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Marcia Strassman, "Mrs. Kotter", 66
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jdunlop
Oct 26, 2014, 7:39:14 PM10/26/14
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http://www.examiner.com/article/actress-marcia-strassman-has-died-at-age-66
Marcia Strassman, best known for her role as Julie Kotter on the TV sitcom "Welcome Back, Kotter" and Diane Szalinski in the 1989 feature film "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" and its sequel Honey, I Blew Up the Kid," died on October 25, 2014 after a long battle with breast cancer. News of her passing first came to light from tweets by her friends, director Bob Weide and singer/actress Cher. Her passing has since been confirmed by her sister. Strassman was 66 years old and had been suffering from cancer since 2007.
Strassman was born in New York City and entered show business in the 1960s. Landing a few small roles on sitcoms like "The Patty Duke Show," Strassman also tried her hand at singing. While she enjoyed some regional success with her songs "The Flower Children" and "The Groovy World of Jack and Jill," neither garnered any national attention. When the Kim Fowley produced 1968 single "Star Gazer" achieved even less interest, Strassman left show business, not to return until the early 1970s.
Upon her return, Strassman was cast in the recurring role of nurse Margie Cutler on the TV show M*A*S*H, appearing in six episodes. She soon was cast as Julie Kotter, wife of Gabe Kotter (Gabe Kaplan) on the ABC sitcom "Welcome Back Kotter" which also starred John Travolta. During its four-year run, Strassman and Kaplan frequently clashed behind the scenes, but exhibited a palpable chemistry on screen. The episodes would frequently end with Kotter telling Julie a joke, usually a corny one, that would get a good laugh from the studio audience while Julie often rolled her eyes.
Strassman remained active on several television shows during the 80s and 90s, but her most noted work was in the "Honey/Kids" films, as well as the 3-D "Honey I Shrunk The Audience," a perennial at Disney theme parks. These were very popular family entertainments, and her contribution was notable. Her final appearance was in "Looking for Mr. Right," a 2014 TV movie featuring Viveca A. Fox.
Marcia Strassman felt a growth in her breast in 2007 and quickly went to her doctor. Despite being diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, she continued to remain as active as possible. Strassman told Coping magazine in 2009: "I am very lucky in that while I am not a huge celebrity, I have enough recognition that I can be heard. I am not out here to tell anybody how to feel or how to talk to their families. I am not a doctor. But the message that I want to get out is (a)talk to your doctor; be able to have an open dialogue with your doctor, and (b) take your medicine, and take it on time."
During her bout with cancer, Strassman remained positive and worked hard to combat the disease as well as inform others. She remained an inspiration and a role model for all those suffering from cancer. In lieu of flowers, Strassman's sister Julie suggested donations in Marcia's name to organizations fighting cancer.
Marcia Strassman, best known for her role as Julie Kotter on the TV sitcom "Welcome Back, Kotter" and Diane Szalinski in the 1989 feature film "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" and its sequel Honey, I Blew Up the Kid," died on October 25, 2014 after a long battle with breast cancer. News of her passing first came to light from tweets by her friends, director Bob Weide and singer/actress Cher. Her passing has since been confirmed by her sister. Strassman was 66 years old and had been suffering from cancer since 2007.
Strassman was born in New York City and entered show business in the 1960s. Landing a few small roles on sitcoms like "The Patty Duke Show," Strassman also tried her hand at singing. While she enjoyed some regional success with her songs "The Flower Children" and "The Groovy World of Jack and Jill," neither garnered any national attention. When the Kim Fowley produced 1968 single "Star Gazer" achieved even less interest, Strassman left show business, not to return until the early 1970s.
Upon her return, Strassman was cast in the recurring role of nurse Margie Cutler on the TV show M*A*S*H, appearing in six episodes. She soon was cast as Julie Kotter, wife of Gabe Kotter (Gabe Kaplan) on the ABC sitcom "Welcome Back Kotter" which also starred John Travolta. During its four-year run, Strassman and Kaplan frequently clashed behind the scenes, but exhibited a palpable chemistry on screen. The episodes would frequently end with Kotter telling Julie a joke, usually a corny one, that would get a good laugh from the studio audience while Julie often rolled her eyes.
Strassman remained active on several television shows during the 80s and 90s, but her most noted work was in the "Honey/Kids" films, as well as the 3-D "Honey I Shrunk The Audience," a perennial at Disney theme parks. These were very popular family entertainments, and her contribution was notable. Her final appearance was in "Looking for Mr. Right," a 2014 TV movie featuring Viveca A. Fox.
