Valerie Harper: Mary's best friend, Rhoda

Recently I have been watching reruns of Rhoda on Comedy Gold.  As a result, I’ve found myself thinking about Valerie Harper and what she’s been up to lately.  Since I am not a regular viewer of Desperate Housewives, I did not realize that Valerie had been a guest star on an episode of the popular sitcom.  The episode is titled “Where Do I Belong” and it aired on January 9, 2011.  Valerie portrayed Susan Delfino’s (Teri Hatcher) Aunt Claire.  In the episode, Susan undergoes dialysis while awaiting a kidney transplant.  She receives a visit in the hospital from her mother, Sophie (Leslie Ann Warren), who is accompanied by Aunt Claire (Valerie Harper).

Valerie and Leslie Ann in Desperate Housewives

Valerie Harper is now 71 years old.  She was born in Suffern, Rockland County, New York on August 22, 1939.  Her Canadian-born mother, Iva, was a nurse and her father, Howard Donald Harper, was a lighting salesman. 

Valerie's career runs the gamut from stage to television and feature films.  She started out as a dancer/showgirl with the Corps de Ballet at Radio City Music Hall.  She gradually moved on to acting in regional theatre.

During the late 1950s and early 1960s, the aspiring actress danced on Broadway.  She appeared in the musical L'l Abner and in several shows for famed choreographer Michael Kidd.  Her Broadway performances included Wildcats with Lucille Ball and Take Me Along with Jackie Gleason.  Valerie also performed with the Second City comedy troupe in Chicago.  

Valerie Harper caught the eye of casting agent Ethel Winant while performing in a small theatre in Los Angeles.  Winant called her to audition for a role on the Mary Tyler Moore Show.  She won the part and from 1970 until 1974, she portrayed wise-cracking Rhoda Morgenstern, Mary Richards`neighbour and closest friend.  Rhoda, a window dresser  for a Minneapolis department store, was a single Jewish woman in her 30s.  Unlike Mary, the Bronx-born Rhoda desperately sought a husband and eventually found one back home in New York City during a visit with her family. 

Rhoda's sister Brenda introduced her to curly-haired Joe Gerard, the divorced owner of the New York Wrecking Company.  A romance blossomed and Rhoda, decided to leave Minneapolis and return to the Big Apple permanently.  Her character became the focus of a new spin-off sitcom called Rhoda.

Rhoda made its debut on CBS on September 9, 1974 with Valerie Harper in the lead.role.  Three weeks later, on October 28, 1974, viewers were treated to a full-hour special episode of the series in which Rhoda and Joe were married.  The newlyweds moved into Brenda's apartment building and Rhoda became stepmother to Joe's 10 year-old son, Donny.

After two year of stories about a happily married couple, the producers of Rhoda determined that that Joe and Rhoda should break up.  They decided they would have more flexibility and more storylines open to them if they concentrated on Rhoda and her sister Brenda as two single women trying to cope.  Soon after the 1976-1977 season, Rhoda and Joe separated.  The Gerards eventually divorced and Joe was gradually phased out of the show.  CBS cancelled Rhoda in December of 1978. 

In 1986, Valerie Harper returned to television comedy in a series called Valerie.  She starred as Valerie Hogan, the harried matriarch of a family living in the Chiago suburb of Oak Park, Illinois.  The Hogan household also consisted of husband Michael (Josh Taylor), an airline pilot who was frequently away on flights, teenage son David (Jason Bateman) and fraternal twins Willie and Mark (Danny Ponce and Jeremy Licht). 

In the autumn of 1987, Valerie suddenly walked off the show during a much-publicized salary  dispute.  She was immediately fired.  The producers decided to continue the show without her and renamed it Valerie's Family.  Harper successfully sued Lorimar Productions for breach of contract.  In June of 1988, the name of the sitcom was changed yet again, this time to The Hogan Family.  Valerie's character was written off the show as having died and Sandy Duncan joined the cast as Michael's divorced sister. The Hogan Family aired until 1991. 

In 1995 Valerie Harper appeared in six episodes of The Office.  She played the role of Rita Stone.  In 2000 Valerie reunited with Mary Tyler Moore in a made-for-television movie titled Mary and Rhoda.  The two old friends find themselves single with daughters in college.  Mary Richards  returns to New York after months in Europe following the sudden death of her Congressman husband in a rock-climbing accident.  Rhoda also returns to New York from Paris after divorcing her second husband, Frenchman Jean-Pierre Rousseau.  She is trying to establish herself in a new career as a photographer.

Valerie Harper in 2007

Valerie Harper has been married twice.  She met her first husband, actor Richard Schaal at Second City.  They wed on January 29, 1964.  The couple did not have any children and divorced in 1978.  On April 8, 1987, the Valerie married producer Tony Cacciotti.  They adopted a daughter, Cristina Cacciotti, born in 1983.  Cristina is an actress.

Valerie Harper is an activist and a strong advocate of women's rights.  She supported the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  The actress is a devoted member of the Screen Actors Guild.  She ran for its presidency in the 2001 election, but lost to Melissa Gilbert. 

In 2010, Valerie starred on Broadway as Tallulah Bankhead in Matthew Lombardo's stage production of Loop.  She performed at the Lyceum Theatre on West 45th Street.

