No, darlings, this will not be a diatribe against my Home State. How can it be, when so many legends--Frankie Valli, Connie Francis, Meryl Streep, not to mention yours truly, hail from the Garden State???? As well as Joe and Norman of Bloomfield, the Ankners of Green Pond, and the Duccas of Highland Park. None of which are to be confused with the Barretts of Wimpole Street. Not a trace of psychosis, there!!!!!! No Flowers In the Attic, or that crap, I am telling you!!!!!!!!
But I knew about Jersey psychosis, first hand. Across the street from where I grew up, lived a Boo Radley-like entity known as Ronald. Actually, Ronald was a good deal more educated than Boo. But he never worked, as he thought himself to good to do so, and his family's wealth allowed this delusion to be indulged. He lived with his mother, who lasted till her nineties, and was more with it and hip than her son. I recall a conversation with Ronald--who was just three years older than I, a baby boomer!!!!--where he revealed he did not know who or what the Beatles were. And this was past the "Abbey Road" stage!!!!!!!!! I found out last spring that, sadly, Ronald passed away six years ago. RIP, Ronald. I hope you felt content with what was your life!!!!!!!!
There are more of these stories than one may think. I know of one as far north as Denville, in Morris County. I know of another one in Middle Village, Queens, which played out sadly. I know/knew the parties involved, but I am not as yet at liberty to tell.
Of course, New Jersey had its magical side. The original "Friday The 13th" was filmed there, and Wild West City, in Sussex County, still exists, though how I miss the Native Village nearby, of the late 50's, early 60's. We used to pass both of these places en route to Tomahawk Lake, and how I longed to go to the latter. It must have been like visiting Skull Island in "King Kong!!!!!" And, of course, there is still the world famous Gingerbread Castle, in Hamburg, New Jersey, which, at Halloween time, which is now, is bedecked with spookery and becomes the Ginger Dead Castle.
But all this is getting away from the topic at hand--Norman Bates!!!!!!! It is widely known that Robert Bloch, author of the novel that "Psycho" is based on, modeled Bates after well known Wisconsin serial killer, Ed Gein, who also served as the basis for Tobe Hooper's 1974 classic, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." What is less known is that a little known entity known as Calvin Beck also served as a basis for Norman. And where did Beck reside???? North Bergen, New Jersey!!!!!!
From around the time "Psycho" was conceived, Beck was known on the horror circuit. He came to some prominence, when, between 1962 and 1975, his Gothic Publishing Company issued, albeit intermittently, a periodical entitled "Castle Of Frankenstein." I knew it well; I can still recall the issue I had, depicting Karloff's mummy on the cover, set against the background of the Frankenstein lab, the title embossed above it. In that issue was a feature article that introduced me at length to "What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?", which had just been released. Yes, darlings, THIS is where it all began.
For all his talent, Beck was a somewhat tragic, Norman Bates figure. He lived with his mother his entire life. Apparently the father either died or vanished early (was he murdered?) and so it was just the two of them.. Some maintain that while ill and dying, the father was kept upstairs in the attic, and that when the time came for Mother and Calvin, they went the same way. But while alive, Mrs. Beck would not let go of her son. She hated men, so who knows what she passed on to her son???? While he often yearned for friends, and his publishing success afforded some opportunity, she was always present, and forbade it. She even attended college with him, to the point of sitting with him in class. It is a wonder he was not driven to murder, like Norman. I would not have blamed him. Helen Beck was a domineering scold, and excellent fodder for Mrs. Bates.
Remember the book "Weird New Jersey?" At this point, all the states have their own variation of this book, but for awhile, Jersey held the singular distinction. All of which goes to prove is that what is strange in the outside world is sometimes not as strange as what goes on beyond closed doors.
Just make sure your closets are free of skeletons, darling!!!!!!!!!!!!
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