Marcia Strassman felt a growth in her breast in 2007 and quickly went to her doctor. Despite being diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, she continued to remain as active as possible. Strassman told Coping magazine in 2009: "I am very lucky in that while I am not a huge celebrity, I have enough recognition that I can be heard. I am not out here to tell anybody how to feel or how to talk to their families. I am not a doctor. But the message that I want to get out is (a)talk to your doctor; be able to have an open dialogue with your doctor, and (b) take your medicine, and take it on time."
During her bout with cancer, Strassman remained positive and worked hard to combat the disease as well as inform others. She remained an inspiration and a role model for all those suffering from cancer. In lieu of flowers, Strassman's sister Julie suggested donations in Marcia's name to organizations fighting cancer.
David Carson
Oct 26, 2014, 8:38:19 PM10/26/14
to
>Marcia Strassman, best known for her role as Julie Kotter on the TV sitcom "Welcome Back, Kotter" and Diane Szalinski in the 1989 feature film "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" and its sequel Honey, I Blew Up the Kid," died on October 25, 2014 after a long battle with breast cancer.
Can't remember where I read this, but supposedly she had the tendency for
her nipples to become pointy when the cameras were rolling, and she had to
tape them down. It earned her the nickname "Bullet." (I might not get as
good a chance as this to share this trivia, so it was a use it or lose it
deal.)
R H Draney
Oct 26, 2014, 10:43:33 PM10/26/14
to
jdunlop filted:
>
>Upon her return, Strassman was cast in the recurring role of nurse Margie C=
>utler on the TV show M*A*S*H, appearing in six episodes. She soon was cast =
>as Julie Kotter, wife of Gabe Kotter (Gabe Kaplan) on the ABC sitcom "Welco=
>me Back Kotter" which also starred John Travolta. During its four-year run,=
> Strassman and Kaplan frequently clashed behind the scenes, but exhibited a=
> palpable chemistry on screen. The episodes would frequently end with Kotte=
>r telling Julie a joke, usually a corny one, that would get a good laugh fr=
--
Me? Sarcastic?
Yeah, right.
>
>Upon her return, Strassman was cast in the recurring role of nurse Margie C=
>utler on the TV show M*A*S*H, appearing in six episodes. She soon was cast =
>as Julie Kotter, wife of Gabe Kotter (Gabe Kaplan) on the ABC sitcom "Welco=
>me Back Kotter" which also starred John Travolta. During its four-year run,=
> Strassman and Kaplan frequently clashed behind the scenes, but exhibited a=
> palpable chemistry on screen. The episodes would frequently end with Kotte=
>r telling Julie a joke, usually a corny one, that would get a good laugh fr=
>om the studio audience while Julie often rolled her eyes.
I ever tell you about my uncle?...r
--
Me? Sarcastic?
Yeah, right.
Diner
Oct 26, 2014, 10:52:47 PM10/26/14
to
"Bullet" was not Marcia Strassman's nickname. "Bullet" was the nickname of Melonie Haller, who played Angie Globagoski, "the female Sweathog," during the show's third season. She told the "Bullet" story (which you summed up pretty well) in the article accompanying her photo layout in the March 1980 issue of Playboy.
-Tim
David Carson
Oct 26, 2014, 11:04:50 PM10/26/14
to
On Sun, 26 Oct 2014 19:52:45 -0700 (PDT), Diner <bway...@gmail.com>
wrote:
>Right story, but wrong actress.
>
>"Bullet" was not Marcia Strassman's nickname. "Bullet" was the nickname of Melonie Haller, who played Angie Globagoski, "the female Sweathog," during the show's third season. She told the "Bullet" story (which you summed up pretty well) in the article accompanying her photo layout in the March 1980 issue of Playboy.
Thanks. So maybe I will get another chance to share it.
wrote:
>Right story, but wrong actress.
>
>"Bullet" was not Marcia Strassman's nickname. "Bullet" was the nickname of Melonie Haller, who played Angie Globagoski, "the female Sweathog," during the show's third season. She told the "Bullet" story (which you summed up pretty well) in the article accompanying her photo layout in the March 1980 issue of Playboy.
danny burstein
Oct 26, 2014, 11:19:51 PM10/26/14
to
--
_____________________________________________________
Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
dan...@panix.com
[to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]
cbuch...@gmail.com
Oct 27, 2014, 12:12:58 AM10/27/14
to
Rip
R H Draney
Oct 27, 2014, 6:27:55 AM10/27/14
to
Diner filted:
>om "Welcome Back, Kotter" and Diane Szalinski in the 1989 feature film "Hon=
>ey, I Shrunk the Kids" and its sequel Honey, I Blew Up the Kid," died on Oc=
>Melonie Haller, who played Angie Globagoski, "the female Sweathog," during =
>the show's third season. She told the "Bullet" story (which you summed up p=
>retty well) in the article accompanying her photo layout in the March 1980 =
>issue of Playboy.
