'Rhoda' actress Valerie Harper has terminal brain cancer

UPI ^ | March. 6, 2013

[ConservativeStatement]

LOS ANGELES, March 6 (UPI) -- U.S. television icon Valerie Harper told People magazine she has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and likely has no more than three months to live.

Harper, 73, is best known for her portrayal of Rhoda Morgenstern on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and its spin-off, "Rhoda." She also headlined the sitcom "Valerie."

[fwdude]

Poor girl. She is a big part of my memory growing up, as I’m sure she is for a lot of 60’s and 70’s FReepers. She is a raving liberal, but kept it largely to herself as far as I’m aware.

[ConservativeStatement]

I'm unaware of her politics but considering it is Hollywood, being left or far left is not surprising. I came across an episode of MTM a few nights ago on MeTV and she was a central figure in the episode.

[traderrob6]

There was a lot of scuttlebutt going around awhile back that she was a total b!tch in real life. Terribly difficult to work with and treated the people around her like sh!t.

Don’t know if that was accurate or not.

[ken5050]

Bonnie Franklin, now Valerie Harper...it's always in threes.....

The 2013 "dead pools" may have a lot of long shot winners..

[Buckeye McFrog]

Wow, that is really sad. I always enjoyed her on television.

[freekitty]

Sorry to hear this.

[pgkdan]

Really sorry to hear this. I was a big fan of the Mary Tyler Moore show and I loved the Rhoda character. I never understood why she couldn’t find a man...I always thought she was kinda hot.

[fwdude]

I'm unaware of her politics but considering it is Hollywood, being left or far left is not surprising.

I can remember her in the earliest "positive" "gay" theme episode probably in t.v. history on MTM. I was completely oblivious as a child (thankfully) but in recent years, I became aware of this and was appalled. Phyllis's brother, a concert pianist, started hanging out with Rhoda, to Phyllis's horror, until Phyllis learns from Rhoda that her brother is "gay." Pretty bold and racy for the early 70's (homosexuality hadn't yet even been "declassified" as a mental disorder at that time.)

[ConservativeStatement]

I thought Nancy Walker's character was funny, Rhoda's mom.

[TomGuy]

I enjoyed her in the various comedy programs.

I do recall that ‘Valerie’ become ‘Valerie’s Family’ and later ‘The Hogan Family’. At the time, the rumors were that she was dropped due to her demands for a higher salary.

Side note: One of the funniest episodes ever on broadcast TV was the Hogan Family episode, ‘Baby Mark’, with Sandy Duncan. [HOGAN FAMILY: Ep. 58, S4: “Save Baby Mark”]

[pgkdan]

LOL! I wanted to comment about her too but I couldn’t remember her name! She was great. Too bad hollyweird has lost the ability to make television like that!

[SJSAMPLE]

She also headlined the sitcom "Valerie."

She out-"Shelly Longed" even Shelly Long herself.

I recall that she was the lead on that hit sitcom, but had salary disputes and went on strike.

The show came of hiatus as "Valerie's Family" after the producers killed her character off. The show bombed after that, but you never saw Valerie Harper as a series lead again.

[Miss Didi]

I remember the night of that episode...after I asked my mother what “gay” meant...happy, right? Yes, go brush your teeth.

[pgkdan]

The show came of hiatus as "Valerie's Family" after the producers killed her character off. The show bombed after that, but you never saw Valerie Harper as a series lead again.

It wasn't an immediate bomb though...it lsated a couple of seasons with Sandy Duncan.

[EDINVA]

That makes me sad. Harper sure gave many of us hours of great comedy over a period of years. May she and her family find comfort as she goes through this trial. God bless.

[EDINVA]

wow. I can’t even remember the word “gay” having been appropriated by homosexuals as early as the early 70.

[PLMerite]

Sad. I liked that show. I watched it for Julie Kavner, who played Rhoda’s younger sister. Now she’s doing the voice of Marge Simpson.

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

I know she walked off her show “Valerie” and the studio fired her which pretty much says something being that it was her show. That would be like the studio firing Mary Tyler Moore from the Mary Tyler Moore show or Dick Van Dyke from the Dick Van Dyke show, that just doesn’t happen.

[ScottinVA]

Not a bad looking girl in her day...