Nancy Walker as Rosie, the Bounty Lady in a sketch I made many years ago.
I had to crop her hand out of the picture because honestly it made her look part lobster.
Philadelphia's own Anna Myrtle Swoyer was born on May 10, in 1922. Better known by her stage name, Nancy Walker, she introduced Bernstein songs in Brodway's On The Town, appeared on film with Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in Girl Crazy, and became widely known for her TV work on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda, McMillan and Wife, and a string of commercials for Bounty paper towels. Late in her career she hilarioulsy played a deaf mute maid in Murder by Death and directed the Village People in the cult classic Can't Stop The Music...well, nobody gets out of show business with only roses on their resume.
When I was in 10th great I wrote the libretto and lyrics for an unproduced musical I called It's All Relative. It centered around two New York City sisters and their well meaning but overbearing mother. I worked on it for months, feeling great excitement and pride about this original idea I'd developed. It was only after I'd finished the first and only draft and reread it that I realized what I'd done...I had unwittingly written a musical based on Rhoda.
Well, I suppose there are worse ideas. As far as I can remember, not much happened. One sister overate and went to group therapy (perhaps it was a blend of Bob Newhart and Rhoda?) while the other sister pursued a career in the arts and searched for a husband, all while being tortured by their spitfire mother.
Anyway, the vastly talented Nancy Walker, all 4 foot 11 inches of her, was a very bright spot in my childhood (and not just because of her flaming red hair) and I am happy to salute her on what would have been her 91st birthday.
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