In 1983, Teri Garr revealed why she wants to be remembered for ‘Young Frankenstein’

Carry no matter what you do, you have the feeling that everybody always still remembers you mainly from Young Frankenstein. Well, I don’t know, but I certainly hope so. That is such *** classic. Everybody has rented the thing, I think from *** video tape store. And, uh, it almost seems like you’re so identified with that role that people think you’ve done far more movies with Mel Brooks than Gene Wilder than you actually have. I know people do they think? Oh, yeah, you’re one of those, uh, Mel Brooks people. But I’m not only that one movie, in fact, you know, *** lot, *** lot of times in New York cab drivers go. Aren’t you Madeline Kane? I go. No, no, I’m not Madeleine Kane call on folks. Anyway, uh, looking back over your, uh, your history. You were in the beach party movies with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello or another type of beach party. So proud of it. Well, no, I was in one of those beach party movies. It was called Pajama Party and Annette was in it. Well, it was one of those beach party movies and, uh, Frankie wasn’t he in that? I don’t remember if it’s possible. Buster Keaton was in it. I know that Harvey Lembeck. But one of the first parts I ever did was in the conversation, which was *** Coppola movie. And um then after that, I did Young Frankenstein. Now Coppola has always been this fan of mine, which is so wonderful and he was the one that put me in. Uh Yeah. Uh what was that one you said about the horse? He also put you in that new one. He did that one from the heart, one from the heart. I knew he said Ace of Heart. See, I would have embarrassed myself if I have said that. Yeah, maybe I should have called it that Ace of Hearts. So he is one of your biggest fans. Is he, he’s one that really got you going on some of these things. Well, no, I mean, you know, at the time of young Frankenstein, uh young Frankenstein. No, the conversation, I really didn’t have an agent. I was working on, I was working on Sonny and Cher Show. It was sort of like *** one step above being *** cocktail waitress. And um I was doing commercials and I had, I had *** commercial agent and the woman that was casting, his film was *** commercial casting director. So she brought me in for the CPO movie. I mean, that’s the only and they remembered me and it didn’t even Coppola himself. It was *** guy who worked for him named Fred Roos, who was his casting director. So they brought me back for the Black Stallion. And, um, then I heard that he saw me on the Tonight Show and said, that’s the one I want to be in this movie. One from the Heart, which started *** whole snowballing effect into the toilet. What have you got coming up next? Well, the Sting Two was coming out for Universal. Is that gonna be good? Oh, yes, I hear it’s going to be great. And that’s with Jackie Gleason and Mac Davis. And then I’m in the other Black Stallion movie, but *** very small part, there’s *** new one, there’s *** new Black Stallion movie. Black Stallion returns with the same little boy. I love that one. Was he really that great of *** writer boy? Was he? Oh, yes. He’s from *** little, *** ranch in Colorado and he’s not actor at all. He’s just *** little boy. He’s great. Well, how old is he now? He’s old but he didn’t grow. Fortunately he, no, he’s 15 and he’s 15 and he just like we did the movie last year and he, he stayed small but I understand he grew last year. Ok. Well, thank you very much, Terry. Nice meeting you. Thank you.

Teri Garr said she hopes people always remember her from ‘Young Frankenstein’ in 1983 interview

From background dancer to star, Teri Garr shared her favorite roles and career beginnings.

Updated: 10:08 AM EDT Oct 30, 2024

Teri Garr began her prolific career as a background dancer in Elvis Presley movies and later starred in hits like “Tootsie.”Garr said in a 1983 interview she hoped people would always recall her mainly from “Young Frankenstein.”She said people enjoyed the movie so much they widely associated her with Mel Brooks. “People think, oh yeah, you’re one of those Mel Brooks people. But I’m not. I only did that one movie.”She also talked about her early work in one of the “Beach Party” movies with Frankie Avalon and Buster Keaton. Garr also discussed her early work with Francis Ford Coppola in “The Conversation” and “The Black Stallion.”WATCH the full interview in the video above.Teri Garr died on October 29 at the age of 79.

Teri Garr began her prolific career as a background dancer in Elvis Presley movies and later starred in hits like “Tootsie.”

Garr said in a 1983 interview she hoped people would always recall her mainly from “Young Frankenstein.”

She said people enjoyed the movie so much they widely associated her with Mel Brooks. “People think, oh yeah, you’re one of those Mel Brooks people. But I’m not. I only did that one movie.”

She also talked about her early work in one of the “Beach Party” movies with Frankie Avalon and Buster Keaton. Garr also discussed her early work with Francis Ford Coppola in “The Conversation” and “The Black Stallion.”

WATCH the full interview in the video above.

Teri Garr died on October 29 at the age of 79.