https://hmssweblog.wordpress.com/202...the-spy-craze/
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Got through listening to it. It's nice to know Nancy sounds in good health despite being 88 but it's a classic reminder of how working actors don't often have a lot of compelling anecdotes and stories to share with the fanbases of shows since it was grueling work on shows they never had time to watch or understand.
I actually found her pretty vapid in that interview. She makes it seem like her career passed and she had no clue about anything she was involved in. No memory of almost anything and no realization of how impactful anything was that she was in. I get it that she was busy and was in lots of things all at once and that it was just a job for her - show up, say your lines, and collect a paycheck. But in hindsight and considering she hasn’t worked in decades she must be aware of what she was in or what legacy there is regarding some of the things she was in. But she comes across totally clueless about all of it. In fact she seems baffled why she’s even being interviewed or why people care about any of the shows she was in. All in all, a pretty dull and pointless interview. She even says that she can’t imagine there would be anyone out there who would dwell on shows from the past or spend any time on anything like that. Yet she’s being interviewed by guys who do exactly that - dwell in the past and dissect all kinds of minutiae about spy-themed shows and movies. Surely she’s aware of this? Maybe not.
I'd only note in her defense that to say "she hasn't worked in decades" is a little misleading because she basically cut back on acting when she married Zubin Mehta, the famous symphony orchestra conductor and her life since then has been tied up more in his career which doesn't cross paths with the world of TV series fandom. She's hardly the down on her luck actress of the past who needs to make convention appearances and sign autographs to make a living. I agree there wasn't much learned from the interview beyond the fact she seems to be doing well and at least is willing to acknowledge the fan following by signing the autographs etc. But I'm not going to hold it against her that she doesn't have a perfect recall of what she did that ideally we all like to wish the actors and people involved could have.
Yes I know that she married Zubin Mehta sometime in the 70s and quit acting at that point. What I’m saying is that she’s had lots of free time since then (free from acting at least) to perhaps reflect on her past acting career and become more aware of some of the cultural phenomena that she was involved in. But she seems oblivious to all that. She almost seems unaware that Star Trek has become a huge deal. Like she’s been living in a cave all this time. I guess she really is out of the loop and really doesn’t remember much of anything from her past.
I will add that she sure was a stunner in her day :) I remember her from a Mannix episode and of course her Five-O appearance. Very classy and exotic looking! That face and those eyes just made you melt ;)
Ringfire, I totally don't get your attitude regarding poor old (almost 80) Nancy. She hasn't acted in anything for almost 50 years! Maybe she "has a life" and has better things to do than sit around reminiscing about her connection to cultish TV shows, things like Star Trek, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and so forth just so fanboys and girls can obsess over minutiae associated with those and other productions. The most she ever appeared on one show was five times (Bewitched) for gosh sakes.
Nancy is actually 88 now. It's remarkable she's still in good health to be interviewed.
If "Jason And The Argonauts" had been a hit instead of a flop, she might have had a more substantive film career (her leading man from that film, Todd Armstrong BTW was in "Target: The Lady")