I took a look at Valerie Harper's official website and discovered that she recently filmed two television movies and that there will be an update on Facebook as to when they will be aired.  I also learned that Valerie filmed an episode of Drop Dead Diva on Lifetime.  She believes it will be aired on September. 11.



WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ORIGINAL CAST OF RHODA?


David Groh

Actor, producer and director David Groh, who played Rhoda's husband Joe Gerard on the series died of kidney cancer on February 12, 2008.  He was 68 years old at the time of his death.  Groh left the show in 1977 after the break-up of his character and Rhoda.


Nancy Walker

Nancy Walker, who portrayed Rhoda`s meddling mother, Ida Morgenstern, died of lung cancer in Studio City, California on March 25, 1992.  She was 69 years old and had been co-starring in the situation comedy True Colors.  From 1971 until 1976, the hard-working Walker also played a regular role on the Rock Hudson detective series, McMillan & Wife.  She portrayed Mildred, the Mcmillan's housekeeper.

The talented Walker earned an Emmy nominaton for her performance in "The Separation," the 1976-1977 season premiere episode of Rhoda.  In the episode, Ida learned about Joe and Rhoda's separation as she was about to leave on a year-long vacation.


Julie Kavner

Julie Kavner played the role of Rhoda`s younger sister, bank teller Brenda Morgenstern.  Julie later became famous for providing the raspy voice of blue-haired Marge Simpson on the animated television show The Simpsons.  Kavner, born September 7, 1950, is now 60 years old.  Rhoda marked her first professional acting role. 

She orignianlly auditioned for a guest-spot on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, but producer David Davis cast another actress instead.  Davis, who co-wrote the pilot to Rhoda, remembered Kavner's audition and called her back to play the part of Brenda. 
As it turned out, Davis became Kavner's boyfriend and the two have been together since the 1970s. 

Of Rhoda, Julie is quoted by Tim Lammers in an April 21, 2009 posting on the website LifeWhile as saying, "The writing was phenomenal - the show still holds up, except for the '70s wardrobe."  She described the series as "the true definition of a situation comedy."  She said, "The comedy arose from the situations.  The funniness came from the characters.  It was real.  The writing came from a real sense of these people." 

For her portrayal of the insecure Brenda Morgenstern, Kavner received four Primetime Emmy Award norminations for Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.  She won the Emmy in 1978.

In the 1980s and '90s, Julie appeared in a string of Woody Allen movies.  After watching her on Rhoda in the 1970s, Woody was impressed and later offered her a part in his 1986 film, Hannah and Her Sisters.  She agreed to take the part and it gave her career a much-need boost at the time.

In 1987 Julie was cast as Tracey Ullman's sidekick on Fox TV's Tracey Ullman Show.  It was a comedy/variety series in which Kavner had the opportunity to play a host of different characters. 
The show also led to Julie's voicing of the Marge Simspon character.

The Simpsons was originally a series of animated shorts on the Ullman program.  The producers decided to ask Kavner and castmate Dan Castellaneta to provide the voices for Marge and Homer Simpson instead of hiring new actors.

Julie Kavner became very wealthy as the voice of Marge Simpson.  She leads a very private life and makes few public appearances.


Harold Gould

Harold Gould portrayed Rhoda`s father, Martin Morgenstern, on both The Mary Tyler Moore Sho and Rhoda. Gould, whose real name was Harold Goldstein lived in Los Angeles with his wife, Lea.  He died of prostate cancer on September 11, 2010 at the age  of 86.


Lorenzo Music

We can't forget Carlton, the doorman at Brenda's apartment building.  Carlton was never seen on screen but was voiced by Lorenzo Music.  Brenda and Rhoda were constantly speaking on the intercom to the drunken, annoying doorman.  He would always preface his announcements with, "Hello, this is Carlton your doorman." 

Lorenzo Music was an actor, producer and writer.  He passed away on August 4, 2,001 due to complications from lung and bone cancer.  He was 64.  Lorenzo also provided the voice for Garfield the Cat.


To watch a promo for the 35th anniversary DVD edition of the first season of Rhoda, click on the link below.

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3024093721/



Kavner (left) and Mary Tyler Moore in Rhoda

EDITOR'S UPDATE: January 18, 2013 - Valerie Harper, a lifelong non-smoker, has opened up about her battle with lung cancer.  At the end of her new memoir, I, Rhoda, Harper reveals that in March of 2009, she was admitted to Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles under the name Valerie McConnell (her mother's maiden name was McConnell).  She was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour in her lung and underwent surgery to remove part of the lung.  She now wants to promote early detection of cancer.

EDITOR'S UPDATE: March 6, 2013 - Valerie Harper, 73, has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.  She was given the terrible news in January.  Of her diagnosis, she told People magazine, "I don't think of dying.  I think of being here now."  

EDITOR'S UPDATE: August 31. 2013 - Valerie Harper has received some really good news.  On August 29th, the Today show broadcast a segment from "Valerie Harper's Story - A Meredith Vieira Special" in which her physician, neuro-oncologist Dr. Jeremy Rudnick, stated that the actress is "getting pretty close to a remission."  He added, "It defies the odds."  NBC will broadcast the full hour-long documentary on Valerie's battle with brain cancer on September 19th.

