From Awkward Dates to Emmy Gold: The Untold Journey of a ’70s TV Darling

Not many artists can claim that their first steps on stage got crafted into a whole career with certain lessons learned along with way both shiny and foul.

That was supposed to be the road to happiness and success but only one legendary actress worked her way out of the pageant monarchy stuff and game show shenanigans into Emmy-winning glory that continues to reverberate in the halls of history today.

During the late 1960s America was transforming, so was television. Viewers were gradually becoming accommodative to programs that were more to entertain and more demands were being put to programs that showed the real time in an issue, a person, and a complicated relationship.

Into this scenery entered a sun-spirited, baby-faced actor: one with sparkling personality and screen charisma. She would achieve fame in a show that would address race relations, generation clash and social change all established within the walls of a publicly funded high school.

There was a much more unglamorous initiation of this actress however before she became a star and television was concerned. She made an appearance on The Dream Girl of 1967, a lightweight, fluff Chuck Barris game show,

and she was discovered by producers at The Dating Game-the original dating reality show that helped launch the careers of such names as Farrah Fawcett, Suzanne Somers, Leif Garrett and Tom Selleck.

She had the looks of a teenager: vivacious, photogenic, articulate; she had won local pageants and was the right candidate. However, upon accepting an invitation to take part in The Dating Game,

she believed that it would be a tad distracting television fun. Her experience was quite different and it was bitter as she continues to recall it even to this day, more than 50 years later.

She recalled that this was the first time she thought that her assigned bachelor was actually on a real date. Then later people were taken on vacations but my prize was only dinner and show. and still he believed that we were going to do it in the limo. I was shocked.

I desired to get away.” According to her, it was sleazy to the nth degree, and the man behaved as he too was obligated to the date on a contractual basis. He came over and grabbed me and it was something like, He drawed (sic) me into his bosom and said,

Give me an opportunity to act or something. I was had it. I said to myself, I spent the money, what was the point of going out on this date?

Luckily, she soon changed direction to doing projects that would be more satisfying in her career. Later that year in 1969 she appeared in the made-for-TV sequel Gidget Grows Up to the teen series.

She worked on that film and her performance resulted in her breakthrough in the series Room 222 after also being cast as Alice Johnson, a student who became an English teacher, which aired later in the same year and ran to 1974.

Room 222 was not just yet another high school drama. A creation of James L. Brooks who later on came to create The Mary Tyler Moore Show and direct Terms of Endearment was produced by MASH* Gene Reynolds, with a striking mixture of comedy and drama and explored such potentially controversial subjects as racism, tolerance and political unrest.

It was led by Pete Dixon, a thoughtful Black history teacher played by Lloyd Haynes, who with quiet activism and his dignified authority, set the tone on the show. All around him were other characters, the idealistic, always-hopeful young teacher (played by our actress) was a radiant and resonant performance.

She was so convincing in portraying Alice Johnson that she was nominated in 1970 as a Primetime Emmy and once won the award. It was a dreamy situation for an up coming female young star in her 20s.

That was a kind of mind-blowing experience, she stated later. To feel the excitement to hear my name be called and walk to the stage. Carol Burnett used to shake my hand and congratulate. My only response was, Wow did Carol Burnett know who I was? It was amazing.”

Her stint on Room 222 opened a lot of doors and gave her a degree of creative satisfaction she says she has seldom bettered. It spoiled me, confessed she. To have had something so well written, so important this early in your career, everything is judged by that. “Why is it not as meaningful?” you say to yourself.

However, things did not work out so well. Despite the critical adoration, the show started failing in ratings in its fourth season. She answered: I have not an idea why the drop. The network did not really elaborate. It was simply announced to us that it was all finishing. It is slightly depressing when something that was good is stripped away long before it had a chance to end well.”

Nevertheless, she kept developing her career. In 1975 she was accorded her own show- Karen, a political comedy that was organized by Reynolds. It was daring and topical original idea, with its edged satire on life in Washington, D.C.

It even parodied the iconic flag-waving opening of Patton in its intro sequence as seen in which the actress stood in place of George C. Scott in front of a large American flag. However, the net soon moved in a new direction. They needed something lighter,

more romantic as she explained. It changed what it was a sardonic political satire into a light comedy about a girl riding a bicycle in D.C. Not such was what we had conceived. It was a product before its time.”

Karen was cancelled after only four months, but the actress continued to make appearances all through the 70s and 80s. She appeared semi-regularly on The Hollywood Squares, was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and did noteworthy guest shots on such shows as The Love Boat,

Fantasy Island, Murder She Wrote. She also travelled on the stage productions and made-for-TV movies, and finally closed her on-screen career with the 2004 Hallmark film Wedding Daze, whose co-star John Larroquette.

Looking back on her career, now, 78, she is grateful, especially, about her experience on Room 222 which she considers her best period in her career. The surrounding, the people, they are so talented, so engaged with the job, this is something I will always be glad of. We were playing a role in something that counted.”

She also reminisced a moment when she was starting her career and she clashed paths with Hollywood royalty. I had singing lessons and Gregory Peck was also in the same studio, she smiled. He passed me, and nodded greeting. I said, oh my God Gregory Peck! It was as though I had a dream.”

The Hollywood glam may die but her sincerity, simplicity, and story-telling charms persist. It was not only about fame, it was about having fun and doing what is right and about having values in the choice of roles.