In Memoriam: we take a look back at our 1994 interview with the one-and-only Valerie Harper.
Video Content: Valerie Harper (1994)
During the early run of the original SIDEWALKS series, we had an opportunity to interview actress Valerie Harper in one of our first, in-person celebrity interviews. Recorded in a windy San Francisco while promoting a Yuba Coffee campaign, then-host Veronica Ornelas had the honor to talk to Valerie about her career and being recognized for Rhoda Morgenstern.
Please note: The quality of the video is poor. Unfortunately, we don’t have access to the original master tapes. This copy was from an early digital video recorder.
Mini-Biography:
Born on August 22, 1939 in Suffern, New York, Valerie Harper was a popular actress for her role as Rhoda Morgenstern on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and then later in her own spinoff, “Rhoda.” She also found fame on “Valerie,” a sitcom she left over a salary dispute with NBC and production company Lorimar (the series continued on without her as “Valerie’s Family,” then eventually renamed as “The Hogan Family”). Along with a starring role on the short-lived “City,” Harper had recurring roles on “The Simpsons,” “The Office,” “Less Than Perfect,” and “Melrose Place.” Some of her film credits include “Freebie and the Bean” (1974), “Chapter Two” (1979), and the reunion TV-movie “Mary and Rhoda.” Later in her career, Harper was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance as Tallulah Bankhead in “Looped.” Valerie Harper passed away on August 30, 2019.
Interview Credits:
Recorded: 1994
Host: Veronica Ornelas
Videographer / Editor: Richard R. Lee