Remembering SuSu: Susan Tyrrell in Austin

This week marks my third anniversary of officially writing for Slackerwood, but my first unofficial post was actually five years ago. I contributed a story about my most memorable experience at the original Alamo at 409 Colorado to the Alamo Drafthouse Blog-a-thon. The original Alamo Drafthouse closed on June 27, 2007, and was marked by spectacular signature Drafthouse events including a Big Night feast and bass-generated shaking during Earthquake.

News of the passing of cult movie sensation and Oscar nominee Susan Tyrrell -- seen above with Martin Nicholson and Richard Elfman -- served as a reminder that I also first saw "SuSu" that night. I was a fan of her bizarre performances in the 1982 movie Forbidden Zone and John Water's Cry-Baby, but was totally unprepared for both her portrayal of Aunt Helen in Night Warning and her disjointed Q&A that followed.

Night Warning is a psychotic and violent journey in which Tyrrell portrays over-protective Aunt Cheryl, who is obsessed with her nephew Billy (Jimmy McNichol). Tyrrell gives an amazing performance as her character murders a plumber for resisting her sexual advances, and claims attempted rape. When Billy applies for an out-of-state college, Aunt Cheryl goes beyond the brink of sanity. During the Q&A, Tyrrell revealed that she hated co-star McNichol, which is intriguing since the most bizarre scene of Night Warning is when Aunt Cheryl licks milk off Billy's face. (She also said she hated working with John Huston; she's in his 1972 film Fat City.)

Tyrrell's Q&A at "The Last Night at the Alamo" is etched in my memory as the most bizarre and awkward I've ever witnessed, but demonstrated Tyrrell's eccentric candidness as well as a nearly zero tolerance for topics she did not want to discuss. She had lost her legs several years prior to a blood disease, and used a wheelchair. Alamo regular David Strong wheeled her onstage and also helped her "storm off" the stage when she exclaimed that she had to go pee as she'd nearly filled up both of her artificial legs.

Obviously Tyrrell connected well enough during her special appearance, as she moved to Austin not long after her first time at the Alamo Drafthouse. Tyrrell was admired and loved by many for her creativity and talent as both an actress and an artist. What may have been her last film was shot in Austin -- David and Nathan Zellner's movie Kid-Thing, which screened at SXSW this year.

The Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar is hosting a tribute to honor "Susu's Ghost" with music, memories and a special screening of Fat City at 7 pm on Thursday, June 28, followed by an after-party at the Highball Lounge.

[Photo credit: "Untitled" from "Forbidden Zone -- July 30, 2008" photo set, by Joshua Smelser, Found on Flickr, used under Creative Commons license.]