Swoosie Kurtz' character - And the Band Played On (1993) Discussion

[–] baileythedog 9 years ago

The "Mrs. Johnstone" character was supposedly a prominent figure in Society. But, who was that person?

I thought that in the film she was supposed to be an amalgamation of characters. If I recall correctly from the book, there was a woman who had gotten HIV from a blood transfusion but she wasn't a wealthy society person. I thought there was also a touch of Elizabeth Glaser to the Kurtz character though Glaser got HIV from a blood transfusion after giving birth, not after surgery.

At any rate, I don't think she is supposed to be one particular person in the same way that Steve Martin isn't supposed to be one particular guy who had a closeted, professional, upper class brother.

reply

[–] vosges1945 8 years ago

Her character was based upon:

Frances Borchelt

Her lawsuit against the Irwin Memorial Blood Bank was settled (the intention of the lawsuit wasn't monetary but publicity), but the media attention from it exposed the Red Cross house of cards and finally forced blood donations to be tested before being used.

http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1986/Settlement-Reached-in-Blood-Bank-Suit/id-fd893dfa29d782e9d92457299dc33f35

Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order

reply

[–] ItsSalem (9) 3 months ago

No, nothing even remotely to do with Frances Borchelt. It is based on Mary Richards Johnstone, a rich lady from Belvedere who received blood transfusions during heart surgery. Google shows this. Enter "Mary Richards Johnstone" in google.

Even the actual author of the actual book this titular movie is based on, Randy Shilts, mentions very clearly Mary Richards Johnstone, a wealthy woman who had heart surgery and received blood transfusions from Irwin Memorial. So where this Frances Borchelt came from I have no idea, but it's absolutely not true at all. It is is Mary Johnstone. From Randy Shilts' book:

"That same week, another question was being called at the Irwin Memorial Blood Bank in San Francisco. The woman who had inadvertently raised the issue was Mary Richards Johnstone, a wealthy matron from the affluent suburb of Belvedere.

During heart surgery in December 1982, Mary Johnstone had received twenty units of Irwin blood. Eight days after the operation, she was struck by a mysterious lung virus. She barely survived that ordeal, but in the succeeding months she was plagued continuously with exhausting fevers and strange ailments like oral candidiasis. The doctors couldn’t explain what was wrong with her.

Only in February 1984, while leafing through her medical files, did Mary Johnstone see the October 19, 1983, letter from one physician to another at the University of California Medical Center, where she had her surgery. “We have discovered that one of her blood donors is an AIDS patient,” the letter said. The doctors had concealed this from Mary Johnstone, however, and if she had not happened across the correspondence, there is no indication she would ever have been informed. Later, the fifty-five-year-old housewife kept her sense of humor when her doctor concluded that she was suffering from the syndrome. “Here I’ve got AIDS,” she said, “and I didn’t even have any fun getting it.” "

reply

[–] ItsSalem (9) 3 months ago

I know this is a very old thread, but it was based on the real life Mrs Johnstone. Mary Richards Johnstone, a rich woman from Belvedere, who had blood transfusions during heart surgery: https://www.google.com/search?q="Mary Richards Johnstone"

Randy Shilts, the author of the book that the movie is based on, said so:

"That same week, another question was being called at the Irwin Memorial Blood Bank in San Francisco. The woman who had inadvertently raised the issue was Mary Richards Johnstone, a wealthy matron from the affluent suburb of Belvedere.

During heart surgery in December 1982, Mary Johnstone had received twenty units of Irwin blood. Eight days after the operation, she was struck by a mysterious lung virus. She barely survived that ordeal, but in the succeeding months she was plagued continuously with exhausting fevers and strange ailments like oral candidiasis. The doctors couldn’t explain what was wrong with her.

Only in February 1984, while leafing through her medical files, did Mary Johnstone see the October 19, 1983, letter from one physician to another at the University of California Medical Center, where she had her surgery. “We have discovered that one of her blood donors is an AIDS patient,” the letter said. The doctors had concealed this from Mary Johnstone, however, and if she had not happened across the correspondence, there is no indication she would ever have been informed. Later, the fifty-five-year-old housewife kept her sense of humor when her doctor concluded that she was suffering from the syndrome. “Here I’ve got AIDS,” she said, “and I didn’t even have any fun getting it.”"

reply