MaryBadham Tagged Articles at Cinematical

If you're a true movie geek, you probably refuse to dress up at Halloween in anything but a movie-related costume. I guess I'm not a true movie geek, because two years ago I went as Family Guy's Quagmire, who as of yet is not in any movies. Last year, though, I was Harpo Marx. I haven't decided what to be this year yet, but it isn't definite that I'll be something with cinematic reference.

Of course, if I was a real, hardcore movie geek, I wouldn't just settle for the basic, predictable movie-themed outfit. I'd go for the gold, and be an uber-geek. How? I would doubly dress up as a movie character who is dressed up as somebody or something else. To do so, I would pick one of my favorite non-Halloween costumes and disguises depicted on film (it isn't as fun dressing as a character who is dressed up for Halloween). However, most of these would be difficult to achieve -- or at least too obscure to wear to a common party, where the crowd isn't as film familiar as you. If you attempt any of these, good luck! And please, please send me a photo.

1. Harpo Marx and Chico Marx as Groucho Marx in Duck Soup (1933, Leo McCarey)

See, now if I had really wanted to be geeky (or pretentious), I would have not just dressed as Harpo last Halloween; I would have dressed as Harpo dressed as Groucho. In one of the most famous sequences in any Marx Brothers film, Pinky (Harpo) and Chicolini (Chico) each disguises himself as Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho) in order to steal some war plans. The real gem of the sequence, of course, is the "mirror scene" (watch it if you've never seen it before, please), where Pinky pretends to be the reflection of Rufus until Chicolini appears and ruins everything. Although historically it was only Harpo and Chico who were often mistaken for each other, or for twins, all three brothers look so alike here, that when they're all together, it is almost difficult to tell who is who. If you want to pull this double-costume off, it won't be hard -- Grouch faces are easy to do, and then you just need a sleeping cap and gown -- but I doubt you'll get much tolerance when you constantly correct everyone who thinks you're simply Groucho.

Suddenly, it's a To Kill a Mockingbird month: last week, it was Harper Lee who resurfaced, and now it's Mary Badham, who starred as Scout in the film. Back in the public eye because of Our Very Own, her first film since 1966, Badham gave an interview to the AP recently that gives child actors all over the world hope for sanity. She works at a community college, raised a kid, and does art restoration - no arrests, no coke deals, no nothing. Scout grew up to be a well-adjusted, totally normal woman. Hooray!

The most wonderful part of the interview comes when Badham discusses her relationship with Gregory Peck, who played her father Atticus Finch in Mockingbird. She and Peck (whom she called "Atticus" for the duration of their relationship) stayed in close contact until his death in 2003. Because Badham lost both of her parents before she turned 22, she says she relied heavily on both Peck and his wife for stability and support. I must be feeling emotional this morning, because this quote from her almost made me cry:  "When you're going through tough times, just hearing his voice on the other end of the line was very calming for me. I knew that he was there and everything was OK." Oh my goodness. Honestly, I think I might love this woman even more now than I did when I was a kid.