{"id":46828,"date":"2015-10-25T01:42:38","date_gmt":"2015-10-25T01:42:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/owegopennysaver.com\/?p=46828"},"modified":"2015-10-27T01:46:04","modified_gmt":"2015-10-27T01:46:04","slug":"the-facts-of-charlotte-raes-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2015\/10\/25\/the-facts-of-charlotte-raes-life\/","title":{"rendered":"The Facts of Charlotte Rae\u2019s Life"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/a>

Charlotte Rae with Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, and book co-author Larry Strauss on the set of Rikki & The Flash.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

Cast of The Facts of Life.<\/p><\/div>\n

Although she originally planned to concentrate on dramatic acting, Charlotte Rae\u2019s career soon deviated down the path to comedy at college, eventually leading to a prominent role in the popular 80s TV series \u201cThe Facts of Life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up in Wisconsin and couldn\u2019t wait to get to drama school at Northwestern University,\u201d said Rae, whose autobiography \u201cThe Facts of My Life\u201d will be released by BearManor on Nov. 1. \u201cAll I ever wanted was to do the classics like Shakespeare, Chekhov, and Eugene O\u2019Neill.\u201d<\/p>\n

But a friendship with a fellow Northwestern student and future comedic star set Charlotte\u2019s comedy career in motion.<\/p>\n

\u201cPaul Lynde encouraged me to try out for the Woman\u2019s Athletic Association and Men\u2019s Union annual musical production,\u201d recalled Rae. \u201cSo I ended up doing these musical, dance and comedy sketches, which were so much fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Rae fine-tuned her talents at college, she worked on radio and early TV in Chicago.<\/p>\n

An excellent singer, she also appeared as a nightclub performer and did stand-up comedy. She found success on Broadway in the 1950s and had numerous TV guest roles. Her first regular series was the New York based \u201cCar 54, Where Are You?\u201d in the early 1960s with future Munsters\u2019 stars Fred Gwynne and Al Lewis.<\/p>\n

Commercial work also helped pay the bills.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ad agency would tell me the product theme, like \u2018This girdle is killing me,\u2019 and to make up my own script and improvise,\u201d said Rae, who remembers a rather delightful shower scene for a heating oil commercial in the 60s (available on YouTube).<\/p>\n

\u201cI really studied for that one and did it in one take. It\u2019s quite cute when I drop the soap and disappear for a few seconds. When I finished, all the crew applauded me!\u201d<\/p>\n

TV audiences also quickly warmed to Rae\u2019s housekeeper character, Edna Garrett, on \u201cDiff’rent Strokes\u201d in 1978.<\/p>\n

When the opportunity arose after one season to take the character to a new series, Rae didn\u2019t hesitate and transformed Mrs. Garrett from housekeeper to housemother at a private boarding school in \u201cThe Facts of Life.\u201d Rae\u2019s popularity soared as she dispensed motherly advice on social issues to four girls under her charge.<\/p>\n

\u201cYoung girls who watched the show got a lot out of it because many were going through the same problems as the characters, so it made me happy that we were there for them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

After seven years on \u201cThe Facts of Life\u201d Rae decided it was time to move on, handing over the role of Mrs. Garrett to her old college friend, Cloris Leachman.<\/p>\n

