I, Rhoda by Valerie Harper

I, Rhoda is a memoir by Valerie Harper. Although best known for her portrayal of Rhoda Morgenstern on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and five years on the spin-off Rhoda, she has done many more things that I didn't know.

As a dancer, she landed roles in the Radio City Music Hall revue, as well as on Broadway in Lil' Abner, among other shows. The first part of the book has fascinating backstage Broadway stories from the '60s, with lots of showbiz folks. She also joined the fight to present black actors on the stage and in industry shows. They didn't get as far as integrating, but the whitewash of the white way was becoming a thing of the past. She continued to work in theatre when she and her husband moved out to LA for a film role for him. She was seen at a small theatre, got a call to audition for The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and was hired, a virtual unknown, for the part of Rhoda.

She had her own sitcom, Valerie, and it was nice to hear the story of its demise told completely. It was a messy ending when the network fired her unjustly, and a court case followed. Her winning settlement was a landmark and opened the way for others who were fired unfairly. There were many film roles and pilots, but the second half of the book is highlighted by her award-winning work on the stage. She starred in a successful one-woman show as Pearl Buck, the first woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Another one-woman show followed as she played Golda Meir in Golda's Balcony, for which she won a Tony Award. As a foul-mouthed, inebriated Tallulah Bankhead in Looped, she was nominated for a Tony Award as Best Actress.

It was a fascinating read; an eye-opener to know how much stage work she accomplished when we just know her as Rhoda Morgenstern. I love the backstage scene of TV and the ins and outs of producing plays and starring on stage. If you also like theatre, you'll enjoy it!

2013 / Hardcover / 307 pages