Daughter Of Mister B.I.G.

Growing up in Hollywood is interesting enough, but imagine your Dad makes these big bug and big people flicks and you get to appear in one of them! That's a really interesting childhood...especially when that appearance blossoms into a full-blown acting career and later, as an adult, you star in a creepy film that attains cult status. Of course, we are describing Susan Gordon, the...

By ROB CRAIG

If you’re a fan of films from the 1950’s and 1960’s, you are undoubtedly familiar with the wonderful drive-in flicks of producer/director Bert. I Gordon, also known as "Mister B.I.G." Gordon’s fantastic films range from giant bug movies (Earth Vs. The Spider), to ghost stories (Tormented), to fantastic adventures (The Magic Sword), and pretty much everything in-between.

As exciting as the special effects were, more exciting to many was the arresting presence of Bert’s daughter, Susan Gordon, as the star in several of these beloved films.

Pretty, precocious and packed with talent, Susan started her acting career in the Attack Of The Puppet People, continuing in the ghost-thriller Tormented, and ending in the creepy gothic horror of Picture Mommy Dead. In between, Susan acted in dozens of TV series, as well as Daddy B.I.G.’s The Boy And The Pirates, and other "big" flicks like Man In The Net and The Five Pennies (with Danny Kaye).

In the mid-‘60s, Susan took some well-deserved time off from acting, but has recently returned with a vengeance, making her NY theatrical debut in the off-Broadway showcase production of A Magic Place In A New Time.

We caught up with Ms. Gordon at a recent autograph show, and were delighted to find her to be as sweet and engaging as her screen persona. (And she still has those dreamy eyes!)

We asked Ms. G. her thoughts on her three "fantastic" films, and got more than we bargained for, including some terrific insights on acting and character motivation.

HORROR-WOOD: How did you end up in your first film, Attack Of The Puppet People? Did you say "I wanna be in the movies!", or was it more your father's idea?

Susan Gordon: I guess I always had aspirations to act. Didn’t every little girl? And when a part came up in my dad’s movie for a girl my age, I pleaded to be considered for the role. My dad agreed to audition me, but he had no intention of giving me the speaking role. He was not keen on any of his daughters pursuing an acting career, for children in the industry seemed doomed to an unhappy childhood.

But he finally consented to my being an extra in the movie, along with my entire Brownie troop. Then, as fate would have it, or, rather, my good fortune, the actress he’d hired came to work sick with a high temperature. When he saw she was too sick to perform, he handed the script to my mom and said, "Teach it to Susan. You have fifteen minutes and she gets one take, because I wouldn’t want anyone to think I was showing favoritism."

HW: You have a very strong presence in Attack Of The Puppet People, even in your very first scene. Were you naturally gifted, or did you take lessons at an early age?

SG: I don’t know about being naturally gifted, but I felt very relaxed and natural in front of the camera.

HW: Your big scene with the evil toymaker is quite remarkable. Your timing, and your chemistry with John Hoyt is impressive, considering your age.

SG: Thank you.

HW: Did you have to do many takes on this scene?

SG: No, my dad had given me only one take to do it, and one take it was.

HW: There’s a scene later on where you peek through the toymaker’s door, and the police detective (Jack Kosslyn) picks you up and holds you. You are simply beaming in this scene. Were you having a lot of fun, or was this good acting?

SG: Fun, it was. Everything about making the movie was fun. I was just playing the part.

HW: What did you think of seeing yourself on the big screen? Did you want to start your next acting job right away? What was the "industry's" response to your inaugural effort?

SG: It was thrilling to watch the movie when it was completed, and it was quite a feeling of accomplishment to see myself on the screen and my name in the credits. It was definitely a feeling that begged to be perpetuated. Shortly after the movie was released, my parents received calls from a number of theatrical agents who were interested in signing me on. And so I got my first agent, and my career path was set.

