Discuss Virginia Weidler
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Wonderful child and teen actress. Died age 41.
posted by genplant29STAFFMOD on January 30, 2020 at 8:03 AM
Delightful Virginia Weidler (1927-1968) is on my short list (as in Top 5) of all-time favourite child/juvenile actors.
Regrettably, she died very young, aged just 41, from a lifelong heart ailment. Were she still alive, she'd be turning 93 this March. It seems impossible to imagine Virginia elderly!
Here's a clip of her in probably her all-time most famous scene.
By the way, I've always thought that Virginia looked decidedly akin to the great Mary Wickes and that the two funny, very talented ladies should have played mother-daughter, aunt-niece, or whatever other family members combo in at least one movie! I think the two would have had terrific chemistry with one another!
Please check out the following list of titles and celebrities I've created TMDb threads for: https://www.themoviedb.org/list/118052
Reply by bratface
on January 30, 2020 at 6:44 PM
If that hadn't been the one you posted, I was going to do the same when I saw the thread. That clip is so funny.
Reply by genplant29
on January 30, 2020 at 6:52 PM
I've always appreciated, about Virginia, that she neither was ever cloying, "precious", nor one of those smartass-persona child actors. Instead, her performances seemed like by an actual real child with a delightful or/and interesting personality. Too, she had the perfect amount of charm and spirit, that seemed "just right". She was a good little actress, to boot.
Reply by QuitePleasant
on January 30, 2020 at 8:29 PM
Yes, Virginia Weidler of The Great Man Votes (1939) and points beyond...before and after.
Very recognizable star, who, yes, does resemble Mary Wikes, with maybe a sprinkle of Patsy Kelly, a dash of Mary Treen, and a touch of Maudie Prickett. (What a scene that would make with those three as her sorority mothers).
True, how she does perform naturally, with the cameras' favoring her delicate beauty, without that annoying condescending fluff which all too many an otherwise attention-grabbing child prodigy often exhibits. (Sitcoms beware!)
Yes, Virginia, very sad to realize her especially shortened span of life. One good child actress if ever there were one.
Reply by genplant29
on January 31, 2020 at 2:15 PM
Virginia was a rare child actor who I fully "buy" the performances of, whereas a vast majority of other (especially old-time) child actors/actresses have tended to be either OTT precious (or bratty) or have just given "limp dishrag" type bland untalented - or overly-coached seeming - performances. No matter what characters Virginia played, she was always enjoyable/interesting to watch, and seemed solidly within the realm of believable - plus easily could hold her own. Her portrayed characters never faded into the background, instead tended to have just the right "something" that enabled them to catch your attention in a favourable way.
I think that it was a case of Virginia being a kid/teen with a wise, mature "old soul".
Reply by QuitePleasant
on January 31, 2020 at 10:21 PM
Good points about Virginia, as well as pedestrian child performers.
Perhaps the best line about producers' shining the spotlight on annoying brat types comes from Bob Newhart, during his "Doctor Hartley" days of the 1970's, after phrasing in his contract about his character's not having children because it's all about, "Look how dumb Daddy is!"
Then, toward the series' latter seasons, producers once hand him a script about Emily's suddenly expecting a baby, similarly to the way which many Sitcoms often develop.
One producer asks Newhart, "Bob, what do you think?"
Bob answers, "Very amusing script. Whom are you going to get to play Bob?"