Cara Williams

[Neil]

Not exactly a Lucy co-star but as close as you can get to one.  She filled the gap between LDCH and TLS and did so admirably.  I've said it before (but I can't find the thread where I said it) but of all the "NEW LUCILLE BALL"'s of the 60s (and there were a lot of them:  from Angel-Anne Farge and Tammy Grimes to Debbie Reynolds), Cara was the closest to combine all those rare qualities: beauty, grace and slapstick comedy.  I have found only a few episodes of "Pete and Gladys" but not the favorites I remember but there are few in my collection that are hilarious.  But what a strange career Cara had.  After 2 seasons of P&G (with one Emmy nomination) and 2 more years of daytime reruns, she headlined another "The Cara Williams Show", which I never saw (on too late) which was a one season flop.  And with a prime time slot too.  After Beverly Hillbillies and Dick Van Dyke when both were still hot.   Then......she did seemed to disappear and she was only 40.  Roughly 10 years later, she shows up on "Rhoda" as a regular, Joe's secretary at the wrecking crew office---a really thankless part that could have been played by anyone, even KAREN NORRIS.   I thought she was a semi-regular and it turns out she only did 2 episodes as the wrecking office was phased out as a place of action.  (Joe should have seen the writing on the wall). 

 

But Stu Shostak has hunted her down and here is a picture of them taken recently.  Cara is 91 and looks pretty darn good!

 

[Neil]

AND.....Cara had musical ability as evidenced in the following selection from the LP of the revue "Playgirls" which appears to have been done some time in the mid 60s.  Sort of the 4 Girls 4 of that era.  The revue also starred Kay Stevens, another one touted in some column as a "new Lucille Ball".  

What I can figure out is why Cara did not have a career doing stage musicals?   She would have been a perfect "Wildcat". 

 

(I slapped this together with the few visuals I had)

 

[HarryCarter]

There was a reference in a Rhoda episode that Cara's character, Mae, was let go because the wrecking company had financial problems. Candide Azzara later appeared in several episodes playing the new girl in the office and she was quite funny.

 

Cara also received an Oscar nomination for The Defiant Ones, but never had a big film career.

[JoeySanJoaquin]

There was a reference in a Rhoda episode that Cara's character, Mae, was let go because the wrecking company had financial problems. Candide Azzara later appeared in several episodes playing the new girl in the office and she was quite funny.

 

Cara also received an Oscar nomination for The Defiant Ones, but never had a big film career.

Aw that's what threw me! Forgot all about Cara being the first assistant since I remembered Candy (for Candice, I think) in the role much more vividly (always loved her -- another one I've wondered "whatever happened to...?").

 

And yes, Joe should have seen "the writing on the wall"!

[HarryCarter]

The Cara Williams Show sure got a big build up.

 

[JoeySanJoaquin]

Pretty much proof that they were "grooming" her to be another (the next?) Lucy. 

 

And as beautiful and funny as she may have been, we all know there'll always only be the one and only original!

[Neil]

Here's an interesting audio interview of my dear Cara Williams, done fairly recently.  I haven't listen to it all yet, but she starts talking about Pete & Gladys AND Lucy at 21:35.

I say "MY dear' Cara, because even SHE admits she was difficult....as does everyone who worked with her in interviews I've seen or heard.