Karen Valentine Reflects on Uncomfortable Moment on The Dating Game

Karen Valentine remembers the rocky road to her award winning character as a student turned teacher in the popular television show Room 222.

Propelling her to stardom, the show, and which last aired nearly 5 decades ago, is something she cherishes to-date, unlike The Dating Game which she sheepishly acknowledges it was an experience that was pathetic, meaning she has no love lost.

Before they rose to stardom celebrities such as Suzanne Somers, Tom Selleck, Leif Garret, and Farrah Fawcett had appeared on The Dating Game, the original dating reality show that not only inspired hundreds of other shows to come, but also features new actors.

Karen Valentine was among such stars who performed in the Dream Girl of 1967 TV series produced by Chuck Barris, and was called in later on the dating show that Barris, as well, produced.

Valentine had been a teen beauty queen who was put in a position to interview three eligible bachelors hiding behind a separating wall.

After acknowledging that she believed the infliction would have been innocent fun, she told her poor selection to make it a horrible experience.

That was bad, the guy had the impression that this was actually a date, do you know? The Dating Game became more serious later in time when individuals would be taken on trips,” added Valentine, 78, to Closer Weekly. My only experience with the Ambassador Hotel was to attend a performance there, but the fellow imagined we were going to do the limo and it, was, like, You know that this is a first date, right? It was sleazy. You see, you would go out to a dinner and you would go to a show, which is the prize that I would get, but the fellow believed this was serious. I was desperate to bail out of the date. You see, save the money, who cares to go on a date? Another show from me. He says, give me a chance or try to act or something.’”

That regret having been left far behind, then came the TV movie, Gidget Grows Up (1969), in which she made the shift to starring in the popular TV series, Room 222 (1969 to 1974). The title of the avant-garde TV program was a black high school teacher, who was played by award-winning Lloyd Haynes 1934-1987, who attempted to teach students to be tolerant.

James L Brooks, who was the brainchild of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Taxi and such films as As Good as it Gets and Terms of Endearment, and Gene Reynolds, one of the creators and producers of MAS*H, created the show and produced it respectively.

In 1970, Room 222 swept Primetime Emmy Awards, taking awards as Outstanding New Series, as well as supporting awards going to Valentine and Michael Constantine, later seen in My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002).

Valentine called her initial nomination and win kind of mind-blowing because it happened so soon, so quickly. And just to be by Carol Burnett and her being able to say, you know, to her, that with this, oh, congratulations. It was, as it were, Thank you. But Carol Burnett is to know me? Just incredible.”

The young actress remembers how she was starstruck when she met another iconic actor.

Valentine began, saying, I was having singing lessons then, and I went to my singing lesson. Gregory Peck also took lessons… By the time that I was at the teacher piano and we went to go by a window and he saw me and kind of mimed, You did it! I was, Oh my God. It is Gregory Peck!’ Why me? Why did I have the chance to bump into these stars and geniuses straight away?”

Closer Weekly reports that critics were raving over Room 222 and yet in the fourth season, ratings plummeted and the program was axed mid-season.

I do not know why things changed,” said Valentine, remembering the time that the network informed the cast the show was canceled. They had wherewithal to have given us the word it was coming in and it was sad, well, you know it is always sad, but when you feel you are putting on a good product and have a good show to have it taken away. There was a change of mind, however, and the network decided to veer toward another direction. That is what they would always tell you, “We have chosen a new direction.”

When Room 222 was cancelled, she guest starred in a show called Karen (1975) that Reynolds made, but it too got cancelled after only four months because it was low rating.

Characterizing the show as having a premise as “provocative political tales which were a sharp, comic commentary on contemporary newspaper headlines of the day,” Valentine explained, “The original opening titles were a parody of the opening of the movie, Patton.” You were having me parading in front of an American flag instead of George C. Scott. Awesomely smart, and never broadcast.” She added, It was converted into me bicycling around D.C. Compared to a political-themed drama/comedy that would be issue-based, the network had something less tough at mind and more romantic and personal: not too complicated either. I would say it was ahead of its time.”

Stage actress, as well as Broadway performer, Valentine kept her career alive as a semi-regular on The Hollywood Squares (1971 to 1977), and in the episodes of television series such as Murder She Wrote and The Love Boat.

Her final film was 2004 Wedding Daze, where she acted alongside John Laroquette, which aired on Hallmark Channel.

Reflecting back on her experience on Room 222, which gave her a jumping off and starting point at such an early age, Valentine fondly remembers what she went through: to have that kind of experience the first time out and to work with all those people, whether actors or producers, the show means nothing but the fondest and best memories in the world to me.” She continues to say, “It also kind of spoiled me, in that, it created a really high expectation bar, as well. So when other things come unto thee, thou sayest, What is this? It was not the same, you see. However, I was lucky because I did receive pretty fun and crafted material.”

Are you a Karen Valentine aficionado? What is your favorite film or TV show on which she appeared?

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