Kathleen Hughes is delicious as the most deceptive sister in Three Bad Sisters, evoking a bit of Marilyn Monroe with starry eyes (though here, it’s because she’s off her rocker), and we were lucky enough to have her presence at this screening.
Hughes remembered that after the first read of this script, they all fell to the floor laughing. Written by (according to her) the world’s worst writer, they had to sit and rewrite it line by line. However, after watching it again, Hughes declared that this was her favorite picture. She said there was nothing about the picture that wasn’t a wonderful experience, and it was a pleasure from beginning to end.
Hughes’ dramatic horse trampling scene was done by a stunt double, except for her close-ups which were done atop a very tall grip and were terrifying enough. She said she loved doing her abusive riding crop scene, where she beats the tar out of saucy sister Vicki. Much like John Saxon, she couldn’t recall the fate of her character and didn’t remember performing her final scene.
When asked about meeting her husband, producer Stanley Rubin, she said that when they first met she was dating Lance Fuller. Of the latter relationship, they looked good together and both had migraine headaches (she doesn’t have them anymore, and he’s dead). She began listing all the gals Rubin was dating at the time, until a “That’s enough” came from Rubin’s seat in the audience.
Hughes and Rubin met at a party, and when he started to chat her up she looked around the room to see if anyone more exciting was there. He followed up with nonstop requests for dates, to which she continued to turn down and make excuses. She didn’t think much of him until a woman remarked that he was one of the nicest men in Hollywood, and suddenly he became attractive to her.
When she finally agreed to their first date and opened the door to him, she said she felt struck by a bolt of lightning. They’ve been together nearly 53 years.