Joan Copeland Turns 99 Today

I love Fanfare for the Common Man!

Her late husband was Chief Engineer of the New York Sanitation Department (based in Flushing, I assume).

She had a sweet gig with a recurring role as a judge on Law and Order. Arthur Miller wrote some sweet things about her in his memoir Timebends and she had a stage role in one of his late career theater works.

Andrea Whiting on Search For Tomorrow.

Will there be a cake 🎂 at least?

Is she wearing the depends?

BB&B

She was great on All in the Family with Billy Crystal.

Wiki

Her pussy must really stink by now!

You bring so much to the table, r10.

She was on One Life To Live.

65 years ago...

Life of a Saleswoman.

Saw her interviewed once and she told some great stories about replacing Eleanor Parker in Pal Joey and imagine standing by for Hepburn who didn’t want a standby?

In her later L&O appearances she reminded me of Sly Stallone. Not because of any plastic surgeries SHE'd had, but because of HIS.

Also stood by for Vivien Leigh in "Tovarich". Don't know if she was wanted or not in that case...

Any of you bitches see her one woman show, mundanely called "Joan's Show"? She was 89 when it opened.

What was the reason for replacing Parker, r15?

Parker quit the show right before a Saturday matinee during early previews. Copeland had to go on for her script in hand. Parker locked herself in her dressing room so Joan had to play the role in her street clothes. She kindly never mentioned Parker by name when she told the story. Edward Vilella also quit and was replaced by Christopher Chadman.

She was so mean to Patti!

She’s a cunt. Why is she alive?

Speaking of Marilyn, how did we miss her recent 95th birthday?!

You married him because he was a writer and in those days that meant queer!

Like Betty White, Joan decided she couldn't be bothered to stick around until her 100th birthday.

Oh no! Not Andrea Whiting from Search For Tomorrow!!!!

My mother watched "Search for Tomorrow' when I was a kid. When I read that Joan Copeland was playing Danny Kaye's wife in "Two by Two," I thought, "Wow. Andrea Whiting from 'Search for Tomorrow' is in a Broadway musical."

She will always be Monica Courtland to me.

Joan Copeland was out of "Search for Tomorrow" for awhile so Andrea Whiting was played by Nancy Marchand.

I saw her onstage in Pal Joey and Dr. Jazz. I saw Dr. Jazz in an early preview when she was one of three leads, the others being Bobby Van and Lola Falana. By the time the show opened, Copeland's part had been written out. They made major changes to Dr. Jazz during previews but the show got worse, not better, and it flopped.

Eleanor Parker quit that Pal Joey revival because Edward Villella did. She quit immediately after he did. Villella was one of the biggest stars at New York City Ballet at the time and it was the first time he had attempted a musical. He asked his mentor Jerome Robbins to come see the final dress rehearsal. Robbins told him not to allow the New York critics to see him in the part and he quit. It was only 2 or 3 days before the scheduled first performance and the show almost closed but, as mentioned, Christopher Chadman, a Fosse dancer and later a choreographer, and Joan were able to take over on almost no notice and at least get the show open. It was an overlong, lackluster production and the reviews were kind but not enthusiastic.

My aunt went to high school with her in Brooklyn. I don't think that age is accurate. Auntie would have been 104. There's an outside chance Auntie was a senior when Joan was a freshman but I doubt it. I think she shaved a couple of years off.

^ Quite possible. Jews enjoy great longevity.