Valerie Harper
Actress
About This Interview
Valerie Harper was interviewed for two-and-a-half hours in North Hollywood, CA. Harper discusses her early years as a dancer in New York City, her time as a member of Second City, and moving to Los Angeles to pursue acting. She talks in detail about her most famous character, Rhoda Morgenstern, whom she portrayed on both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and the spinoff, Rhoda. She reminisces about working with Mary Tyler Moore, James L. Brooks, Jay Sandrich and many others of the cast and crew of both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda. Harper also describes why she was only on Valerie for one year, and outlines her current theater projects. Jim McKairnes conducted the interview on February 26, 2009.
Related To This Video
Featured Content
Video: Valerie Harper as Tallulah Bankhead on Broadway in the 2010 production of "Looped"
Video: Premiere episode of Rhoda (airdate: 9/9/74) from Hulu
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Highlights
Valerie Harper on her initial hesitation in starring in her own spin-off show, Rhoda (00m 56s)- Valerie Harper on working with The Mary Tyler Moore Show / Rhoda director Jay Sandrich (01m 53s)
- Valerie Harper on Mary Tyler Moore (01m 19s)
- Valerie Harper on Fred Silverman wanting her to spin-off to Rhoda (00m 56s)
Chapters
- Chapter 1
- On her childhood and early influences; on her siblings; on wanting to be a dancer; on college at the New School; on getting into the Radio City Music Hall Court of Ballet
- On joining Second City; on first husband Dick Schaal and hosting a daytime talk show with him in New York
- On moving to Los Angeles in 1968; on getting the role of Rhoda Morgenstern on The Mary Tyler Moore Show; on who she based "Rhoda" on, "Rhoda's" fashion sense, and "Rhoda" as a character
- Chapter 2
- On working with Mary Tyler Moore, Grant Tinker and Jay Sandrich; on shooting the pilot episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show
- On the success of The Mary Tyler Moore Show; on specific episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show; on her own spinoff Rhoda and how marriage changed the character; on the TV reunion special Mary and Rhoda
- On television movies: Fun and Games, The Shadow Box; on the series Valerie; on unsuccessful series in which she starred - The Office and City
- Chapter 3
- On working on Touched By an Angel, Melrose Place, and Less Than Perfect; on her husband Tony
- On her (then) current theater projects: "Looped"; on her acting style; on the highlights of her career; on "Golda's Balcony"; on how she'd like to be remembered
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I second what everyone here has said. I had no idea Valerie Harper was such an amazing woman! Just phenomenal.
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