Rae continued in film and TV roles, and still appeared on stage. She says performing in a 1990 Samuel Beckett play was among her favorite professional experiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor many male actors, the pinnacle career role is Hamlet,\u201d Rae said pointedly. \u201cFor women, many feel its playing \u2018Winnie\u2019 in Beckett\u2019s \u2018Happy Days\u2019 because it\u2019s very challenging.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rae, who turns 90 next year, continues to work. \u201cI had a small role this year in \u2018Ricki and the Flash\u2019 with Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline and it was great fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rae will be attending a book signing on Nov 3 at New York\u2019s Sardi’s Restaurant, and at the Los Angeles Barnes & Noble at The Grove on Nov 11. She says her book, co-written with her son Larry Strauss, contains some surprises.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are some heavy-duty facts about my life but also some fun stuff,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m a survivor which I hope will inspire readers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, Ala., and has written features, columns, and interviews for over 600 magazines and newspapers. Follow @TinseltownTalks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Although she originally planned to concentrate on dramatic acting, Charlotte Rae\u2019s career soon deviated down the path to comedy at college, eventually leading to a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editorial"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Facts of Charlotte Rae\u2019s Life - Owego Pennysaver Press<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2015\/10\/25\/the-facts-of-charlotte-raes-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Facts of Charlotte Rae\u2019s Life - Owego Pennysaver Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Although she originally planned to concentrate on dramatic acting, Charlotte Rae\u2019s career soon deviated down the path to comedy at college, eventually leading to a...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2015\/10\/25\/the-facts-of-charlotte-raes-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Owego Pennysaver Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/The-Owego-Pennysaver-49179420591\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-10-25T01:42:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-10-27T01:46:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/owegopennysaver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/WGOPTinseltown11-300x214.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"opennysaver\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"opennysaver\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2015\/10\/25\/the-facts-of-charlotte-raes-life\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2015\/10\/25\/the-facts-of-charlotte-raes-life\/\",\"name\":\"The Facts of Charlotte Rae\u2019s Life - Owego Pennysaver Press\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2015\/10\/25\/the-facts-of-charlotte-raes-life\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2015\/10\/25\/the-facts-of-charlotte-raes-life\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/owegopennysaver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/WGOPTinseltown11-300x214.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-10-25T01:42:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-10-27T01:46:04+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/e90b97e3c9fe75a643c31b3439ed7b15\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2015\/10\/25\/the-facts-of-charlotte-raes-life\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2015\/10\/25\/the-facts-of-charlotte-raes-life\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2015\/10\/25\/the-facts-of-charlotte-raes-life\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/owegopennysaver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/WGOPTinseltown11-300x214.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/owegopennysaver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/WGOPTinseltown11-300x214.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2015\/10\/25\/the-facts-of-charlotte-raes-life\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Facts of Charlotte Rae\u2019s Life\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/\",\"name\":\"Owego Pennysaver Press\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/e90b97e3c9fe75a643c31b3439ed7b15\",\"name\":\"opennysaver\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9bec4be7017247fe88bfa55f4162d3e4f733b538d1e5778a56aec357ba2765b7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9bec4be7017247fe88bfa55f4162d3e4f733b538d1e5778a56aec357ba2765b7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"opennysaver\"},\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/author\/opennysaver\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Facts of Charlotte Rae\u2019s Life - Owego Pennysaver Press","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2015\/10\/25\/the-facts-of-charlotte-raes-life\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Facts of Charlotte Rae\u2019s Life - Owego Pennysaver Press","og_description":"Although she originally planned to concentrate on dramatic acting, Charlotte Rae\u2019s career soon deviated down the path to comedy at college, eventually leading to a...","og_url":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2015\/10\/25\/the-facts-of-charlotte-raes-life\/","og_site_name":"Owego Pennysaver Press","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/The-Owego-Pennysaver-49179420591\/","article_published_time":"2015-10-25T01:42:38+00:00","article_modified_time":"2015-10-27T01:46:04+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/owegopennysaver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/WGOPTinseltown11-300x214.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"opennysaver","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"opennysaver","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2015\/10\/25\/the-facts-of-charlotte-raes-life\/","url":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2015\/10\/25\/the-facts-of-charlotte-raes-life\/","name":"The Facts of Charlotte Rae\u2019s Life - Owego Pennysaver Press","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2015\/10\/25\/the-facts-of-charlotte-raes-life\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2015\/10\/25\/the-facts-of-charlotte-raes-life\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/owegopennysaver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/WGOPTinseltown11-300x214.jpg","datePublished":"2015-10-25T01:42:38+00:00","dateModified":"2015-10-27T01:46:04+00:00","author":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/e90b97e3c9fe75a643c31b3439ed7b15"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2015\/10\/25\/the-facts-of-charlotte-raes-life\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2015\/10\/25\/the-facts-of-charlotte-raes-life\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2015\/10\/25\/the-facts-of-charlotte-raes-life\/#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/owegopennysaver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/WGOPTinseltown11-300x214.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/owegopennysaver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/WGOPTinseltown11-300x214.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2015\/10\/25\/the-facts-of-charlotte-raes-life\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Facts of Charlotte Rae\u2019s Life"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#website","url":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/","name":"Owego Pennysaver Press","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/e90b97e3c9fe75a643c31b3439ed7b15","name":"opennysaver","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9bec4be7017247fe88bfa55f4162d3e4f733b538d1e5778a56aec357ba2765b7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9bec4be7017247fe88bfa55f4162d3e4f733b538d1e5778a56aec357ba2765b7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"opennysaver"},"url":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/author\/opennysaver\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46828"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46828\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}