Barb’s Turn! Finally, I ask Barb some questions instead of the other way around!
Park: Okay, questions-for-Barb starts now! Favorite Actor?
Barb: OOOH, tough one. I really love Van Heflin, the old Hollywood star. He’s so tough yet so gentle. And I love Robert Ryan, as he has a “don’t mess with me, you’ll regret it” vibe. I don’t like a lot of modern actors. I love Tom Holland, but I don’t think Hollywood knows what to do with him, post-Spider-Man. Same goes with the other two modern actors I like, Tom Hiddleston and Ryan Reynolds. Of course, Ryan Reynolds doesn’t have a thing to worry about, as he’s a savvy business man. But Hiddleston needs to find some post-Loki roles. Maybe he should go back to Shakespeare.
Park: Favorite ACTRESS?
Barb: Barbara Stanwyck. That woman can do it all: comedy, drama, film noir, weepies.
Park: Favorite MUSICAL?
Barb: Remember, I spent my teen years watching OLD movies, so I’m in my own little world.
Oh, dear. The best is Singing in the Rain, by far. But…does Rock and Roll High School count? I’ve seen that movie as many times as some people have seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Park: Rock and Roll High School counts as a musical.
Barb: Does The Threepenny Opera count? Because you haven’t lived if you haven’t heard Raul Julia play Mack the Knife. If I had a Tardis, I’d go back and watch Julia as Mack the Knife and in Dracula. Then again, I’d also go back and see Boris Karloff as Captain Hook.
Park: The Threepenny Opera counts as a musical.
Park: Favorite DRACULA adaptation?
Barb: Louis Jordan’s version. It’s the only one where the actual book is adapted instead of just used as a suggestion. But the best Dracula I’ve seen is Jack Palance, believe it or not. He acts like the Dracula in the book, this big WOLF of a man. …But I also like the Denholm Elliot version, or as we like to call it, “The Queer Theory Dracula.”
Park: Yeah, that counts.
Park: Favorite ghost story?
Barb: The Haunting of Hill House, all the way.
Park: Favorite TV show that isn’t Dark Shadows?
Barb: Ooh, I loved Bewitched when I was a child. And I loved The Prisoner as a teen.
Park: Favorite MUPPET?
Barb: Grover tied with Kermit. I feel for Grover. He’s just this little blue monster that wants to do right, but gets overwhelmed. Kermit because he’s you, which makes me Miss Piggy. But I’ve seen you act like Fozzie, too, when you’re silly.
Park: Fave Warner Brothers cartoon character?
Barb: When I was a little kid, I adored Bugs Bunny. When I became older, I loved Daffy Duck. Daffy went from being a Chaos Engine to a Conniver. But now, my favorite WB character is Pussyfoot the Kitty. I just love the innocence of that character.
Barb: The first writer I knew of that actually wrote for a living was Michael Maltese. When I learned to read, I saw his name on the Looney Tunes cartoons and always thought, “He writes the best cartoons.” He is still an influence on my writing. People laugh when I say that, but I’m serious. It takes a unique talent to write a 7-minute cartoon. You look at a Bugs and Daffy cartoon. He introduces the characters, the plot set up, and what’s at stake for all of the characters. His dialog isn’t just funny, it reveals who the characters are in relationship to each other. That taught me that every line of dialog in a story must do more than just move the plot along. Dialog also must reveal who a character is in relationship to other characters.
Park: Favorite color, and why, and what do you associate it with?
Barb: When I was a child, I loved the color blue. I hated Math, so I gave the numbers relationships with other numbers, so the number four was the color green and the number seven was the color blue. Gosh, I sound like a Sesame Street writer. Then, I like the color black for a long, long time, as black is the color of mystery. Then I got into the color red because it’s a power color. So, red and black are my favorite colors because they are striking colors that have mystery and power in them.
Park: Favorite season, and why?
Barb: Fall. That’s the season of mystery, horror films, sweaters, leaves changing, the Uncanny, and the whole veil between the worlds-growing-thin concept. It’s also the time of year when you were born, so it’s special to me.
Park: Which is the most SURPRISING (to you, I mean) character you’ve written?
Barb: Liz Pendragon from Gun Street Girl. She was surprising to me because she was my first attempt at writing a story for publication. I had no idea if I could even write. Then she burst onto the scene and I thought, “I can make up people! I can write characters! Hooray! Maybe I can actually do this writing thing instead of just dreaming about being a writer.”
Park: Costume Party time! You: Marvel Universe! Then, DCU! Who will you be? (NOTE: you ARE allowed to gender-swap if you want!)
Barb: Black Widow, although I look most like Squirrel Girl. Or female Loki. OR…and you’re gonna love this: Jean DeWolff.
Barb: DC? Honey, are you kidding me? I’m Barbara Gordon! …But I also like the idea of being Zatanna or Black Canary. I mean, I do look great in fishnets!