Just curious if anyone here saw any of her performances in any of the shows she's done over the years (Cactus Flower, Same Time, Next Year, The Eccentricities of a Nightingale, etc)? Any interesting stories about her? I've heard she's a very sweet lady.
"The gods who nurse this universe think little of mortals' cares. They sit in crowds on exclusive clouds and laugh at our love affairs. I might have had a real romance if they'd given me a chance. I loved him, but he didn't love me. I wanted him, but he didn't want me. Then the gods had a spree and indulged in another whim. Now he loves me, but I don't love him." - Cole Porter
I never saw her on stage, but I remember her on the TV game show "I've Got a Secret" with Garry Moore and the sardonic Henry Morgan. She seemed very sweet on that show.
"The gods who nurse this universe think little of mortals' cares. They sit in crowds on exclusive clouds and laugh at our love affairs. I might have had a real romance if they'd given me a chance. I loved him, but he didn't love me. I wanted him, but he didn't want me. Then the gods had a spree and indulged in another whim. Now he loves me, but I don't love him." - Cole Porter
A critic once described Friday The 13th as starring "selected parts of Betsy Palmer." If any of you have seen the original TV version of Marty, she was also in that. And of course she was wonderful for many years on I've Got A Secret. I remember reading that she had a fairly torrid romance with James Dean in the fifties.
"The gods who nurse this universe think little of mortals' cares. They sit in crowds on exclusive clouds and laugh at our love affairs. I might have had a real romance if they'd given me a chance. I loved him, but he didn't love me. I wanted him, but he didn't want me. Then the gods had a spree and indulged in another whim. Now he loves me, but I don't love him." - Cole Porter
Back in the 60's I had the pleasure of working with Betsy when she played "Peter Pan" at Paper Mill Playhouse (Sandy Duncan played Wendy in that production). She was a delight to be associated with, and she was affectionately referred to as "The Biggest Peter Ever."
"We have enough youth -- How about a Fountain of Smart?"
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"I'm not young enough to know everything." - Oscar Wilde
"The gods who nurse this universe think little of mortals' cares. They sit in crowds on exclusive clouds and laugh at our love affairs. I might have had a real romance if they'd given me a chance. I loved him, but he didn't love me. I wanted him, but he didn't want me. Then the gods had a spree and indulged in another whim. Now he loves me, but I don't love him." - Cole Porter
I remember seeing an autographed picture of her on the wall of a theatre in St. Louis. Since I'd only known her as the star of "Friday the 13th" it gave me quite a shock.
Anyone ever see "Return to Crystal Lake", a short documentary which was appended to the DVD rerelease of "Friday the 13th"? There are interviews with Betsy and with Adrienne King, who played Alice in the film. Apparently Betsy only took the role because her car had broken down and she needed a new one (and she was sure the film--whose script she referred to as "a piece of sh*t"--would be quickly forgotten.)
I ask in all honesty/What would life be?/Without a song and a dance, what are we?/So I say "Thank you for the music/For giving it to me."
I saw the interview segments with Betsy that were included in the boxed set of all the films. It's cool that she seems to have fun with being a horror icon now.
"The gods who nurse this universe think little of mortals' cares. They sit in crowds on exclusive clouds and laugh at our love affairs. I might have had a real romance if they'd given me a chance. I loved him, but he didn't love me. I wanted him, but he didn't want me. Then the gods had a spree and indulged in another whim. Now he loves me, but I don't love him." - Cole Porter
i saw her in same time, next year with charles kimbrough right before it closed on bway. i didn't know what to expect since i only knew her from game shows, etc. she was wonderful and i wish she had done more bway.
"The gods who nurse this universe think little of mortals' cares. They sit in crowds on exclusive clouds and laugh at our love affairs. I might have had a real romance if they'd given me a chance. I loved him, but he didn't love me. I wanted him, but he didn't want me. Then the gods had a spree and indulged in another whim. Now he loves me, but I don't love him." - Cole Porter
"The gods who nurse this universe think little of mortals' cares. They sit in crowds on exclusive clouds and laugh at our love affairs. I might have had a real romance if they'd given me a chance. I loved him, but he didn't love me. I wanted him, but he didn't want me. Then the gods had a spree and indulged in another whim. Now he loves me, but I don't love him." - Cole Porter
Richard Skipper is writing an all-inclusive book about anyone and everyone who's done HELLO, DOLLY! He's interviewed Betsy Palmer and I'll try to post a link.
Met her at the Broadway Care Equity Fights AIDS Flea Market years ago. She is as sweet as mentioned. She told me story about her car breaking down and how she'd worked all her life but she took the job, worked a week and is now legend in the horror movie world.
She signed my "Friday The 13th" DVD "Kill Her Mommy!" Love Betsy Palmer, and laughed as she has a sense of humor about it. A few years later she got to make some money off the low budgeter by doing the Horror Movie Convention Circuit were people would line up to meet her.
I met her again at The Chiller show in New Jersey and reminded her that I was probably the first DVD she had signed at the Flea Market all those years before and her eyes lit up as she talked how much she loved Broadway and the Community.
"The gods who nurse this universe think little of mortals' cares. They sit in crowds on exclusive clouds and laugh at our love affairs. I might have had a real romance if they'd given me a chance. I loved him, but he didn't love me. I wanted him, but he didn't want me. Then the gods had a spree and indulged in another whim. Now he loves me, but I don't love him." - Cole Porter
MrMidwest - where are you from in the Midwest? Betsy actually grew up in Hammond, IN - where her actual name was Betsy Hrunek. I know this because my grandmother was her nanny. Betsy's mother owned/ran a business college in East Chicago, IN, and my grandmother was a student, and took the job as nanny to make money while going to school. We have a photo somewhere of Betsy and her younger brother on the beach at Lake Michigan. I keep meaning to send it to her. I still laugh because, when Friday the 13th came out, my older sister went to the movies to see it, and commented that Betsy had really bad teeth in the movie...My grandmother was just appalled saying that "Betsy had lovely teeth." It didn't bother her that she was in a slasher movie...just that they made her teeth look bad! She was in "Love Letters" in Chicago once in the 90s, and I was going to take my grandmother to see her, but we didn't make the trip for some reason.
I'm actually in the lower left corner of Michigan, about 50 miles from Hammond. Isn't that funny?
"The gods who nurse this universe think little of mortals' cares. They sit in crowds on exclusive clouds and laugh at our love affairs. I might have had a real romance if they'd given me a chance. I loved him, but he didn't love me. I wanted him, but he didn't want me. Then the gods had a spree and indulged in another whim. Now he loves me, but I don't love him." - Cole Porter
A long deceased friend saw her in a regional or stock production of South Pacific. He saw SP many times over the years and said her performance was the equal of any he had ever seen, including Mary Martin. I believe she did several productions.
Many years ago I saw Betsy Palmer as Aunt Alicia in a touring production of Gigi with Louis Jourdan. It was an extremely mediocre outing; however, Palmer was by far the best performer in the production. A thorough professional. Afterwards I met her and had a wonderful conversation with her. She was completely charming and witty in person.