Today is the 18 year anniversary of the passing of Nancy Walker. This blog entry is a tribute to a great character actress & TV commercial spokesperson. Nancy has provided many hours of TV entertainment, including her most famous role playing Ida Morgenstern, who was the mother of Rhoda on the 'Mary Tyler Moore Show' and 'Rhoda.' Some might even say her role as Rosie the waitress, from the Bounty paper towel commercials, was her most famous. She never was on the cover of Esquire Magazine as Ida Morgenstern.



Nancy was 70 years old, when she died on March 25, 1992. She had a long career of playing supporting characters on TV, Broadway & the silver screen. She was nominated 7 times for an Emmy & was nominated 4 times for a Golden Globe. During the 50's, she was a supporting character in several Broadway musicals She recieved Tony Award nominations for two musicals that she appeared in. 'Do Re Mi'  was one of those two musicals, and in that play she had the lead female role. Her male co-star was Phil Silvers, the incredibly popular TV funny man, best known for his sitcom where he played the role of Sergeant Bilko.

Besides playing her most famous role of Ida Morgenstern, she also was a regular on the Rock Hudson cop show, 'McMillan & Wife.' Her role was Mildred, the sardonic maid of the Police Commissioner and his wife. She was able to get away with saying anything that she felt like saying. Who could be mad at that cute little elf of a woman? She was a perfect Second Banana, if there ever was one.

Nancy was technically the star of a spinoff, from the incredibly popular sitcom 'Happy Days.' Nancy played the role of Nancy Blansky, who was the cousin of Howard Cunningham. That was the sole connection to Happy Days, one guest starring role on Happy Days, on Feb 4, 1977, and her new series started on Feb 12, 1977. The show was called 'Blansky's Beauties,' which catered to a young demographic audience. It featured jiggling empty-headed bimbo girls & pretty boy Scott Baio. This terrible TV show, which lasted 13 weeks, was 5 years prior to Baio's other terrible spinoff 'Joanie Loves Chachi.'

Nancy Walker played the role of Nancy Blansky and was a Las Vegas showbiz manager. She housed a group of beautiful Las Vegas showgirls in her apartment complex. Sounds like a brothel, to me. Nancy staged the shows at the Oasis Hotel, a fictional Las Vegas hotel.

Everybody is allowed one clunker and 'Blansky's Beauties' was that show. Nancy Walker was a true professeional & was very talented in performing in her niche, of being a Second Banana.

As many actors find, as they get older, the acting roles start to dry up. Nancy found a very lucrative business, by playing the role of Rosie the waitress in dozens of Bounty paper towel commercials. For your enjoyment, I have uploaded one of those commercials, from 1972. 





BELOW IS A BOUNTY TOWEL MAGAZINE AD.




I HAVE UPLOADED A CLASSIC EPISODE, FROM THE 'RHODA' TV SERIES, 'PARENT'S DAY' 










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