Rita Desjardin
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), Rena Sofer and Judy Greer. She was portrayed in the musical by Darlene Love (renamed Miss Gardner).
Novel
As the story begins, Rita at first feels the same disgust everyone feels for Carrie White. 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 senior prom, but the principal settles on a lesser punishment: a week of 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's lawyer dad threatens to sue unless Chris is allowed to attend the prom and Desjardin is fired.
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 film version of the novel, Miss Desjardin is renamed Miss Collins, and is portrayed by Betty Buckley.[1] Unlike the character in 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 more 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, too, but this was only in her mind), pulls her across the floor and pins her against the wall. Miss Collins then screams, "Carrie!" to no avail. Carrie smashes a basketball rafter into her, crushing her pelvis and stomach area, killing her.
1988 musical
In Carrie - The Musical, Miss Desjardin becomes Miss Gardner, 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 Gardner becomes much more sympathetic toward Carrie and even sings "Unsuspecting Hearts" with her to get her to accept Tommy's prom invitation. Miss Gardner was a chaperone at the prom, and died in Carrie's onslaught. When Carrie is attacked with the blood, Carrie imagines Miss Gardner 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 realize what terror she has created which prompts her to calm down after she kills Miss Gardner. She was portrayed by Darlene Love in both the Stratford-on-Avon and Broadway production of the musical.[2]
2002 film
In the 2002 version, Rita is portrayed by Rena Sofer and her name is spelled "Desjarden". After finding out that Chris and her top henchwoman, Tina Blake, compounded Carrie's locker-room humiliation by vandalizing her locker and filling it with tampons, an angry Desjarden hurls a bag full of tampons at them the next day. She then announces that they've been sentenced to a week of detention, telling that skipping the punishment would result in three days' suspension and banishment from the prom. Chris, refusing to take her punishment, storms out. The principal reprimands Desjarden for this, but stands by her when Chris's father threatens to a lawsuit unless Desjarden is fired.
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.
2013 film
In the 2013 version, Desjardin was played by Judy Greer. As in previous portrayals, she tries to sympathize and help her.[1] During the event of Carrie destroying the prom, Carrie lifts Desjardin, while the electric wires mix with the water on the floor. Carrie then twists Desjardin's ankle and throws her to the side for safety.
Desjardin is lastly seen on scene by Sue as she is looking at everyone who survived. Desjardin's arm is in a sling, and she is visibly shaken by what has just transpired.
References
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