The doors were all closed and bolted, the
window latches firmly locked and the curtains drawn. I never liked the nights
when the fog came in. It drowned the town and always frightened
me, but I never really understood why until today.
I turned
the radio on, I could hear Adrienne Barbeau's sultry voice, it calmed me as the
fog grew thicker.
Adrienne
had always been my hero, her career spanning over 35 years, she could turn her
hand to anything, from horror, (The Fog, Creepshow, Swamp thing), to comedies, (Cannonball Run, the George Carlin show) to sci fi and action (Star Trek: Deep
Space 9 and Escape from New York) Voice overs for Scooby Doo, The Thing and
Demolition man... And was recently head hunted by Ben Afflek for her part in
Argo, Afflek said "I liked the idea of her being part of this slightly
kitsch, '70s sci-fi movie vibe. She just seamlessly blended in. Having her in
the movie was kind of a trip. It was cool." And then there's her
singing, her writing, motherhood, the woman is an inspiration!
My tiny
apartment was starting to feel like it was closing in on me, my heat pounded, it felt as if a
million tiny insects were crawling over my body, my skin.. my eyes... everything itched... I had to get
out before I went truly crazy. But the fog was so thick now how could I leave? I needed a sign, a beacon
of hope, but from where? I walked to the window and starred out into the
nothingness, no one went out when the fog came in off the coast, but I had never seen it this thick, it made me claustrophobic and so lonely... I needed to be near someone, anyone... Then I saw it, like a ray of hope... A light coming from the
hill, it was the radio station! Of course, she must be there, I could hear her! If I followed the light, I could make it to the
station, to Adrienne... But would I dare?
"I
will survive" by Gloria Gaynor started playing on the radio, that's all I
needed, I grabbed my keys.
I started
driving up the hill, having lived in Antonio Bay all my life, I knew this road
like the back of my hand, handy now I thought, as, right now I couldn't even see my hand in
front of my face.
The short drive didn't seem to short tonight, but I carried on, no other cars dared to be on the road in this weather, so
it was a clear route. I kept my eyes focused on the windscreen, too scared to
look anywhere else, but after what seemed like an eternity, I made it. I parked up as close to the station as I
could. I couldn't see the door, but I could guess where it was, I took a
deep breath and made a run for it. I found the building and felt along blindly
for the door handle, I could sense something, something behind me, something close, I didn't know
what it was, didn't want to know, but what it was made me want to find that
door even more.
At last I
found it, I turned the handle, my heart missed a beat... I knew if this door didn't open I was not going to be making it home tomorrow.
The door
clunked and swung open, I breathed a sigh of relief, ran in and slammed the
door behind me, panting furiously, my heart felt like it was about to jump into
my throat, but I was safe for now.
I rushed up
the stairs, following the signs that read ‘Studio’, I could see the fog seeping
under the door, ‘Exactly how safe was I?’ I thought.
Finding the
door I banged on the window, I could see the 'on air' light glowing brightly and Adrienne at her desk, wow she looked
great I thought... She saw me, smiled and ushered me in.
I rushed in and locked the door behind me, that feeling
that something was coming for me began again, but Adrienne’s smile soothed me and
with a heavy sigh I took a seat next to hers.
She poured me a scotch to calm my nerves and we got chatting while the
music was playing, she asked me my name and why I was there, I told her about the
fog and the light being a beacon, she poured me another
drink. I was a big fan, I had told her such, so I took this opportunity
to ask a few questions of my own, to take my mind off what was happening outside...
I asked...
What do you think is the best movie you've been in? And what do you
consider to be your best performance to date?
“I think ARGO is probably the best movie I've
been in, although I just made a cameo appearance in it. It's a great film!
As for a performance, well, I always get a kick out of Billie in
"Creepshow" but I think I loved the role of Ruthie in
"Carnivale", too.”
When you were a child growing up did you always aspire to be an actress?
If you hadn't been, what do you think you would have chosen as an alternative
career?
“I always thought I'd get my degree and teach
acting, I suppose. never dawned on me until I was in my first year of college
that I should attempt to pursue a professional career. My other love is
psychology, and of course, now, it seems like I might have been writing all
those years, as well.”
We laughed at all her comedies, I remember her in her tight red cat suit
in Cannon Ball run, driving a sports car fast and playing the men… Everyman
wanted her, every woman wanted to be her… I wondered what was it like filming
with Burt Reynolds and Dom Deluise? Mel Brooks once said that he scheduled an
extra two days every time he planned to work with Deluise, I asked, was this the case
with Cannon Ball Run? Was it as fun as the out takes lead us to believe?
“The full answer to this question is in my
memoir "There Are Worse Things I Could Do". The chapter that
starts with "Was making that movie as much fun as it looks?"
