Here is a little trivia on Walker...
Before she made it big on TV in the late 1960s and 70s, she was an actress in musical theater on and off Broadway (and tours), back in the 40s, 50s, 60s. In 1964, she was one of the actresses up for the starring role in the new musical project titled 'Funny Girl'. She auditioned for the role of Jewish vaudeville star Fanny Brice.
The diminutive actress was invited for a call-back (as she was one of the finalists), but she told the producers she wasn't interested in the role after all...she felt she couldn't play "Jewish" convincingly, as she was an Irish girl. No way would the audience believe she was Jewish, night after night.
The role that made her a household name a few years later would be that of the Jewish meddlesome mother - Ida Morgenstern!
(As you may or may not know, the role was originally intended for actress Anne Bancroft - who turned it down - and then a casting call included quite a few up-and-coming actresses, including Carol Burnett and Nancy Walker...until they chose the relatively unknown Streisand. The rest is history...)
"I prefer fantasy over reality TV - like Fox News" - B.Streisand
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brendanchenowith
11 years ago
Thank you for that - it was very interesting.
I could picture her doing Roller Skate Rag and the Swan, and she would have been uproarious in His Love Makes me Beautiful. I think she could have pulled off "My Man", too.
I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked.
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pvd295
11 years ago
You are very welcome. I should also point out that actress Kay Ballard (popular on the 60s sitcom 'The Mothers In Law') was also in the running for the role.
"I prefer fantasy over reality TV - like Fox News" - B.Streisand
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