Broadsides: The Gilded Age in the Media

[Meredith Quill]

Your Media Topic!

[tessabq]

Interesting article about filming The Gilded Age in Troy, New York. 

https://www.newyorkupstate.com/entertainment/2021/06/see-behind-the-scenes-of-hbos-the-gilded-age-filming-in-upstate-new-york-photos.html

[Tom Holmberg]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10443383/Julian-Fellows-Gilded-Age-panned-critics-branded-sheer-agony.html

 

[Melina22]

That Daily Mail article was a fun read. Some of the reviews were hilariously brutal, but also accurate. Others were just snooty and mean. (Dimestore Downton? Come on.) 

I wanted to cut and paste a few gems here but there's no way I can do it on my phone on that ridiculously crowded Daily Mail site. It's well worth a read, if you don't mind some of the snarkier comments about the show. 

[topanga]

I love podcast reviews/breakdowns of TV shows. Here's what I've listened to so far: 

 

https://podclubhouse.com/category/tv-pods/gilded-age/

-Fun, funny analysis of the first episode.

 

The official HBO podcast

--The hosts aren't as lively as the previous podcast's, but there's a great interview with Christine Baranski and Julian Fellowes.

Edited January 27, 2022 by topanga
fixed links

[MissLucas]

I never saw Downton Abbey as historical drama - it was a soap opera with delusions of grandeur and great sets and fab costumes. Nothing wrong with that. And that's how I approach this show and intend to have as much fun as possible. Or as one of the FugGirls put it:

Quote

One of my favorite genres of pop culture is Rich Women Being Bitches Throughout History, and that, my friends, The Gilded Age has in excess. I am always going to be here for ladies in expensive outfits who hate each other, and other people in Olden Times who are beset by Personal Problems.

Their recap of the pilot is well worth a read despite its length - it's not just a recap but also discusses the Gilded Age in movies and literature and provides links with ample background info on various topics like historical figures and especially the show's approach to Black history.

https://www.gofugyourself.com/the-gilded-age-recap-01-2022

Edited January 28, 2022 by MissLucas

[pasdetrois]

I'm reading Anderson Cooper's Vanderbilt : the rise and fall of an American dynasty. Get it from your library for the sole purpose of reading the chapter about the Vanderbilts, Astors, Fishes, etc.  Here's a tidbit: a party goer wore an outfit made of dead cats to one of the costume balls. All the stuff about head doyenne, which architect was best, wretched excess, and so on is there.

Edited February 1, 2022 by pasdetrois

[MissLucas]

The FugGirls recap is up - again with lots of background trivia including infos on the scandalous love life of the lady who designed the Bethesda fountain and various locations of the episode. Looks like a lot of the inside shots of the Russell's mansion were filmed at the Breakers, the Vanderbilt summer residence in Newport. Whenever I see that entrance hall I wonder about heating costs.

 

[Darian]

Glad to see this piece as I increasingly pay attention and base my viewing on what voices are involved in production and are in the room(there is one very tiny possible spoiler about a detail you won't see in a future episode:

Because of Black women, the period drama ‘The Gilded Age’ has a Black story line done right

Quote

Peggy’s added dimensions would not have been possible without the help of Dunbar, director and executive producer Salli Richardson-Whitfield, and writer and co-executive producer Warfield, Benton said. “There had to be Black women’s creative voices in the room.”

One such voice, Richardson-Whitfield, agreed. But she added a necessary caveat.

“You need to have other people in the room to raise their hand and go, 'Ding ding ding, that wouldn’t happen’ or 'that doesn’t make sense,” said the director. “And when you have them, you need to listen to them.”

That’s what happened on “The Gilded Age” set, said Richardson-Whitfield, who described the creative process of the show as especially satisfying. “I feel like people valued my opinion.”

In short, she said, Fellowes — and the rest of the production team — admitted to knowing what they didn’t know. “It’s very hard for a White older English gentleman to have any idea of what it would be like to be a Black woman in the 1880s — or even present day,” she said. “You need authentic voices and you don’t need just one. My perspective is going to be different from Denée and Sonja’s. You need more than one voice in the room to fight the good fight.”

 

 

[MissLucas]

More on the sets of the Russell mansion - I can't believe they built all those sets. This is also furnishing-porn.

 

[MerBearHou]

30 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

More on the sets of the Russell mansion - I can't believe they built all those sets. This is also furnishing-porn.

 

So WoW to see!  And Carrie’s pregnancy is quite obvious in this Behind the Scenes!

 

Edited February 9, 2022 by MerBearHou

[Snazzy Daisy]

The Gilded Age actors Michel Gill and Katie Finneran on Patrick's shocking choice

FINNERAN: Michel's character feels like we're better off without him. But we probably won't be saved because we're stretching the truth a little bit. Back in those days, if your husband killed himself, you're invited to leave society. You're out. Nobody wants to be seen with you.