The short answer is no. But Dom was a sweetheart, then and always.”
I already had her book on my shelf and had read it from cover to cover 100 times, but was too embarrassed to say, but I did remember a line about her role in The Cannonball Run (1981) "All the
talent I needed was in my breastbone." She said... And what woman wouldn’t
die for a bone like that!
I wondered…
So, who had the cheesiest chat up line? And did it work?
“Well, John Carpenter and I met on the set of
"Someone's Watching You" and ended up getting married, so I suspect
whatever he said worked. Don't think it was too cheesy, though.”
Oh yes, John Carpenter, one of the
World’s greatest directors and an ex-husband of Adrienne's, my boyfriend sprang to mind, he was a driving instructor and a good guy, he was teaching me to drive
and we were nearly killing each other, I
thought about Adrienne, doing a three point turn is one thing, but being
directed by a partner? What was that like?
“ I guess it depends on the
partner. I loved working with John Carpenter, before and after we married. He's
just the best.”
I was suddenly aware of the door, fog was slowly seeping under it and a
cold sensation was making my spine shiver, but I carried on with my
questioning, it calmed me and kept my mind busy.
I've noticed over the years that a lot of actors remain uncredited in
many films they feature in, you yourself are uncredited in many, 'The Thing',
'Demolition Man' and 'Judge Dredd', why is this? Why do so many remain
uncredited? I take credit when I've just made an outfit for a party last year,
let alone acting in a major motion picture!
“I didn't appear in these three films, I just
did voice work in them. In fact, I have no recollection of doing Judge Dredd at
all, so if it weren't for you mentioning it, I wouldn't believe I was in it in
any way. But a fan just brought me the DVD cover to sign and so I guess
you both must be right!”
Looking at the door made me think about Adriennes 80s classic of the same
name and I wondered What did she think of the 2005 remake? I asked, why do you think so
many films are being remade? - Many very badly, I added
“I Haven't seen the remake of "The
Fog". I suspect a lot of remakes get made because executives are afraid to
trust their artistic sensibilities with original material and think a remake is
a shoo-in for success. And they might be if they were made as well or better
than the original, but that's not often the case, is it?”
I was starting to get worried now,
I was feeling spooked… Then I realised, I was with a woman who had been
so many classic horror films, I wondered if she had ever felt this way during
filming?
“Never
by acting in a horror film. Although I did avoid the set when E. G.
Marshall did the cockroach segment of "Creepshow". Rats, I
don't mind. Snakes and tarantulas I can handle. Roaches, I'll probably
turn down the role.”
I could see a shadow by the door, Adrienne saw it too, quick as a flash we
were out of our chairs and starting backing away… Then it started banging,
banging on the glass of the door… Adrienne and I held on to each other… A
million regrets flowed through my mind… Why hadn’t I learnt to drive earlier? Why hadn’t
I been nicer to my mother? Why did I think that perm looked good? I wondered if
Adrienne had any regrets about her career?
Are there any films that you thought "Damn, I wish I'd played
that"? or "I could have done a much better job with that
role"?
“I love Jane Fonda's role in
"Klute". She was great as Bree Daniels and I certainly couldn't have
equalled that performance, but I do love that role. And I would have loved to
essay Brooke Adams' role in "Cuba", just for the opportunity to do
that love scene opposite Sean Connery.”
Then there was a sudden crash and the glass window smashed, fog poured
into the room like a smoking waterfall, we couldn’t see, we couldn’t scream, we
couldn’t think, all we could do was cling on to each other as we pressed
ourselves to the back wall of the room. The figure came closer, I could just
make out from the silhouette a bearded man, wearing a polo neck sweater and
what looked like a sea captains cap, was there something was in this hand? I couldn’t
quite see…
He slowing shuffled towards us, there was something in his hand, it looked sharp, an axe!… He lifted it above his head…After all my years of living in a fishing town I could tell a Boarding axe when I saw one… Especially when it was travelling directly towards my head…
He slowing shuffled towards us, there was something in his hand, it looked sharp, an axe!… He lifted it above his head…After all my years of living in a fishing town I could tell a Boarding axe when I saw one… Especially when it was travelling directly towards my head…
Now we could scream… But not for long…
Superb and gripping!
ReplyDeleteGreat read... Gloria Gantz was one of my favorite characters. You literally had me on the floor
ReplyDeleteoh I want that book
ReplyDeleteThat was great!
ReplyDeletethere's something in THE FOG!!
ReplyDeleteGreat interview!
ReplyDeleteAnd from Adrienne herself! "This writer took a fairly standard interview on my part and turned it into a really fun read. Thanks, Charlotte!"
ReplyDeleteI'm always happy to see Barbeau in an old flick. Fond memories!
ReplyDelete