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Post by flossieskid on Sept 9, 2021 1:43:15 GMT -5
When I thought about sharing some of my Mom’s stories as Flossie Brimmer, I initially thought I might be able to come up with maybe 10 stories that might appeal to the readers of the Forum. Imagine my SHOCK today when I saw that I am now a “reporter” having posted 100 times!!
Of course, not all the stories were about my Mom. I would like to thank all the members who appreciated my ramblings about my Dad and the many other encounters with other actors, meeting true movie stars and just my observations. Everyone has made me feel so welcome and I have truly appreciated the opinions and insights of all of you.
Thank you for making me feel like a member of a very special family!
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Post by ellaroo on Sept 9, 2021 1:59:51 GMT -5
Congrats on making it to 100! We thank you for all these stories. I enjoyed each and every one of your posts regarding both your parents. It's a pleasure to meet someone who got to be behind the scenes ♥
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Post by Johnny on Sept 9, 2021 5:49:59 GMT -5
Thank you Tracey, i enjoy reading all your thoughts and remembrances.
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Post by Easton on Sept 9, 2021 7:28:27 GMT -5
You scored twice with me. I was a fan of your father long before I met Flossie, and I liked your mother in every Waltons scene she was in, but her reading in German is still, by far, my favourite.
It truly has been a privilege to read your stories about them and I look forward to more.
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Post by patriciaanne on Sept 10, 2021 16:49:20 GMT -5
Tracey, you have been such a special gift to the Forum. 💗 It's like having a bit of Flossie herself here. ☺️ I'm so glad you found us, and you have been so generous with your stories. I have enjoyed every single one. I hope one day we will have a chance to meet at a reunion in Schuyler. But even if we don't, I will continue to treasure each story you share with us. 🥰
As an aside...I get a special little extra thrill when I see Flossie in a scene. 😉
I do want to ask you a question...in the episode where Jim Bob is questioning his parentage and he and Elizabeth go to see Flossie, she tells them that the older kids came to her house while Olivia went to the hospital. As she was reminiscing, she mentions that Mr. Brimmer used to get a special kick out of "that Mary Ellen." Mrs. Brimmer goes on to say, "She used to put her hand on her hip and say, 'Hello, hello, hello.'" I read somewhere that little snippet of dialogue was influenced by your Mom because it was something her "daughter" used to say. Was that you? Have you seen that scene I'm speaking of?
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100!!
Sept 12, 2021 0:29:00 GMT -5
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carol and sdw like this
Post by flossieskid on Sept 12, 2021 0:29:00 GMT -5
Patricia Anne - the hand on hip was not me but my daughter Nikki. As I think I mentioned in my post about it that Rod Peterson and his wife, Claire Whitaker, who were screenwriters for the Waltons, were very dear friends of ours and we got together frequently. They knew Nikki from birth and they both saw Nikki, at age 3 and 4 put her right hand on her hip, strike a pose and say in her cute little voice “Hello, Hello Hello” in just the exact way my Mom’s says it to Jim Bob. Rod (I always called him Pete, since when I met him at age 7 he was going by that name) and Claire absolutely loved Nikki’s little performance and decided to put it in the show so Mrs. Brimmer could show it off, as Mary Ellen.
It always makes me laugh, but I don’t think Nikki ever saw it. I will have to find that rerun. You all can help me out please by telling me again what episode that is? It was when the Walton kids were spread out among friends due to a fire John Boy thought he started with his pipe.
One interesting side note, my Mom was in 2 episodes of the Twilight Zone. Her best one was with the marvelous English actress, Gladys Cooper. My Mom played her nurse. It was just the 2 of them on screen for the whole half hour. Gladys keeps getting these weird phone calls late at night and no one really speaks. So, Gladys asks my Mom to pick up the phone the next time it rang to see if she could hear a voice. When I was watching that rerun a few months ago, it was freaky because when my Mom picks up the receiver SHE says “Hello” 3 times! But, of course not as cute as Nikki. Strange, right?
One last freaky occurrence with the telephone. My Mom died in 1977 when Nikki was only four. So, I may have also mentioned my Mom LOVED to talk on the telephone. She had so many friends that she would often get on the home after dinner (around 7:30 if she was home) and talk nonstop to all her friends usually until 10pm if she didn’t have to be up at the crack of dawn for work the next day.
