched so many pop culture moments. Amazing video, you're the best.
This is such an interesting story, and thank u 🙏 💗 another great vid Scott!
How cowardly he was.
There’s a clip from the movie Lightening Strikes that shows Mercedes hand rolling a cigarette while perfectly reciting her lines. It’s quite impressive. You can find it here on UA-cam.
I’ve always been a fan of hers, I used to listen to CBS Mystery Theater, she was in several episodes. Love her distinct voice.
yeah, it was pretty cool! She was especial definitely.
I recall seeing this lady in many films. I always thought she was likely a very good actress, but in my humble opinion, not being given correct roles to stretch and demonstrate her talents. I always liked her voice; strong and somehow unique, easily recognizable. RIP
I lived in LR at the time of the murders. It was a huge and sad story.
Very interesting Scott! I”ve seen those movies 🎥 I didn’t know she was the Demons voice in the exorcist though. There’s a particular line in the Touch Of Evil that I have never forgotten, hearing coming from a woman . Sad tragic ending for her son and family for sure .Who knew her granddaughter would be friends with Chelsea and that she had Dorothy‘s dress from the Wizard of OZ . 👍😇🤩📺🥀👗
Wow learned a lot through this video. Thank you... Keep em comin...❤❤❤
Scott what a story to share with us, luv this channel.