Looking back on You'll Like My Mother movie filmed in Duluth...

Christa Lawler quoted me in a story she wrote in today's Duluth News Tribune recalling Duluth's movie premiere of You'll Like My Mother, a thriller filmed at Duluth's historic Glensheen mansion on November 4, 1972, nearly forty years ago. (Read her story HERE) You'll Like My Mother, starring Patty Duke, Richard Thomas and Rosemary Murphy, will be screened for the public for the first time on the grounds of the mansion at 7 pm this Wednesday, August 15.

As a reporter for the Duluth News Tribune, I covered the Duluth premiere in 1972 and the quote was from my write-up. Of course there's always more. After the premiere at the NorShor, the Junior League held a reception -- party -- at the Hotel Duluth Ballroom (Greysolon Ballroom now). They tried to get Patty Duke to come to the premiere and party but she couldn't make it. Rosemary Murphy was the only "star" here for the premiere, and she didn't seem too happy about it at the post-screening party. What struck me as funny was that she carried her little dog with her throughout. I met her and she seemed kind of aloof. Meeting hix from the stix wasn't her forte. They recruited a charming Duluthian who had been fairly recently widowed to be her escort -- the late Max Oie. He escorted Murphy and her embraced dog around introducing her to attendees. I noticed Murphy died fairly recently.

Cast and crew frequently ate dinner at the restaurant (either the Black Steer or Zelda–can't remember which it was at the time) now occupied by the India Palace on Superior Street between Third and Fourth Avenues West. At the time it was a full-service restaurant. A few night-side News Tribune staffers -- including me -- used to eat there just about every night. One time exiting the men's room, I just about ran over Patty Duke as she headed for the women's room. Very short, petite woman. Nice tolerant smile at this big galoot almost knocking her over.

One other factoid: Former Mayor Gary Doty got a job as a driver for the movie company. And a fact that can't be corroborated is that Patty and her family rented the home next to the Catholic Diocese of Duluth residence in Eastern Duluth while filming here. My wife recalls this and so do I... but we're not sure on our memory or facts. So if you know, write and let us know.

There are some wonderful pictures and more lore in the Duluth News Tribune Attic–March 2012–about the event. Check it out HERE. 

Orpheum/NorShor recollections...

Orpheum Theatre Superior St exit, circa 1929
(Superior St. exit later became NorShor entrance) 

The renewed interest in Duluth's historic Orpheum Theater, the four walls of which encase today's NorShor (what remains of it), is brought on by the 100th anniversary of the Orpheum's opening, well covered in today's (Aug. 19) Duluth News Tribune (read Christa Lawler's stories HERE and HERE).

I am quoted in one story and provided a photograph of the Orpheum's former presence on Superior Street, which served as the theater's exit (the entrance was on Second Avenue West) throughout it's 30-year history, and became the NorShor's entrance after the the conversion was completed in 1941. That conversion reversed the entire theater 180 degrees, with the NorShor's screen on the end of the auditorium where the Orpheum's balconies had been. That meant the Orpheum's stage was approximately where the NorShor's existing lobby is.

My quote recalled seeing the blockbuster movie "The Robe" at the NorShor when I was a sophomore in high school in 1954-'55, and was singled out by me in pointing out that the NorShor had such a big outer lobby huge crowds could, and did, line up indoors, although there were times -- and "The Robe" was one of them -- when eager moviegoers filled that lobby, then snaked out onto Superior Street and down the block.

"The Robe" is largely forgotten today, but it was a phenomenon when it was released. It was based on a runaway best selling book by Lloyd C. Douglas and told the fictional story of what happened to the robe Christ wore on his way to his crucifixion. It starred Richard Burton in an early screen appearance, possibly his first. Burly Victor Mature played the gladiator Dimitrius.

The movie was also the first filmed in a then-new and exciting wide-screen process called "Cinemascope."

It was THE movie of the year, and perhaps the decade, although just a couple of years later a black-and --white movie called "Blackboard Jungle" showed up and forever changed American popular music ("Rock Around the Clock") and to some extent filmmaking.

The arrival of "The Robe" in Duluth was such an anticipated event that the NorShor theater operator persuaded the public high schools to release students who wanted to attend the opening matinee. That's when I saw it. Who would choose to stay in school when you could go to a movie?

So, to state the obvious, the public schools released students from classes to go to a movie depicting the crucifixion of Christ and its fictional aftermath. You will never see that happen again, but, hey, it was 1954. Oh, and make no mistake about this: They didn't release us to see a matinee of "Blackboard Jungle." --Jim Heffernan

David Sedaris in Duluth

Hi Everyone...this is Jim's wife, Voula, posting something of interest today on Jim's blog.

As many of you know, David Sedaris came to town on Monday night. He did a book signing at Northern Lights Books at Canal Park. To read all about the event in yesterday's Duluth News Tribune, CLICK HERE. Northern lights is an Indie book store, smallish and wonderful. BTW...they sell Jim's book, Cooler Near the Lake there too :-)

Why did David Sedaris want to do his book promotion here in Duluth and at this small, independent Bookstore? Anita Zager, Northern Lights owner, and her crew didn't know why either. It turns out Sedaris is making a big national tour, going to middle sized towns and hitting only Independent Bookstores to give them the spotlight. Anita and her staff were kept busy trying to figure out how to handle all of this and they did a great job. The deal was that you had to purchase a David Sedaris book at their book store first. Then, beginning on June 1, you had to come in and show your receipt and get a ticket with a number to get in line for the signing on Monday evening. The bookstore was too small to accommodate everyone who wanted to come so they devised a fun event out in the parking lot with music and festivities and an outside loud speaker piping his in-store readings before the signings took place. They planned to call in groups by number as the store could only handle so many readers. Sedaris planned to stay "as long as it takes" to sign everyone's books and I understand he went 'till all hours.

I came to Northern Lights on June 2nd with my book receipt and got number 163. Jim and I both love Sedaris' crazy humor and writings and we were to meet friends in the parking lot and take in the scene before I could get in to have my book signed by Sedaris. Well... the weather was really dour... downpours all day. We decided to dump our plans, with regret. I didn't know they'd have buses to house the crowds (a creative last minute idea) and I couldn't envision standing in the rain. The true believers came anyway and it sounded like a fun event and I missed it, darn!

Sedaris has the same background as our children, half Greek. He mentions his Greek father and the Greek culture in his books often. I'm 100 percent Greek and get a real kick out of that...and so do our children who enjoy his books and writings as well. The book I'm reading now is Me Talk Pretty One Day. Sedaris refers to his childhood speech issues and his run in with speech therapy in school. Having worked in schools and special education as a school social worker, I giggled throughout that section. Sedaris takes a unique spin on everything in life and speech therapy through his eyes proved hilarious. He's just a funny, zany guy. Pretty outrageous too... and it all works. Hooray for David Sedaris for coming to Duluth, supporting the independent booksellers and giving his local fans a thrill!

Just some more lore about the local hype... The day I got my ticket at Northern Lights, I brought into the store a full page ad in the NY Times of Sedaris' tour and the mention of Duluth. Jim spotted it and the crew at the bookstore had not seen it. It was exciting for all of us to see that ad and the mention of Duluth.

Christa Lawler of the Duluth New Tribune covered the event and additionally wrote a piece in her blog on Area Voices on the Duluth News Tribune web site. Check it out to get more of the flavor of a night in Duluth with David Sedaris.