So, I was fixing breakfast for Nikki the morning of her 10th birthday. I was at the stove making eggs and Nikki had just come in the kitchen to set the table. Our kitchen phone rang 3 times rather quickly ( not it’s normal ring) and so I thought that was odd. But, thinking it was one of her friends calling to wish her a Happy Birthday, I asked Nikki to answer it while I finished the eggs. Nikki picked up the receiver and said “Hello” - no one began speaking. Again, she said “Hello” - no response - so for a final and third time, with some frustration in her voice Nikki said “Hello”?! Well then she hung up and we both commented on how weird that was. But, I went to move the phone back near our backsplash ——- and IT WASN’T PLUGGED IN!!!! (Insert freaky “do-do-do-do do-do-do-do “ Twilight Zone theme music) YIKES!
I was freaked!’ Nikki - not do much since she hadn’t seen my Mom in that Twilight Zone show yet. I didn’t mentioned the connection to Nikki and we went about eating breakfast. Of course, my sensible husband said it was probably a crossed wire or something, but I’d like to think it was my Mom, using her old Twilight Zone episode plot line and she was calling to wish her granddaughter a very Happy 10th Birthday!! That night, I played Nikki a tape of my Mom’s Twilight Zone episode to show her how strange that call was before breakfast. Perhaps that was NOT the best idea. Nikki wanted to sleep with the light on for 2 weeks!! Hey, I never professed to be the perfect parent like Olivia Walton!!
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Post by patriciaanne on Sept 12, 2021 2:12:04 GMT -5
Oh Tracey, that is some story about the 3 telephone rings!! I think you can safely chalk it up to a hello from your mom. ❤️
I have lots of sweet little "hellos" from my dad. One was Valentine's Day last year. Growing up and right up to my dad's death in 2017, my mom always purchased all the greeting cards and signed them "Mom and Dad," often with a nice message written in her handwriting. I can't recall receiving any cards written out by my dad.
Last Valentine's Day I was working on something for a baby gift I think -- maybe a crocheted sweater. I had to go into my sewing box to find pink thread. Not a big deal, right? Except that I NEVER go into my sewing box. I'm not into sewing and rarely need thread. I must have been sewing buttons on the sweater because even when I sew on appliques, I use yarn. I open the sewing box and I get momentarily distracted by the memorabilia I have in there -- mostly cards and notes from prior boyfriends. But I don't look at many because I'm on a mission to finish this sweater. I only indulge myself by looking at a couple from a healthy stack of stuff. One catches my eye and I want to know who it's from. Lo and behold, it was a beautiful Valentine's Day card from...my DAD!!!! It was written out completely in HIS own handwriting AND here I found it ON Valentine's Day! I didn't even know (or remember I should say) that card existed!! I just knew that was the sweetest little hello from Heaven. ❤️
How adorable that Nikki's little mannerism was incorporated into that episode. It will be extra special the next time I see it. 💗💞 As for the name of the episode, I have to look it up, but it's the one where Elizabeth is teasing Jim Bob that he's adopted and when John Boy takes him into town to see his birth certificate, he finds out he had a twin brother who died at birth.
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100!!
