Nancy Walker - a story for a rainy Friday

[WOSQ]

Posted: 8/10/07 at 4:50pm

So it is the first dress rehearsal for the 1972 production of Forum at the LA Music Center. Nancy Walker is playing Dominia. (She opted not to do the NY run.)

All the Big Donors to the LA Civic Opera are sitting in the house along with the powers-that-be while the actors do the costume parade. To save money the costumes had been rented. Some members of the cast were none to happy about this.

Enter Nancy Walker wearing panty hose--and nothing else. She pointed to her...nether region, and looked pointedly out into the darkened house. "See this? Its old. Its real old."

Pausing for effect, she then pointed to the wings and finished, "But its not half as old as those costumes you've got back there for me to wear!"

She turned on her heel and exited the stage slowly.

PS - Somebody wrote a check and she got a newly made costume.

You gotta love show biz.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 8/10/07 at 5:03pm

God love that woman!

[cheezedoodle]

Posted: 8/10/07 at 5:06pm

And she can cook too!

[Mother's Younger Brother]

Posted: 8/10/07 at 5:07pm

And then soften her hands while she does the dishes!

[DG]

Posted: 8/10/07 at 5:12pm

I always think of the brilliant scene she did with Sir Alec Guiness in MURDER BY DEATH - still one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

[Mother's Younger Brother]

Posted: 8/10/07 at 5:13pm

"My name is Helga..."

[cheezedoodle]

Posted: 8/10/07 at 5:15pm

"Dickie - ask her if she sleeps in..."

[Gothampc]

Posted: 8/10/07 at 5:20pm

You don't get to be Rhoda's mother by being a wallflower.

[Kringas]

Posted: 8/10/07 at 5:35pm

Is always weird to me how some stories of unprofessional actors are greeted with scorn while others are greeted with cheers.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/10/07 at 5:38pm

Talent outs.

[Kringas]

Posted: 8/10/07 at 5:42pm

I thought Equity had provisions about costumes, anyway.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/10/07 at 5:51pm

Kringas--why are you hatin' on little old Nancy Walker, singer of the best I'm Still Here ever?

[Kringas]

Posted: 8/10/07 at 5:56pm

Because I don't think the story is true.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 8/10/07 at 6:09pm

At least she didn't point to her snatch and say, "The quicker picker-upper!"

Apocryphal stories are what theatre is all about. I am sure even Nancy would get a kick out of it.

[DG]

Posted: 8/10/07 at 6:53pm

Sueleen - that was a REAL LOL moment - thank you!

[Calvin]

Posted: 8/10/07 at 6:55pm

The story should have begun:

Picture it. Los Angeles. 1972.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/10/07 at 6:57pm

i was laughin all the way home from this story!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/10/07 at 7:55pm

A young apprentice at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis was making her debut as a lady-in-waiting in a costume drama directed by the great Sir Tyrone Guthrie. All she had to do was follow the leading lady by six paces on her entrance, stand behind her silently and follow her by six paces on her dramatic exit.

On opening night, she did everything perfectly until the exit. As the leading lady made her grand way stage right, the young apprentice tripped on her train and plunged headlong into the leading lady's ample rear.

After the show, the humiliated apprentice was sitiing at her dressing table, removing her makeup and weeping. Suddenly, in the makeup mirror, she saw the figure of Sir Tyrone sweeping down the hallway past the door to her dressing room. She held her breath for an instant, then went back to removing her makeup. Suddenly his figure reappeared in the doorway in the mirror.

The apprenticed turned to receive his fury.

"Silly cUnt," Sir Tyrone said. "You fell."

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 8/11/07 at 12:42am

And then Carol Channing said, she said, "Corn? When did I eat CORN?"

[Kringas]

Posted: 8/11/07 at 1:38am

-

Updated On: 8/11/07 at 01:38 AM

[Kringas]

Posted: 8/11/07 at 1:39am

Ooh, do people get steamin' mad when you tell them that no, you're friend was not outside the stall for that. I can't tell you how many completely unrelated people tell that story.

I dunno. It's kind of unflattering, I think. It makes her seem unprofessional. People were suspended recently for saying untrue things about performers that were even less believable than this, so I just wanted to see if this was really true or not.

And I a curious about how Equity deals with costumes. I honestly don't know. I'm not in that union.

Updated On: 8/11/07 at 01:39 AM

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 8/11/07 at 1:48am

Equity rules on costumes deal mostly with compensation for using your own clothes or shoes, I believe. Oh, and something about getting paid extra for appearing nude, which Walker obviously did not have a problem with.

[DG]

Posted: 8/11/07 at 1:50am

She wasn't nude - she had as much on as Anita Morris did in NINE

[Kringas]

Posted: 8/11/07 at 1:51am

Did the carpet match the curtains?

[DG]

Posted: 8/11/07 at 1:56am

The lighting wasn't THAT great, Kringas

BUT, I can tell you that it was one of the VERY few times in my life when I thought, "Maybe . . ."

And that's saying something! She was SOOOOOOOOO HOT!
Updated On: 8/11/07 at 01:56 AM