Rita Desjardin
Encyclopedia
Miss Rita L. Desjardin is a fictional character created by Stephen King
for his horror novel Carrie
. In the film versions, she was portrayed by Betty Buckley
(renamed Miss Collins) and Rena Sofer
. She was portrayed in the musical by Darlene Love
(renamed Miss Gardener).
. However, when she witnesses Carrie being humiliated by the other girls in the locker room after gym class for her hysterical reaction at her first period
, she realizes that Carrie didn't even know what a period was and takes her side. She wants to punish the girls that taunted her by having them suspended for three days and barred from the Spring Ball, but the principal orders a week's boot-camp style detention in the gym; refusing to attend detention will result in suspension from school and banishment from the prom. In Desjardin's view, the only reason the administrators didn't go along with her proposed punishment is that they are all men, and thus didn't really understand just how nasty the girls' behavior had been. Lead bully Chris Hargensen
skips the detention and thus is barred from the prom. The principal reprimands Desjardin for cursing at Chris, but stands by her when Chris' attorney father threatens to sue.
At the prom, she talks with Carrie about her own prom night (she was several inches taller than her date and felt awkward, but remembers it as a beautiful event) and later, congratulates her for being voted Prom Queen. Chris has rigged a cord connected to two buckets above Carrie and Tommy, and pulls it when they ascend the stage, drenching them with pigs' blood. Miss Desjardin runs to help Carrie, who pushes her aside with her telekinesis. Once outside, Carrie uses her gift to wreak havoc on the school, then leaves for home, destroying everything she passes. Miss Desjardin is one of the few survivors of the "Black Prom". One month after the catastrophe, she retires from teaching, saying she is consumed with guilt for not doing more to help Carrie, and that she would rather commit suicide than teach again.
, Miss Desjardin becomes Miss Gardener, a composite of the gym teacher and the principal. She opens the show with the song "In" where she orders the girl PE students to "Work, work, work, work!" After the "Shower Scene" Miss Gardener becomes much more sympathetic toward Carrie and even sings "Unsuspecting Hearts" with her to get her to accept Tommy's prom invitation. Miss Gardener was a chaperone at the prom, and died in Carrie's onslaught. When Carrie is attacked with the blood, Carrie imagines Miss Gardener laughing at her so Carrie takes her revenge on her and she is killed along with everyone else. Along with Tommy Ross
, Carrie begins to realise what terror she has created which prompts her to calm down after she kills Miss Gardener. She was portrayed by Darlene Love
in both the Stratford-on-Avon and Broadway
production of the musical.
, she is portrayed by Rena Sofer
and her name is spelled "Desjarden". After finding out the girls not only humiliated Carrie in the locker room, but vandalized her locker and slipped tampons in it, an angry Desjarden hurls a bag full of tampons at them the next day before announcing that they've been sentenced to a week of detention, telling that skipping the punishment would result suspension and being banned to go to the prom. Chris, refusing to take her punishment, storms out, resulting being banned from the prom. The principal reprimands Desjarden for this, but when Chris's father threatens to sue, he stands by her, threatening to sue Chris on behalf of Carrie White and other mismayed students if Chris's father goes on with the lawsuit.
At the prom, she talks to Carrie about her own prom date -- in this version, she says her date carried a fake gun to imitate James Bond
but he ended up arrested. As a result she remained alone at the prom until her father came and took her home. She also tells Carrie that things change, and not always for the best: the pretty, popular girls will be fat, cute boys will be bald, and the miserable ones might have a happy life. When Carrie begins destroying the gym telekinetically, in revenge for being drenched in pigs' blood, Miss Desjarden sends two students to carry the unconscious Tommy and leads an escape through a vent (rather than the fire doors, as in the book). She is the last one to leave and is nearly electrocuted, but survives, and reports the events to Detective John Mulcahey (David Keith
), revealing her realization that Carrie had telekinetic powers.
