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Post by Myrtle Groggins on Apr 5, 2006 1:07:45 GMT -5
More pics from Friday's panel "Performing Tennessee": The full panel - Richard Thomas, Stephanie, Steve Lawson, Kathy Randals, Jeremy Lawrence, and Thomas Keith (moderator). Richard Thomas (JohnBoy Walton) and Stephanie. Stephanie. Another of Steph. Grinning for the camera. This one is really cute. And another. A picture of me taking a picture of Stephanie. They may take a little while to load because they are a bit big.
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Post by sparadra on Apr 5, 2006 1:54:52 GMT -5
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! Your pics are fabulous!!
Sparadra
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Post by Myrtle Groggins on Apr 5, 2006 1:55:02 GMT -5
Myrtle, A few questions and comments: What character did Stephanie play in These Are the Stairs You Got to Watch that had her is such stylish (LOL) attire? She played "The Woman", the one who comes in yelling, "Mr. Kroger! Mr. Kroger! What are you doing to Mr. Kroger?" And the usher takes his clothes off in front of her. She was very funny acting like the shocked matron lady. I was a bit surprised about that, too. I also told her I was a fan of her dad's since I was a little child. I'm sure she realized that I meant when he was starring on "77 Sunset Strip" or at least "The FBI". Those shows were over 40 years ago, so why such a shock regarding Remington Steele? Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to mention I've enjoyed her other works, too, like "Prophet's Game", and "The Man in The Brown Suit" and "The Long Journey Home" (I think that's the title).....so many. I was careful not to mention the name "Remington Steele" to her for fear she'd think I was ga-ga over her male lead, but instead I said " your TV series". I guess part of her surprise at the popularity of RS is that she has moved on and has done so many things since then. It probably amazes her how it is so fresh in the minds of fans. I guess she forgets about reruns, videos, and DVDs. I don't remember what she said, if anything, but I do have to listen to my tapes and check the video to be sure. Yes, I think she must have been predestined to be the efficient, dominating Laura. I, too, wondered why she doesn't do more behind the scenes work currently. She seems such a natural but of course, she's a natural at acting, too. She did mention when her dad was planning to write his book that she sat down with him and took notes while he remembered various things about his life, it took many hours. Then later, he was able to write the book using the notes she made and expanding on things that triggered his memory. She said he wrote every word. She also told an anecdote about being with her sister Nancy in Connecticut (they own houses there) during the Remington Steele days. They went to a local market and a woman asked her (Stephanie) if people ever told her she looks like that girl on Remington Steele (Steph said she was a "girl" then). She told the lady that, yes, sometimes they do. The lady said SZ really looked like that girl. Steph said when she and Nancy were outside getting into their car, the woman was getting in hers, and again, she remarked how much SZ looked like that RS girl. SZ said she couldn't deny it any longer and fessed up that indeed she was the girl on RS. The lady looked at her a moment, shook her head, and said, "I wouldn't go that far." The audience roared.
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Post by Myrtle Groggins on Apr 5, 2006 2:28:25 GMT -5
Here's one from Saturday night after the performance - in costume (it's big so you can see her - so be patient): Notice her socks. She's wearing about 2-inch heels, and I noticed that even in those heels she seemed a tad shorter than me. I was wearing sneakers and am a bit over 5'5". So my estimate is that she must be between 5'3" and 5'4", probably closer to 5'4". If you have a photoshop-type program, you can copy this and lighten it to see her heels. I've already cropped and lightened it a bit to post here. No, I didn't get any autographed photos for everyone, but you've got even better, photos made by my daughter and myself. ;D
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Post by curious george on Apr 5, 2006 9:43:25 GMT -5
Absolutely wonderful, Myrtle...thanks and thanks and thanks again. Would that we all aged so well. I"m not going to pretend she looks just like Laura (excellent anecdote, btw!), but I think she still looks great. Sounds like she is doing what she wants with her life, and I am happy for her.
cg
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Post by Yuliya on Apr 5, 2006 10:08:03 GMT -5
;D ;D ;D Thank you for sharing, Myrtle!