EDITOR'S UPDATE:  September 7, 2013 - On September 4, 2013, it was announced on Good Morning America that Valerie Harper, 74, and actress Leah Remini, 43, will take part in the 17th season of Dancing With the Stars, the popular TV dance competition.  Valerie told Good Morning America co-host Robin Roberts that the brain scans she has every two months "are looking better and better."  She stated that her doctors "are just delighted that I am moving in the right direction."

EDITOR'S UPDATE:  Valerie Harper passed away on August 30, 2019 in Los Angeles.  She was 80 years old.


-  Joanne

Update on Valerie Harper

There is some sad news in TVland.  Valerie Harper, television's "Rhoda," is near death, according to her longtime husband, Tony Cacciotti.  Four years after she beat lung cancer in 2009, Valerie was diagnosed with a condition known as leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, which occurs when cancer cells spread into the fluid membrane surrounding the brain.  In 2013, Valerie announced that she had terminal brain cancer and was given given thee to six months to live.  However, she battled bravely and beat the odds, even competing on Dancing with the Stars.

In a July 23, 2019 Facebook post, Cacciotti, 78, revealed that doctors had advised him to move his wife of 32 years to hospice care.  He has refused to do so, promising to keep Valerie, 79, as comfortable as possible during the final days of her life.  Here is what Tony Cacciotti wrote: "I have been told by doctors to put Val in Hospice care and I can't (because of our 40 years of shared commitment to each other) and I won't because of the amazing good deeds she has graced us with while she's been here on earth."

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Valerie and her family.

Note: I posted an earlier article on Valerie Harper on July 28, 2011.  Click the link below to read it.

http://www.tvbanter.net/search?q=valerie+Harper


EDITOR'S UPDATE (August 24, 2019) : Valerie Harper turned 80 years old on August 22, 2019.

EDITOR'S UPDATE: Valerie Harper passed away on August 30, 2019 in Los Angeles.

- Joanne

Keeping up with Julie Kavner

If you've watched Rhoda, then you'll remember Valerie Harper's raspy-voiced TV sister, played by Julie Kavner.  That distinctive voice later catapulted Julie to more fame as Marge Simpson on the phenomenally successful animated series The Simpsons.

Julie Deborah Kavner was born in Los Angeles, California on September 7, 1950, the second daughter of David Kavner, a furniture manufacturer, and his wife, Rose, a family counsellor.  She attended Beverly Hills High School and then went on to San Diego State University, where she majored in drama, where she was cast in many productions, becoming known for her talent for improvisation and her ability to play bother comedic and dramatic roles.  She graduated from San Diego State in 1971, after which she held a day job as a typist at the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture.

Julie portrayed Rhoda's younger sister, Brenda Morgenstern, on the hit sitcom Rhoda.  Rhoda, a spin-off of The Mary Tyler Moor Show, followed Mary's best friend, Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper) after she left Minneapolis and retuned to her roots in New York.  It ran for five seasons on CBS, from September 9, 1974 to December 9, 1978.  It was Julie's first professional acting role.  She had originally auditioned for a guest role on Mary's show.  Although she made a good impression, she was not considered right for the part.  However, producer Davis Davis, her future romantic partner, recommended the 24-year-old for the role of Rhoda's sister on the MTM spin-off.

Julie's character, Brenda, was employed as a bank teller.  She lived ion her own in a studio apartment in Manhattan.  Brenda was a very insecure person and lacked self-esteem, much of it coming from a weight problem.  As a result, she had constant dating problems.  The part was created with Julie in mind.  

In 1979, Julie won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her portrayal of Brenda.Morgenstern.

Julie Kavner in 1974

During the run of Rhoda, Julie guest-starred in episodes of such television series as Lou Grant (1977) and Petrocelli (1976).  After Rhoda, she appeared in an episode of Taxi (1980).  She also appeared in some TV movies.  She played Janet Michaels in No Other Love (1979), Megan Brady in Revenge of the Stepford Wives (1980) and Laura Prescott in A Fine Romance (1983. 

Julie Kavner provides the husky, grating voice of Marge Simpson on The Simpsons.  Since Julie is not seen on the screen of the popular long-lasting animated series, some viewers may not be aware that it Julie's voice behind the blue-haired matriarch of the Simpson family.  She also voices other characters on the show, such as Marge's mother, Jacqueline Bouvier and Jaqueline's chain-spoking sisters, Patty and Selma Bouvier.

In 1987, Kavner was hired by director, producer and screenwriter James L. Brooks to join the stellar ensemble cast of The Tracey Ullman Show, a groundbreaking sketch program on Fox TV.  The show featured 30 and 60-sencod segments highlighting the dysfunctional Simpson family.  

Marge Simpson made her TV debut on the Ullman show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Julie also voiced Marge Simpson in theatrical cartoons. After being featured on The Tracey Ullman Show for three seasons, the cartoon Simpson family were given their own series, which debuted on Fox TV on December 17, 1989. It is the longest-running animated television series in history.

Marge Simpson

Julie Kavner is an intensely private person.  She will not allow cameras to film her doing the voices for The Simpsons characters, and she rarely gives interviews.  Part of her contract specifies that she will never be required to promote The Simpsons on video.  In a 1989 Los Angeles Times article, Julie was quoted as saying, "I'm very, very private.  I don't like talking about myself to strangers.  :Particularly strangers with tapes going."  