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
for his horror novel Carrie
Carrie (novel)
Carrie is American author Stephen King's first published novel, released in 1974. It revolves around the eponymous Carrie, a shy high-school girl, who uses her newly discovered telekinetic powers to exact revenge on those who tease her...
. In the film versions, she was portrayed by Betty Buckley
Betty Buckley
Betty Lynn Buckley is an American theater, film and television actress and singer. She is a Tony Award winner and Grammy Award nominee.-Early life:...
(renamed Miss Collins) and Rena Sofer
Rena Sofer
Rena Sherel Sofer is an American actress, primarily known for her appearances in daytime television, episodic guest appearances, and made-for-television movies...
. She was portrayed in the musical by Darlene Love
Darlene Love
Darlene Love is an American popular music singer and actress. She gained prominence in the 1960s for the song "He's a Rebel," a #1 American single in 1962, and was part of the Phil Spector stable that produced a celebrated Christmas album in 1963....
(renamed Miss Gardener).
Novel
In the book, she at first feels the same disgust everyone feels for Carrie WhiteCarrie White
Carietta "Carrie" N. White is a fictional character created by Stephen King who has the power of telekinesis.In every adaptation and portrayal of Carrie, she is shown as an outcast, loathed and taunted by her fellow students and constantly scolded by her mother, Margaret White, an abusive, mentally...
. However, when she witnesses Carrie being humiliated by the other girls in the locker room after gym class for her hysterical reaction at her first period
Menstrual cycle
The menstrual cycle is the scientific term for the physiological changes that can occur in fertile women for the purpose of sexual reproduction. This article focuses on the human menstrual cycle....
, she realizes that Carrie didn't even know what a period was and takes her side. She wants to punish the girls that taunted her by having them suspended for three days and barred from the Spring Ball, but the principal orders a week's boot-camp style detention in the gym; refusing to attend detention will result in suspension from school and banishment from the prom. In Desjardin's view, the only reason the administrators didn't go along with her proposed punishment is that they are all men, and thus didn't really understand just how nasty the girls' behavior had been. Lead bully Chris Hargensen
Chris Hargensen
Christine "Chris" Hargensen is a fictional character created by Stephen King. She is the main antagonist in his first published novel, Carrie....
skips the detention and thus is barred from the prom. The principal reprimands Desjardin for cursing at Chris, but stands by her when Chris' attorney father threatens to sue.
At the prom, she talks with Carrie about her own prom night (she was several inches taller than her date and felt awkward, but remembers it as a beautiful event) and later, congratulates her for being voted Prom Queen. Chris has rigged a cord connected to two buckets above Carrie and Tommy, and pulls it when they ascend the stage, drenching them with pigs' blood. Miss Desjardin runs to help Carrie, who pushes her aside with her telekinesis. Once outside, Carrie uses her gift to wreak havoc on the school, then leaves for home, destroying everything she passes. Miss Desjardin is one of the few survivors of the "Black Prom". One month after the catastrophe, she retires from teaching, saying she is consumed with guilt for not doing more to help Carrie, and that she would rather commit suicide than teach again.
1976 film
In the 1976 version of the novel, Miss Desjardin is renamed Miss Collins, portrayed by the notable actress Betty Lynn Buckley. Unlike the book, Miss Collins does not first experience revulsion toward Carrie, as she is suggesting in the beginning that the students pass the ball to Carrie in their volleyball game. After the locker room incident, she becomes sympathetic and attempts to help Carrie overcome her awkwardness and connect with other students. During the prom, Miss Collins is trying to move the unconscious Tommy, along with another teacher and three students, when Carrie (who believes she was laughing at her but this was only in her mind) pulls her across the floor and impales her by pinning her against the wall and slamming a basketball rafter into her, crushing her pelvis and stomach area. Many people believe that Miss Collins shouldn't have been killed because she didn't deserve to after her nice behavior to Carrie. Notably in this version, the story she tells Carrie about her prom experience differs from the novel, when she tells her that her date was the captain of the basketball team who was 6'7" tall, instead of being extremely short as in the novel, and the downside of her experience was from her having to walk a few miles to the prom wearing 3-inch spike heels when her date's truck broke down.1988 musical
In Carrie - The MusicalCarrie (musical)
Carrie: The Musical is a musical with a book by Lawrence D. Cohen, lyrics by Dean Pitchford, and music by Michael Gore. Adapted from Stephen King's novel Carrie, it focuses on an awkward teenage girl with telekinetic powers whose lonely life is dominated by an oppressive religious fanatic mother...
