I am so saddened by the news of Ms. Kerr’s death. Anyone who knows me knows that I have had a huge fascination with classic movies since I was a kid. I can remember watching movie after movie and being amazed at the storylines. I could spend countless Friday and Saturday nights watching movies. For me, Ms. Kerr’s movies always struck a chord. Being a black kid with a penchant for vintage film did not make me the most popular girl in school. While other middle school girls were talking about the latest fruit flavored lip-gloss, I was fascinated with Old Hollywood. It was a secret I kept to myself---save for my brother and sister who often looked at me with sheer confusion and disdain—how can a sister of theirs be so utterly delighted and wrapped up in old film—films, with no black people in them. I remember watching Tea and Sympathy one night. I knew Deborah Kerr b/c I had seen the King and I a million times before. It was Tea and Sympathy that had me forever hooked. It was a story I could relate to…. a young man being teased for not fitting in. He was “different” and his classmates reminded him every chance they could. It was his teacher who reached out to him. She showed him he was special and that his “uniqueness” was normal. I too wanted someone to say that to me. I guess I imagined her to be like her characters. She always seemed to play the sweet and mostly innocent caring leading lady, and she was able to give a little more in each film. My favorites: Tea and Sympathy, From Here to Eternity, The King and I, Young Bess, An Affair to Remember, Black Narcissist, and Night of the Iguana—a delightful treat for me (Tennessee Williams and Deborah Kerr). Deborah Kerr movies were just a part of my 1980s childhood as Michael Jackson.
Whenever I discovered a new movie, I was curious to see if the actors were still living. I feel like an entire era is gone.
