Marlo Thomas by Ariella Trotsenko

Ariella Trotsenko

Professor Krase

MHC 342

15 May 2017

Biography Project: Marlo Thomas

Margaret Julia Thomas, less formally known as Marlo Thomas, was born on November 21, 1937 in Deerfield, Michigan to Danny Thomas and Rose Marie Mantell Thomas. Her father was Lebanese and her mother was Italian. Though Rose always wished to be a singer, her husband’s career of being a comedian, and eventual professional actor and producer, came first. Marlo also had two siblings, a brother named Tony and a sister named Terre, who too followed the family trade of show business.

Though born in Michigan, the Thomas’ moved to Beverly Hills, California where Marlo spent her childhood and teenage years. She grew up seeing her father in constant spotlight, but he was determined to keep her out of the business at least until she finished college. During her teenage years, she spent a lot of time with her father. When he had to work, Marlo watched him hunched over his desk, listening to tape recordings of his comedy and shows. Her father studied them to carefully listen to the timing of the audience’s responses and laughs as well as the music selections. Marlo would sit on many of his writers’ meetings at home. His meticulous planning and natural skill of performing inspired Marlo as a child. She admired him and looked up to him for guidance. She even remembers his best piece of advice: “Every story has to have a beginning, middle and end. You need to tell a logical, credible story — and you need to do it in 22 minutes … Always be honest, and never go for a joke or an easy laugh if it takes you off the road of your story.” Marlo treasures her moments as a young girl at her father’s nightclub performances. His performances taught her from a young age to be original and creative, and to more importantly, never do anything that she was not fully committed to.

In 1959, Marlo graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Teaching and Education from the University of Southern California. Aside from her teaching degree, Marlo enjoyed many extracurricular activities in her spare time. She was a sister in the Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority. In 1958, the sisters were asked to star in USC’s homecoming production Trolios where they did a reenactment of West Side Story. She was asked to be the lead, but didn’t feel she was much of a singer to do it. Still, she hesitantly agreed, and on the night of production ended up winning the sweepstake prize. Her father was so proud and shouted to her “Oh my God, you’ve got the [acting] bug!’” After graduation, she began to fully pursue her dream of being an actress and started in many series such as Zane Grey Theater (1956), The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1959), and Thriller (1960).

As a young woman in the sixties, Marlo was different than most of the women of her time. Traditionally, women did not go to college, nor did they have career goals. In addition, they certainly did not overstep their gender roles and were expected to keep a home for their husband and to take care of their child. Marlo, on the other hand, did not want to get married or have children. Her independence and ambitions drove her to carry herself in a way young women typically did not. Though she didn’t know it then, her attitude and confidence in women is what helped change the societal norms in the U.S.

Marlo got her big break when she landed the lead in a television pilot for a show casting the typical woman character archetype of the sixties — complicit housewife, nurturing mother, and obedient daughter. However, it did not yet have a sponsor or a network, and Marlo saw this as her opportunity to change the script. She told Edgar Scherick, ABC’s chief programming executive at the time, “have you ever thought about doing a show where the girl is the somebody — somebody with a dream?” Marlo wanted the show to be about someone like her. She continued, “someone who has graduated from college and wants to be an actress. Someone whose father wants her to get married, but who moves away from home, even though that causes anxiety in both of her parents.” Scherick highly doubted anyone would watch it, which is when Marlo handed him a copy of The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. Scherick read it and understood that this was going to be the new movement for the country and was instantly sold.

Despite Scherick’s newfound support, ABC was still weary about the idea. They had done research on home viewers opinions on television plots and found that they were, by large, not interested in watching a show about a woman without a family. Clairol, the sponsor, were also skeptical about Marlo’s proposed character. The show still went into production on the hopeful premise that women would see the main character as someone they could potentially relate to.