When the cast of The Simpsons appeared in a 2003 episode of Inside the Actors Studio, Julie's castmates began speaking in character.  Julie, however, did not join them.  Halfway throw the show, she took a bathroom break and never returned.  "If I want to remain anonymous," she declared, "I have to keep my mouth shut."

Julie's long-time partner was TV producer David Davis.  Julie and David met on the set of Rhoda.  They were together for over forty years, from 1975 until his death on November 4, 2022.  He was 86 years old at the time of his passing.

David Davis' obituary in Vanity Fair called him "an architect of modern American television."  Brooklyn-born Davis co-created The Bob Newhart Show and Taxi.  He wrote and produced The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda.

David   Davis

END NOTES  

* Julie Kavner is Jewish.  Although she was born and raised in Southern California, both her parents were from New York, and she sounds more like a New Yorker than a Californian.  That's why, according to NNDB (The Notable Names Database), she has a "naturally neurotic Brooklynese voce."  It's also why she fit in so well in New York roles.

In 1992, Julie took up residence in New York.  She may have returned  to California because her partner, David Davis, died in Los Angeles.

* Julie has frequently appeared in Woody Allen movies.  After watching her on Rhoda, Woody offered her a role in Hannah and Her Sisters (1986).  She then appeared in Radio Days (1987), New York Stories (1989), Alice (1990),  Shadows and Fog (1991) and Deconstructing Harry (1997).  She also co-starred in Don't Drink the Water, a 1994, made-for-television comedy film directed by Allen, and Deconstructing Harry, a 1997 black comedy, written, directed by, and co-starring Woody Allen.  Julie's appearance in Hannah and Her Sisters, boosted her career, which was on a downturn at the time.

Julie and Woody Allen

* When voicing Marge Simpson, Julie raises her voice an octave or two, and roughens it up a bit.  To play Marge's sisters, she lowers her voice an octave, and roughens it up quite a lot.  In addition to The Simpsons, Julie has performed voice-over work in films such as Dr. Dolittle (1998) and The Lion King 1 1/2 (2004).

* In 1992, Julie won a second Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for voicing Marge in the season three episode of The Simpsons entitled "I Married Marge."

* Julie portrayed the mother of Adam Sandler's character in the 2006 comedy Click.

SOURCES:   Los Angeles Times, "Julie Kavner: a Private Person in Many Roles,"by Diane Haithman, June 15, 1989; Vanity Fair, "David Davis, Writer-Producer of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Taxi, and Oher Clasiics," Dies at Age 86," by Jordan Hoffman, November 6, 2022;  NNDB (The Notable Names Database): Julie Kavner; Wikipedia; Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

- Joanne

Jewish characters on American television sticoms: From The Goldbergs to Seinfeld

Jewish writers, producers and actors have made an enormous contribution to television.  It is intriguing, therefore, to examine how Jewish characters and Jewish life have been depicted on TV sitcoms.  I have decided to focus on some of the most interesting and prominent shows.  One thing they all have in common is that they all take place in New York.  Has there ever been an American sitcom with Jewish characters that takes place outside of the Big Apple?  Let's see now . . . Well, Rhoda lived in Minneapolis for a long time, although she eventually returned to New York. Oh yes, there was Miles Silverberg (Grant Shaud) on Murphy Brown, an executive at a Washington, D.C. TV news magnazine show . . .


The 1950s

THE GOLDBERGS

. . . for all the Yiddish humour, we don’t initially see the Goldbergs observe Jewish holidays, go to temple, or show any signs of living Jewishly - aside from an almost concealed menorah on the sideboard. At least that’s how it seems in the earliest episodes here, but hold the phone. As we get deeper into the series, we go deeper into real Jewish tradition.

-  Michael Barrett
From "The Goldbergs: The Most Jewish Show on Television"
PopMatters, April 27, 2010


The Goldbergs was one of the earliest sitcoms on U.S. network television. It originated on NBC radio in 1929 as a 15-minute comedy/drama about the domestic life of a Jewish family in New York City.  It was initially called The Rise of the Goldbergs and was created by writer/actress Gertrude Berg.  The show moved to CBS radio in 1939 with its title shortened to The Goldbergs.  According to the website of the Museum of Broadcast Communication, some critical Jewish issues were raised on the radio program.    In an April 3, 1939 episode, the ominous situation in Nazi Germany was invoked when the Golderg family's Passover Seder was disturbed by a rock was thrown at their dining room window.

After a near 20-year run on radio, Gertrude Berg transformed her material into a 1948 Broadway hit entitled Me and Molly.  The next step was TV.  Berg was able able to persuade CBS to develop a television version.  The TV adaptation, which ran on network television from 1949 until 1954, chronicled the everyday life of  a middle-class Jewish family.  The Goldbergs lived in the Bronx and their home was supposedly located at 1030 East Tremont Avenue, Apartment 3B.  The family consisted of matriarch Molly Goldberg, played by Gertrude Berg herself, Molly's husband Jake Goldberg, played by Philip Loeb, and their two teenage children, son Sammy (Larry Robinson) and daughter Rosalie (Arlene McQuade). Eli Mintz  portrayed the erudite and philosophical Uncle David.
Every episode began and ended with Molly at her apartment window, delivering a Yiddish-accented monologue and pitching the sponsor's product.

