Entertainly awkward interview with Valley of the Dolls' Jacqueline Susann 1969

[EricMontreal22]

I came across this by accident but find it oddly very entertaining. Barbara Frum was kinda Canada's Barbara Walters--except she did much better, and less kiss-ass interviews (she died early of cancer.) This was one of her very first, with Jacqueline Susann shortly after The Great Love Machine came out. Her elitism is hysterical, IMHO, but so are Jacqueline's responses-- Frum very publicly would later talk about the interview as her worst ever, and admit she went about it all wrong because back then she really felt she had something she had to prove.

http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/arts-entertainment/media/barbara-frum-pioneering-broadcaster/early-frum-a-shaky-start.html

[DRW50]

Was Myra Breckenridge considered great literature? I hope it was better than the movie...

Frum looks so much like Mike TV's mother in Willy Wonka.

I'm laughing at her asking Jacquline Susann if she got up in the middle of the night and hated herself. Wow.

That had me on pins and needles, especially the personal shots Susann kept taking (although Frum opened the door for them).

Was Jacqueline drunk?

She has that "look" which was so popular at the time (Robin Strasser/Susan Seaforth).

Her views on novels were ahead of their time.

[EricMontreal22]

Myra Breckinridge and its even more satirical Myron are two of my favorite novels. You can't compare it to the movie (as I'm sure you know.) However, critics didn't know what to make of it at the time, and many found it obscene. I think Frum's point though was by then Gore Vidal was respected as a "literary" author, althoug one who was seen as anti-establishment.

Yeah, I know Frum wanted to show she was a hard hitting journalist, despite only then being given light interviews, but that question about hating yourself was both ridiculous and belo the belt (and doesn't even make sense to me...)

Was it that ahead of its time? She name drops Wallace and Rbbins who both had her book philosophy a decade or so before her. (And yes, I think she is a bit drunk... Wasn't she known to be? I can't remember that awful Bette Midler biopic...)

[DRW50]

I think it was ahead of its time in that she was even challenged on the idea. Today pulp or trash fiction is probably the norm for novels.

I never watched that movie either. Not sure why Bette was cast.

[beebs]

Oh WOW. Yeah, Barb got a lot better over the years. The pretense she has with this woman is insane. I'm impressed by Jacqueline's composure, as though she's used to being sneered at like this for her work. What an great, awkward mess of an interview!

[EricMontreal22]

I completely agree. I really admire Frum (though not everyone does, so I probably only know her famous interviews--I know my mom finds her inhumane lol) but she is so much in the wrong here, as much as I kinda enjoy it--on the radio that linked me to this, thy had an excerpt of her talking in the 80s and outright apologizing to Susann, but I can't find it online.

[All My Shadows]

Wow, this was amazing. I was Team Jacqueline all the way through, and I adore her one line, "I think great fun can be high art," or something like that.