Jessica Walter (1941-2021)
- mfunk9786
- Under Chris' Protection
- Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 4:43 pm
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
- hearthesilence
- Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:22 am
- Location: NYC
Re: Passages
Jesus, I don't think Segal and Walter ever worked together, but their comic personas feel complementary in some way.
EDIT: They did - the TV Land show Retired at 35
EDIT 2: And Sidney Lumet's Bye Bye Braverman! Man, I don't know their work as well as I thought I did.
EDIT: They did - the TV Land show Retired at 35
EDIT 2: And Sidney Lumet's Bye Bye Braverman! Man, I don't know their work as well as I thought I did.
- Blutarsky
- Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2017 10:09 pm
Re: Passages
I think this one hurts a lot. When I was going through a rough time personally, I started watching Arrested Development on the advice of my mom. Lucille Bluth will always be my favorite character in all of television comedy. Part of it is the exceptional writing, but the main reason is Jessica truly stole every episode with her portrayal of Lucille. I still, after 15 years of rewatching random episodes, laugh extremely hard when Gene Parmesan always pops up. Such a sad day for such a great actress.
- swo17
- Bloodthirsty Butcher
- Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:25 am
- Location: SLC, UT
Re: Passages
Good excuse to plug her first film role in Robert Rossen's Lilith
- hearthesilence
- Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:22 am
- Location: NYC
Re: Passages
I originally knew Walter through Play Misty for Me, then a bit later when I caught up with Arrested Development, it wasn't until deep into season 2 that I realized Walter played both roles. She was the best thing about that show, and it really pissed me off how much she was hurt by her douchebag colleagues who then belittled her when she opened up in that NY Times interview. I already saw the original show and had no interest in seeing the reportedly inferior Netflix seasons, but it kind of soured me from revisiting the episodes anytime soon.
- cdnchris
- Site Admin
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Re: Passages
My wife was especially devastated by this. Just watched Play Misty for Me for the first time in a couple of decades a few weeks ago. I've associated her so much with 'Gangy' ("you want your belt to buckle, not your chair") that I had completely forgotten she was the villain in that one, and she goes all out.
As to Segal, I'll throw in some love for him for his throwaway role in The Cable Guy as Broderick's father; he was able to churn some laughs from that bit part. I giggle every time he asks Broderick "Are you on the pot?" (and if I recall correctly, Play Misty for Me shows up at one point in that film).
- Big Ben
- Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2016 12:54 pm
- Location: Great Falls, Montana
Re: Passages
It's a testament to how well Lucille Bluth became a piece of popular culture that I knew of the character before I was even aware of what show she was in. It's also a shame that so many people still only know of Walter through that show.
- therewillbeblus
- Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm
Re: Passages
Absolutely- her performance in a key scene is so raw at communicating an underlying internal logic of desperation for intimacy, that completely sells an otherwise bizarre and deranged encounter. It's one of the best moments in one of the best movies about psychology.
- domino harvey
- Dot Com Dom
- Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm
Re: Passages
I recently watched her in the Group and let assure everyone, she was cultivating the bitchy star image decades before Arrested Development
- flyonthewall2983
- Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:31 pm
- Location: Indiana
- Contact:
Re: Jessica Walter (1941-2021)
I didn't know she did the voice of the mother on the ABC sitcom Dinosaurs
- knives
- Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm
Re: Jessica Walter (1941-2021)
How have we gone this long without mentioning Archer? That’s a show that couldn’t live without her.
- therewillbeblus
- Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm
Re: Jessica Walter (1941-2021)
This was the first one that came to mind for me as well, and I meant to mention it but see now that I got caught up in my excitement for Lilith. I actually think her comic perf in Archer is better than her work on Arrested Development, and I love both
- Murdoch
- Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 11:59 pm
- Location: Upstate NY
Re: Jessica Walter (1941-2021)
This one hit hard, she was such a force to be reckoned with that I thought she'd go at least another decade. I never even thought she was 80 since she seemed to have more energy and presence than any actor she appeared alongside, at least in AD, which was my primary exposure to her.
- domino harvey
- Dot Com Dom
- Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm
Re: Passages
I just randomly discovered while looking for something else that the Group was well-liked by Cahiers du Cinema upon its release. I... would not have predicted thatdomino harvey wrote: ↑Thu Mar 25, 2021 3:40 pmI recently watched her in the Group and let assure everyone, she was cultivating the bitchy star image decades before Arrested Development