WISDOM
from page 78
other humanitarian organizations as well.
"I'm so grateful I'm in a position to do
that," Rae said. "Now I've been trying to
give as much as possible to the American
Red Cross in New York City and to the
firemen's widows funds."
Influence Of Sept. 11
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The Facts ofLife reunion movie was in
production in Toronto when terrorists
attacked the United States on Sept. 11.
"It was devastating," Rae said. "Like
everyone else, we were in a state of
shock. It was hard to absorb it as
something that really, really happened.
"But we realized we had a deadline,
a very quick deadline of five weeks for
a two-hour special film. All we could
do was do the best we could to have a
moment of distraction and enjoyment
with the movie.
"I found I really was anxious to get
back to my country," she said. "I really
wanted to get back to be with my peo-
ple. Canada is a wonderful place; I
just wanted to be back here. In New
York, people are still traumatized, but
just like in Britain during the Blitz,
they just go on."
While filming, Rae also missed,
being at home for the High Holidays
for the first time.
"I went [to services] in Toronto for
Yom Kippur eve, but it's not the same,"
said Rae, who belongs to Los Angeles'
Temple Shalom for the Arts synagogue
founded by Rabbi David Baron.
"I just love my temple," she said.
"On Yom Kippur eve, the courageous
Christians from Germany, Poland and
Czechoslovakia talk about how they
hid Jews and helped them escape. It's
so powerful."
She joins others, including actors
Harold Gould and Nell Carter, whose
son is in Hebrew school there, to read
from religious literature and philosophy.
"It's a lovely community," she said.
"They don't ask what your income is.
It's just plain down to earth."
. 11
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Though she's most often recognized as
Mrs. Garrett, Rae has had a rich career
in television, film and theater.
A graduate of Northwestern
University's School of Speech, Rae
went to New York after college and
roomed with another aspiring actress,
Cloris Leachman.
Her first prestigious New York job
came when she was the opening act for
folk singer Richard Dyer Bennett at the
Village Vanguard. She honed her materi-
al the summer before at a Catskills resort
where she met her future husband, com-
poser John Strauss, father of her two
sons. He helped put together her act,
which emphasized her natural comic
nature and her talent for infusing songs
with depth and emotion. The couple
later divorced.
In the early 1960s, Rae co-starred in
one of television's classic sitcoms, Car
54, Where Are You?, as Sylvia Schnauser,
wife to actor Al Lewis. Later, in 1975,
Norman Lear tapped her to play
Moose's mother in his Hot L Baltimore.
That same year, she appeared with
Maureen Stapleton in the television
special drama Queen of the Stardust
Ballroom, receiving an Emmy nomina-
tion for best supporting actress.
In between were memorable
Excedrin and Mr. Muscle commer-
cials. Then came Diff'rent Strokes and
The Facts of Life.
Film work included minor roles in
Tony Randall's Hello Down There,
Woody Allen's Bananas, the musical Hair
and Robert Redford's The Hot Rock.
But Rae says her real love is theater.
"Theater has been the high point of
my career," she said. "I've always loved
the theater. I've done a lot of work
there and I enjoy it tremendously."
Early in her career, Rae originated
the role of Mammy Yokum in
Broadway's
Abner. She also played
the nurse in Romeo and Juliet for Joe
Papp's Shakespeare-in-the-Park. Off-
Broadway shows included Terrence
McNally's Whiskey (Obie nomination),
the title role in Driving Miss Daisy,
Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods, A.
R. Gurney's Love Letters and the
Drama Critics Circle Award-nominat-
ed performance in Samuel Beckett's
Happy Days at the Mark Taper Forum
in Los Angeles.
"I'm not doing a play at the moment,
but they keep sending me plays to
read," said Rae, 75. "The play is the
thing. If the writing is really good, it's
something I really want to do."
In the meantime, she's comfortable
enjoying the hoopla surrounding The
Facts of Life Reunion. And she's look-
ing forward to appearing with "the
girls" on ABC's The View at 11 a.m.
Friday, Nov. 16.
"I like to act, I like to sing," she
said matter-of-factly. "I like to live life
with joy — it's kind of chasidic, but
you know what I mean.
"Whatever God gave me, I like to
spread it around." ❑
The Facts of Life Reunion airs 7-9
p.m. Sunday, Nov. 18, on ABC,
Channel 7.