The Big Audition

Her big chance came with a telephone call from her agent informing her that the Norman Lear Productions casting director, Jane Murray, wished to talk to Valerie about auditioning for a part in a new CBS TV pilot. Valerie at 15 would find herself at the right place at the right time with the perfect face, attitude, and sensibility that one of Hollywood's most successful producers had been searching for. Now this casting call I tell you was the one that would catapult whoever played the role of one of the daughters on the show into the stratosphere of famedom among the young males as well as females to imitate.

Valerie says there were so many girls, like sitting in line down this looooooong hall way on CBS. Norman Lear says she was a dead ringer for her daughter Maggie, who was about the same age, and he told Valerie that he can't let Valerie leave because she looks so much like Maggie. Nancy feared that the producers would slowly tell each child that they didn't get the part and they would be in line for something else. Valerie remembers the casting director coming out, and saying that she wait there and telling the other girls that they can go home now and Valerie thought oh my god she thinks she got it and was so excited after the other girls left, the casting dir says Val got the job.