Nanette Fabray

Performer

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About

About this interview

In her three-hour interview, Nanette Fabray (1920-2018) talks about her early years in theater and in early experimental television where she served as an NBC "color girl." She speaks in great detail about her work with Sid Caesar on the variety series Caesar's Hour. She describes some of the series' most memorable comedy sketches including "Shadow Waltz" (a take-off on Your Hit Parade) and "The Commuters" (a recurring high-strung husband and his wife sketch). She discusses her own short-lived series The Nanette Fabray Show, as well as guest appearances on other shows including The Carol Burnett Show, The Jerry Lewis Show, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Fabray then talks about her recurring role on the CBS sitcom One Day at a Time. She also discusses her passion for raising awareness of hearing impairment issues. Jennifer Howard conducted the interview on August 12, 2004 in Pacific Palisades, CA.

All views expressed by interviewees are theirs alone and not necessarily those of the Television Academy.

"I prefer live television because it's stage and film and everything rolled into one. Without the pressure. The stage, I think, is my very first favorite, because you're in charge. When you're on that stage, you're in charge. Live television, the director can always stop you, or go back, but at least you have an audience to play to."

People Talking About ...

Nanette Fabray

Full Interview

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Chapter 1

On her early life and influences; on when she first started performing; on her difficulty with her hearing, and on her participation in issues involving the deaf

On the first time she saw television, and on being NBC's "color girl"; on moving to New York, and on her training as an actress; on her early work in motion pictures

Chapter 2

On appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show, Texaco Star Theater with Milton Berle, and The Arthur Murray Party; on appearing on Omnibus; on appearing on Playhouse 90, directed by John Frankenheimer

On appearing on Kaiser Aluminum Hour for "A Man's Game"; on the Hollywood Blacklist; on being compared to Imogene Coca on Caesar's Hour, and on working with Sid Caesar

Chapter 3

On the format of Caesar's Hour and on the music of the show; on working with the writers of Caesar's Hour, and on an on-air mishap where she was injured

On various sketches she performed in with Sid Caesar on Caesar's Hour, including doing pantomime with Caesar; on the kind of fan mail she got while on Caesar's Hour, and on the end of the show; on the legacy of Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour

On starring on The Nanette Fabray Show; on working with Wendell Corey on The Nanette Fabray Show

Chapter 4

On appearing on several variety shows including The Dinah Shore Show, The Danny Kaye Show, The Andy Williams Show, and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour; on appearing on The Carol Burnett Show and doing sign language for the first time on television, and promoting sign language on television; on working with Carol Burnett and Tim Conway on The Carol Burnett Show

On appearing on Ford Startime, The Bell Telephone Hour, Bob Hope Presents Chrysler Theatre, and Alice Through the Looking Glass; on appearing on Password; on appearing on The Hollywood Squares

On appearing in the special George M! with Joel Grey; on appearing on Love, American Style; on appearing in Happy Anniversary & Goodbye with Lucille Ball

Chapter 5

On appearing as "Mary Richards'" mother on two episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show; on her guest appearance as stroke survivor on Maude in the episode "Maude's Reunion"; on appearing in the feature film "Harper Valley P.T.A." with Barbara Eden

On appearing with Fred Astaire in The Man in the Santa Claus Suit; on her role as "Ann Romano's" mother on One Day at a Time; on her guest appearances on Coach

On her guest appearance on Murder, She Wrote; on her acting style; on good advice she's gotten regarding her acting in her career

Chapter 6

On working with a difficult director; on advice to aspiring actors

On her favorite medium to act in being live television; on career highlights, and on keeping on working; on how she'd like to be remembered

On b-roll pictures from her career - with Sid Caesar; doing a sketch with Sid Caesar on Caesar's Hour; doing a song and dance with Sid Caesar on Caesar's Hour; with Sid Caesar on the set of Caesar's Hour; with Carl Reiner, Howard Morris, and Sid Caesar; with Tony Randall on the set of Ford Startime; with Jerry Lewis; with Mary Tyler Moore on the set of The Mary Tyler Moore Show; on the set of Alice Through the Looking Glass; on the set of What's it All About, World?; with Bonnie Franklin on the set of One Day at a Time; with Bonnie Franklin and Pat Harrington on the set of One Day at a Time; with Phil Silvers; with Mary Tyler Moore on the set of The Mary Tyler Moore Show; on the set of The Bell Telephone Hour; with Andy Williams on the set of The Andy Williams Show; on the set of The Carol Burnett Show with Art Carney; as "The White Queen" in Alice Through the Looking Glass; on the set of George M!; on the set of Caesar's Hour; on the set of The Nanette Fabray Show; with Dean Martin on The Dean Martin Show; in her dressing room

Shows

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Nanette Fabray

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Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Alice Through the Looking Glass

Andy Williams Show, The

Art Linkletter's House Party

Arthur Murray Party, The

Bell Telephone Hour, The

Bob Hope Presents Chrysler Theatre

Caesar's Hour

Carol Burnett Show, The (1967-78)

Coach

Danny Kaye Show, The

Dinah Shore Show, The

Ed Sullivan Show, The aka Toast of the Town

Ford Startime

George M!

Happy Anniversary & Goodbye

Hollywood Squares, The

Kaiser Aluminum Hour

Love, American Style

Man in the Santa Claus Suit, The

Mary Tyler Moore Show, The

Maude

Murder, She Wrote

Nanette Fabray Show, The

Omnibus

One Day at a Time (1975-84)

Password

Playhouse 90

Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The

Texaco Star Theater

Your Show of Shows

Advice

Bloopers

Hollywood Blacklist

Industry Crossroads

Overcoming Adversity

People with Disabilities

Pivotal Career Moments

Representation on Television

Technological Innovation

Television Industry

Actress

Performers

Classic Anthology Series

Comedy Series

Cop/Detective/Mystery Series

Game Shows

Music Shows & Variety Shows/Specials

TV Movies/Miniseries/Dramatic Specials

Andy Williams

Barbara Eden

Beatrice Arthur

Bonnie Franklin

Carol Burnett

Danny Kaye

David Sarnoff

Dick Smothers

Dinah Shore

Fred Astaire

Jerry Lewis

Lucille Ball

Mary Tyler Moore

Norman Lear

Shelley Fabares

Sid Caesar

Tim Conway

Tom Smothers

Tony Randall

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