“Forgotten Hollywood”- The Good Fight…

Posted on August 30, 2019 by raideoman1 | No Comments

Manny P. here…

“`Valerie Harper became a breakout star on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, then the lead of her own series, Rhoda. More recently, her courageous struggle against cancer, and defying medical predictions of a quick demise,  was an inspiration for anyone with the disease.

“`In high school, Harper was taking dance lessons in Manhattan several times a week. By age fifteen, she was dancing at Radio City Music Hall. Three years later, she was in the chorus of the Broadway musical Li’l Abner. She followed by appearing in the film adaptation. Valerie also danced in the musicals — Take Me Along starring Jackie Gleason and Wildcat starring Lucille Ball. She began working with a group of Chicago Second City players when they moved to Greenwich Village. VALERIE HARPER –>

“`In 1970, Valerie auditioned for the part of a Bronx-born Jewish girl who would be a neighbor and pal of Minneapolis news gal Mary Richards on a new sitcom for CBS. It was a long shot for the unknown thespian. She eventually won three consecutive Emmys as a Supporting Actress on The Mary Tyler Moore Showand another one for Outstanding Lead Actress for Rhoda, which ran from 1974-78.

“`On the big screen, Valerie co-starred in  Freebie and the Bean, Blame It on Rio, and an adaptation of Neil Simon’s Chapter Two. On television, she guest-starred on Melrose Place, Sex and the City, and Desperate Housewives. She continued working despite her illness.

“`On a personal note, I met Valerie Harper in 1989 while traveling on a plane with A-List stars to Washington D. C. for a walk in support of eradicating the homeless crises in the nation. She was committed to providing accurate information regarding the protest march. And I offered a report on FM 92 The Beat where I worked in Los Angeles. Val and I developed a bond due to our candid conversation.

“`Valerie Harper was eighty.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

This entry was posted on Friday, August 30th, 2019 at 11:24 pm and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


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