Now, Darlings, I Know You Are Disappointed!!!!!!!!!!!

Girls, I understand how sad you must feel this morning. Awakening on Thursday, tuning in to here, knowing it is Bitch Of The Week, and fully expecting to see here....Amanda Knox!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I sympathize. I, too would like to see Amanda here. She is certainly no angel, dolls, and I personally think she did it, but, UNTIL proof beyond a reasonable doubt is offered (and I believe at some point it will turn up!!!) Amanda must remain on hold as a Potential Candidate, rather than a winner.

But don't worry, we have a winner this week. One drawn from fiction, but representative of what is out there in the real world.

The winner of this week's Raving Queen Bitch Of The Week Award is Al Martin, boss of every working man's nightmares, memorably played by Ernest Borgnine, in the 1971 film, "Willard."

Now, the original "Willard" (because the Crispin Glover remake was unacceptable) was based on a disturbing novel by Stephen Gilbert called "Ratman's Notebooks," that explored the psyche of a sexually inverted young man who could only relate to rats. And his taking this out on the world around him, so to speak. It was dispassionate and chilling. The film seemed to create a sort of sympathy for Willard Stiles. Casting Bruce Davison in the role that made him a star, Willard was a likable young man, beset by problems. One of these was a rambling, Gothic house, and a domineering mother. But before you say, "Norman Bates," the mother was played in a dowdily, campy way by the great Elsa Lanchester, which kept the grimness at bay. And made Willard a sympathetic figure.

This was compounded by Al Martin, and Willard's work situation. The company, having been started by Willard's father, and which should have gone to him, was seized and stolen by Martin, who creates a hostile work environment for Willard that any lawyer today could win in a court battle, but back then such things were not done. He hounds him mercilessly, harasses his mother in a scheme to buy the house from her, which ultimately leads to her death, and unwittingly destroys Socrates, one of Willard's key pet rats, on whom the plot turns.

The death of his mother pushes Willard over the edge. Hounded by insurmountable debt, he is enraged, and decides to use the rats as instruments of vengeance. He first tests them out at a party given by Martin, and, when that proves successful, carries out his piece de resitance.

In what is now considered a classic scene, Willard and rats appear one night at the office, while Martin is working late. Screaming out his hatred for this horrible boss, and why, Willard then closes the door, and orders the rats to, "Tear him up!"

Back in 1971, I still recall how, when these words were spoken, applause rang throughout the theater. Martin gets his, torn to bits, then tossing himself out a window to the pavement below. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

But you have to give it to Ernest Borgnine, who is still alive. As an actor he could play anything from something like this to the sympathetic butcher in his Oscar winning role in "Marty." And how about his two week marriage to Ethel Merman???????? Can you imagine the honeymoon, darlings?????????? It makes my skin crawl.

The "Willard" remake, around 2003, was a caricature. Crispin Glover played it like someone out of a Charles Addams or Edward Gorey cartoon, and the production was pretty much conceived that way. Whoever played Martin was not nearly memorable as Borgnine, nor was the actress playing the mother.

But one scene was, vulgarly so. The mother in this version was more over the top, and ugly, like Ann Ramsey in "Throw Mama From The Train." There is a scene where Willard can only seek solace from her by going to the bathroom. Yet, even as he is in there, she comes up to the door, knocks, and asks loudly, "Is it loose?" When this line was delivered, the entire theater groaned in disgust.

But Borgnine's Al Martin certainly deserves to be honored as Bitch Of The Week!!!!!! And to think his attack scene was achieved by putting peanut butter on him, so that when the REAl rats (more power to him, darlings; not for a TONY or OSCAR would I do this scene!) are "attacking" him, what they are doing is licking off peanut butter!!!!!!!!!!!!

Skippy Creamy, I hope, darlings!!!!!!!!!!