Last week in The Wall Street Journal, I interviewed actress Fran Drescher of TV's The Nanny for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Fran is a hoot. In January, she'll star in Indebted, a new NBC sitcom. According to Wiki, the series "follows a couple, Dave and Rebecca, who are ready to start a new life after years of parenting. That is, until Dave's parents show up unannounced and broke, leaving Dave with no choice but to open the door to the people who gave him everything, which eventually leads to a clash of parental chaos among families." [Photo above of Fran Drescher courtesy of Fran Descher]
Fran talked about growing up in Queens and how her accent stood out, even in her childhood neighborhood, where accents were the size of Buicks. I also asked her about her role as Connie in Saturday Night Fever in 1977 (above). Originally cast as the lead, she says, she wound up in the smaller role after the film switched directors early on. Here are a few things Fran said about the film:
- I did a few bits on my own in the role that weren't in the script. For example, I repeated my character's name in the disco scene so I'd wind up in the credits and not as "girl in green dress."
- I wanted my Connie character to come off as flirty. So you see me put my hand on John Travolta's butt as we walked to the dance floor. I didn't squeeze it or anything. I just rested it there.
- After John's Tony character rejects me by spinning me off the dance floor, I didn't cower. I stood there with my hands on my hips. That wasn't in the script either.
- They shot the longer dance scene that follows a few times. When they were editing, you see me there with my hands on my hips. Then from another angle, I'm suddenly gone.
- The clothes I wore in the film were mine. I must have messed it up at some point, because I no longer have it.
Here's Fran in Saturday Night Fever...
And here's The Nanny, which still holds up well. Fran's comedic timing is fabulous...
Benny Goodman. Speaking of singing musicians, here's Benny Goodman swinging Gotta Be This or That with Patti Page in 1957 on her TV show, The Big Record...
Sy Oliver. Here's arranger and bandleader Sy Oliver singing East of the Sun. It's the same arrangement he wrote for Tommy Dorsey and Frank Sinatra in the early 1940s..
Louis Prima. Here's trumpeter Louis Prima with his wife Keely Smith...
Lou Donaldson. Here's alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson singing Just a Dream...
Don Elliott. Here's multi-instrumentalist Don Elliott singing Speak Low...
Les McCann. And here's pianist Les McCann singing On the Street Where You Live...
Artie Shaw. Here's Artie Shaw playing a spectacular arrangement of Where or When, which he recorded only once, in 1950, for Decca...
Giacomo Gates. Last week, I caught bop vocalist Giacomo Gates at New York's Mezzrow. Above, singer Diana Perez caught us having fun between sets.
Harold Mabern. Following the death of pianist Harold Mabern in September, Bret Primack released a tribute video complete with interviews...
What the heck: Here are the Delfonics singing Somebody Loves You in 1971...
Oddball album cover of the week.
Wow, that's some party. Looks like one gal forgot to tell the other what she planned to wear. The accordionist appears to be playing Taps. And the gents are high up the creepy scale. Even weirder, the drapes in the back. They look like they're set up as stage curtains.
