Family: The Grey Gardens Model

Before the Gosselins or Osbournes, before reality TV families were even a glimmer in the glazed-over eye of American pop culture, there were The Edies. The Edies–Edith “Big Edie” Bouvier Beale and Edith “Little Edie” Beale–starred in the Maysles Brother’s landmark documentary film Grey Gardens. This mother/daughter duo put on quite a show. Together they presided over a mansion called Grey Gardens, a crumbling faded glory empire of elegant cat lady squalor. They were batshit crazy, too, but they also manifested some qualities as a family that even the most normal among us can appreciate and even emulate.

Without further ado, let us consider the Grey Gardens Model:

• Celebrate Each Other’s Talents. Big Edie was an old-school warbler. Little Edie was a poet. They were one another’s biggest fans. “No man could compete against Mrs. Beale and Gould [her accompanist],” declared Little Edie. Robert Frost similarly fails to measure up to Little Edie in Big Edie’s estimation. When Big Edie launches into her tour de force rendition of “Tea For Two,” Little Edie positively beams.
• Make The Most Of What You Have. Although they were related to Jackie Kennedy Onassis, the Persian rug of wealth and privilege hadn’t been torn out from under the Edies as much as it had been saturated with gallons of cat piss. No matter! The fashions of yesteryear can be refreshed and even revolutionized with safety pins and strategically-placed broaches. Sustenance can be fished out of a pot perched on a bedside hotplate. And cheers to jelly jar cocktail hour!
• Don’t Be Afraid Of Conflict. Being reclusive eccentrics, The Edies only had one another. Their mutual dependence was a source of both conflict and comfort. The complex tapestry of their relationship is constantly unraveled and rewoven on the loom of their dynamic: arguments arise, recriminations are launched, photos are ripped and all hell breaks loose. Relative serenity is restored with a wistful duet. According to the Maysles, this was the trajectory of every day at Grey Gardens.
• Care For One Another. Little Edie looked out for her elderly mom, who in turn provided a safe haven for her mentally ill daughter. No nuthouses or nursing homes for The Edies!
• Some Things Are More Important Than Housework. Actually, everything was more important than housework at Grey Gardens. All of this singing and dancing and squabbling came at a price (fleas, raccoons, and an occasional raid by the Board of Health), but you have to admire The Edies’ commitment.

The Grey Gardens model demonstrates that despite the vicissitudes of fortune, the march of time, and the challenges presented by human frailty, we still have our family… our batshit crazy family.

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