On September 8, 1966, television changed forever when the first episode of the American sitcom, That Girl, aired. That Girl focused on a single woman named Ann Marie who moves out from her parent’s house to live alone in New York City in hopes of making it big as an actress. Throughout the show, she takes a number of odd jobs to support her in between auditions and small roles. Ann in the first episode meets and falls in love with Donald Hollinger, a Newsview magazine writer, who serves as the second main character of the show. He is very supportive of her goals and lets her be who she wants to be. Until That Girl, the entertainment business never saw a woman like Ann Marie — an aspiring, career-driven woman who left home to follow her dreams, worked to support herself and rejected marriage.

Ann begins the show by living in a small apartment at 344 West 78th Street. She was enrolled in the Benedict Workshop of Dramatic Arts and later moved to 627 East 54th Street. Ann is very close to her father, Lew Marie — similarly to Marlo being very close to her father Danny. Both their fathers too initially don’t approve of them becoming an actress, but eventually change their mind when they see their success.

Ann’s first job was as a waitress, but she quickly left it to pursue an acting gig. Many of the episodes revolve this cycle — a quirky job, and then quitting to go onto an acting role. Ann starred in all the following roles: Doris the Ding a Ling, a woman with multiple personalities, on a soap opera, television commercials for No Freeze Anti Freeze, Action Soda, POP Soft Drinks, Creamy Soap, Lincoln Center revival of Hypsy, Broadway production in The Revolutionary Heart and The Knights of Queen Mary, off-Broadway productions of And Everything Nice, The Queen of Diamonds, A Preponderance of Artichokes, and Honors Stains.

Her father Danny appeared as a guest-star in two episodes of That Girl. In “My Sister’s Keeper,” he made a cameo as a priest. Marlo’s real-life brother and sister, Terre and Tony were also featured. In “Those Friars,” Marlo and Danny sung and performed together in the episode.

That Girl was written by writers Bill Persky and Sam Denoff. Both had served as head writers on The Dick Van Dyke Show. Marlo recalls that Bill was very much of a feminist because he had a wife, sister, and daughters who each influenced his mindset in different ways. Sam on the other hand was not so much. But together, their countering ideas balanced out and called for a great script. Marlo was also the executive producer of the show, pledging her as a real-life testament of the women’s movement in the 1960s. She oversaw every aspect of the series ranging from editing draft scripts to creating artistic and technical standards.

Marlo recalls that this time was strange for her. While she felt her job was a reflection of her capabilities as a person, she knew it was not how the average woman went about her day to days at the time. She was running the entire show, and challenging social norms about women, yet That Girl did not have any women on the writing staff other than herself. She knew they needed a female perspective to help discuss dating, life, and work in a male dominated realm. Ruth Brooks Flippen was brought in to be female writer to help That Girl with their problems. Marlo was excited because she knew there was safety in numbers. To that, she said, “It’s never wise to be the only female at the table. Experience had taught me: One is a pest, two is a team, three is a coalition. Now I had Ruth. We were only two but, together, we were like the Red Army.”

The 1960s were an eccentric time for women. In the midst of chaos with political assassinations, race riots, recreational drug use, and sexual revolutions, Marlo had to put on a great show. She recalls how hard it was to get men on board with her ideas. And although they wouldn’t admit it aloud, it was because she had power over them. It was difficult for a man to wrap his mind around taking orders from a successful woman in her early 30s.

In 1970, That Girl went into production of its fifth, and last, season. After 4 years of dating, Don proposed to Ann. Marlo, essentially leading the shows script and production, was still adamant on her views of marriage, and completely rejected the idea of a wedding for Season 5 despite ABC and Clairol begging her to marry the couple in the last episode. She knew marriages got high ratings, and understood the company’s wishes. Marlo felt the marriage would subordinate Ann’s character to a typical, wifely role to Donald. Ann was still the same independent woman she was in Season 1, and still did not need a man to complete her; just like Marlo felt in her own real life. Marlo knew that millions of girls and young women were watching, and she could not let her fans down with the cop out of marriage. Instead, the show ended with Donald and Ann stuck in an elevator, reminiscing about their last five years together as viewers saw on the show. Both ABC and Clairol supported this decision.