GILL: There was no way out. From our perspective, it's a cowardly thing to do. From his perspective, there's no way out. There's no recovering from this. He lost it all.

[Snazzy Daisy]

GILDED AGE FIGHT FOR QUEEN BETWEEN MRS. ASTOR AND ALVA VANDERBILT

[Snazzy Daisy]

How accurate is ‘The Gilded Age’s’ history of New York’s Black elite? We checked

Peggy is not based on a single historical figure but is inspired by a number of real Black female trailblazers of the era.

Spoiler

The Scotts are part of a small but thriving Black elite that lived in New York City in the 19th century.

Peggy’s father, Arthur, a prominent Brooklyn pharmacist, is inspired by Philip Augustus White, a real-life figure in “Black Gotham.”

An upcoming episode of “The Gilded Age” illustrates this idea by taking us to the Scott family’s stately home in Brooklyn, where Peggy and her parents are waited on by servants.

“The Gilded Age” is set less than two decades after the end of slavery. At one point, Peggy’s father refers to an uncle who was sold off before Emancipation and never heard from again.

 

[Snazzy Daisy]

Rutgers Historian Shaped Portrayal of Black Characters in HBO’s The Gilded Age

 

[Hiyo]

Interesting article about the conspicuous consumption of the era.

[Hiyo]

For an idea of where this season might be heading...

 

[Affogato]

I don’t know if this is the place to make this comment but has anyone else thought that this show and 1883 are taking place at the same time?

[Snazzy Daisy]

 

[Snazzy Daisy]

[Readingallnight]

Just saw on the HBO site it was renewed for a second season!

[Snazzy Daisy]

 

[Hiyo]

Interesting to see where they go from here if the Russell's are accepted by the old money crown at then end of the season. Maybe next season will be about marrying their daughter off to some English aristocrat?

[Snazzy Daisy]

‘The Gilded Age’ Explores a Rarely Seen Chapter of Black History

The HBO period drama wanted to depict an elite class of 19th-century Black New Yorkers with historical accuracy. Its cast and creative team worked to portray them with dignity.

[Snazzy Daisy]

Someone posted this comment on Twitter!

#nepotism

Edited February 17, 2022 by SnazzyDaisy

[Snazzy Daisy]

 

[Snazzy Daisy]

 

[Snazzy Daisy]

Is Mrs. Chamberlain’s character inspired by Arabella Huntington?

 

[Hiyo]

Is there anyway to get past that NYTimes pay/registration wall?

[Popples]

5 hours ago, Hiyo said:

Is there anyway to get past that NYTimes pay/registration wall?

Here's an archived version of the article.

[Atlanta]

6 hours ago, Hiyo said:

Is there anyway to get past that NYTimes pay/registration wall?

You can use this site: https://12ft.io/

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 1/26/2022 at 12:30 PM, Tom Holmberg said:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10443383/Julian-Fellows-Gilded-Age-panned-critics-branded-sheer-agony.html

 

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?  This is shocking to me.

[buttersister]

The writing is the weakest link (with the exception of the Scott family story).

[TVMovieBuff]

This show is thoroughly delicious! It doesn't throw situations at us to shock us, it shows us the undercurrents and personalities in situations we have seen. 

Another winner for HBO. I love Carrie Coon's Mrs Russell. It is easy to dismiss her as a bitch, but she has good reasons for being so, and she is no pushover. In an age women were expected to be just that.

[Snazzy Daisy]

 

[Snazzy Daisy]

They have great chemistry on & off screen! 💕 

 

[Snazzy Daisy]

'The Gilded Age's Directors Michael Engler & Salli Richardson-Whitfield on Setting Up the Look and Feel of the Series

During this interview, Michael Engler and Salli Richardson-Whitfield, who are both directors and executive producers on the series, talked about what excited them about telling this story, setting up the look and feel of the season in the first episode, combining their vision and plan for their individual episodes to cohesively form the season, learning from each other, and working with this cast and creative team to create such an epic tale.

[Snazzy Daisy]

A Shocking Truth About Consuelo Vanderbilt | Is Poor Gladys Russell Doomed in HBO's The Gilded Age?

 

[Inquisitionist]

On 2/14/2022 at 12:03 PM, Readingallnight said:

Just saw on the HBO site it was renewed for a second season!

As author and scholar Daniel Mendelsohn so acerbidly tweeted: "By whom—Fellowes’ mother?"

On 2/18/2022 at 12:37 PM, buttersister said:

The writing is the weakest link (with the exception of the Scott family story).

God, it sounds like it was written by 7th graders doing a history project.  

I've seen Carrie Coon on stage twice.  This is such a waste of her talents.  I hope she's being paid well enough to keep appearing at Steppenwolf. 

