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 working with Mary Tyler Moore
Clip begins at: 00:07, Duration: 03m 08s- Valerie Harper on shooting the pilot of The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Clip begins at: 16:27, Duration: 02m 56s - Valerie Harper on her initial hesitation in starring in her own spin-off show, Rhoda
Clip begins at: 26:22, Duration: 00m 55s - Valerie Harper on how marriage changed "Rhoda"
Clip begins at: 33:49, Duration: 00m 37s 
Valerie Harper on how she'd like to be remembered
Clip begins at: 22:01, Duration: 00m 31s
Interview
- Part 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
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On joining Second City; on first husband Dick Schaal and hosting a daytime talk show with him in New York
Clip begins at: 16:15 - 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
Clip begins at: 27:21 - Part 2
- On working with Mary Tyler Moore, Grant Tinker and Jay Sandrich; on shooting the pilot episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Clip begins at: 0:0 - 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
Clip begins at: 19:24 - On television movies: Fun and Games, The Shadow Box; on the series Valerie; on unsuccessful series in which she starred - The Office and City
Clip begins at: 39:22 - Part 3
- On working on Touched By an Angel, Melrose Place, and Less Than Perfect; on her husband Tony
Clip begins at: 0:0 - 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
Clip begins at: 10:12
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Harper has worked almost exclusively in theater and television, but did have key supporting roles in Neil Simon's Chapter Two in 1979 and Stanley Donen's Blame It on Rio (1984) opposite Michael Caine.
Fantastic interview! She's an American icon.
I second what everyone here has said. I had no idea Valerie Harper was such an amazing woman! Just phenomenal.
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