Just as an idea - some people - I don't want to say actors because I know it to be true about writers, too - don't like when fans say they like their early work because in their mind it means they haven't improved since. Maybe Stephanie is a bit that way, too.
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Post by laura on Apr 5, 2006 11:26:05 GMT -5
Myrtle, We're spoiled with all the great pics you posted !! Thank you, reporter of ours. So, next time, where will it be ? Laura
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Post by clervaux on Apr 5, 2006 13:37:06 GMT -5
Myrtle, Again, thanks for the wonderful pictures and narrative from the festival! I feel like I was almost there thanks to you. I really enjoyed the picture of you taking a picture. Were you in the official Tennessee Williams New Orleans Literary Festival 2006 t-shirt? If so, what did the front look like? Very true that she has moved on to do some really great stuff like the projects that you mentioned and Caroline? but the bulk of her work post Remington Steele has been performing on stage mostly in LA so much of her fan base isn’t that familiar with her current body of work as they’ve not had access to it. So to us, she’s still our Laura Holt and the release of the RS DVDs just reinforces that image for us. Have you read Efrem’s book My Dinner With Herbs? It is wonderfully written and filled with some very funny anecdotes like the time on Broadway that he refused to let Spencer Tracy out over act him. And I found out some things I didn’t know like that he produced a Pulitzer Prize winning play on Broadway as well as Broadway’s first opera. And to show how some things never change, here’s a blog sighting callcorner.blogspot.com/2006/01/just-another-brush-with-fame-in-nyc.html of Stephanie from January (when she was in NYC to attend the memorial dinner for her godmother Paula Laurence Bowden): Guess who I saw on the subway today? It was the lady from Remington Steele. She looks a little older, but hey she has aged gracefully. If it wasn't her, someone should tell her that her twin was on the subway yesterday.[/b] Thanks again for taking the time to share your memories with us! clervaux
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Post by Barbara on Apr 5, 2006 17:18:45 GMT -5
Thank you Myrtle for not only the great shots of Stephanie, but for the great shots of NOLA. I really appreciate that.
-- barbara
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Post by Patricia on Apr 5, 2006 22:49:16 GMT -5
She also told an anecdote about being with her sister Nancy in Connecticut (they own houses there) during the Remington Steele days. They went to a local market and a woman asked her (Stephanie) if people ever told her she looks like that girl on Remington Steele (Steph said she was a "girl" then). She told the lady that, yes, sometimes they do. The lady said SZ really looked like that girl. Steph said when she and Nancy were outside getting into their car, the woman was getting in hers, and again, she remarked how much SZ looked like that RS girl. SZ said she couldn't deny it any longer and fessed up that indeed she was the girl on RS. The lady looked at her a moment, shook her head, and said, "I wouldn't go that far." The audience roared.
I love this story! I laughed out loud when I read it. How wonderful that you had so many great Stef moments at this festival.
On another note, I agree with the poster who mentioned the similarity between writers and actors, and the feeling that if people laud their early work, what does that say about their growth?
I was thinking about that, too, in the context of my own work (I'm an artist). If someone said they loved one of my early paintings, that would be great, but if they only harped on about that one painting when I'd done scads more since then, I might be inclined to think the same thing: haven't I done other good work? I could see not wanting to be known only for one thing I had done so long ago. In a way, it could be construed to be insulting.
Having said that, and at the risk of negating it, I loved Laura Holt and she will always be Laura to me!
