LINDA BALGORD in "Sunset Boulevard" - Finale 3 (Greatest Star of All [Reprise])

[bettyboy72]

@emlodik-Yes, I agree. many Normas play her like a total whack job-how can the audience sympathize with that? She needs to be vulnerable for the audience to have empathy for her.

[emlodik]

@bettyboy72 You should also check out Helen Schneider. Her Norma is by far the craziest and creepiest, but she somehow made it all work towards the character's sympathy. Very different portrayal than Linda's, but very good one as well.

[bettyboy72]

WOW! Linda is heartbreaking! Thanks for sharing this. I adore Linda and sorry I never got to see her on tour. I saw her in Aspects of Love and she is wonderful. She really broke my heart.

[emlodik]

@bettyboy72 I know, Linda's Norma is the most tragic and sympathetic. She really played up Norma's vulnerable, sweet side more than the other actors who tackled the role.

[independantwoman]

I know this is goin ot be a bit of a stupid question to ask bt why does norma run back up the stairs after singing mad about the boy etc is it the reality of what she has become or what she has done to joe hit her briefly or is it just she is afraid of the cameras or what? I'm a little confused

[Sampiro]

I love the physical interaction between Norma and Max. I also like how Max regresses as much in this number as she does. Sometimes the actor playing Max just says the "lights camera action" but this one is really a director again.

As for the sequel, I think Max wound up with Betty and they had twins named Joe and Norma. Everything was fine until Norma was released from the asylum, but that's part 3.

[HouseOnSunset]

@Sampiro What I like is how unique Linda Balgord's performance is. This has got to be the saddest version of the finale.

[caseyjay231]

@HouseOnSunset I agree with you. While I love watching the powerful renditions of other norma's in the finale, Linda Balgord brought me to tears with her raw emotion, the perceived confusion of a woman who has lost her sense of reality, and like you said, her sudden realization on the staircase that she was being taken away. Upon this realization, norma's sanity resurfaces enough for her to know she is in trouble, and Linda made this so believable. I will never get sick of watching this.

[Peadarisback]

the sad thing is Norma's right in a way some silent films are better then 'talkies' (e.g. Phantom of the opera 1925, The Man who laughs 1928, Noresferatu 1922, Hunchback of Notre dame 1923) films with dialouge are fine but some silents are fantastic...(check the ones I mentioned above out their on youtube) anyway good musical not my favourite ALW one though

[Mr17051963]

More sad is the fact that this lady stayed in the part for so little time. I would love to see her performing live this wonderful play. Of course I'm talking of the original stage version. Anyway, it's good to see her in these rare videos.

[MisterDaskLives]

I think this is my favorite of this scene song on YouTube...I really like her more childlike, dress-up take on this seen. There's something so startling innocent about her that makes it more pathetic. You can see how Norma never really grew up living in the Hollywood system as a teenager.

[oscarphile]

Who's Max in this?

[emlodik]

Ed Dixon.

[KekoaOnorati]

I'm so glad you can actually see the effect of her face at the end in this video. It's really eerie and poignant. :]

[AtLastOnTheGround]

You're right -- Her acting is fantastic. BUT I really don't like her voice, it's just not my cup of tea, really. Although it does suit the eccentric Ms. Desmond.

[HouseOnSunset]

I think her higher voice fits the more neurotic, immature Norma she portrays. The way she whimpers as the police try to tackle her is heart breaking!

[tiuouye]

dit is echt supper ..!

je moet echt een de nederlandse verzie opzoeken met simone k1 leinsma zij is de echte norma desment ..XD

[fellatio24]

the wonderful closeup on La Desmond in her heyday at the end, the juxtaposition of her haunting former beauty to the pitiful insane creature she has become is utterly shattering.

[TamTheHamster]

Great performance... but I am sad now. The whole musical, while wonderful is very depressing... Did anybody came out of it happy (ofd the characters, not of the people hwo watched it...)

Joe is dead and Norma killed him ...

Max is surely devasted as now it will be hard for him to contine sheltering the woman he still loves...

And Betty? Does she have a future with Artie? one that makes her happy, at least?

Well, I suppose I am just thinking to much...

[HouseOnSunset]

Well, aside from Betty, all the leads get EXACTLY what they wanted.

Joe gets his swimming pool.

Max gets to direct another scene.

And Norma gets to perform in front of the cameras.

"It's perverse, but it's true, EVERYONE got exactly what they wanted."

[TamTheHamster]

Yeah. - the sad thing is. - What you wanted is not allways what really makes you happy!

[mrtweak77]

what a bewitching performance - thanks so much for posting x

[lumiere85]

I think Linda was the craziest norma. Don't really care for the way she ends with one look, I'll be me.  Maybe I'll grow on me.

Was reading posts, they made cuts to the score for the Petula crap? God, casting her wasn't bad enough?!

[HouseOnSunset]

Yes, the cut much of recitative and had very cheap sets and amateur staging... You can see some clips on my page.

[chernjam]

Sunset Blvd is my all time favorite musical. I saw it 10 times on Broadway and the second national US tour. The set was truly amazing. And all of the Normas had strong points/weaknesses.

It's wonderful to see Linda Balgord - I never saw her (but did see her and loved her in Aspects tour)

The only problem with the original (to me) was Trevor Nunn's lack of direction. So many of the tours/recent productions have been stronger with new directors. Would love to see Sunset again someday!

[HouseOnSunset]

I guess one of the reasons the Linda Balgord show looked so much sharper is because they had a different director working off of Nunn's notes, but not Nunn himself.

Trevor Nunn may not be the best director, but he was infinitely better than Susan Schulman. What she and Petula Clark did was like the Holocaust for "Sunset Boulevard" fans worldwide!

