I wanted to slap the lady playing Laura's maid. Cheesus, her overacting is campy. As hell. Everyone else is good but she's just way too OTT.
One of the very few flaws of an otherwise almost perfect movie. Annoying.
A boy's best friend is his mother.
- Psycho (1960)
Incredibly, she went on to play the director of the third grade's play in a "Leave It To Beaver" episode. She tries to get the Beaver to play a yellow canary. Not surprisingly, she fails.
"I have had singing."
The woman is supposed to be on edge. She's already high-strung as it is but she's just recently discovered the dead body of her boss. She liked Laura a lot so she's determined to protect her reputation no matter what it takes; even if it means tampering with evidence and possibly interfering with the case. She's upset and annoyed with the police presence in Laura's home and the fact they keep questioning her.
shareI agree, she adds to the atmosphere, and comes across as the devoted servants to Laura . . . she's excellent . . .
shareI liked her too. One good scene was when she quarreled with cop Andrews, and she says she was taught to spit when she encountered a cop. Andrews quips: OK, so spit if you like.
shareI loved her scream---at the cocktail party when McPherson stands before Laura and tells her to come along . . . I just love it when the maid screams and rushes to Laura's side . . . one of the best moments in the film . . .
shareAbsolutely the most annoying character in the film. No matter how many times I've seen the film, I always try to mute the scream. I'm not going to say it ruins the moment for me. I get how loyal she was to Laura, but it still felt like too much.
"Me? Me? You mean ME?!" Insane Rick Grimes
"Anger makes you stupid.Stupid gets you killed" Michonne
It adds a jump to the movie . . .
shareThe only problem with the maid is the screams. One would have been OK, but she does it on two separate occasions. The same exact "Oh No!!!". It seems out of place with the rest of the film.
shareBessie was very emotional, beneath her hard exterior.
But, I don't see how it's out of place with the rest of the film.
The film seems to be a study of strong personalities: Laura, Waldo (of course), Mark, Shelby, and Ann.
You'd be OTT too if you didn't get any billing.
--
LBJ's mistress on JFK:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcXeutDmuRA
LOL. Yes! Awful.
share~ I didn't have any problems with Betsy the maid. Thought she truly loved and cared about Laura. She was the only one who stood by her side when McPherson took in Laura from her cocktail party🍸. Also when she first meets McPherson at Laura's apartment and starts to question her. Remember that Betsy hid the cheep booze🍻 so the press wouldn't run Laura's name into the mud.
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How you turned my world, you precious thing
You starve and near exhaust me
Everything I've done, I've done for you
I move the stars for no one
-🌹rest in peace David Bowie🎤
She's playing it very typical for how domestics were portrayed back then: devoted to their mistresses and masters, no life of their own, endlessly fascinated with their lives as though they had none of their own, no kids or husbands to get home to, happy as pigs in slop, simple-minded and therefore endlessly happy while the rich suffered broken hearts and love affairs.
I've always thought it was to give the impression that servants just loved waiting on and serving the rich and putting their lives before their own. Dammit they were happy subsuming their lives to the rich. With little in the way of brains, they didn't suffer the way the rich suffer. Such noble beasts (the poor, not the rich).
Very astute - and yes, that's a well-established trope of the time.
There's a moment in the film that always has me shaking my head: Bessie walks in, sees Laura there alive, and completely breaks down. Laura briefly explains then says "fix us some coffee and eggs".
I'm sure the idea was to show compassionate Laura trying to soothe the poor woman back into the groove by assigning her a task. But it comes off like handing a kid a toy to distract him from his boo-boo - not the way an adult deals with an equal who's just suffered a serious jolt. Sit her down, offer her a cocktail, get her some water. Don't just order breakfast, for god's sake.
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Nothing to see here, move along.
Overacting is usually campy.
She does that in all movies, and many of them co-star Dana, like Fallen Angel she's just as wild eyed, against Dana.
In Best Years of our Lives she's a lot more subdued.
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