Jake Goldberg was in the clothing business, a stereotypical Jewish occupation, while Molly was a kind-hearted but gossipy Jewish housewife.  She was prone to chattering with her neighbours across the courtyard of the apartment building.  In that sense, she was alo a stereotype.  Yet, at the same, as Michael Barrett points out in his April 27, 2010 article on PopMatters (The Goldbergs: The Most Jewish Show on Television), "Molly is always shown exploring new outlets, pushing Rosie to practice the piano and go to college, and attending night school herself. Indeed, she seems to have more activities than humanly possible, including Girl Scouts and nurses’ aide work."  By no mans, can she be dismissed as just a one-dimensional caricature, a cartoonish stereotype.

Berg and Loeb as Jake and Molly Goldberg

In 1951, The Goldbergs ended its run on CBS in a flurry of controversy surrounding actor Philip Loeb.  Loeb found himself blackmailed for alleged left-wing sympathies and he was forced to swear under oath that he was not a member of the Communist Party.  Although the charges against him were never proven, CBS executives and General Foods, the show's sponsor, were nervous about maintaining Loeb.  Even though Gertrude Berg strongly supported her co-star, it was not enough to persuade the network brass and General Foods to change their minds.  According to The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows 1946 - Preseent, they were adamant that Loeb had to go or the series would not not continue on CBS.

In 1952, The Goldbergs resurfaced on NBC but without Philip Loeb.  The role of Jake Goldberg was taken over by Robert H. Harris.  In the spring of 1954, The Goldbergs moved to yet another network - the long-defunct DuMont network.  Tom Taylor replaced Larry Robinson in the role of Sammy Goldberg and the family moved to the suburban community of Haverville

The following year, a devastated Philip Loeb, besieged with personal problems, his career in tatters, committed suicide by ingesting a fatal overdose of sleeping pills.  Tragically, on September 1, 1955, the 64-year-old was found dead in a New York City hotel room.

From 1955 until 1956, there was a syndicated version of The Goldbergs


The 1960s


THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW:  MOREY AMSTERDAM AS BUDDY SORRELL

Morey Amsterdam played a Jewish character on the popular 1960s comedy The Dick Van Dyke Show. Amsterdam was born Moritz Amsterdam in Chicago on December 14, 1908, the youngest of the three sons of Jewish immigrants from Austria-Hungary.  On The Dick Van Dyke Show, he portrayed wise-cracking Buddy Sorrell, Rob Petrie's (Dick Van Dyke) co-worker and fellow comedy writer for fictional The Alan Brady Show.

In one memorable 1966 episode, entitled "Buddy Sorrell - Man and Boy" (Season 5, Episode 22, Air Date: March 2, 1966), Buddy decides to have a Bar Mitzvah ceremony since he had never had one as a boy of 13.  Thirty years later, at the age of 43, he secretly takes Torah lessons..  However, his nervous behaviour leads his friends to suspect that he is seeing a psychiatrist or cheating on his wife (who is nicknamed "Pickles)".  The episode ends with a touching scene showing Buddy's Bar Mitzvah ceremony and his call to the Torah.

Morey Amsterdam, as Buddy Sorrrell, has his Bar Mitzvah 

The 1970s


BRIDGET LOVES BERNIE

Publicity photo of David Birney and Meredith Baxter

Bridget Loves Bernie was a 1970s sitcom about an affluent Irish-American Catholic woman (Meredith Baxter) who marries an aspiring Jewish playwright named Bernie Steinberg.  Bernie (David Birney) drives a taxi for a living and his family owns and operates a New York City delicatessen.  Meanwhile, Bridget's wealthy parents have servants and her brother, Michael, is a priest.  Thus, Bridget and Bernie not only come from different religious background, they come from different social and economic classes.  In the opening sequence of the series, when the couple introduce themselves, Bridget reveals that her full name is Bridget Theresa Mary Colleen Fitzgerald.  They then declare in unison, "We have a problem!"

Bridget Loves Bernie was loosely based on the 1940s radio show Abie's Irish Rose and the series was somewhat controversial for its time.  It ran for just one full season, from 1972 to 1973.  Only 24 episodes were ever produced.  Although Bridget Loves Bernie didn't have poor ratings (it had a prime time slot between All in the Family and The Mary Tyler Moore Show), CBS executives decided to cancel the show due to some negative response to its portrayal of inter-faith marriage.  The Rabbinical Assembly of America, for example, described the series as "an insult to the most sacred values of both the Jewish and Catholic religions."  Rabbi Abraham Gross, president of the Rabbinical Alliance of Orthodox Rabbis and Educators, stated that the show was a "flagrant insult" to Jews.  He protested that intermarriage was strongly prohibited under Jewish law.

In 1974, after co-starring in Bridget Loves Bernie, Meredith Baxter and David Birney wed in real life. The couple had three children together and divorced in 1989.  During their marriage, Meredith was known as Meredith Baxter-Birney.  In 2011, she published a memoir called Untitled in which she accused Birney of abusing her and claimed that he had hit her.  She stated that she dealt with the marital violence by drinking heavily.  Apparently, according to an NBC interview, Birney denied the allegations.

David Brirney was born in Washington, D.C. to non-Jewish parents. California-born Meredith Baxter is the daughter of the late Whitney Blake, who starred in the 1960s sitcom Hazel.  



