DEADLY DIALOGUE: A Conversation on Cinema with Barbara Crampton

Hello, readers! Welcome back for the next installment of our monthly feature here at Daily Dead, “Deadly Dialogue: A Conversation on Cinema”, in which we catch up with notable folks from the horror and sci-fi genres—both in front of and behind the camera—to discuss the films that inspired them to become the artists they are today.

Ever since she first endeared herself to genre fans everywhere with her wondrous performance in Stuart Gordon’s Re-Animator, Barbara Crampton has been one of the most revered and respected Scream Queens of all-time, due to her gracious nature, her immeasurable talents, and the energy she brings to each and every one of her projects.

At the press day for Road Games, the thriller recently released by IFC Midnight, Crampton discussed some of the actors that influenced her decision to follow a creative path professionally, and she also shared a lovely story about cinematic icon Danny Kaye.

For me, it was growing up watching the "Million Dollar Movies" on WPIX Channel 11. I would come home every day after school and watch a movie, and what made me want to be an actress was watching actors like Miriam Hopkins and Bette Davis and Danny Kaye; those were my favorite performers growing up. All of those actors are very strong actors and have a real point of view and they're not subtle about what they do. I wanted to be one of them. Those were the types of performances that really influenced me.

Years ago, when I was living in L.A., Danny Kaye was in the hospital and he was at Cedars-Sinai. I knew he was there and he just really influenced me so much as a young performer. I went to Cedars-Sinai and I brought him some flowers and a card. I went to the hospital and I said, "I'm here to deliver some flowers to Danny Kaye."

They said, "He's up on the fourth floor."

I said, "Okay," and I went up to the fourth floor and I went to the nurse's station. I said, "I'm here to deliver some flowers to Danny Kaye." 

She said, "He's in room 239." 

I said, "No, I can't go into his room. He doesn't know me, I'm a fan." 

She said, "You can probably go in, it would be okay."

I said, "No, I cannot go into Danny Kaye's room. He's in the hospital, he's vulnerable, I can't do that to him, I can't do that to myself." I said, "Please let me just drop them off here. Please, I'm begging you, would you give them to him, please?" I dropped them off and some time later, I got a letter from him, a personal handwritten letter.

He responded to my note in the mail because I had left my address and everything. It was a wonderful note. I don't know if I now am sad that I never went to Danny Kaye's hospital room, but I probably still would make the same choice. He really was the single performer that most influenced me and made me want to be an actor.