Katy Kurtzman:
TV's All-American Girl

While we were doing research for our "Heidi on Film" article, specifically for the 1978 TV-movie THE NEW ADVENTURES OF HEIDI, we were fortunate in being able to contact Katy Kurtzman, the delightful child actress of the 1970's and 1980's. Starring in dozens of TV movies and series, Katy was one of the most prolific and memorable young performers of the day.

Today, Katy is alive and well and living in California. An accomplished filmmaker and producer, Katy took some time off from her hectic schedule on DINNER FOR FIVE (the hit talk show on the Independent Film Channel), to speak with us about her days as television's "All-American Girl"!

KiddieMatinee.Com: Hi there! Can you tell us a bit about your days as a child actor?

Katy Kurtzman: Well, I was a busy kid in TV shows and movies during the late 70's early 80's, but I had been doing a ton of work before then, starting at the age of five. A lot of commercial work. Commercial work is grueling. Not the shooting so much as the auditions. Five auditions a week, sometimes two a day!

Then, in 1976, the Bicentennial time, the industry wanted an "All-American Girl". Blond-haired, blue-eyed, freckle-faced kids, at that time, were considered "All-American", and I fit the job description! I got a lot of work around that time.

I almost got two "big" jobs at the time, "BIG EDDIE" (1975) with Sheldon Leonard, and "THE NEW MICKEY MOUSE CLUB" (1976). I was sure I had the parts, in fact, and when I didn't get them, I cried in my room for three days!

Then I got lucky, thanks to Michael Landon, who cast me as, Anna, the little stuttering girl in LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE (1977). After that, I started to work a lot more. There was even a time when it wasn't a matter of auditioning for parts, it was a matter of casting people finding out whether I was available! Oh, to be "Hot" again.

KM.C: Indeed! You were all over the place in the late 1970's, with no less than TWENTY-FIVE television appearances! Do you recall this as a crazy time for you, or were you loving every minute of it? Any favorites?

KK: Overall, my experience at the time was thoroughly enjoyable. My absolute favorite is WHEN EVERY DAY WAS THE FOURTH OF JULY (1977), a TV movie of the Week with Dean Jones, Geoffrey Lewis, Harris Yulin, Louise Sorel, Chris Petersen and I. It was produced by Dan Curtis, who was more known for making spooky things like DARK SHADOWS, but this was a real departure for him. He loved it, and we loved it. It took place in the 1930's, during the depression, and it was somewhat like TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, dealing with prejudice and forgiveness. I thought it was excellent, and I still do.

Another favorite was ALLISON SYDNEY HARRISON (Airing 1983), starring Ted Danson, after he did THE ONION FIELD and right before CHEERS. It was a Pilot for NBC. We shot it in San Francisco. Dad, Ted Danson, was a PI. I managed to involve myself in his investigation of murder, solving the case and almost getting killed in the process.

Time passed quickly for me. I vividly recall Martin Thase, the producer of the ABC Afterschool Specials, who had used me for a part when I was 11 (BEAT THE TURTLE DRUM, 1977), had me come in again for a part when I was 16, almost five years later. I knew I was too old when I saw the waiting room full of twelve year olds. He took one look at me and said "Wow, you're all grown up!" He couldn't believe so much time had passed. I think his life flashed before his eyes right then. Needless to say, I didn't get the part!

KM.C: Did you find the rigors of acting easy or tedious? Learning a script?

KK: Learning scripts came easily for me, but not reading them. I have ADD and Dyslexia, so I couldn't read at my grade level, but I remembered almost everything I would hear. I had my mother read the scripts to me, and I learned them auditorially. Basically, I memorized the whole thing! Of course, Directors loved this. I think I got so much work, because I would memorize audition scenes. My mom and I would pick up the audition scene 1/2 hour or so before the audition. That would be enough time to get a 4 page scene down enough to pretend like I was reading it with the casting director. In acting terms, I was at performance level in the audition. It's funny because I only did this because I was scared to death that someone would find out I couldn't read.

I also enjoyed singing, and started formal lessons at 8. Though I started studying acting at the age of 4, my best childhood teacher was at The American Academy for the Performing Arts. My teacher was popular actor Francis Lederer, a great, dear man.

KM.C: So how did THE NEW ADVENTURES OF HEIDI (1978) come about?

KK: I had been taught, by Francis, that a song is a monologue that you put to music. So at the audition for NEW... HEIDI, I sang "Edelweiss", which impressed them because I was feeling emotions I put into the lyrics.

KM.C: Did you enjoying working with Burl Ives?

KK: Burl Ives was a hard-working, humble, fantastic, incredible, dear man. And his wife Dorothy was also a sweetheart, a truly angelic figure. She believed in fairies and all that. In fact, she thought her husband was a materialized gnome! She even gave me my first amethyst, telling me it would be good for my spirit. Dorothy Ives was "New Age" before Shirley MacLaine went out on a limb.

KM.C: NEW... HEIDI is a real tour de force for you, with heavy dramatic acting, as well as many musical scenes, and you are excellent throughout. Was this a difficult shoot for you?

KK: No, it was great. Shooting took about three weeks on location, one week back in the studio. Sherrie Wills (Elizabeth) and I were great friends after filming NEW... HEIDI. Sleepovers and everything. Sherrie was such a sweet person. We were friends for years. I lost touch with Sean Marshall, soon after the filming though.

KM.C: Was NEW... HEIDI filmed in the States, or over in Switzerland? Some of the locations look so authentic.

KK: We filmed NEW... HEIDI on location in Aspen, Colorado, in the summer.

KM.C: And the winter scenes in Manhattan were on location too?

