Karen Valentine

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Karen Valentine
Valentine in 1995
Born
Karen Lynne Valentine[1]

(1947-05-25) May 25, 1947 (age 76)
OccupationActress
Years active1964–2004
Known for
Spouses
Mac McLaughlin
(m. 1969⁠–⁠1973)
Gary Lewis Verna
(m. 1977)

Karen Valentine (born May 25, 1947) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as young idealistic schoolteacher Alice Johnson in the ABC comedy drama series Room 222 from 1969 to 1974, for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 1970, and received a Golden Globe Award nomination in 1971. She later went to star in her own short-lived sitcom Karen (1975), and played leading roles in the Disney films Hot Lead and Cold Feet (1978) and The North Avenue Irregulars (1979).

Early life[edit]

Valentine was born in Sebastopol, California on May 25, 1947. She is of Portuguese heritage, and her grandfather changed the family name from Valentin before her birth.[2] She attended Birmingham High School[3] and Analy High School, graduating the class of 1965.[4][5][6] Valentine was crowned 1964 Miss Sonoma County.[4]

Career[edit]

In 1966–1967, she started her television career as "The Resident Dream Girl" on Chuck Barris's The Dream Girl of 1967, replacing Beverly Adams from the first weekday broadcast opposite hosts Dick Stewart and Wink Martindale, and during that time, she appeared on another Chuck Barris show, The Dating Game.

Valentine with Lloyd Haynes in Room 222 (1970)

In 1969, Valentine played Gidget in the 1969 film Gidget Grows Up. In 1969, Valentine won her breakthrough role as a student teacher and then a new teacher on the ABC television series Room 222 with Lloyd Haynes, Denise Nicholas, and Michael Constantine.[7][8][9] She was discovered by Gene Reynolds, the director of Room 222, who saw her fumbling[10] in her audition and realized she was funny.[11] She was nominated twice for an Emmy and once for a Golden Globe, winning an Emmy in 1970 for Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role.[12]

In 1974, an unsold sitcom pilot, The Karen Valentine Program never aired.[13] In 1975, Valentine starred in her own television series, Karen.[14] She played the title role in the critically acclaimed true story Muggable Mary, Street Cop (1982). Valentine appeared in many other movies for television including The Daughters of Joshua Cabe (1972); Coffee, Tea or Me? (1973); The Girl Who Came Gift-Wrapped (1974); Murder at the World Series (1977); Go West, Young Girl (1978); Money on the Side and Skeezer (1982). Valentine was a semi-regular on The Hollywood Squares from 1971 to 1977 on both NBC-TV and in syndication, often trading quips with Paul Lynde. She guest-starred on many series, including Starsky & Hutch; Baretta; Cybill; and Murder, She Wrote; as well as multiple episodes of The Love Boat and Love, American Style. She had a starring role in the 25th episode of the third season of the 1985 revival of The Twilight Zone, entitled "Many, Many Monkeys".

Her feature films include Forever Young, Forever Free (1975); Hot Lead and Cold Feet (1978); The North Avenue Irregulars; (1979) and The Power Within (1995). She also has had many leading roles in made-for-television movies.[8]

Valentine has continued to work in television and on stage. She co-starred with John Larroquette in a 2004 Hallmark Channel TV movie, Wedding Daze. She has starred on stage in many productions, including Romantic Comedy on Broadway and National Tour, Breaking Legs Off-Broadway and National Tour, and the Los Angeles production of Steel Magnolias.

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Year Film Role Notes
1975 Forever Young, Forever Free Carol Anne Alternate Release Title: e'Lollipop
1978 Hot Lead and Cold Feet Jenny Disney Film
1979 The North Avenue Irregulars Jane Disney Film
1995 The Power Within Clyda Dryer Alternate Release Title: Los Annilos del Poder (Spain)
Alternate Release Title: Le Pouvoir de vaincre (France)