Patricia
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Post by Yuliya on Apr 6, 2006 11:48:35 GMT -5
On another note, I agree with the poster who mentioned the similarity between writers and actors, and the feeling that if people laud their early work, what does that say about their growth? I was thinking about that, too, in the context of my own work (I'm an artist). If someone said they loved one of my early paintings, that would be great, but if they only harped on about that one painting when I'd done scads more since then, I might be inclined to think the same thing: haven't I done other good work? I could see not wanting to be known only for one thing I had done so long ago. In a way, it could be construed to be insulting. Actually, in general it's true, but there are exception. Sometimes it depends on the work a particular artist did. Some have one good piece of work and ride on its success ever since. Others could simply be more secure about their work. And think of all those artists, writers, etc., who are only known for one piece. What does that say about their work? Nothing. Not to mention that a particular fan may like a particular early piece only because it touches a sentimental note or something. Merely an observation. Present company is excluded, of course.
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Post by Myrtle Groggins on Apr 6, 2006 20:51:12 GMT -5
Myrtle, So, next time, where will it be ? Laura Do you mean the festival? Why, New Orleans, of course. It's one of our very own and one of many festivals that belong to us. We have the French Quarter Festival and Jazz Fest coming up, too. Not to mention many others throughout the year. We aren't known as a party city for nothing.
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Post by Myrtle Groggins on Apr 6, 2006 21:13:34 GMT -5
And from today's Times-Picayune (our local rag): -------------------------------------- No one enjoys the festival more than Stephanie Zimbalist, who goes to everything and even for the reading of "These Are the Stairs You Got to Watch" took the trouble of putting together a perfect costume of a spinster movie theater cashier at the infamous Joy Rio, which figures in two audacious Williams short stories. (Lawson played a dirty old man, Mike Harkins was a jaded usher, Dwayne Sepcich the wide-eyed innocent new employee being lured up the stairs by teen temptress Mandi Turner.) --------------------------------------- There's a lot more on the Festival here, but the above is the only mention of Stephanie: www.nola.com/search/index.ssf?/base/entertainment-0/1144306519230500.xml?nolaOnly Richard Thomas scored a photo with the column, he and the writer, of course. So I guess JohnBoy Walton ranks over Laura Holt or even Caroline. Notice the writer approved of SZ's charming costume, too. She was the only one to appear as her character. She played the ticket seller. So glad he mentioned that because when they were being introduced, I was checking my photographic and taping equipment, so I missed hearing who she was playing. I do have a few more photos from Saturday and Sunday but my daughter is working on them. It seems I forgot to reset my shutter speed and many of my film photos ended up with a big black area across them. Oy! Some could be cropped and others were totally lost. I wasn't worried about the pictures I took at other events, just the ones I took of Stephanie! I also had a bit of trouble with the digital camera on Saturday night. It took some terrible still shots but the video was okay. It worked great for Sunday's video, too. I don't know. It's a brand new camera, just bought on Thursday, so I had to learn all about it in a hurry. Still have some learning to do, I'm afraid.
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Post by Myrtle Groggins on Apr 6, 2006 21:48:42 GMT -5
Myrtle, Again, thanks for the wonderful pictures and narrative from the festival! I feel like I was almost there thanks to you. I really enjoyed the picture of you taking a picture. Were you in the official Tennessee Williams New Orleans Literary Festival 2006 t-shirt? If so, what did the front look like? Actually, no, I was in my Hurricane Katrina Animals shirt which says on the front, "If I leave, they leave" and it has little paw prints across the chest. On the back it says Animal Rescue New Orleans. We have to wear shirts that tell people to evacuate their animals!!!! Can you imagine? Some dorks have to be told that if the area isn't safe for them, it's not safe for their animals either. And others, well, they don't even leave when a storm is knocking on their door. Don't get me started......... [qoute]Very true that she has moved on to do some really great stuff like the projects that you mentioned and Caroline? but the bulk of her work post Remington Steele has been performing on stage mostly in LA so much of her fan base isn’t that familiar with her current body of work as they’ve not had access to it. So to us, she’s still our Laura Holt and the release of the RS DVDs just reinforces that image for us.