Lizzie Borden Society Forum

Filmfax, the Magazine of Unusual Film, Television & Retro Pop Culture has published an article about The Legend of Lizzie Borden, the 1975 made-for-tv movie with Elizabeth Montgomery. It includes interviews with the makers of the film, including William Bast the screenplay writer, and has photographs from the film, as well as a few publicity stills, an ad from tv guide, and two interesting shots of Elizabeth Montgomery being filmed by the cameras.

The cynical amongst you may note how the interviews with Bast played up how accurate the film is. He claims he took great pains to stick to all the known facts, which is a little laughable considering some of the incredibly blatant things that the film gets wrong.

Bast also reveals that he truly believes Lizzie Borden committed the murders in the nude. He says he put that into the screenplay because he considered all the known theories about the case and he found that to be the most plausible.

Another part the Forum may find interesting is where the director tells of how the Society of the Friends of Lizzie Borden were helpful in developing the movie. Does anyone out there know who these people were back in the mid-70s?

Here's a quote that all you may find amusing:

"Lizzie was shot primarily on stages on the Paramount lot. with painstaking care given to accurately recreate the actual Borden household - down to the smallest detail -- and its Fall River neighborhood."

Considering the house was off-limits at the time they made the film, we have to cut them a little slack. But as many poeple I know have commented on the recreation of the house in the film -- not even close!!!!

Thanks for the heads-up, Richard.

Yes, there are quite a few factual errors in the production (how dare they leave out Uncle John!) but it is still well worth watching. It did bring the crime back into popular culture and helped to create a new generation of Bordenphiles.

As for the "Friends of Lizzie Borden", Rebello has several entries on them on page 267:

"New 'Society' Formed to Perpetuate THAT Murder," Fall River Herald News, July, 19, 1961: 19.
"Lizzie Borden's 'Friends' Organize," Clearwater Sun, Clearwater, FL, July 21, 1961.
"Lizzie, Public Opinion," Fall River Herald News, August 4, 1961: 4.
Constant L. Hawkins, president of the Lizzie Borden Historical Society founded in 1959, wrote of its members and activities.
The Society of the Friends of Lizzie Borden was founded by Stuart Palmer, a California mystery writer. It was later taken over by W. T. Rabe, who, with Russell McLauchlin, headed the Michigan Chapter headquarters in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
"Beg Porden, Lizzie Borden," Providence Journal Bulletin, July 30, 1972: 4-5.
Fun and games -The Society of the Friends of Lizzie Borden dedicated to remind Lizzie buffs that Lizzie Borden was acquitted."

Any idea how to get a hold of the LEGEND OF LIZZIE BORDEN filmfax issue?

Thanks Harry. I now wonder what William Bast would have produced if he had the Lizzie Borden Society Forum snapping at his heels!

I got Filmfax or years at Barnes and Noble magazine section. They also have a web site: http://www.filmfax.com

It's a great magazine. It really does deal with unusual film, television and pop culture. Their articles are usually quite in-depth and the Lizzie Borden one is only about 3 pages which was a bit of a disappointment. But it's charming and amusing if you get a chance to take a look at it.

Bill Rabe was a friend of mine back in the 1980's. He was a member of the Baker's Street Irregulars and would always call me when the group met in January in New York- a lovely man he was- and convinced Lizzie was innocent. On the 100th anniversary of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, a special book was published to commemorate the event with which Bill was involved as public relations manager. He also organized Murder at the Grand Hotel which was one of those weekend packages for would-be sleuths . He was a funny, charming and delightfully eccentric man. Bill died in 1992 at the young age of 71 and was mourned by so many friends all across America. We came to know each other through the Grand Hotel and Sherlockian mutual interests. He was, an unforgettable character!

Too bad we can't make our own film. It would be so historically accurate that it would probably have no "commercial value." It would be an interesting project though.

-1bigsteve (o:

I wonder if I can attach a pdf here?
When I was looking thru the Oakland Tribune for my bio on Spiering, I saved a page that talks about the TV premiere of this movie Legend.
Let me try...

Kat,
That was fun to see. It's great that you were able to save that and share with us. Thank you!

Kat, that was great - thanks for sharing it with us.

You're welcome!
When Richard started the topic and mentioned an ad in the TV Guide, I remembered this.
Well, now I know we can download huge pdf's!

Thanks for updating the topic bigsteve!

I'll have to pick this issue up! And I've got a B&N discount card!

Now, the exterior of the Borden house is a mess in the film*, and the curving (?) road is dirt, which is wrong, and there were no verdant mountains behind Second Street in reality, and where is Maggie's shawl and cap?

But, even though they left out the closet next to the front door and painted the door molding brown (and put the sink in the kitchen), who dreamed they'd hew to the actual architecture of the house so closely? They enlarged the entrance into the parlor from the foyer for dramatic purposes, and the sitting room is painted, with an oval piece of art on the wall over the sofa, but it's astoundingly like the layout and furnishings in the house at the time.

*The house in the film, as seen from outside is huge, not a narrow Greek Revival. When a character enters the front door, the south side of the exterior house simply vanishes so that the dimensions are more or less correct inside, and the windows along the south side admit light. The house exterior also is one style in front, with the clapboards of the real house oddly showing up halfway back on the north wall, so that the screen door landing looks authentic.