RHODA

Although Valerie Harper is not Jewish, she is best known for her portrayal of Rhoda Morgenstern, a Jewish woman from the Bronx.  The character of Rhoda first appeared on The Mary Tyler Moore Show back in 1970.  After relocating to Minneapolis, Minnesota, Rhoda became best friends with Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore), the associate producer of a TV news show.  A former art student, Rhoda resided in Mary's apartment building,and made her living as a window dresser/costume designer.

Even though Rhoda Morgenstern was a very likeable character, she was also very insecure.  She was obsessed with her weight and her attitude toward men was neurotic. She didn't hide the fact that she was desperate to end her single status.  Yet, despite her negative stereotypical traits,, Rhoda struck a chord with audiences. Women identified with her problems.  She was so popular that she CBS developed a spin-off series about her.  So, after four seasons,in Minneapolis, Rhoda Morgenstern returned to her hometown of New York,  The first episode of Rhoda, on September 9, 1974, set a ratings record.  It had a larger audience than ABC'S Monday Night Football.

As the series progressed, Rhoda  married Joe Girard, played by the late David Grogh, to whom she had been introduced while visiting her family and friends back in New York.  Joe ran a wrecking company, and was the divorced father of a ten-year-old boy named Donny. The show's hour-long wedding special was highly publicized and it broke television ratings records, garnering over 52 million American viewers.  Unlike Bridget Loves Bernie,, just two years earlier, the fact that that Joe was not Jewish was not really an issue, not even with Rhoda's family.

Nancy Walker had the role of Rhoda's meddling mother.  Walker, who died on March 25, 1992, first played Ida Morgenstern in an episode of the Mary Tyler Moore entitled "Support Your Mother."  Her character was so well-received that she became part of the cast of the Rhoda spinoff series.  Although Walker was convincing as a stereotypical Jewish mother, the diminutive Philadelphia-born actress was not Jewish.

Nancy Walker (right) with Valerie Harper in Rhoda

In her article "A History of Jewish Mothers on Television: Decoding the Tenacious Stereotype" (Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought, Volume 5, Issue 1, July 1, 2011), Myrna Hunt points out that although Ida Morgenstern was a loving mother, she was not such a benevolent presence in Rhoda's life:

Molly Goldberg, the "gold standard," for the Jewish mother, is originally portrayed as the buxom and benevolent meddler who can solve all problems by mixing common sense, a considerable dab of compassion, and predictable wisdom. Although a hovering mother, she is lovable and respected.  This portrait of the Jewish mother dramatically changes in the situation comedies of the 1970s when she becomes a devouringly negative, albeit loving presence, in her daughter's or son's life, well represented by Ida in Rhoda . . .

Julie Kavner, who played Rhoda's insecure younger sister, Brenda, was born in Los Angeles and is Jewish in real life.  Kavner now provides the voice of Marge Simpson on the popular animated series The Simpsons.  Harold Gould, who portrayed Rhoda's long--suffering father, Martin Morgenstern, passed away on September 11, 2010 at the age of 86.  Gould, born to a Jewish family in Schenectady, New York, was known for playing older Jewish characters and grandfatherly types.


The 1990s


MAD ABOUT YOU

Paul Reiser, a comedian from New York City, created and starred in Mad About You, a highly successful television series about a married couple in the Big Apple.  Reiser comes from a Jewish family and he attended East Side Hebrew Institute, a traditional Jewish day school in Manhattan.  In Mad About You, he portrayed a documentary filmmaker named Paul Buchman.  Buchman's non-Jewish wife, Jamie, played by Helen Hunt, worked as a public relations consultant.  The series ran from 1992 to 1999.on NBC.

Although Mad About You featured an inter-faith couple, religion was never mentioned on the show.  According to Vincent Brook in his book Something Ain't Kosher Here: The Rise of the "Jewish" Sitcom,  the show's producer, Barnet Kellman once stated: "Resiser never wants religion and religious differences specifically mentioned on that show.  I don't think he's afraid of it, by the way, and I certainly don't think he wants to pretend that he's anything but Jewish.  I just think he doesn't want it to be the issue, and he doesn't like the contentiousness of the exclusiveness of it."

Paul Buchman didn't talk much about being Jewish, but his family's Jewishness was clearly evident. Much like Ida Morgenstern, Paul's mother, Sylvia, played by Cynthia Harris,was an overbearing, stereotypical Jewish mother. His Uncle Phil, portrayed by comedian Mel Brooks, came from a Polish immigrant background and knew German.



SEINFELD

Seinfeld, the so-called "comedy about nothing," was a landmark American sitcom. It was phenomenally popular.  The series ran for nine seasons on NBC, from 1989 to 1998.  It featured four neurotic New Yorkers who were not really very nice people.  In the final episode of the series, they all end up in prison for breaking the Good Samaritan Law and mocking the victim of a mugging.

Most of the show's producers, writers and actors were Jewish.  It's co-creators, Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld are both stand-up comedians and they were both born to Jewish families in Brooklyn, New York. Seinfeld is the son of an immigrant Jewish father from southern Ukraine and a mother of Syrian Jewish descent. When he was a teenager. he volunteered at a kibbutz in Israel.

Jerry Seinfeld played a version of himself on the series.  Not surprisingly, his TV character, also named Jerry Seinfeld, made his living as a stand-up comedian.  Jerry's TV mother, Helen Seinfeld, was portrayed by Liz Sheridan.  Helen was an interfering Jewish mother, but she was not known for making chicken soup or home-cooked meals for her son.  Jerry was usually seen eating cereal or dining out at a restaurant.

