Judith O'Dea Is Just Too Much, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                          I did promise you a post on Judith O'Dea, who plays Barbara

 in "Night Of The Living Dead."  Next to Karen Cooper,  (Kyra Schon) I love Judith as Barbra; she goes for the Meryl Streep gold in the opening scene, even though it is apparent, with that pale, spinster look, and that receding blonde hairstyle, coupled with limited acting ability, that Judith was never going to be on the Meryl fast track.  But she and Russell Streiner, who plays her brother, Johnny, gives us a look into family dysfunction.  Actors are sometimes taught to construct character histories for themselves; from the opening scene of this film, you get a history of the sort of familial dysfunction from which Barbra and Johnny emerged.

                          They are at the grave site of their deceased father.  He is dead, because he drank himself to death, and abused his wife and children.  Their mother killed herself.  From Barbara's look, she has gone the way of repressed sexuality, while Johnny, in a suit, but with his cocky manner, has gone in the opposite direction--he has become  a sex fiend, and pig!!!!!!!!!!!!  This is apparent from the first glimpse of the first zombie, and his iconic line, "They're coming to get you, Barbara," which starts out as a sadistic joke, but turns out to be Hell on earth for Barbara.

                             Judith acts up a storm in this scene, then spends the rest of the film in a near catatonic state, during which I thought she was channeling Candace Hilligoss in "Carnival Of Souls."  She is so out of it, when Johnny, now a zombie, comes crashing through the farmhouse door, she rushes into his arms, thinking everything will be all right.  And you k now what?  It will!!!!!!!!!  Because, from the moment we see her, and from the way she looks and acts, Barbara is dead already--even when is alive!  She is the most LIVING of the living dead!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               Which is why Judith is so great in the film, giving it all she has got!  Good thing Kyra comes along as Karen to liven things up, because Judith, good as she is, could not be the two hour focus of the film!  But once you see her in that opening scene, your cemetery visits will never be the same, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                  Seldom has an actor done so much with so little!  Judith O'Dea, as Barbara, is a camp hoot!  You just gotta love her, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     And that Johnny!  What a pig!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!