"Bullet" is listed as a nickname for Marcia Strassman at IMDb....
BTW, since the deaths of Ron Palillo and Robert Hegyes fell so close together a
couple of years ago, I wonder if one result of Ms Strassman's passing will be a
resurgence of hits for her at the doadb.com site...that, and of course a renewed
interest in the well-being of Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs....r
>
>On Sunday, October 26, 2014 8:38:19 PM UTC-4, David Carson wrote:
>> >Marcia Strassman, best known for her role as Julie Kotter on the TV sitc=
>On Sunday, October 26, 2014 8:38:19 PM UTC-4, David Carson wrote:
>om "Welcome Back, Kotter" and Diane Szalinski in the 1989 feature film "Hon=
>ey, I Shrunk the Kids" and its sequel Honey, I Blew Up the Kid," died on Oc=
>tober 25, 2014 after a long battle with breast cancer.
>>=20
>> Can't remember where I read this, but supposedly she had the tendency for
>> her nipples to become pointy when the cameras were rolling, and she had t=
>o
>> tape them down. It earned her the nickname "Bullet." (I might not get as
>> good a chance as this to share this trivia, so it was a use it or lose it
>> deal.)
>
>
>Right story, but wrong actress.
>
>"Bullet" was not Marcia Strassman's nickname. "Bullet" was the nickname of =
>> tape them down. It earned her the nickname "Bullet." (I might not get as
>> good a chance as this to share this trivia, so it was a use it or lose it
>> deal.)
>
>
>Right story, but wrong actress.
>
>Melonie Haller, who played Angie Globagoski, "the female Sweathog," during =
>the show's third season. She told the "Bullet" story (which you summed up p=
>retty well) in the article accompanying her photo layout in the March 1980 =
>issue of Playboy.
"Bullet" is listed as a nickname for Marcia Strassman at IMDb....
BTW, since the deaths of Ron Palillo and Robert Hegyes fell so close together a
couple of years ago, I wonder if one result of Ms Strassman's passing will be a
resurgence of hits for her at the doadb.com site...that, and of course a renewed
interest in the well-being of Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs....r
leno...@yahoo.com
Oct 27, 2014, 11:17:34 AM10/27/14
to
I seem to remember that she REALLY didn't like "Welcome Back, Kotter"
(small wonder) and that she said that all she ever wanted to hear was
"you're fired."
I can't believe I ever wasted my time watching it, either. "Gilligan's
Island," at least, was less pretentious - and better acted.
More on Strassman and the other actors, from 1978:
http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20072119,00.html
Lenona.
(small wonder) and that she said that all she ever wanted to hear was
"you're fired."
I can't believe I ever wasted my time watching it, either. "Gilligan's
Island," at least, was less pretentious - and better acted.
More on Strassman and the other actors, from 1978:
http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20072119,00.html
Lenona.
Sarah Ehrett's Lesbian Love Interest
Oct 27, 2014, 12:11:46 PM10/27/14
to
On Monday, October 27, 2014 8:17:34 AM UTC-7, leno...@yahoo.com wrote:
> I can't believe I ever wasted my time watching it, either. "Gilligan's
> Island," at least, was less pretentious - and better acted.
>
>
They could have just shown the cast eating soup each week and gotten the same audience; at the time it was all about John Travolta and that's why millions of tween girls (and their families) watched "Kotter".
> I can't believe I ever wasted my time watching it, either. "Gilligan's
> Island," at least, was less pretentious - and better acted.
>
>
Boys watched Maryanne and Ginger, girls watched Vinnie Barbarino.
Diner
Oct 27, 2014, 3:13:26 PM10/27/14
to
On Monday, October 27, 2014 11:17:34 AM UTC-4, leno...@yahoo.com wrote:
> I seem to remember that she REALLY didn't like "Welcome Back, Kotter"
> (small wonder) and that she said that all she ever wanted to hear was
> "you're fired."
Mark Evanier, who was a writer on "Kotter," has an interesting remembrance of Ms. Strassman and why she was unhappy on the show.
> I seem to remember that she REALLY didn't like "Welcome Back, Kotter"
> (small wonder) and that she said that all she ever wanted to hear was
> "you're fired."
http://www.newsfromme.com/2014/10/26/marcia-strassman-r-p/
-Tim
cbuch...@gmail.com
Oct 27, 2014, 5:38:08 PM10/27/14
to
I always mix her up with Jan Smithers from WKRP in Cincinnati.