Elaine Benes, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, was the only female member of the quartet of friends.  Elaine was not Jewish.  This was made clear in an episode of Seinfeld entitled "The Serenity" (Season 9, Episode 3, Air Date: October 9, 1997).  In the episode, Elaine discovers her "shiksa appeal" ("shiksa is a Yiddish term for a non-Jewish woman).  As a result, several Jewish men in New York City, including her former boss, become attracted to her.

Elaine Benes was most likely raised a Catholic.  She celebrated Christmas and in some episodes she is seen wearing a crucifix.  However, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the actress who portrayed Elaine, was born in New York City to a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother.  Her parents divorced when Julia was a toddler and the youngster was relocated to Washington, D.C. when her mother remarried.  During Julia's childhood, she sometimes attended Unitarian church services with her mother.

Michael Richards, the actor who played Cosmo Kramer on Seinfeld, was born in Culver City, California on July 24, 1949.  His father was killed in a car crash and his mother never remarried.  Michael's parents were not Jewish.  His ethnic background is Italian on his mother's side (her maiden name was "Nardozzi") and English on his father's side. Michael was raised by Jewish mentors who influenced him greatly.  Kramer, however, was Jewish.  The character was loosely based on an ex-neighbour of Larry David, the show's co-creator and its head writer and executive producer from 1989 until 1996.

Jason Alexander (birth name: Jay Scott Greenspan), the man who portrayed George Costanza, was born in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Jewish parents.  Despite his Italian last name, George exhibited stereotypical Jewish behaviour.  In his book Something Ain't Kosher Here: The Rise of the Jewish Sitcom, author Vincent Brook describes George's characteristics:

Beyond dispute is the fact that George Louis Costanza, Italian surname withstanding, both looks (short, pudgy,balding) and acts (whiny, tight-fisted, nebisher) stereotypically Jewish.  George has been described as "one of the most Jewish characters in TV history'. by The Jewish Journal, as "a man weaned on the milk of Jewish neurosis" by Entertainment Weekly.

George's mother, Estelle (Estelle Harris), although not specified as being Jewish, displayed all the stereotypical characteristics of a Jewish mother  Harris, now 88 years old, was born in Manhattan to Polish Jewish immigrants.

George's father, Frank Costanza, had an Italian Catholic background.  In the episode "The Doll," Frank travels to Tuscany to meet a supposed long-lost cousin.  In the episode "The Fatigues," it is implied that Frank is a member of the Knights of Columbus, a male Catholic organization.  Nevertheless, the  the role of Frank was played by two Jewish actors.

The original Frank Cosstanza was John Randolph, who passed away in 2004 at the age of 88. Randolph, born Emanuel Hirsch Cohen in New York City, was the son of Jewish immigrants. In 1993, he made his only appearance as Frank in an episode of Seinfeld entitled "The Handicap Spot" (Episode 4, Season 22, Air Date: May 13, 1993).  He was later replaced by comedian Jerry Stiller, another Jewish New Yorker.  It's interesting to note that Randolph's scenes in "The Handicap Spot" were reshot for syndication with Stiller as Frank.

Jerry Stiller as Frank Costanza

- Joanne

Farewell Georgia Engel. We'll miss you, Georgette!

Sad news indeed!  Georgia Engel, best known for her portrayal of Georgette Franklin Baxter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. has passed away.  She died on April 12, 2019 in Princeton, New Jersey at the age of 70.  Georgia was a wonderful comedic actress and during her career, she garnered five Primetime Emmy nominations.  Her most distinctive characteristic was her soft, gentle, childlike voice, which retired Toronto Star theatre critic Richard Ouzounian likened to that of an angel who has "just sniffed some helium."  Her voice was her trademark and when she became angry, it was difficult not to laugh.

Georgia Bright Engel was born in Washington, D.C. on July 28, 1948, the daughter of Ruth Caroline (née Hendron) and Benjamin Franklin Engel, a Coast Guard Admiral.  In 1966, Georgia graduated from high school at the Academy of Washington Ballet in Washington, D.C.  She intended to become a ballerina.before deciding on a career as an actress.  In her IMDb.com profile, Georgia is quoted as saying the following: : "As a young teenager when I was attending ballet school, my teacher told me I'd never be a ballerina. and I was never much of a singer, but I get leading roles in musical theater because of the comedy.  I consider comedy a special gift to me.  So many people ask if I hate doing similar roles but I try to explain that even within the specialized areas of light comedy and ditzy blondes, there are wonderful nuances that are infinitely interesting to me."

 After high school, Georgia performed in summer stock and then joined her family in Honolulu, Hawaii.  She earned a degree in drama from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1969 and then  returned to Washington, D.C. where she performed in musical productions with the American Light Opera Company.  She later appeared off-Broadway in Lend an Ear and at the age of 22, made her Broadway debut as Minnie Fay in the original Broadway production of Hello Dolly!.

In 1971, Mary Tyler Moore and her then-husband, producer Grant Tinker saw Georgia perform when the off-Broadway production of The House of Blue Leaves played in Los Angeles.  They were impressed by how funny she was and a few months later, she was summoned to the MTM Studios and asked to play a role created especially for her.  She made her mark as the seemingly naive Georgette Franklin, girlfriend and eventual wife of pompous anchorman Ted Baxter (Ted Knight) on Mary's TV show.  However, Georgette was not your garden variety stereotypical "dumb blonde."  Although often underestimated, she possessed a certain wisdom.  "The writers had fun with that," Engel told the San Francisco Examiner in 2017.  "She looked like the dumbest one of the group and sometimes they'd have her say the wisest thing."