The show paved the way for other female led comedies like The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Marlo’s performance as Ann Marie was so groundbreaking and unique that she earned a Golden Globe as Best Female TV Star and four Emmy nominations as television’s Best Leading Actress. That Girl made Marlo Thomas a household name. Marlo was able to influence millions of young girls and women to take charge of their lives through That Girl. Given the first thrusts of the sixties feminist movements, women were beginning to notice their worth.

In 1974, Marlo continued acting and producing with the TV Special Free to Be … You and Me which was targeted towards children. It was initially released as a record album, but given its overwhelmingly positive reviews, came to television. The show encouraged a wide variety of progressive thoughts such as gender neutrality, diversity, and tolerance with one’s identity. She won another Emmy for her performance in Free to Be… You and Me. This special was yet another “new” that Marlo created for the world because the world too didn’t see many multicultural actors on the screen during this time. Throughout the show, she continued to challenge traditional ideas and shape the youths thinking in more positive ways.

In an interview with the New York Times in 1973, 2 years after That Girl ended, Marlo said “I’ve probably been a closet feminist all my life — but didn’t know it.” In addition to reading The Feminine Mystique, Marlo believed that the progressive nature of That Girl made her more aware on the issue of women’s rights. She didn’t make That Girl because she was a feminist; That Girl is what made her into a feminist. When Marlo grew up, she hadn’t seen a women’s movement. In 1966, when That Girl first aired, the birth control pill was still illegal in most states. Furthermore, during the fifties, when she was a teenager, there wasn’t reproductive freedom, law centers, or safe houses for women. All these factors together politicized Marlo and brought out the radical feminist within her.

In 1972, Marlo joined Gloria Steinem, Patricia Carbine, and Letty Cottin Pogrebin as the founders of the Ms. Foundation for Women, the first nonprofit women’s fund in the U.S. to represent women’s voices in America. Marlo had met Gloria briefly after a stunt she pulled going as an undercover Playboy Bunny at the New York Playboy Club in 1963. Gloria’s goal was to expose the patriarchy in sex and the poor treatment of the bunnies — ironically, her good looks is what got her into the mansion. Marlo was so impressed and became good friends with her. She formed a special bond with her because they were the only accomplished women of the time who weren’t getting married.

However, that all changed in 1977 when Marlo was a guest on The Phil Donahue Show, a talk show hosted by Phil Donahue. It was love at first sight for Marlo; there are videos to prove it. The next day, they began dating. Suddenly, the idea of marriage didn’t seem so far fetched. On May 20, 1980, the couple got married and moved to New York City. Phil moved his show studios from Chicago to New York at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. This switch increased ratings and made him the most successful talk show on daytime television. Though Marlo never had any children of her own, she got five stepchildren as a result of that marriage. She may have detested marriage as a young woman, but getting married in her late thirties proved to be worth it as she is still married to Phil today.

On April 14, 1978, Ann gave a speech at a lunch honoring the winners of the Women in Communications Inc. Matrix Awards. She recalled her testifying before a House Appropriations subcommittee about educational funding and saying “It’s 1978. Where are the women?” Today, 39 years later, she is still saying the same thing. She then continued to spread hope by telling the women to start careers and to keep the movement for their rights going.

Most of what was depicted on That Girl was off of Marlo’s real life. One aspect in particular that was iconic was Ann Marie’s fashion. Ann often wore candy-colored shift dresses and had dark, thick lashes. She wore bold colors, and challenged the normal length of her skirts; yet still remained professional and classy. Marlo chose the fashion in order to distinguish herself from her television forebears — out with the Peter Pan collars and aprons, in with the youthful, flowery prints.

In 1991, Ann’s father passed away. He held an important place in her heart and she forever remembers him as the star he was. After the turn of the century, Ann slowly shifted her career goals toward philanthropy and became very active in children’s hospitals to continue the legacy her father started with St. Jude’s Hospital. She starred in few Broadway productions as well as many miscellaneous roles in shows, commercials, and movies.

