Marlo Thomas
Actress / Producer
About This Interview
In her interview for the Archive of American Television, Marlo Thomas speaks about growing up as Danny Thomas' daughter. She explains the close relationship she enjoyed with her father and how that affected her early years as an actress. She chronicles the events that led up to starring in and producing That Girl, and discusses the then-burgeoning women's movement and its influence on both the show and her life. She describes the impetus for the children's classic, Free to Be…You and Me and details the numerous television movies she produced and/or acted in. Thomas also speaks about her appearances on Friends, her marriage to Phil Donahue, and her production companies. Karen Herman conducted the two-and-a-half hour interview in Beverly Hills, CA on March 26, 2003.
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Highlights
Marlo Thomas on the premise of That Girl and how Sam Denoff and Bill Persky came on board
Clip begins at: 05:05- Marlo Thomas on how the title of That Girl came about
Clip begins at: 06:52 
Marlo Thomas on the legacy of That Girl
Clip begins at: 24:34
Marlo Thomas on what makes a good story
Clip begins at: 23:21
Interview
- Part 1
- On her early years and childhood; On growing up as the daughter of TV legend Danny Thomas
Clip begins at: 0:44 - On wanting to be an actress; on majoring in English at USC; on going to New York to act and being on the stage
Clip begins at: 12:49 - On her first television appearances; on being compared to her father; on guest appearances on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Bonanza and McHale's Navy, on friend Barry Diller
Clip begins at: 19:03 - Part 2
- On "Two's Company"; on the genesis and piolt episode of of That Girl
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On ABC wanting to change things in That Girl; on there being an audience for That Girl; on network changes between the original pilot episode and the first episode aired; on her character's name
Clip begins at: 09:52 - On Daisy Productions and becoming a producer; on being the sole female voice on the That Girl creative team; on mail she recieved and how it informed the show
Clip begins at: 17:01 - Part 3
- On Groucho Marx being considered for the role of her father on That Girl; On a typical workweek on That Girl; on the theme song; on her favorite episodes
Clip begins at: 0:37 - On the fashions in That Girl; on reviews of the show; on merchandising; on not changing the title of That Girl to "The Marlo Thomas Show"
Clip begins at: 13:54 - On guest-actors on the series; on why the show went off the air; on the legacy of That Girl; on producing Free to be... You and Me
Clip begins at: 19:54 - Part 4
- On the children's album "Free to Be You and Me", and how it came to become a television special on ABC; on censorship issues; on global family issues
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On her television special It Happened One Christmas and forming a production company to produce shows for women; on her marriage to Phil Donahue; on hosting The Body Human and The Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck
Clip begins at: 08:18 - On her turn as a dramatic actress in Nobody's Child, Taken Away, Wish You Were Here, Held Hostage, Ultimate Betrayal; on the death of her father, Danny Thomas
Clip begins at: 16:42 - Part 5
- On her role on Friends as a recurring character; on her character "Sandra Green"; on producing sitcoms; on Two Against Time
Clip begins at: 0:20 - On writing her book The Right Words at the Right Time; on the growth of cable; on current projects
Clip begins at: 06:25 - On her advice to aspiring actors and producers; on how audiences have changed; on her biggest career achievement; on how she would like to be remembered
Clip begins at: 09:09
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What a fierce woman! Charming, charismatic, intelligent - lovely.
Beautiful interview with my favorite actress of all time. Thank you archive of american elevision for sharing this important conversation.
She said she was in her 'twenties' when she did "That Girl" but she was in her mid 30's. Why the baldfaced lie re her age? She's not having to audition and she's comfortable on both her and Donahue's monies!
This was a very enjoyable interview with my favorite actress of all time!
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