HW: Tormented (1960) was a real tour de force for you; you have 14 scenes, with as many costume changes. You are on-screen for perhaps half the running time. There are several extended dialogue scenes, covering a wide emotional range. And you are excellent throughout. In your humble opinion, were you just a natural at this, or were you a damned good actress by this time?

SG: I am delighted that you liked my performance. Thank you. I don’t know if you could say I was a natural at acting. For me, I didn’t consider it "acting," as much as "being." In those scenes, I was Sandy Hubbard. I imagined what her life was really about, and that’s how I played the part. I’d never had any formalized training, but I guess that’s what you’d call "method acting."

HW: The chemistry between you and Richard Carlson is extraordinary. You must have gotten along off the set as well? He seemed like a sweet guy.

SG: He was, indeed. It was working with wonderful people like Richard Carlson that made acting such a joy.

HW: One of your attempts to charm Tom Stewart is by showing him your magic act. (Wearing a mustache, yet!) Did you practice magic tricks as a kid?

SG: I’ve always loved magic tricks, but I don’t recall ever being any good at them. I’m sure I had a beginner’s magician set at some point. There are a few tricks I remember my dad teaching me, but he was always better at them than me. (laughs)

HW: About half-way through the film, there's a close-up of you playing 'Chopsticks' on the piano. Was this dubbed in, or did you really know how to play?

SG: ‘Chopsticks’ is probably the only thing I did know how to play on the piano. (laughs) Although I did take piano lessons when I was young, regrettably I was never very serious about it. Today, I wish I had been. It’s a great skill to have.

HW: In the entire film, you flub only one line. While you are setting the table, you say: 'What's wrong with a jazz magician?' Do you remember this?

SG: (Laughs) Indeed I do remember! I seemed to have had a problem differentiating between musician and magician. We had to retake the scene many times because I consistently flubbed the line, much to the amusement of the cast and crew watching in the sidelines. In the end, my dad decided to leave the line flubbed as it was, for the natural effect it added to the scene.

HW: There is a very heavy emotional scene late in the film, in which you try to confess to Tom what you know about him. You express believable trepidation, remorse and fear. Were these 'heavy' scenes tougher than the rest, or no big deal?

SG: I’ve never found one emotion to be particularly more difficult to portray than another. I’ve always approached acting with the belief that I must be the character to play the character: How would she feel in that situation? If the emotions were real for that situation, then they were natural.

HW: There is a great moment, at the wedding rehearsal. The pastor says "Speak now, or forever hold your peace!" You are about to tell the congregated your awful secret about Tom, when Vi's ghost barges in and wilts all the bridal bouquets. What a great scene! Were you a witness to all the special effects, or were they done later?

SG: The flowers actually wilted in the scene, as we filmed it. The effect was indeed eerie and fascinating to watch how they did it.

HW: The scenes at the lighthouse, where Tom almost tosses you over the side, seem pretty tense and complicated. Were these scenes scary to shoot?

SG: Those scenes at the lighthouse were filmed on a sound stage, with a replica of the top floor of the lighthouse only. There was no real danger in falling off, so it wasn’t really scary.

HW: Your final close-up is quite moving, where, still in your bridesmaid dress, you cry over Tom's dead body. This is a hell of a role! Did you enjoy making Tormented?

SG: I had a great time doing Tormented. It was challenging to have such a range of emotions in my character, but, because of that, it was also a fun role. The fact that much of the movie was filmed at the beach was a bonus. And, of course, working with my mom and dad was wonderful.

HW: A long time elapsed between A Boy And The Pirates (1960) and Picture Mommy Dead (1966). Were you busy with TV roles, or just enjoying life?

SG: Both, actually. I was quite fortunate to have the opportunity to appear in many of the popular television shows of that era. My Three Sons, The Danny Thomas Show, Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, to name a few. It was quite thrilling to appear on some of my favorite shows.

HW: Your work in Picture Mommy Dead is extraordinary. It's a powerful and complex emotional role for a teenager. How did you feel about doing it?

