View Full Version : Do You Think Valerie Harper Was Type cast As "Rhoda Morgenstern?"


Brian Damage
04-19-2010, 06:49 PM
Do you think her post "Rhoda" career suffered from portraying Rhoda for so long?

scotsguy
04-21-2010, 06:49 AM
Do you think her post "Rhoda" career suffered from portraying Rhoda for so long?

I think Valerie herself,said she felt Rhoda went on a bit too long,she did play Rhoda for 9 years including the MTM years,Ed Asner played Lou Grant for 12 years.

Valerie seemed to make a lot of TV movies after Rhoda and a lot of theatre work,so she seemed to escape the ghost of typecasting.

I think Mary Tyler Moore had more of a difficult time until her great turn in "Ordinary People",it certainly broke the mould of Mary just playing perky types.

OOliver
04-27-2010, 02:20 PM
I did watch some of Harper's sitcoms after 'Rhoda' - "Valerie", "The Office" and "City" and must admit I only saw Rhoda Morgenstern in each of those sitcoms. Each of her characters had too many of the same qualities as 'Rhoda', she didn't play anything opposite her original character.

That's why Rue McClanahan, Bety White and Bea Arthur were so iconic in 'Golden Girls' - none of their previous incarnations ('Vivienne', 'Sue Ann' or 'Maude') could be mistaken as their new characters.

This never happened with Harper.

scotsguy
04-27-2010, 02:56 PM
Well I have to say Dorothy was quite like Maude,when they were casting for

Dorothy,they were looking for a "Bea Arthur",type.

Betty was gonna be Blanche and Rue was gonna be Rose,then director,Jay

Sandrich,swapped the roles around,certainly proving Betty and Rue,could do

different types of roles.

I haven't seen an episode of "Valerie" for years,I do know Julie Kavner,felt

typecasted by the role of Brenda and doesn't take part,in "Rhoda" reunions.

OOliver
04-30-2010, 06:18 PM
I think the difference between Maude and Dorothy were obvious:

Maude was pushy and abrasive but Dorothy was not (Sophia was, though).

Maude thought she was the smartest in the family (but her daughter and husband proved her wrong), whereas Dorothy was indeed the smartest (and well-educated, as was pointed out time and time again).