The Linda Blair/Lennie Barrin Connection

Fans of my regular blog know that I am a big fan of actress/activist Linda Blair. Awhile back, I noticed an odd connection between Linda and Christa when I saw the name Lennie Barrin credited as costume designer on her film HELL NIGHT. Lennie was, of course, Christa's friend and partner in a clothing business in New York City. Lennie was also alleged to be the one who had Christa's apartment cleaned out after her murder.

Now I find that the connection with Linda Blair was much stronger in that the two of them once had a regular series of short Internet episodes on design, floral arrangement, etc. entitled LINDA 'N' LENNIE. Here's one of the episodes from YouTube!

Going For Broke in Haiti-1973

With Haiti so much in the news right now, it's interesting to note that Christa Helm's only starring vehicle was one of the first films to be shot in large part in Haiti. The horror stories from the cast and production people were many and varied but the bottom line is that it seemed like a better idea than it turned out to be. In fear of their lives to some extent, the cast and crew took advantage of a Christmas shooting break to pack up and move the remainder of the shoot to Florida. As much of the footage shot by original director Alex Stevens was not used when Ron Walsh took over at that point and the decision was made to take the film in a different direction, only glimpses of Haiti appear in the finished film.

Here are a couple clips regarding the filming, one from THE NEW YORK TIMES and the other from VARIETY, both courtesy of Ace Researcher Derek Tague.

New York Post Article

Ace Researcher Derek Tague passes along this article from THE NEW YORK POST from April of 2008 regarding both Christa's case and the 48 HOURS MYSTERY episode.

Broke Freeze Frame

In LET'S GO FOR BROKE, this lovely still appears as a freeze frame that then comes to life as Jackie Broke uses karate moves on her boyfriend.

Video Montage

Watch CBS News Videos Online

A holdover from the CBS 48 HOURS MYSTERY site, here is a brief slideshow of stills of Christa set to music.

Lennie

Here is a rare shot of Christa with Lennie Barrin. Depending on who you talk to, Lennie was either her best friend, a leech, a user, a manipulator, a sidekick, a trusted business partner, a confidante, the man who ransacked her place after her murder or had it done and/or himself a suspect. Possibly all of the above. Lennie Barrin was a flamboyant presence on the NYC gay scene in the seventies and like Christa eventually wound up doing films (as a fashion designer) before long since succumbing to AIDS. A complicated presence in her already complicated life story to put it mildly.

Where is Alex Stevens?

Alex Stevens (seen here on WHAT'S MY LINE? in before and after pics) was the stuntman who played the werewolf on the late sixties-early seventies mega-hit DARK SHADOWS. He also did tons of movie stuntwork. In recent years, he has appeared at DARK SHADOWS reunions and yet no one can seem to find him for me. Can you? Any suggestions? Why? Well, I have now confirmed that Alex Stevens, whose glow-in-the-dark werewolf model graced by night table for many years, is the previously unknown stunt man friend of Christa's who was, in fact, the original, uncredited director of the Haiti sequences in Christa Helm's LET'S GO FOR BROKE. We would love to get his memories of the film but he seems to have relatively recently become hard to find! So any of you DARK SHADOWS buffs who come across this piece, if you can point me toward him, please email me at booksteve@aol.com. Many thanks!