The Mary Tyler Moor Show ran from 1970 until 1977, but Georgia Engel,did not join the cast until the sitcom's third season in 1972.  Her "Georgette" character first appeared in an episode entitled "Rhoda Morgestern:  Minneapolis to New York" (Season 3, Episode 14, Air Date: December 16, 1972).  In the episode, Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore) plans a farewell party for her friend Rhoda (Valerie Harper) who has decided to accept a job at Bloomingdale's in New York.  Georgette, Rhoda's co-worker, shows up at the party as Ted's new girlfriend.  Her interaction with Mary's gruff boss, Lou Grant (Edward Asner) is hilarious.

Georgia Engel's role as Georgette was originally intended to be for a single episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.  In a 2007 interview with the Toronto Star, Georgia provided the following explanation for how she became a regular cast member:  "It was only going to be one episode and I was just supposed to have a few lines in a party scene, but they kept giving me more an more to do."  The following Monday, she received a potted plant with a note welcoming her to the Mary Tyler Moore family.

Georgette had a heart of gold and she made the blustery, buffoonish Ted a better person.  My favourite Georgette quote occurred in a scene when Mary asks Georgette if she knows what she is doing by marrying Ted.  She replies, "Yes.  Somebody has to love him."  In other words, Georgette was not so naive that she was unaware of Ted's many flaws, but she was willing to accept him for what he was.  She also recognized his better qualities.

Of co-star Ted Knight, who passed away in 1986, Georgia told the Toronto Star that she "liked him very much, but to tell the honest truth, the writers took a kernel of truth from all of us and then magnified it in our characters.  Ted never recovered from (series co-creator) Allan Burns asking him, 'How does it feel to be the country's biggest schmuck?"

Wedding of Ted and Georgette

After The Mary Tyler Moore Show ended in 1977, Georgia Engel had roles in three short-lived series: The Betty White Show (1977-78) along with Betty played who Sue Ann Nivens on The MTM Show, Goodtime Girls (1980) and Jennifer Slept Here (1993-1994).  From 1991 until 1997, Georgia portrayed Shirley Burleigh on the hit football-themed comedy Coach.

Georgia reprised her role as Georgette for a 1992 episode of the sitcom Hi Honey, I'm Home.  In the episode, entitled "Elaine Takes a Wife" (Season 2, Episode 7, Air Date: July 19, 1992), Georgette teaches a motivational course.

In 2000, Georgia'mother died and she took a break from acting.  She trained to be a careguver in the mission facility part of her church, but found that "my gift was more for changing laughter than bedpans."

In 2001, Georgia returned to the stage and toured with I Dream of Jeannie's Barbara Eden in the female version of The Odd Couple.  From 2003 to 2005, Georgia played Pat MacDougal, mother-in-law of Robert Barone (Brad Garrett), on Everybody Loves Raymond.  Upon learning of Georgia's death, her Raymond co-star Patricia Heaton tweeted "I am in shock.  Georgia was an absolute angel - so dear, so sweet, so talented."

In more recent years, Georgia Engel worked largely in theatre and lived in New York City.  In 2007, however, she appeared as  Ezmerialda in six episodes of the soap opera Passions. She also portrayed  Irene in three 2012 episodes of The Office.  From 2012 to 2016, she had a recurring role on the sitcom Hot in Cleveland, where she was reunited with her Mary Tyler Moore Show co-star Betty White. In fact, she played Mamie Sue Johnson, the best friend of Betty's character, Elka.  After Georgia's death, the 97-year-old White posted this tribute to her on Instagram: "Friends forever says it all."  The two women were animal lovers and Betty's tribute to Georgia was accompanied by a photo of the pair snuggling against a bear.

Georgia final television credit was a 2018 appearance as Sister Barbara on a an episode of the remake of One Day at a Time entitled "Homecoming" (Season 2, Episode 11, Air Date: January 26, 2018).

Georgia Engel never married and did not have any children.  She is survived by her two older sisters, Robin Engel (Miss Hawaii of 1967) of Canyon Lake, Texas and Penny Lusk of Cheriton, Virginia,  numerous nieces and nephews and two aunts.

Georgia was an adherent of Christian Science.  Her friend, John Quilty, informed The New York Times that the cause of her death was unknown since, due to her religious beliefs, she did not seek advice from doctors.  Her funeral home obituary states that she died of "natural causes."

In an Archive of American Television interview, Ed Asner had this to say about Georgia Engel: "She doesn't belong on this Earth.  She's too good for this Earth.  And in a way, she shows how angels can defy desecration by mankind.


SOURCES

Closer Weekly, "Remembering the Late Georgia Engel from 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' and 'Everybody Loves Raymond'' by Ed Gross, April 16, 2019; San Francisco Examiner, "Georgia Engel explores sounds of silences in 'John" by Robert Sokol, March 2, 2017; Toronto Star, "Drowsy woke Engel's career" by Richard Ouzounian, October 10, 2007, Wickipedia; IMDb.com; Yahoo News


- Joanne