Marlo continued to make occasional screen appearances through the seventies and eighties. Viewers at home stopped finally seeing her as Ann Marie. She appeared in films, television shows, and Broadway theatre shows like Jenny (1970), Thieves (1977), It Happened One Christmas (1977) (a remake of It’s a Wonderful Life), The Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck (1984), Consenting Adult (1985), Nobody’s Child (1986).  In the nineties, Marlo made her way to guest star on shows like Roseanne, Frasier, Law & Order: SVU and Ugly Betty. She received yet another Emmy nomination for her role as Rachel’s mother on the hit sitcom, Friends.

As she grew older, Marlo began to move her efforts towards a more socially oriented goal. Including the Free To Be series, Marlo produced five bestselling books, including It Ain’t Over…’Till It’s Over, The Right Words at the Right Time (Volumes 1 and 2), Thanks and Giving All Year Long, and her memoir, Growing Up Laughing: My Story and the Story of Funny.

After distancing herself from the entertainment business, she launched an informative, online talk show program in 2010 aimed at women over 35 years old, called “Mondays with Marlo.” She has successfully interviewed numerous important women like Suze Orman and Chelsea Clinton. That year, she also launched a bullying prevention campaign, which lead to a nationwide initiative in partnership with (but not limited to) the Ad Council, AOL, Facebook, and the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services.

Her work as a visionary actress, talented producer, progressive philanthropist, and radical feminist led her to receive the 2014 Presidential Medal of Freedom by former President Barack Obama. She has been distinguished for her efforts through other honors like the Helen Caldicott Award for Nuclear Disarmament, the ACLU’s Thomas Paine Award, the American Women in Radio and Television Satellite Award, the William Kunstler Racial Justice Award, The National Civil Rights Museum Freedom Award, and The Jefferson Award for Public Service, which she received along with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Her latest accomplishment in 2017 was the launch of the appropriately named line, That Woman, a casual, chic clothing brand that is “thoughtfully designed so you always look great and feel confident.” She also currently serves as the national outreach director for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Marlo Thomas is “that girl” — literally and figuratively. She is a symbol of strength, courage, and tirelessness. In the 1960s, it was controversial to be the Ann Marie of the time, but she still did. While it was seen as scary and taboo to be a single woman living alone in Manhattan, pursuing a career and not getting married, it paved the way for numerous reforms in Hollywood. From a time when women had no real rights or independence, to today, Marlo Thomas is truly a woman — or less specifically, a person — to be remembered and celebrated.

Works Cited

Green, Penelope. “Fashion From Marlo Thomas: ‘That Girl’ Shifts to ‘That Woman’.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 Jan. 2017. Web. 8 May 2017.

Kelly, Katie. “Mario Thomas: ‘My Whole Life I’ve Had My Dukes Up’.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 11 Mar. 1973. Web. 8 May 2017.

MAKERS Women in Hollywood. Dir. Linda Goldstein Knowlton. Prod. Rory Kennedy and Peter Kunhardt. Perf. Marlo Thomas, Lena Dunham, Jane Fonda, Geena Davis, Shonda Rhimes. PBS. Howard University Television, 6 Oct. 2014. Web. 8 May 2017. <http://whut.m.video.pbs.org/video/2365333770/>.

“Mario Thomas: ‘Where Are the Women?’.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 19 Apr. 1978. Web. 8 May 2017.

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Maslin, Janet. “DONAHUE FINALLY MAKES THE MOVE.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 17 Dec. 1984. Web. 8 May 2017.

Siegal, Sandy. “Marlo Thomas Reflects on Her Remarkable Journey after USC.” Trojan Family Magazine. University of Southern California, n.d. Web. 8 May 2017.

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“That Girl: The One Who Changed Everything.” Television Academy. N.p., 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 8 May 2017.

Thomas, Marlo. “Gloria Steinem… the Icon, the Girlfriend.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 14 Aug. 2011. Web. 8 May 2017.

Thomas, Marlo. “”That Girl” 45 Years Later — Who Are the Game Changers This TV Season?” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 26 Sept. 2011. Web. 8 May 2017.