Sept 12, 2021 2:14:24 GMT -5
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Post by patriciaanne on Sept 12, 2021 2:14:24 GMT -5
^^^ Just looked it up. The name is The Secret. 😉
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Post by carol on Sept 12, 2021 14:18:51 GMT -5
Patricia Anne - the hand on hip was not me but my daughter Nikki. As I think I mentioned in my post about it that Rod Peterson and his wife, Claire Whitaker, who were screenwriters for the Waltons, were very dear friends of ours and we got together frequently. They knew Nikki from birth and they both saw Nikki, at age 3 and 4 put her right hand on her hip, strike a pose and say in her cute little voice “Hello, Hello Hello” in just the exact way my Mom’s says it to Jim Bob. Rod (I always called him Pete, since when I met him at age 7 he was going by that name) and Claire absolutely loved Nikki’s little performance and decided to put it in the show so Mrs. Brimmer could show it off, as Mary Ellen. It always makes me laugh, but I don’t think Nikki ever saw it. I will have to find that rerun. You all can help me out please by telling me again what episode that is? It was when the Walton kids were spread out among friends due to a fire John Boy thought he started with his pipe. One interesting side note, my Mom was in 2 episodes of the Twilight Zone. Her best one was with the marvelous English actress, Gladys Cooper. My Mom played her nurse. It was just the 2 of them on screen for the whole half hour. Gladys keeps getting these weird phone calls late at night and no one really speaks. So, Gladys asks my Mom to pick up the phone the next time it rang to see if she could hear a voice. When I was watching that rerun a few months ago, it was freaky because when my Mom picks up the receiver SHE says “Hello” 3 times! But, of course not as cute as Nikki. Strange, right? One last freaky occurrence with the telephone. My Mom died in 1977 when Nikki was only four. So, I may have also mentioned my Mom LOVED to talk on the telephone. She had so many friends that she would often get on the home after dinner (around 7:30 if she was home) and talk nonstop to all her friends usually until 10pm if she didn’t have to be up at the crack of dawn for work the next day. So, I was fixing breakfast for Nikki the morning of her 10th birthday. I was at the stove making eggs and Nikki had just come in the kitchen to set the table. Our kitchen phone rang 3 times rather quickly ( not it’s normal ring) and so I thought that was odd. But, thinking it was one of her friends calling to wish her a Happy Birthday, I asked Nikki to answer it while I finished the eggs. Nikki picked up the receiver and said “Hello” - no one began speaking. Again, she said “Hello” - no response - so for a final and third time, with some frustration in her voice Nikki said “Hello”?! Well then she hung up and we both commented on how weird that was. But, I went to move the phone back near our backsplash ——- and IT WASN’T PLUGGED IN!!!! (Insert freaky “do-do-do-do do-do-do-do “ Twilight Zone theme music) YIKES! I was freaked!’ Nikki - not do much since she hadn’t seen my Mom in that Twilight Zone show yet. I didn’t mentioned the connection to Nikki and we went about eating breakfast. Of course, my sensible husband said it was probably a crossed wire or something, but I’d like to think it was my Mom, using her old Twilight Zone episode plot line and she was calling to wish her granddaughter a very Happy 10th Birthday!! That night, I played Nikki a tape of my Mom’s Twilight Zone episode to show her how strange that call was before breakfast. Perhaps that was NOT the best idea. Nikki wanted to sleep with the light on for 2 weeks!! Hey, I never professed to be the perfect parent like Olivia Walton!! Even The Waltons dealt with the paranormal. John and Olivia had to deal with poltergeists in The Changling about Elizabeth turning 13, and in an early episode The Ghost, A little boy is staying with the family until they can get him on a train to his father and his mother appears to be trying to contact him from beyond to keep him from getting on the train which he misses and later they discover the train derailed and didn't make it to it's destination. The kids were even using a Ouija board.
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Post by Easton on Sept 12, 2021 14:48:10 GMT -5
^ They called it a 'spirit board' even though the Ouija Board ('oui' - French for 'yes', 'ja' - German for 'yes') had been around commercially since 1890, they had to use the name 'Spirit Board' because 'Ouija' was a registered trademark.
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Post by flossieskid on Sept 13, 2021 7:12:57 GMT -5
PatriciaAnne- how special that Valentine’s Day must have been for you. I firmly believe that your Dad guided your hand to select that card among all the other things to let you know how much he loved you. What a wonderful memory. Thanks also for the name of the episode I can now tape for Nikki. She will be thrilled to see her Nana’s impersonation of her!
Carol, I LOVE all things spooky, but never saw those “mystical” episodes of the Waltons, so thanks for sharing. I will keep my eye on the reruns so I can catch those shows. It will be fun to see!
I do think our loved ones who have passed on send us messages all the time. I will have you all doubting my sanity but I swear my Mom is still contacting me through “lights”. I had a reading with one of Hollywood’s famous psychics many years ago (he was Marilyn Monroe’s psychic and others in Hollywood) and he mentioned that “spirits” will always try to contact their loved ones through the energy of light: like lamps turning on and off, lamps that are on when not plugged in, when you see a lamp on when you come home, but you swear that light was off when you left, a street light going off when you pass under it, flashlights coming back on for a second after you’ve turned them off or candles that won’t seem to blow out easily. One of those things has happened to me several times and it doesn’t always happen when I am alone. Both my kids and my husband have seen it too! My kind husband refrains from calling me “certifiable” and just says (as psychiatrists are trained to do) “I think YOU believe that happens”. But my kids believe me - or maybe they just want to stay in the will! I don’t care! I always feel if belief in something brings you comfort and a smile, especially when remembering those you love, then what is the harm?!?
