Friday 5: 5 Broadway Stars on Vintage TV: That Girl Edition

Like most Broadway fans, we love seeing our stage favorites on TV. Shows like Law and Order (all versions!), Blue Bloods and The Gilded Age are a treasure trove of star sightings. Back in the day (and I'm showing my age here), lots of shows, like The Carol Burnett Show and Laugh-In featured stage stars because they were a prominent part of popular culture.

I've recently become obsessed with a 60's show, That Girl, starring Marlo Thomas and Ted Bessell (both of whom have Broadway credits), which was the story of a young woman, Ann Marie, who moves to New York City to pursue an acting career. Over the 5 seasons, she got and lost roles on and off Broadway, commercials, modeling and TV shows. And, of course, along the way she rubs elbows with a ton of celebrities. Milton Berle, Sid Caesar (Little Me), Ruth Buzzi (Sweet Charity), Alan Oppenheimer (Sunset Boulevard), Marlo's dad, Danny Thomas, Rob Reiner, Penny Marshall, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman and Jane Connell (Mame) are among the stars of stage and screen that showed up at Ann Marie's walk-up apartment over the years.

5 Broadway Stars on Vintage TV:

That Girl Edition

Here are 5 that made the biggest impression on me:

5. Barry Sullivan (Season 3, Episode 1: "Sock It to Me"): In this episode, Ann gets a chance to replace an ailing actress in a Broadway show, opposite Sullivan (he played himself). Her part requires her to slap his face, something she can't manage to do until she's in front of an audience. She slaps him so hard, she knocks him out!

Sullivan had 10 main stem credits making his debut in I Want a Policeman (1936), with his final appearance in Too Late the Phalarope (1956).

4. Bonnie Scott (Season 1, 19 episodes): She played Ann's neighbor and best friend in the first season. (A conceit of the show is that she gets a new neighbor and best friend each season.) A funny voice and a heart of gold made her one of the series' most endearing characters.

Scott only appeared on Broadway in two shows, but one of them was a doozy! She was the original Rosemary " Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm" Pilkington in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying!

3. Richard Dreyfuss (Season 1, Episode 22): He played one of Ann's college acting cohorts, moonlighting as a waiter in a bar. He's eccentric and over-the-top, traits that Ann's father finds annoying at best.

More famous today as an Oscar-winning movie star, Dreyfuss has four Broadway credits, starting with 1969's But, Seriously... and most recently in 2004's revival of Sly Fox. He's also the only one on this list is also a character in a play, The Shark is Broken.

2. Lew Parker (Seasons 1-5, 63 episodes): Speaking of Ann's father, Parker was the perfect uptight nemesis for Donald, Ann's boyfriend. In a pair of episodes, he spars with Ethel Merman, which is full of fun Broadway Easter eggs. At one point, he tells her he saw her in Girl Crazy, a show that they were in together in 1930!

Parker made his debut at the age of 18 in 1928's Rainbow and made his last appearance in the 1972 revival of Forum as Senex.

1. Ethel Merman (Season 2, Episode 1: "Pass the Potatoes, Ethel Merman" and Season 2: Episode 21: "The Other Woman"): Speaking of the Merm, she plays herself with a wicked sense of humor about herself. In the first of two appearances, Ann is cast in a Lincoln Center revival of Gypsy, but is so star struck she struggles to perform. Soon enough, Ethel sets her mind at ease when she joins Ann and Don for dinner at Ann's apartment, and cooks her specialty, stuffed cabbage. In that episode, Ether sings snippets of "Small World," "There's No Business Like Show Business," and, of course, "Everything's Coming Up Roses."

In the second episode, Ethel runs into Ann, Don and Lew at what's supposed to be, I think, the old Carnegie Deli. When a gossip columnist prints an item that says Ethel and Lew are dating, Ann's mother leaves her husband. Seeking closure, Mrs. Marie shows up backstage at Ethel's TV special to hear the truth. Hijinks ensue.

One of the great pleasures of watching this series is also the exterior shots of the mid-late 60's theater district. Sardi's makes an appearance, and it is cool to see 44th Street, when Hello, Dolly! played the St. James, and Mimi Hines as in Funny Girl across the street. In another episode, Ann and Don have a scene outside the Winter Garden with a full shot of the marquee of Mame with Angela Lansbury and Bea Arthur. Ann's actual Broadway debut happens at the Empire Theatre, a venue that no longer exists.

One of the great debates online have to do with the show intro, which features a rapid fire montage of Broadway marquees. Cabaret, The Star Spangled Girl and Cactus Flower are clear as a bell, but the shot of the Booth Theatre marquee is so fast, you can't tell what show was playing there. What was it??

The show is still funny and so great for theater fans who seek actual theater history! All 5 seasons are on Peacock.