SG: I like a challenge, and indeed the role of Susan Shelley was challenging. In a psychological drama such as Picture Mommy Dead, there’s tremendous room for character development.

HW: Was it fun, or intimidating, working with "big" stars like Zsa Zsa Gabor and Don Ameche?

SG: I don’t remember ever being intimidated by any of the great stars I’ve worked with. If anything, I was in awe of them. Zsa Zsa Gabor and Don Ameche were both awe inspiring. It was an honor to perform with them.

HW: Your first mental breakdown in Picture Mommy Dead is very intense. Your toys come to life and attack you! Is it difficult to film a scene like this, where you are reacting to inanimate objects?

SG: You must remember that, in the scene, the inanimate objects do come alive. So they are not really inanimate anymore, are they? It’s easier to react to them when you think of them in that way.

HW: One of the most terrifying scenes in Picture Mommy Dead is when the falcon attacks you in bed. This frightening and bloody scene was definitely influenced by Hitchcock's The Birds, and is quite effective. Was it silly having a mechanical bird pecking at your face? (I hope it was mechanical, anyway!)

SG: Nothing is silly when you’re making a movie. The mechanical bird was a place marker for the real thing, a symbol of what the real bird represented to me: danger. When the mechanical bird is attacking me, I am reacting to the real bird. The fear is the same.

HW: Martha Hyers plays an exceedingly creepy villainess. What was she like for real?

SG: Martha Hyers was a very nice person, nothing at all like the villainess she portrayed.

HW: The fiery climax looks awfully real, when you and Don Ameche walk slowly away from the burning bed. Was the set really burning?

SG: Indeed it was. And for that reason, it was obviously a scene we could only film once. When we did the scene, there were firemen standing by, surrounding the set, ready to rush in and put out the fire as soon as the director, my father, yelled, "Cut!"

As Don Ameche and I came slowly out of the burning room, we could feel the hot wall of fire behind us. It was so intense, I was sure that my back must have been on fire. But I didn’t panic and I carried out the scene to its completion, knowing that, if I really was on fire, my parents would have interceded immediately.

HW: Your father must have had great pride, and faith, in you, to put you in such a difficult role in Picture Mommy Dead. This is just a theory, but was the intense emotional experience in working on Picture Mommy Dead one of the reasons you needed to take a break from acting for a while? Regardless, I think Picture Mommy Dead is your masterpiece.

SG: Thank you, I really appreciate that. I did Picture Mommy Dead during my last year in high school. In that year, I also had the role of Helen Keller in our high school production of The Miracle Worker, another most challenging role. My decision to take a break after graduating high school was not so much to separate myself from the intensity of such roles as it was to allow me to focus my energies on college. My career had kept me very busy throughout my school years; I was determined to have an uninterrupted college education.

HW: One last question. Is there anything new and exciting on the horizon for Susan Gordon?

SG: As a matter of fact, there is. I recently recorded a song for a soon-to-be-released CD called Jeepers Creepers: Great Songs From Horror Films (Executive Producers Richard Valley and Tom Amorosi, publishers of Scarlet Street, and produced by Grammy-nominated Record Producer Bruce Kimmel). On the CD, I sing "You’re a Dolly," from Attack Of The Puppet People. I guess you could say that makes it an "original cast recording." (laughs) I had a great time doing the song. It was the first time I’d been in a recording studio since I sang two songs with Danny Kaye in The Five Pennies.

HW: That’s exciting news. We shall be sure to watch for the release of Jeepers Creepers. Thank you, Ms. Gordon. It was a pleasure talking with you today.

SG: Thank you, HORROR-WOOD, for giving me this opportunity to share my memories with your readership.

Thanks, Rob, and a special thanks to Susan Gordon! As the daughter of the B.I.G. guy himself, Susan Gordon has certainly "carved" a career in Hollywood (and we're not just referring to Picture Mommy Dead). We've enjoyed her in all her roles and we certainly appreciate her taking the time to chat with us. We wish her luck with her current and future projects.

Interview copyright � Rob Craig

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