, Miss Desjardin becomes Miss Gardener, a composite of the gym teacher and the principal. She opens the show with the song "In" where she orders the girl PE students to "Work, work, work, work!" After the "Shower Scene" Miss Gardener becomes much more sympathetic toward Carrie and even sings "Unsuspecting Hearts" with her to get her to accept Tommy's prom invitation. Miss Gardener was a chaperone at the prom, and died in Carrie's onslaught. When Carrie is attacked with the blood, Carrie imagines Miss Gardener laughing at her so Carrie takes her revenge on her and she is killed along with everyone else. Along with Tommy Ross
Tommy Ross
Thomas "Tommy" Everett Ross is one of the main characters in the horror novel Carrie by Stephen King.In both of the two film adaptations, as in the book, Tommy is asked by his girlfriend Sue Snell to take Carrie White to the prom instead of her. Susan feels guilty for taunting Carrie in the showers...
, Carrie begins to realise what terror she has created which prompts her to calm down after she kills Miss Gardener. She was portrayed by Darlene Love
Darlene Love
Darlene Love is an American popular music singer and actress. She gained prominence in the 1960s for the song "He's a Rebel," a #1 American single in 1962, and was part of the Phil Spector stable that produced a celebrated Christmas album in 1963....
in both the Stratford-on-Avon and Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production of the musical.
2002 film
In the 2002 versionCarrie (2002 film)
Carrie is a 2002 horror television film based on the novel Carrie by Stephen King, originally intended as a pilot for a TV series in which Carrie moves to Florida to help others with telekinetic problems, which never materialized...
, she is portrayed by Rena Sofer
Rena Sofer
Rena Sherel Sofer is an American actress, primarily known for her appearances in daytime television, episodic guest appearances, and made-for-television movies...
and her name is spelled "Desjarden". After finding out the girls not only humiliated Carrie in the locker room, but vandalized her locker and slipped tampons in it, an angry Desjarden hurls a bag full of tampons at them the next day before announcing that they've been sentenced to a week of detention, telling that skipping the punishment would result suspension and being banned to go to the prom. Chris, refusing to take her punishment, storms out, resulting being banned from the prom. The principal reprimands Desjarden for this, but when Chris's father threatens to sue, he stands by her, threatening to sue Chris on behalf of Carrie White and other mismayed students if Chris's father goes on with the lawsuit.
At the prom, she talks to Carrie about her own prom date -- in this version, she says her date carried a fake gun to imitate James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
but he ended up arrested. As a result she remained alone at the prom until her father came and took her home. She also tells Carrie that things change, and not always for the best: the pretty, popular girls will be fat, cute boys will be bald, and the miserable ones might have a happy life. When Carrie begins destroying the gym telekinetically, in revenge for being drenched in pigs' blood, Miss Desjarden sends two students to carry the unconscious Tommy and leads an escape through a vent (rather than the fire doors, as in the book). She is the last one to leave and is nearly electrocuted, but survives, and reports the events to Detective John Mulcahey (David Keith
David Keith
David Lemuel Keith is an American actor and director. He received Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor and New Star of the Year – Actor for his performance in An Officer and a Gentleman.-Career:...
), revealing her realization that Carrie had telekinetic powers.