Big Edie & Little Edie live in an old house for more than 50 years.

Curated by Jason Forrest

Total Runtime: 1:31:05

(1975)

Grey Gardens is a 1975 documentary film by Albert and David Maysles, with Susan Froemke, Ellen Hovde, and Muffie Meyer. The film depicts the everyday lives of two reclusive socialites, a mother and daughter both named Edith Beale, who lived at Grey Gardens, a decrepit mansion at 3 West End Road in the wealthy Georgica Pond neighborhood of East Hampton, New York. The film was screened at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival, but was not entered into the main competition.^[1]

In 2010, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Aftermath

"Big Edie" died in 1977 and "Little Edie" sold the house in 1979 to former Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee and his wife Sally Quinn. "Little Edie" died in 2002 at the age of 84.

According to a 2003 article in Town & Country, after their purchase, Bradlee and Quinn completely restored the house and grounds (the sale agreement forbade razing the house).

Jerry Torre, the handyman shown in the documentary, was sought by the filmmakers for years afterward, and was found by chance driving a New York City taxicab.^[4] He is now a sculptor at The Art Students League of New York and a documentary is being made about his life by Jason Hay and Steve Pelizza of Aggregate Pictures.^[5]

Lois Wright, one of the two birthday party guests in the film, has hosted a public television show in East Hampton since the 1980s. She wrote a book about her experiences at the house with the Beales.^[6]

In 2006, Albert Maysles made available previously unreleased footage for a special 2-disc edition for the Criterion Collection. It included a new feature titled The Beales of Grey Gardens, which also received a limited theatrical release.

Walter Newkirk, a longtime friend of Little Edie, interviewed her during his college days. A CD of the interview is titled Little Edie Live! A Visit To Grey Gardens.^[7] It was followed with a scrapbook memoir of their friendship entitled memoraBEALEia (2008).

Doc - Grey Gardens (1975)

◀ PREVNEXT ▶ THIS VIDEO: MORE INFO ABOUT THIS SHOW »

Search Tags:

Docs70seccentricslong island

Our Curators Recommend:

Doc - Stalin's Mutant Ape Army

Amazingly, this is actually "true"!

The Network Awesome Show

The Network Awesome Show is a music variety show that captures the creativity of the musicians and artists that drive the scene.

Doc - Painted Babies (1996)

The BBC takes a look into the world of mid-90s children's beauty pageants, in all of their spray-tan, pre Honey Boo Boo infamy.

Moebius Tribute Day

Remembrances of an unparalleled imagination

Network Awesome Originals:

Rubber Monsters & Giant Heroes Weekend

More action and forced perspective camera work than you can shake a giant lizard at!

Berlin Weekend

Come spend the weekend in Berlin!

The Films Of Jean-Luc Godard

Jean-Luc Godard films and related video

Heavy Metal Week

Nothing but the best of the best documentaries, live music shows, films, and video collections exploring the themes of the loudest musical genre

Previously This Week:

Mon, May 20

Live Music Show - The Smiths at Rockpalast, 1984

Riget (The Kingdom) S01E02

Golden Girls S02E05: Isn't It Romantic

Talkshow - Mel Brooks in 1975

Doc - Mel Brooks: I Thought I Was Taller (1981)

Movie - The Twelve Chairs (Mel Brooks, 1970)

Sun, May 19

Sigmund and the Sea Monsters: Dinosaur Show

Joe 90: Operation McClaine

Collection: Jim Henson Experiments

Doc: Sex, Drugs and Soft Toys, Making Meet the Feebles

Movie: The Muppet Movie (1979)

Movie: Meet the Feebles (1989)

Sat, May 18

Collection - Foods on Film

The French Chef - The Lobster Show

Collection - My Drunk Kitchen

Collection - MUNCHIES

Collection - James Deen Loves Food

Movie - My Dinner With Andre (1981)

Fri, May 17

Collection - Vintage Jeans Commercials

Collection - Comic Sans!

Collection - Logos from Hell...

Cool Hunting Video Presents: Artists

Collection - Future Housing and Cities

Doc - Future By Design: The Venus Project

Thu, May 16

Collection - Dieter Rams

Saul Bass Bell System Logo Redesign Pitch Video

Cool Hunting Video Presents: Unusual Museums

Collection - Psychedelic Advertising

Collection: Memphis Design

The Films Of ... Ray & Charles Eames

Wed, May 15

Art - Les Trois Inventeurs (1980) by Michel Ocelot

Collection - Arne Jacobsen

Cool Hunting Video Presents: Designer Beverages

Doc - Le Corbusier

Talk Show - Milton Glaser

Doc - Sketches of Frank Gehry (2005)