Saturday, April 6, 2013

SHOW NIGHT--THE PICTURES SAY IT ALL......

Allan Burns, producer-creator of the MTM Show with his wife, Joan
IT WAS A NIGHT OF TEARS, CHEERS, MULTIPLE STANDING OVATIONS, and a dream come true. It was bittersweet, of course. At one point I was in a tiny room at the side of the stage with Mary, Valerie, Betty, Cloris and Georgia. They had finished running lines and were waiting to be called for the final scene. The room belonged to an A.D. and probably was six feet by four feet. Valerie looked at the girls and started to tear up and tell them what this reunion meant to her. I'm not going to give any of the quotes from that conversation. Everybody teared up and just hugged each other. I was holding back huge crying. Suddenly they were called to the stage, wondering if it would be the last time they ever would all appear on camera together. I watched them go down the hall, and held back the tears no longer.

As a surprise, Jay Sandrich, the Emmy-winning director or all the Mary Tyler Moore episodes came, as did producer Allan Burns, Jim Brooks partner and co-creator of the show. It was extraordinary being with them again, for all of us. Thank you, everyone at "Hot in Cleveland" for this magnificent gift.

We were goofing off in between scenes
The last ones to leave--stars, husbands, myself, and Marcia Hurwitz

Old friends Beverly Piontak and Ellen Weston

Valerie and Jay Sandrich share a moment after the finale

Bedlam after the last shot

More bedlam

Cloris and Mary in the tiny room listen to Val



Everybody being surprised by Jay

Jay and Val's husband, Tony Cacciotti
IT WAS A NIGHT OF TEARS, CHEERS, MULTIPLE STANDING OVATIONS, and a dream come true. It was bittersweet, of course. At one point I was in a tiny room at the side of the stage with Mary, Valerie, Betty, Cloris and Georgia. They had finished running lines and were waiting to be called for the final scene. The room belonged to an A.D. and probably was six feet by four feet. Valerie looked at the girls and started to tear up and tell them what this reunion meant to her. I'm not going to give any of the quotes from that conversation. Everybody teared up and just hugged each other. I was holding back huge crying. Suddenly they were called to the stage, wondering if it would be the last time they ever would all appear on camera together. I watched them go down the hall, and held back the tears no longer.

As a surprise, Jay Sandrich, the Emmy-winning director or all the Mary Tyler Moore episodes came, as did producer Allan Burns, Jim Brooks partner and co-creator of the show. It was extraordinary being with them again, for all of us.

1 comment:

KarylMiller said...

Wish I could have been there. Got teary just thinking about old days at MTM, Hlyd Reporter et al. The beginning of the end of an era.