S\o7 ally Struthers was a vital contributor to a national cultural landmark, the '70s TV comedy series "All in the Family." The Oregon-reared actress played Gloria, daughter of Carroll O'Connor's and Jean Stapleton's Archie and Edith Bunker, and wife of the rebellious Mike Stivic, played by Rob Reiner.
Struthers, 53, is now playing Louise Seger, a fan and friend of country star Patsy Cline, in "Always Patsy Cline." A new production of the musical, which Struthers has performed in three previous venues, previews this weekend and opens Monday at L.A.'s Coronet Theatre.
Christa Jackson, who toured with Struthers in a production of "Grease," plays Cline, after being recommended for the role by Struthers.
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Question: Patsy Cline was a star when you were still a kid. Do you have personal memories of her music from that period?
Answer: The first time I went to a rehearsal for the show, I realized that I had heard those songs. My parents loved music.
We always had the radio or the record player on, and we always sang in the car. My father, a doctor, would teach us filthy songs he learned in medical school. We'd sing them in "show and tell" at school, without realizing what we were singing. The teachers sent notes home.
My mother sang very well, and she must have sung some of those wonderful crossover hits [of Cline's]. My mother also wrote such silly, wonderful songs. Next door to my grandfather's beach house lived a dentist, Dr. Geiger. We were afraid of him. My mother wrote this ridiculous little ditty about him: [singing] "Dr. Geiger is a tiger/When he yanks at your incisor/Oh my dear, you'd be much wiser/If you stayed away from Geiger/Brush your teeth every day/That is the safe way/And your teeth are sure to shine/All of the time."
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Q: Is your mother still alive?
A: She died with Alzheimer's. But long after she had forgotten our names, she could still sing. For her last four months, she was in a care facility, and I was sitting with her one day when an accordion player came around, catering to the people her age by doing all these hits from the '30s. I started belting away. My mother turned to me and said, "You have a lovely voice. I bet your mother loves it when you sing."
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Q: In the show, you play a fan who became a friend of Cline's.