Television[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1966-1967 Dream Girl of '67 Self - Hostess (as The Resident Dream Girl)
170 episodes
1969 My Friend Tony Episode: The Shortest Courtship
Gidget Grows Up Gidget Lawrence TV Movie
1970 22nd Primetime Emmy Awards Herself - Winner TV Special
Emmy Award Winner
1971 The Bold Ones: The New Doctors Gayle Ritter Episode: Tender Predator
23rd Primetime Emmy Awards Herself - Presenter TV Special
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In Guest Performer Episode: Karen Valentine
1970-1972 Love, American Style Pat Stark / Jane / Alice Graff / Marty Feniman Episode: (segment "Love and the Coed Dorm")
Episode: (segment "Love and the Elopement")
Episode: (segment "Love and the Four-Sided Triangle")
Episode: (segment "Love and the Scroungers")
1972 Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law Donna Cohen Episode: Murder in the Abstract
The Daughters of Joshua Cabe Charity TV Movie
1973 The Karen Valentine Show Karen Scott TV Special
Coffee, Tea or Me? Carol Burnham / Carol Byrnes TV Movie
1969-1974 Room 222 Alice Johnson 113 episodes
1974 The Girl Who Came Gift-Wrapped Sandy Brown / Sandy Benson TV Movie
1975 Karen Karen Angelo 13 episodes
1971-1975 The Mike Douglas Show Herself 10 episodes
1975 Baretta Holly Episode: A Bite in the Apple
1976 The Love Boat Ellen Carmichael TV Movie
Having Babies Beth Paterno TV Movie
1977 McMillan Sergeant Maureen Rupert Episode: Dark Sunrise
1970-1977 The Hollywood Squares Self - Panelist 263 episodes
1977 The Sonny & Cher Show Guest performer One episode January 2, 1977[15]
1977 Murder at the World Series Lois Marshall TV Movie
1975-1977 Dinah! Herself 7 episodes
1977 Starsky & Hutch Diana Harmon Episode: Fatal Charm
1978 Fantasy Island Janet Fleming Episode: Return to Fantasy Island
The Love Boat Taffy Martino Episode: The Eyes of Love / Masquerade / Hollywood Royalty / The Caper S1 E15
1979 America 2100 Dr. Karen Harland TV Movie
Eischied Margaret Manning Episode: Only the Pretty Girls Die: Part 1
Episode: Only the Pretty Girls Die: Part 2
1982 Muggable Mary, Street Cop Mary Glatzle TV Movie
Goodbye Doesn't Mean Forever Paula McFadden TV Movie
Adams House Chris Bennett TV Movie
Skeezer Carrie Jessup TV Movie
Money on the Side Janice Vernon TV Movie
1983 Illusions Linda Dobbins TV Movie
Jane Doe Victoria Schaffer TV Movie
A Girl's Life Gay Brooks TV Movie
1984 Children in the Crossfire Pam Chandler TV Movie
He's Fired, She's Fired Annabelle Grier TV Movie
1986 The Disney Sunday Movie Meg Taylor Episode: A Fighting Choice
1987 The New Mike Hammer Sister Amelia Episode: Who Killed Sister Lorna
Hotel Rebecca Lloyd Episode: Hotel Second Thoughts
1988 She's the Sheriff Rosalind Episode: Hair
Murder, She Wrote Ellen Cosgrove Episode: Murder Through the Looking Glass
Perfect People Margo TV Movie
1989 The Twilight Zone Claire Hendricks Episode: Many, Many Monkeys
1990 Hurricane Sam Jeanie Kelvin TV Movie
Monsters Victoria Episode: The Young and the Headless
1991 CBS Schoolbreak Special Donna Stern Episode: The Emancipation of Lizzie Stern
1994 The Untouchables Pascualina Petucci Episode: Til Death Do Us Part
1996 Cybill Wanda Episode: Three Women and a Dummy
2000 Family Law Karen Anderson Bell Episode: Affairs of the State
2004 Wedding Daze Audrey Landry TV Movie
2009 GSN Live Self 2 episodes
Whatever Happened To? Self Episode: Cutie Pies

Soundtrack[edit]

Year Production Notes
1975 Monsanto Night Presents Johnny Mathis in the Canadian Rockies TV Special
performer: "I'm Old-Fashioned", "Put a Little Love in Your Heart", "Buttons and Bows", "Canadian Sunset" and "Banff".
1976 The Sonny and Cher Show TV series
performer: "The Channel 86 Cutesy News Theme", "TV-themes medley"
(uncredited)

Theater[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1980 Romantic Comedy Phoebe Craddock Broadway
September 16, 1980 - October 18, 1980
1992 Breaking Legs Angie Off-Broadway
September 29, 1992 - October 31, 1992

Awards and nominations[edit]

Year Association Category Production Result
1970 Emmy Awards Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Comedy as Alice Johnson in Room 222 Won
1971 Emmy Awards Nominated
Golden Globe Awards Best Supporting Actress - Television Room 222 as Miss Alice Johnson Nominated
2003 TV Land Awards Classic TV Teacher of the Year Room 222 Nominated

References[edit]

  1. ^ Karen Valentine at the TCM Movie Database
  2. ^ "Karen Valentine". AllMovie. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  3. ^ "Birmingham Community Charter High School". Archived from the original on December 10, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Balicki Weber, Janet (August 28, 2017). "Sonoma County celebrity high school grads, now and then". Archived from the original on March 26, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  5. ^ Smith, Chris (February 29, 2016). "Smith: Piner High School graduate Mathew McGahan hoping chairs will turn on 'The Voice'". Archived from the original on March 26, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  6. ^ Digitale, Robert (February 5, 2008). "Notable moments to be rememberedfor generations of alumni May 17". Archived from the original on March 26, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  7. ^ "Room 222: A Look Back at Walt Whitman High". Paley Center. 10 May 2010. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Movies". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  9. ^ "Karen Valentine: Actress' fumble led to Emmy-winning role". NJ.com. 2013-10-25. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  10. ^ Paterson, Diana (12 March 2018). "Please Report to Room 222". thewritelife61. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  11. ^ "Gene Reynolds". Television Academy Interviews. 22 October 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  12. ^ "Karen Valentine". Television Academy. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  13. ^ "The Karen Valentine Program". Television Obscurities. 17 August 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  14. ^ Nolasco, Stephanie (19 September 2019). "'Room 222' star Karen Valentine recalls 'awful' encounter after 'The Dating Game'". Fox News. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  15. ^ DVD of episode

External links[edit]