[chernjam]

Well I loved the Original Broadway production (and it makes sense how the different director was able to sharpen Balgord's performance)

but I don't think the Schulman production was THAT bad. Its hard to follow the beautiful sets of Napier - but I thought some of the cuts, changes (finale , Too much in Love and As If scene) where much more moving. Petula Clark (live when I saw her) seemed pretty good to me.

[HouseOnSunset]

I thought Petula was AWFUL, her voice (and what little acting skills she had) had died years ago...

My problem wasn't with the smaller sets, it was the fact that they were DREADFULLY cluttered and amateurish, like a high school production. And Schulman tried making way too campy and "cute" when the story is anything but that. The UK show had a lot more class.

[halsatia]

omg...that was a creepy ending...especially the projected picture of norma.

[rafflifantome]

That was amazing... I loved Ms Balgord's interpretation of Norma. =] It was sooo tragic! :(

The set looks amazing - this was on tour right? How'd they manage to haul all that scenery across cities? Omg. They seriously should bring this to Singapore!!! Not Cats! :( Why are they bringing Cats again? I heard a rumour a very long time ago that Sunset was gonna tour Australia/Asia or something like that. Dang.

[HouseOnSunset]

LOL, the sets were actually about 25% smaller than the Broadway counterparts. For example, the Samson & Delilah temple looked very "squished." The mansion had a different stairs apron, which made it "flatter" and easier to store. Every time they needed to raise the mansion, they used forklifts and scissor lifts (the full scale productions used state of the art lifting towers.)

[HouseOnSunset]

But the thing is, it was still too expensive and time consuming to haul this show around the country, so it shut down in about a year and a crappy low budget tour with Petula Clark was launched. I'll post clips from that hellish nightmare soon.

LOL, about "Cats," they've been milking that goat for years! Probably because it's the easiest to stage of all Webber's "big" musicals.

[HouseOnSunset]

To answer your question, yes, there was supposed to be a world tour of "Sunset Boulevard," but it got cancelled at the last minute when some backers in South Africa backed out. But I guess it's a blessing in disguise, since it was supposed to star Petula Clark again!

[rafflifantome]

Haha... Indeed. But I think I'd do anything to go see Sunset in its full glory really. Not Cats! :P I've a feeling I'd breakdown with Norma when she goes down that staircase.

Thanks for the useful info! And thanks for the amazing footage you have of Sunset! :)

[hateleyfan123]

Right now, the non-Equity tour of CATS has inflatable scenery so it costs nothing. They can play one performance at a venue and move on, and still make money off of it.

[HouseOnSunset]

LOL, can you imagine a production of "Sunset Boulevard" with an inflatable mansion?!

[douglasac10]

@rafflifantome If it's the same cast as I saw in Adelaide a couple of years back, it was dreadful and I can understand why... I could swear they stuffed up the lighting cues, the music was pre-recorded, the moon on the backdrop was so bright it was distracting... I felt as if I wasted $120 (for the ticket, in the top balcony on a Wednesday Matinee no less, and the program).

It would be so, so nice if Sunset Boulevard could do an Asia\Pacific tour. I would willingly pay $120 to see that.

[hefincarwyn]

well all i can say is thank u for posting them back up, i'm not saying her performance is perfect but that is live theatre, all i can say is she is superb and i am very greatful to you for introducing me to such an awesome talent

[hefincarwyn]

well i'm sorry the petula groupies r insane, i had the misfortune of seeing in her in the final sunset run in london, it's no wonder the show closed with her in it, terrible, a cross between frnak 'n furter and bride of dracula. the whole show was a mockery with her in the role

[HouseOnSunset]

I think you forgot to throw Fran Drescher in the mix... You should have seen her in the 2nd US tour after they dumped poor Linda! The set was cartoonish and Susan Schulman's direction non-existent! They went for camp and parody... Petula was a bloated joke! (Literally! How much water did she drink in the States?!?!?!)

I had clips up that tour as well and I will post them back soon.

[hefincarwyn]

there is only one word to describe miss Balgord in this role WOW!!!! wha a sensation she is, thank you for up loading these clips and introducing me to such a star, wish i'd seen her in the pirate queen. all i can say is Linda Balgord for Norma in the Sunset movie version!!

[HouseOnSunset]

I adore Linda in this role! I had tons more clips of her in the role, but they were taken down because of bitter bitchy Petula Clark fans... I'll try getting more uploaded tonight. =)

[HouseOnSunset]

Bitchy Petula groupies got pissed off at my criticisms and were probably enraged I posted proof of how infinitely better Miss Balgord was, so they reported to RUG that I had clips of the touring productions up and youtube had them deleted... =(

[bm237]

Whoa!!!! One of the best deliveries of Norma's final speech I've heard yet! Glenn Close's version on the recording probably remains my favourite, but this is sublime! And the final shot of her smiling face projected is too scary and heartbreaking for words.

[HouseOnSunset]

No can someone PLEASE tell me why Miss Balgord is spending her entire career in La LuPone's shadow?!

[bm237]

I know, she deserves much more recognition.  She's quite a talent.

[HouseOnSunset]

Did you notice the subtle way the smile appears on her face? Too creepy!

[dsdffdsfdsdsffsd]

why did you take them down in the first place? downloaded these the first time around.

[HouseOnSunset]

Who says I was the one who took them down? Blame the bitchy Petual groupies who reported to RUG that I have clips of the touring productions up. (As you can see, the other clips were left untouched.)

[dsdffdsfdsdsffsd]

damn those petula groupies!

[hateleyfan123]

I'm not usually a big fan of Linda Balgord's voice, but oh my goodness. That gave me chills!