[/quote] The thing about that, is that she was in such a hurry after the performance, and I was feeling like a stalker, or worse, a teenaged groupie, that we didn't have much time to talk and I couldn't remember the titles of some of my favorite things she has done. I would love to be able to see more of her stage work, but since I live so far from the bulk of her appearances, I'm not able. I really would have loved seeing her onstage with her dad, aka Daniel Chalmers. [quote/]Have you read Efrem’s book My Dinner With Herbs? [/quote] Only bits and pieces, but I have it on my schedule to read next. Also I have HIS father's bio to read, too. So I'm going to have my very own Zimbalist Fest next week, and then the third season of RS will be out by the time I finish both books. Funny! Looks like people are still looking for her mysterious man. (re: the response) Got to be frustrating. Thanks for mentioning her godmother's name. She said it during her talk, but I was again fooling with a camera, and missed it. Now I understand what my daughter means when she tells me she doesn't hear a lot of what's going on when she shoots an event. Working with all that equipment is distracting. I was juggling three cameras and a tape recorder. At one point during Friday's panel, "Performing Tennessee", Stephanie was talking about how Tenn Williams wrote so well for women, and if things had been different in those days, and he was allowed to write the way he wanted to do, we wouldn't have his famous female characters today. I was mesmerized by what she was saying and especially how she was saying it, that I forgot I was supposed to be photographing!!! She has a wonderful voice and she's so animated in her speeches, everything else in the room seems disappear. Her arms fly and she makes the most wonderful faces, sometimes the funniest faces! Her facial expressions are a real treat to seeing her in person. I've edited out some that I know she'd die if she saw them on the world wide web! We just can't have Stephanie keeling over.
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Post by Myrtle Groggins on Apr 7, 2006 0:03:18 GMT -5
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Post by Myrtle Groggins on Apr 7, 2006 1:09:17 GMT -5
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Post by Myrtle Groggins on Apr 7, 2006 1:32:41 GMT -5
A Saturday close-up (sort of): ;D
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Post by clervaux on Apr 7, 2006 12:04:39 GMT -5
Myrtle, my pet (Remington Steele to Laura Holt, Steele Trap, MTM Productions, 1982),
You have outdone yourself with your coverage of the Tennessee Williams Festival! All your pictures and narratives have really captured the spirit of the weekend. And I am amazed that you accomplished this while
You rock!
Thanks again for sharing your experiences with us.
clervaux
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Post by Myrtle Groggins on Apr 10, 2006 0:42:41 GMT -5
Thanks for the compliments, clervaux. And more for your scrapbook: From the Times-Picayune, Sunday, April 9, 2006: Notice that JohnBoy Walton again gets top billing. Notice she's in her Saturday night costume. Love the look on her face and the lipstick. From the Times-Picayune, Monday, April 3, 2006: And here's the guy who stole the show -- the one who yelled "FEMA" instead of "Stella" during his turn at the Stella/Stanley shouting match. This photo was taken on the balcony in the front of the Bourbon Orleans Hotel, and then he got on his bicycle and rode away. A perfect ending to a grand weekend. That's St. Louis Cathedral in the background.
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Post by Myrtle Groggins on Jun 17, 2006 2:08:40 GMT -5
Just thought you guys might want to know: ------------------------------------------- Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival 21st Anniversary, March 29th - April 1st 2007 Hello Festival Volunteers! Thank you so much for volunteering your time, minds, muscles, and at times patience for this year’s Festival! You know what Blanche likes to say . . . There were numerous accounts from attendants applauding the helpfulness and pleasantness of our volunteers. We appreciate your dedication and hard work. We hope that you had a rewarding experience and were able to sit in on some of the panels and attend some events as well. Insider info: The top five highest attended panels were: Tab Hunter with Rex Reed I Remember Tennessee Reporting Katrina Stephanie Zimbalist & Rex ReedIn the Wake of Destruction All these panels had over 200 seats filled! Over 6,000 seats were filled in 4 days (that’s a lot of head counting!), a count that is equal to or over last year’s attendance. This year was one unlike any other, and we are ever so grateful that the Festival ran as smoothly as it did in this unprecedented time. It truly is a testament to the strength of New Orleans and its people. ---------------------------------------------------- Hooray for Stephanie!!!!
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