Sunday, August 25, 2024

Shelley Duvall

Having recently watched Time Bandits, I went to IMDb.com and checked out the Trivia, the Goofs, and other films where I might see the actors.  To my surprise, I discovered that Shelley Duvall - who played Pansy in Middle Ages England and on the Titanic - died last month.  Over the years, I have only seen a few films in which she starred.  Obviously, her most famous role would have to be as Jack Nickolson's wife in The Shining (1980).  All I remember of her performance is the horrified look on her face as Jack hacked through the door with an axe.  That is not my favorite role for her.  No, I thought she was brilliantly cast as Olive Oyl in the live-action Popeye (1980), which came out the same year as The Shining.  She was absolutely terrific as Olive.

In some class in high school, we watched several short films and one of them was Bernice Bobs Her Hair (1976).  It was a quirky movie that took place on the cusp of women going from long hair coiffed atop their head to the shorter hair of the 1920s.  It had this mean girls vibe to it.  Definitely recommended, if you can find it.

Lastly, I saw her in Brewster McCloud (1970).  That movie made no sense to me when I saw it and her character was inexplicable.  Of course, I had no idea what that movie was about.

RIP

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