KK: No! The Manhattan scenes were filmed in downtown LA! The snow on the ground was soapsuds! It was murder to try to walk through and not slip!

KM.C: If you don't mind us saying so, you are a hell of a good crier! You really turn on the waterworks in NEW... HEIDI. Is it tough to get into "crying mode"?

KK: Thanks! I learned to cry on cue by the age of nine!

KM.C: Soon after NEW... HEIDI, you found yourself playing a perturbed teenager in DYNASTY (1981). How was it to work in a weekly TV series?

KK: Yes, I played Lindsay Blaisdel, the daughter of Bo Hopkins and Pamela Bellwood on the first season of DYNASTY. I would have to say this was my least favorite memory. Not the filming as such, but there was a weird vibe on the set.

You see, The original pilot by Esther and Richard Shapiro was called OIL, which was very intense and topical, very good. And it featured two families, a rich one, and a middle class one. Very realistic for the time. But Aaron Spelling had changes in mind for the story line. (Rumor has it that Mr. Spelling had "dibs" on the primetime slot on ABC that the Shapiros needed, and the Shapiros had to partner with Spelling to get OIL on the air, but I cannot verify this.)

Well, the show becomes DYNASTY, and the whole concept is changed. The middle class family is disbanded, and the rich family is featured, and by the second season, it was barely recognizable as the show the Shapiros had created. I was in the first season only.

I remember one concern was that I was, not tall, about 5'4", but Bo Hopkins and Pamela Bellwood were both vertically challenged. They had a time making me look like their kid! Of course, that was nothing compared to the problems they must have had when Bo worked with Linda Evans!

Anyway, after the first season, my character was written off, in a most unpleasant way: I was taken to South America by my father, suffered a terrible car crash, and was burned beyond recognition! Ouch! What a way to end! Also, I played a very unhappy, depressed character in the show. I was always whining about something! Nowadays, depressed teenagers are a dime a dozen on network TV, but back then, it wasn't a popular archetype, so I probably got the least fan mail of anyone on the show!

KM.C: How did you land this series role?

KK: I got the part on DYNASTY because the director, Ralph Senensky, had worked with me on NEW... HEIDI and HOW THE WEST WAS WON (1979), and recommended me for the role. He knew that I could cry when he needed me to, and we liked working with each other.

KM.C: Yes, you often played troubled souls. And played them well!

KK: I was a depressed little kid. I had a terrible time in school. My parents were hippies. They were divorced. My mother married a dark Puerto Rican and was then disowned by her father. Unfortunately, Grandfather was a product of his upbringing. I was born in 1965 and as tumultuous as the era was, my family drama kept beat. Anyway, I knew how to get into those deep, dark places, which directors seemed to appreciate.

KM.C: So what's it like being Heidi today? Are you recognized often?

KK: Hardly ever! Which I like! I enjoy being "in-famous", if you will! At least I can lead a normal life! To be famous and not working is an old story...

KM.C: What do you enjoy in your spare time?

KK: Oh, I'm a documentary junkie! A&E, Discover, History Channel, Science Channel. I have my TIVO chugging away all day! I also have a Koi pond which is my pride and joy, aside from my husband Scott.

KM.C: You are also a filmmaker! Can you tell us about THE POOL BOY (2001)?

KK: THE POOL BOY is my first experiment as a filmmaker. I made a lot of mistakes, mostly in post, but that's how you learn. We shot in 35mm, primarily because we got the film and camera for free! The whole production cost around $14,000! I edited the darn thing at home on my old computer, using "Adobe Premiere". We entered some film festivals, but nothing. Chalk it up to experience!

I had to overdub a couple of lines, so I went to the recording studio to do the ADL (automatic dialogue replacement), and I told the technician I needed to practice in the sound booth and wear out my voice so it would sound right for the scene. You see, I had been sick during the filming and had lost my voice. Well, I proceeded to let out several blood-curdling screams that must have caught him by surprise, because he burst into a fit of expletives!

KM.C: One of your recent films is GOD, SEX AND APPLE PIE (1998), a wonderful update on the "reunion of friends" theme explored in films like THE BIG CHILL and RETURN OF THE SEACAUCUS SEVEN. You play Maggie, a long-suffering Yuppie housewife who's married to a cad. It's a great role for you, and you play some heavy dramatic scenes (again!). Indeed, you cry a lot in this film too! Do you gravitate towards "tragic heroines", or is this just the luck of the draw?

KK: As I mentioned, directors know I'm good at those type of roles. GOD, SEX AND APPLE PIE was a fun shoot. In fact, that's where I met my husband, Scott Steele. He was the DP.

KM.C: What current projects are you working on?

KK: Well, right now I'm associate producer on the hit series, DINNER FOR FIVE, on Independent Film Channel (Friday Nights at 10 E/P). It stars Jon Favreau (SWINGERS & ELF), and every week he has four new guests joining him for an informal dinner. We film on location, and it's such a great forum to hear people say what's really on their minds. Very casual, very friendly.

And great guests! We've had Gary Shandling, Burt Reynolds, Peter Falk, Cheri Oteri, Jeff Goldblum, Daryl Hannah, Sarah Silverman, Bonnie Hunt, Martha Plimpton. Fred Willard, lots of great people. "Dinner" usually takes about three hours, and then of course we cut it down. I'm mostly involved with coordinating the talent, as well as keeping an eye on the kitchen and the serving. It's a great show to work on, very fun!

You know, Peter Billingsley (the kid from A CHRISTMAS STORY) is a producer on the show too. He is a real pro.

KM.C: Well, many thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us. THE NEW ADVENTURES OF HEIDI has a big cult following, as you probably know, and to us, you truly are "TV's All-American Girl"!