Hello there!
My name is Granny Lou.
On behalf of Louie The Move Buff I would like to present a different type of blog today.
Something different for a change ( and whilst being near Halloween) I thought that you might enjoy this.
This was a blog done for a Halloween type forum and as your hostess will take you through a trip of terror.
This tour de force deals with the so called deadly grannies from film and classic TV.
Most persons when they see an elderly lady they would like to help them cross the street, open a door, help them with their groceries or other acts of kindness.
No one would suspect an elderly granny to be a harmful type.
However, the cinema and classic TV has presented a group of elderly ladies that were quite lethal. This group is called The Deadly Grannies.
Some are devious old ladies and some are gentlemen disguised as elderly, harmless grannies.
I have chosen a number of examples running from the silent era to the 1970's who definitely fit into this category.
The first deadly granny is that of Mrs O'Grady from both the silent and talking versions of The Unholy Three.
The role is played by Lon Chaney, Sr. (The Man Of A Thousand Faces)
The silent film was made in 1925 and the talking one was made in 1930. This was Lon Chaney, Senior's last film and the only talking film that he made.
In the film Echo, a ventriloquist disguises himself as Mrs. O'Grady who leads a three ring theft group ( which includes himself, a midget (disguised as a baby) and a circus strongman. Through Mrs. O'Grady, the trio enters homes under false pretensions and steals very valuable items. Things move along quickly until one of the heists ends up in a murder. As a result at a trial Mrs. O'Grady/Echo is discovered and Echo is sent to prison. What happens is that when Mrs. O'Grady is testifying at the trial, Echo, apparently get excited and uses his own voice.
The second deadly granny is that of a kindly storekeeper who sells dolls. This kindly old lady is Paul Levond ( played by Lionel Barrymore in disguise) and is an escapee from Devil's Island. The film is entitled The Devil Doll.(1936)
The story concerns Paul Levond who is sent to Devil's Island unjustly by his business partners. While in prison Levond befriends a scientist who has learned the secret of reducing living creatures to doll size. Both Levond and the scientist escape from Devil's Island and after the scientist dies Levond uses the terrible secret to wreak revenge on his former business partners.
The next deadly granny is the Widow Fortune played by Bette Davis in the TV miniseries The Dark Secret Of Harvest Home.
When a young couple arrive in a small town enveloped by devil worship, satanism and human sacrifice The Widow Fortune uses all of her wiles against the young couple to bring them into the group.
The upcoming deadly granny is a son whose dresses as and becomes his deceased mother
Norman Bates played by Anthony Perkins in the film Psycho takes on the persona of his dead mother and proceeds to cause terror and murder.
Hammer Studios produces this next deadly granny: The Countess Dracula
The film is from 1972 and Countess Dracula is played by Ingrid Pitt.
There could be no deadlier granny that a wicked witch.This character comes from an episode of Boris Karloff's Thriller series on TV (1960-1962) The episode is entitled La Strega
The title role is played by character actress Jeanette Nolan. This witch brings her vengeance upon her granddaughter and her lover.
Another deadly granny comes from the Girl From UNCLE TV series ( 1966 - 1967) The deadly granny this time comes by way of Mother Muffin, the head of an international assassin squad. Mother Muffin is played in drag by none other than the great horror star Boris Karloff!
It was probably the best episode of the series due to Karloff's part. At 80 years old he was still a great trouper. He was suffering with respiratory problems and crippling arthritis. He was to die a year and a half later on.
The next horrific granny comes from a 1932 film called Vampyr. It was a French German and was produced by Danish director Carl Theodore Dryser.
The deadly granny here was a vampiress. She was Margaret Chopin, a very evil old woman who died in mortal sin and was conspiring with the village doctor to help gain access to her victim.
A real terror of a granny comes from the Mario Bava film entitled Black Sabbath.
The film was a trilogy of stories. The title of this story was called Drop Of Water.
A nurse steals a magic ring off the finger of an old witch (pictured). From then on the nurse is constantly terrorized by this witch lady. Taking the ring was a real no no! This story is the most terrorizing of the three presented.
The next are two deadly grannies who kill their victims with elderberry wine and they are promptly buried in the cellar.
The ladies are Jean Adair and Josephine Hull from the film Arsenic And Old Lace (1944)
Bette Davis again is a wicked granny from the film The Nanny (1965)
A nanny is suspected of murder. Did she do it?
Well then watch the film and find out for yourself.
Here are some worthy inclusions:
It's Bette Davis again and this time she is Baby Hudson from the film Whatever Happened To baby Jane? (1962)
Even if she is not old enough to be a granny Rosemary Murphy sure looks like one.
Here is character actress Rosemary Murphy from an episode of Boris Karloff's Thriller TV series (1960-1962) called The Lethal Ladies
Ms. Murphy plays Miss Quimby , an old maid librarian who is getting the ax from a new library head, a post that she thought that she would get. Well she gets her revenge by locking the new library head in the rare book vault which will not open again until school starts next September, three months from now. Where there is a will, there is a way!
Here is character actress Agnes Morehead who could play characters much older than her real age.
Here she is as the scheming third cousin's wife from the film Dragon Seed.
Well that concludes my tale of the deadly grannies.
So I leave you with this advise.
Be careful of those innocent looking elderly ladies. You never know what lurks in their hearts or minds!
So have a great evening. Watch a horror flick!
Have a glass of claret as well to calm your nerves!
Oops! I spilled mine on my dress! Oh well!
Granny Lou