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Post by patriciaanne on Sept 13, 2021 22:42:21 GMT -5
^^^ That's so interesting, Tracey (about the lights)! I have definitely passed under street lights that have gone off. I used to have a friend that happened to all the time.
My father was always good about returning my calls in life. And he still is. If I ask him to "drop me a line," I will usually receive a sign within a few days.
I remember the first one I got a week after I lost him. I was watching "While You Were Sleeping" with Sandra Bullock. I've watched that movie a million times and it's one I find that comforts me when I need it. So deeply in need of comforting...I put the movie on.
For the first time (after watching it a million times) I noticed that the date of my father's birthday is mentioned. Hmmm...I thought that was interesting, but I still wasn't like oh WOW. I continued watching the movie. Likely I was dozing in and out as I often am when watching tv. But I was awake for the very last scene. Sandra's character says "I love you" and her love interest responds, "Love you back." I sat up like I had gotten an electric shock. That's what my father said to me all the time. "Love you back." And even though I had seen this movie a lot, I didn't realize that. I knew it was a special message from him and it was enormously comforting.
In life, my father didn't believe in any of this and he would make fun of my mother and me for going to see psychics. I distinctly remember being out to dinner with him and my mother one night and telling him that "When you get to the other side and find out you CAN communicate with me, I hope you won't stand on ceremony and that you will talk to me." I do believe he has!
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Post by flossieskid on Sept 14, 2021 1:53:52 GMT -5
PatriciaAnne- quite a few of what I call “light hellos” have happened to me, but the most I have experienced are 2 street lights that go out on Laurel Canyon just before I turn (right near Alex Trebek’s house) to go to our home. They would go out so often when I passed under them to go to the store and then turn back on when I was coming back from the store!
We have a family tradition and go to Benihana’s Restauraunt every year for Nikki’s birthday celebration. So many times, on the way home, with Nikki in the car, I will say, “Hey, Nik, I wonder if Nana is awake to wish you Happy Birthday and almost EVERY time the second I finish speaking, the light goes out or turns on! It is very convincing!
Of course, my husband’s skepticism lingers and he always thinks it is a loose light connection or something explained by science. So, when they recently replaced the two streetlights with brand new steel, reinforced light poles, I thought sure my “light connection” was gone. But, the very next week, as I was driving home, the light went off again! So, I will always be a believer!
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Post by dewdroppatron on Sept 14, 2021 8:13:49 GMT -5
I looked up your Mom's filmography on IMDB after reading the other thread about her appearance in "North By Northwest" and was saddened to realize that she passed away during the 6th season. "The Grandchild" was her last appearance. We just recently saw that episode as we slowly make it through all the seasons. I didn't realize this was the last time we would see her. I am bummed because watching the series again, I realized what a talented actress she was and though she has been gone for over 40 years I will miss her again. Her face was so expressive. She could easily convey Flossie's thoughts and emotions just with her face which became, to me, the silent narration of her character.
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100!!
Sept 14, 2021 8:34:42 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by patriciaanne on Sept 14, 2021 8:34:42 GMT -5
PatriciaAnne- quite a few of what I call “light hellos” have happened to me, but the most I have experienced are 2 street lights that go out on Laurel Canyon just before I turn (right near Alex Trebek’s house) to go to our home. They would go out so often when I passed under them to go to the store and then turn back on when I was coming back from the store! We have a family tradition and go to Benihana’s Restauraunt every year for Nikki’s birthday celebration. So many times, on the way home, with Nikki in the car, I will say, “Hey, Nik, I wonder if Nana is awake to wish you Happy Birthday and almost EVERY time the second I finish speaking, the light goes out or turns on! It is very convincing! Of course, my husband’s skepticism lingers and he always thinks it is a loose light connection or something explained by science. So, when they recently replaced the two streetlights with brand new steel, reinforced light poles, I thought sure my “light connection” was gone. But, the very next week, as I was driving home, the light went off again! So, I will always be a believer! Oh, I LOVE that!!! What did your husband say then???
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