An interview I think you'll enjoy!

An interview I think you'll enjoy!

Adrienne King, a.k.a. Alice Hardy

Meeting the King in 2019.

Sweet Alice Hardy, played by Adrienne King, had the distinction of being the sole Camp Crystal Lake survivor in the original “Friday the 13th”. I met King last year and bought some of her delicious, award-winning wines. In addition to her Crystal Lake Wines (sales of which are currently suspended due to the pandemic) she sells her camp and wine-inspired paintings. In the midst of all the wildfire smoke impacting her area, she took time out to answer my questions in detail for this Halloween Tech Rap:

PS: Did you ever attend summer camp as a kid?

AK: “Yes. Once. A Catholic Camp with nuns in upstate NY somewhere… a very strange experience as I was only 6 or 7. One has to wonder… who thought that was a good idea… at such a tender age? Obviously, I survived… but there were no fond memories. I do, however, remember canoes and a lake.”

PS: Why do you think audiences connected with Alice?

AK: “Alice was so unassuming & laid back. An artist & a gentle soul, quiet but deep… interesting.

She would never be cast as a warrior but found out she was a fighter when it came down to survival. I think everyone relates with that aspect of her. Alice didn’t know her own strength until she was forced to go all the way in order to survive. Alice is our touchstone. If she can make it out of this mess/troubled time/bad day at school or work….  then so can I."

PS: Your website has some fun “behind the scenes” pictures. What’s one of your favorite memories while shooting the film?

AK: “There were so many fb fun times at Camp but the snake scene was so much ad lib & all of us physically jumping around all over each other within such a small space was hysterical… Pretty much gently-choregraphed pandemonium. That is… up until the snake lost his life, of course…. Harry [Crosby] refused to do the deed. So, the Director, Sean Cunningham, ended that scene as well as the poor snake’s little life. That wouldn’t happen today.”

PS: I read that Lou Reed was living just down the road from the campsite at that time and performed free for the crew. Did you get to meet him?

AK: “Unfortunately, I did not. The crew stayed at the camp. The actors were put up at a horrid little motel a half hour away. Too bad for me.”

PS: Please share a funny story or blooper from the first film.

AK: “Harry Crosby and I were freezing on the night we were filming looking under the hood of the car & breaking into the office to make a phone call. I think I remember that they were spraying fire hoses all around us to recreate rain & it was cold to begin with! In between takes & setting up shots we were so cold that we started singing Christmas Carols & doing little jigs to keep our blood flowing & stay warm. Pretty funny stuff looking back on this now. I think of those times whenever I hear Bing, Harry’s Dad, singing “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” at Holiday time. Harry was so much fun to work with & so talented.”

PS: What did you think about the music composed for the film?

AK: “Manfredini is a genius. The music was a huge part of Friday’s success. His score is Brilliant! Bloody brilliant!! He lulled you into that false sense of calm in the lake scene…. Without his music it would not have been the huge scare that still holds up today!!! Harry & Betsy were fabulous together! They were like an old married couple after a few cons together. Their banter was hysterical. Ari [Lehman who played the young Jason Vorhees] would join in after a full day & we would share a good bottle something😉. We were a family for a while.”

PS: Betsy Palmer (a.k.a. “Mrs. Voorhees”) became a very close friend of yours?

AK: “I always say that Sean kept Betsy & I separated before & during filming because he knew we’d bond …that wouldn’t have been advantageous to the movie plot…lol, and we did bond when we reunited in 2004 in NJ…our first convention ever…we hadn’t seen each other since 1980. We had so much to catch up on and share. We would commiserate over a fine bottle of red wine, eventually Crystal Lake Wine’s very own Cabin A Sauvignon (her favorite) whenever we saw each other after that. We became the best of friends. I miss her very much [Palmer died in May of 2015 at age 88]. Whenever I was in NYC Betsy would invite me over to her brownstone off Central Park West & we would have dinner. I gave her my Crystal Lake Memories book by Peter Bracke because she hadn’t ever gotten one. That story is on my website. Such beautiful lasting memories with my Betsy. We both suffered because of this film and we both eventually triumphed because of this film.

PS: You went back to the original NJ campsite to promote your wine. What was it like to go back?

AK: “No wine allowed at Boy Scout Camp! Nope…not the reason. Crystal Lake Tours.org Incredible! Please check it out!! I’ll send a photo that explains that enormity of these events! The Boy Scout Leaders finally got smart & embraced our movie & it’s location as fab film history now. Pure joy for any Friday the 13th fan.”

PS: Alice supposedly died in Part 2, but we all know how that works. Would you play her again if asked?

AK: “Oh yes I most certainly would. I happen to know for a fact that Alice is still alive… that was a horrible nightmare within a Post traumatic dream sequence that lasted many years after that fateful Friday decapitation of Mrs. V. Fortunately with decades of PTSD treatment Alice is able to deal with her demons. Alice thanks Dr. Ginny Fields, her first & continuing Therapist.”

PS: Do you have a favorite horror film? What scares you?

AK: “The Devil scares me. Catholic school. Remember? “The Exorcist” scared the bejesus outta me in 1973 or 4…when I was going to college, FIT, in NYC…I never watched another scary movie until “Friday the 13th!!” Now I look at the special effects and they are laughable… they really are but they scared the hell out of me back when. Now, Tom Savini’s special effects…Now, we’re talking!!! I was allowed in the cabin to watch the filming of the arrow from under the bed with Kevin Bacon & Tom Savini… Oh yes! Now, I watch horror movies with a skilled eye after being part that cinema history! Savini’s scares are still amazing & really hold up 40 years later!!!”

PS: What was your favorite Halloween costume as a kid?

AK: “I loved my Witch costumes!!! I can be a very scary Witch!”

PS: If you were a zombie, who would you want to eat first?

AK: “Chocolate Easter Bunny. With a glass of Crystal Lake’s Campfire Pinot Noir, thank you.”

Trivia: Due to “Friday the 13th’s” shoestring budget, there were no stunt doubles. Adrienne King and Betsy Palmer acted out their fight to the death beach scene themselves. Four years later, King’s experience landed her a job as a stuntwoman for the hit film “Ghostbusters”

Thank you Peter from COMO AUDIO Tech Rap! CHEERS to YOU!!!

Collage artwork by Chris Navarro,


1 comment

  • Peter Said

    You are the ultimate story teller Adrienne! I love hearing your adventures both on and behind the camera! Thank you for always giving your fans so much more than we could ever imagine ❤️

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