Kenny McCormack
Oct 27, 2014, 6:02:01 PM10/27/14
to
In article <3f020053-fd06-4259...@googlegroups.com>,
Understandable, since they are quite similar. Both were cute as buttons in
their roles, but their roles were clearly not the focus of the show and
thus weren't going anywhere.
I remember well watching Kotter, and really, really, *wanting* to like and
enjoy the "Julie Kotter" character, but they just didn't ever give her
anything to do - nor could they. Understand well, I'm not blaming anyone -
it's just that the focus of the show was not on Gabe's home life; it was on
his life as a teacher (and, of course, on the kids at school).
--
"The anti-regulation business ethos is based on the charmingly naive notion
that people will not do unspeakable things for money." - Dana Carpender
Quoted by Paul Ciszek (pciszek at panix dot com). But what I want to know
is why is this diet/low-carb food author doing making pithy political/economic
statements?
Nevertheless, the above quote is dead-on, because, the thing is - business
in one breath tells us they don't need to be regulated (which is to say:
that they can morally self-regulate), then in the next breath tells us that
corporations are amoral entities which have no obligations to anyone except
their officers and shareholders, then in the next breath they tell us they
don't need to be regulated (that they can morally self-regulate) ...
Understandable, since they are quite similar. Both were cute as buttons in
their roles, but their roles were clearly not the focus of the show and
thus weren't going anywhere.
I remember well watching Kotter, and really, really, *wanting* to like and
enjoy the "Julie Kotter" character, but they just didn't ever give her
anything to do - nor could they. Understand well, I'm not blaming anyone -
it's just that the focus of the show was not on Gabe's home life; it was on
his life as a teacher (and, of course, on the kids at school).
--
"The anti-regulation business ethos is based on the charmingly naive notion
that people will not do unspeakable things for money." - Dana Carpender
Quoted by Paul Ciszek (pciszek at panix dot com). But what I want to know
is why is this diet/low-carb food author doing making pithy political/economic
statements?
Nevertheless, the above quote is dead-on, because, the thing is - business
in one breath tells us they don't need to be regulated (which is to say:
that they can morally self-regulate), then in the next breath tells us that
corporations are amoral entities which have no obligations to anyone except
their officers and shareholders, then in the next breath they tell us they
don't need to be regulated (that they can morally self-regulate) ...
cathyc...@aol.com
Oct 28, 2014, 9:40:30 AM10/28/14
to
1970s sitcom actresses of this type are almost completely interchangeable
marcus
Oct 28, 2014, 2:27:27 PM10/28/14
to
On Tuesday, October 28, 2014 9:40:30 AM UTC-4, cathyc...@aol.com wrote:
> 1970s sitcom actresses of this type are almost completely interchangeable
Like Mary Tyler Moore and Jean Stapleton?
> 1970s sitcom actresses of this type are almost completely interchangeable
Kenny McCormack
Oct 28, 2014, 2:36:08 PM10/28/14
to
In article <2a29378a-53a9-4b37...@googlegroups.com>,
Please don't feed the pigfucker.
--
Religion is regarded by the common people as true,
by the wise as foolish,
and by the rulers as useful.
(Seneca the Younger, 65 AD)
--
Religion is regarded by the common people as true,
by the wise as foolish,
and by the rulers as useful.
(Seneca the Younger, 65 AD)
norvalnormal
Oct 28, 2014, 4:35:50 PM10/28/14
to
The other day, I briefly left my mother's basement (in order to collect my welfare check, dontcha know) and saw a porcine woman having sexual congress on the sidewalk with a sow . If I'd known it was cathy@aol, I would have stopped to say howdy ...
Kenny McCormack
Oct 28, 2014, 6:27:44 PM10/28/14
to
In article <b19f2adb-763d-4123...@googlegroups.com>,
Heh heh - good one.
As they say, live & learn. In future, you'll know what to do.
--
The problem in US politics today is that it is no longer a Right/Left
thing, or a Conservative/Liberal thing, or even a Republican/Democrat
thing, but rather an Insane/not-Insane thing.
(And no, there's no way you can spin this into any confusion about
who's who...)
As they say, live & learn. In future, you'll know what to do.
--
The problem in US politics today is that it is no longer a Right/Left
thing, or a Conservative/Liberal thing, or even a Republican/Democrat
thing, but rather an Insane/not-Insane thing.
(And no, there's no way you can spin this into any confusion about
who's who...)
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