[Melina22]

"The Gilded Age Recap: Episode Nine, “Let the Tournament Begin” - Go Fug Yourself" https://www.gofugyourself.com/the-gilded-age-recap-episode-nine-let-the-tournament-begin-03-2022

The Fug girls have the best, most hilarious recaps of this show on the internet. 

Edited March 23, 2022 by Melina22

[ProudMary]

From Variety, an interview with Nathan Lane. He talks quite a bit about the accent for his character. Interesting piece.

 ’The Gilded Age’ Star Nathan Lane on Playing a ‘Silly Snob,’ Reuniting with Christine Baranski and His Emotional ‘Only Murder’ Moments

 

[Yeah No]

2 minutes ago, ProudMary said:

From Variety, an interview with Nathan Lane. He talks quite a bit about the accent for his character. Interesting piece.

 ’The Gilded Age’ Star Nathan Lane on Playing a ‘Silly Snob,’ Reuniting with Christine Baranski and His Emotional ‘Only Murder’ Moments

 

Thank you!  I knew a lot of research had to go into that accent and that it wasn't an over-exaggeration.

This is the excerpt on the accent:

Quote

How did you craft McAllister’s exaggerated accent and mannerisms, and his demeanor, which is the stuff of historical legend?

We had a dialect coach named Howard Samuelsohn, who worked with everyone on the different dialects, and McAllister’s is specifically from Savannah, Georgia, in those times. It took working on my own interpretation of that, and then working with Howard, and going through the motion while he would give me tips. I fashioned a lot of McAllister’s voice on the late comic Oliver Hardy, one half of the Laurel and Hardy duo, who was from Harlem, Georgia, and had a very distinctive and obvious Southern accent.

 

[Hanahope]

On 3/23/2022 at 6:43 PM, Melina22 said:

"The Gilded Age Recap: Episode Nine, “Let the Tournament Begin” - Go Fug Yourself" https://www.gofugyourself.com/the-gilded-age-recap-episode-nine-let-the-tournament-begin-03-2022

The Fug girls have the best, most hilarious recaps of this show on the internet. 

I love all the little tangents and info she dug up on the other ball guests, especially the one stabbed on his honeymoon with wife #3. how interesting!

[MerBearHou]

I heard Kelli O’Hara on Sirius XM today during a Benefit for Ukraine and she sang — OMG, her gorgeous voice, her range, amazing.  Kelli is blessed with talent in a number of areas.

[TVMovieBuff]

On 2/15/2022 at 3:15 PM, SnazzyDaisy said:

Someone posted this comment on Twitter!

#nepotism

Who are they talking about? Gladys? She isn't Meryl's daughter irl. Grace & Mamie Gummer are, and they aren't in Gilded Age. Just a troll. 

[GrannySmith]

That post is referring Louisa Jacobson, who plays Marian.  She is Meryl’s daughter.

[sistermagpie]

15 minutes ago, TVMovieBuff said:

Who are they talking about? Gladys? She isn't Meryl's daughter irl. Grace & Mamie Gummer are, and they aren't in Gilded Age. Just a troll. 

Marian is played by Meryl Streep's daughter.

[Snazzy Daisy]

49 minutes ago, TVMovieBuff said:

Who are they talking about? Gladys? She isn't Meryl's daughter irl. Grace & Mamie Gummer are, and they aren't in Gilded Age. Just a troll. 

They are talking about Louisa Jacobson Gummer (Marian Brook in TGA).

[Snazzy Daisy]

Bye bye Mr. Raikes the fake‼️

‘The Gilded Age’ Sets Season 2 Cast With 13 Recurring Upped To Series Regulars; Thomas Cocquerel Exits

[Snazzy Daisy]

The Gilded Age Adds Laura Benanti, Robert Sean Leonard and 9 Others to Ever-Expanding Cast of Season 2

Robert Sean Leonard will recur in Season 2 as Reverend Matthew Forte, the “new rector of the church attended by all the highest New York society.”

Laura Benanti will recur as Susan Blane, a glamorous (and recently widowed) Newport heiress who hires Larry as her architect for a major home renovation.

Nicole Brydon Bloom as Caroline Stuyvesant, the next young socialite targeted by Oscar for marriage.

Michael Braugher as famed educator Booker T. Washington.

Christopher Denham as uptight banker Robert McNeil.

David Furr as Agnes’ widowed nephew Dashiell Montgomery, who moves to New York with his young daughter Frances (played by Matilda Lawler).

Ben Lamb as the Duke of Buckingham, whom Bertha considers the perfect match for Gladys.

Dakin Matthews as Mr. Winterton, a rich widower who is about to learn a lot about his new, much-younger bride.

Rebecca Haden as society queen Flora McNeil.