Karen Valentine reflects on the rocky road she took to winning this award-winning role of a student who became a teacher in a popular television show Room 222.
The show, which aired last nearly 50 years ago, has sent her catapulting into stardom, which she can still not love, unlike her The Dating Game, which she regrets appearing in, much to her satisfaction, as she admits was an awful experience.
Other celebrities who appeared on The Dating Game before they were famous include Suzanne Somers, Tom Selleck, Leif Garret and Farrah Fawcett, and the dating game one actually ended up being the launching pad of new actors, as the very first dating reality show in the history there were a number of similar concepts being hatched in the future and it was used as a launching pad as well.
Karen Valentine was one such star and she had participated in the Chuck Barris television series Dream Girl 1967 which made her get invited to the dating show which was also created by Barris.
Valentine, a past teen beauty queen had a chance to interview three available bachelors who were camouflaged behind a wall of separation.
Claiming that she believed the appearance was going to be just harmless fun, she stated that her stupid decision turned it out to be a horrible experience.
That was terrible as the man believed that this might actually be a date, right? Later on the Dating Game was more serious and people got sent on trips,” Valentine, who is now 78 revealed to Closer Weekly. The guy actually thought we were going to make out in the limo after I only was able to go check out a show at the Ambassador Hotel and it was as if he asked me, You know this is a first date, right? It was so tacky. You would go to dinner and go to a show, and that is what I won as a prize, but he took this as seriously. I was eager to get out of the date. You understand, Save the money and who wants to go out on a date? let me make another play. ”Give me a chance to do something in acting.’”
Discarding that regrets, Valentine was next cast in the television movie Gidget Grows Up (1969) after which she got her starring role in the popular television series, Room 222 (1969 to 1974). The Avant-garde television program is about a black high school teacher; the award-winning Lloyd Haynes to 1934 to 1987) who attempted to teach students to be tolerant.
James L Brooks the mind behind The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Taxi and such films as As Good as it Gets and Terms of Endearment was the creator of the show, and Gene Reynolds who was a developer as well as a producer of M*A*S*H also produced the show.
However Rooms 222 swept the Primetime Emmy Awards in 1970 capturing the award of Outstanding New Series, and Valentine and Michael Constantine, who would later achieve success in My Big Fat Greek Wedding in 2002, picked up awards in the supporting categories.
Valentine, who was then nominated and won, said, it was somehow mind-blowing to have gotten her first nomination and win that soon in that little time. And to meet Carol Burnett and her saying, well congratulations to this. It was something like, Oh thank you. But that Carol Burnett should even know me? Just incredible.”
The young actress remembers when she was struck by the star when she had the chance to meet a legend actor.
Valentine began, “I remember, I was on singing lessons then and I went to my singing lesson.” Another student taking lessons was Gregory Peck… As he passed the window I happened to be at the teacher-piano, and he waved his hand to me in a rough way of expressing, You did it! I was saying, Oh my god. It is Gregory Peck!’ How I was so lucky to be able to meet these stars and talented people since the beginning?”
Room 222 was receiving rave reviews according to Closer Weekly, but the score had sunk in the fourth season and the series was taken off during its mid-season.
I do not know why things changed,” Valentine said, reminding when the cast was told that the show was cut by the network. Only they had the wherewithal to advise us that it was going to and it was sad, or well it is always bad but especially when you think you have a good product and a good show and it is taken away. However, this move was not what the network chose to do, in the end. That is what they tell you, of course, that they have made a decision to move in another direction.
With the cancellation of Room 222 she headlined her own show, Karen (1975), also created by Reynolds, but which only lasted four months because of poor ratings.
Characterizing the premise of the show as “ controversional political stories, which were a clever, humoristic commentary on the prevailing headlines at the time, Valentine indicated that, “ The original opening titles was a parody of the opening of the film, Patton. As opposed to George C. Scott, I was marching in front of a backdrop of American flags. Very intelligent, though never shown.” She added, It became an alteration where I was on a bicycle riding through D.C. A softer, more romantic, more personal, and not too complicated vision (as opposed to a political issue-oriented drama/comedy) was what the network wanted to create. It was a product before its time, I would say.”
A stage actress, who has also turned up in Broadway shows, Valentine kept her profile afloat as a semi- regular on The Hollywood Squares (1971 to 1977) and as an episode performer on such television series as Murder She Wrote and The Love Boat.
Her final television appearance was the Wedding Daze (2004), in which she shared the screen with John Laroquette, which aired on the Hallmark Channel.
As she takes the trip back to Room 222, and that was a monstrous hit to her almost from the start, Valentine says she can think of nothing but nostalgia: “Working with all of those people, and to have that kind of experience the first time out- the show just brings back the fondest and best memories in the world to me.” She says, “…It sort of spoiled me too, since it made such high standards. When other things From you do gain, Thou thinkest, What, this? It was not the same you see. However, I was lucky because the material that I received was quite entertaining and of high quality.”
Are you a fan of Karen Valentine, what is your favorite movie or TV show in which she appeared?