Rue McClanahan Interview - Part 5 of 5

See the full interview at http://emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/rue-mcclanahan

Rue McClanahan was interviewed for two-and-a-half hours in New York, NY. McClanahan talked about her acting start on the stage and touched on some of her feature films from the 1960s.  She discussed her first regular role in television as scheming nurse Caroline Johnson on Another World.  She recalled how, when her character tries unsuccessfully to poison the mother of the twins she is caring for, she received a fan letter recommending a better poison.  She spoke in great detail about her role as Vivian Cavender best friend to Bea Arthur on the television sitcom Maude.  She described her character, talked about working with the ensemble cast, and commented on memorable series episodes.  She then talked about her work as series regular Aunt Fran on Mamas Family.  Lastly she discussed at length the production of the classic 1980s sitcom The Golden Girlsand her role of Blanche Devereaux. She talked about the casting process, working with the series production personnel, and the transition of the show into The Golden Palace.  The interview was conducted by Jim Colucci on May 4, 2006.. To see the entire interview collection, visit http://emmytvlegends.org

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[LorrPatMorr]

I think the best Blanche was when she was writing her book ......I laugh so hard at that one although she is just Awesome in them all  :)

[nyruby]

i love golden girls...they make getting old seem so great!not in a rush but they did a gud job at keeping themselves up and still living

[MerylStreepsChannel]

I don't think that Rue was in a bad mood at all. The interviewer kept asking questions that were too long and she'd have trouble following him! Great to see this interview and seeing her, I would have loved to have met her, she was like Blanhe in a lot of ways, I think Rue was a very positive person and she didn't allow things to bother her, she was always looking for new and exciting things in life. She'll always be remembered and she'll always be my favorite Golden Girl, RIP Rue! <3

[ehunter577]

@7bcg I found nothing wrong with the interviewer. I am assuming Rue was just having a bad day and it must have been a rough one since she dissed so many people in this interview and overall just came across very negative.

[deb1920]

@adeniseb She was acting that way because he kept asking questions that ran on forever and by the time he was done asking it, she would have to ask what was the question again.

[cfronck]

@ehunter577 I really think it was just something that day because she's much nicer and involved in other interviews...

[jc6594]

RIP Rue...

[ehunter577]

She is absolutely nothing like Blanche, thats for sure. I didn't find her incredibly warm, but then again, maybe she wasn't having the best of days or maybe she didn't like the interviewer. With that said, she's a fantastic, one of a kind actress.

[wakasu]

@adeniseb She does come off as dismissive at times. Not the most charming characteristic.

[7bcg]

i had the same feeling at first...but then it seemed like sometimes she really enjoyed telling a few stories.

i think maybe if the interviewer had actually been any good, this would have turned out differently.

[adeniseb]

Rue seems like she'd be much more tolerable in character. She's not very charming (in my opinion). I'd much rather listen to Betty...and Bea...

[damone77]

They should have asked Stritch to replace Dorothy...it would have worked gangbusters!