I was watching "1941" one of those comedies from my youth that could not be made today (and
certainly not made with a PG rating). There was a lot of great comedy talent in the movie, some we knew like John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd, while others that looked familiar but weren't household names, like John Candy, Treat Williams, and Christopher Lee (yes, THAT Christopher Lee). There was one bit player, who I thought stole the show, was Maxine, the hyperactive, no-BS, totally infatuated friend, played by Wendie Jo Sperber.
Don't remember the name? She was the big girl.
She played this type of role before, as a Beatle-mania obsessed fan in the "I Want to Hold Your Hand", and later she would bring her comedic talents in "Used Cars" and on the TV Show "Bosom Buddies" with Tom Hanks. She had all the talent in the world, but one thing she wasn't was thin.
There had been lots of other funny women before Wendie Jo: Lucile Ball, Carol Burnett, and Betty White to name a few. Then in the 1960's and 70's we saw the rise of Gilda Radner, Lily Tomlin, Mary Tyler Moore, along with hosts of others. All of them very funny. All of them very thin. Looking at the cast of Laugh-In and early Saturday Night Live was like a warning call on the dangers of anorexia. No woman in comedy could make it, it seems, unless they were both very funny and very thin. I don't blame them for being thin; knowing how image conscious the entertainment business was then (okay, and now), there was no way for a woman to make it in comedy unless she was wafer thin.
Not Wendie Jo.
She was a big girl, with big talent and it didn't stop her from getting laughs. Sometimes they were due to her enthusiasm and energy. Sometimes, it was because of her size. Wendie Jo would go on to moderate success in movies and TV. She got typecast as the big girl, and some movies used her weight as the source of jokes. Comedy was done by the thin, and not all producers and directors knew what to do with her. Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg brought out her best. Others did not.
Parts dried up for her, and then in 1997, at the young age of 39 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Rather than retreat from the disease, she fought it for eight years, both on TV (with a special appearance on "Murphy Brown", and in the public, raising awareness for the disease and support for its victims. On Nov 29, 2005, she passed away. Tom Hanks spoke fondly of Wendie Jo as "a walking inspiration."
Beyond what she did for the fight against cancer, Wendie Jo I think deserves to be recognized for what she on the perception of what a funny woman can look like. I can't think of another woman in comedy before her that wasn't thin; however, after Wendie Jo burst through the door, size did not necessarily stop talent. Other larger woman have followed in her footsteps, like Roseanne Barr, Rosie O'Donnell, Melissa McCarthy, and Rebel Wilson, to name a few.
So on the 10th anniversary of her passing, I think it is time she got some recognition for her impact on comedy. Wendy Jo, take your bow.
Don't remember the name? She was the big girl.
She played this type of role before, as a Beatle-mania obsessed fan in the "I Want to Hold Your Hand", and later she would bring her comedic talents in "Used Cars" and on the TV Show "Bosom Buddies" with Tom Hanks. She had all the talent in the world, but one thing she wasn't was thin.
There had been lots of other funny women before Wendie Jo: Lucile Ball, Carol Burnett, and Betty White to name a few. Then in the 1960's and 70's we saw the rise of Gilda Radner, Lily Tomlin, Mary Tyler Moore, along with hosts of others. All of them very funny. All of them very thin. Looking at the cast of Laugh-In and early Saturday Night Live was like a warning call on the dangers of anorexia. No woman in comedy could make it, it seems, unless they were both very funny and very thin. I don't blame them for being thin; knowing how image conscious the entertainment business was then (okay, and now), there was no way for a woman to make it in comedy unless she was wafer thin.
Not Wendie Jo.
She was a big girl, with big talent and it didn't stop her from getting laughs. Sometimes they were due to her enthusiasm and energy. Sometimes, it was because of her size. Wendie Jo would go on to moderate success in movies and TV. She got typecast as the big girl, and some movies used her weight as the source of jokes. Comedy was done by the thin, and not all producers and directors knew what to do with her. Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg brought out her best. Others did not.
Parts dried up for her, and then in 1997, at the young age of 39 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Rather than retreat from the disease, she fought it for eight years, both on TV (with a special appearance on "Murphy Brown", and in the public, raising awareness for the disease and support for its victims. On Nov 29, 2005, she passed away. Tom Hanks spoke fondly of Wendie Jo as "a walking inspiration."
Beyond what she did for the fight against cancer, Wendie Jo I think deserves to be recognized for what she on the perception of what a funny woman can look like. I can't think of another woman in comedy before her that wasn't thin; however, after Wendie Jo burst through the door, size did not necessarily stop talent. Other larger woman have followed in her footsteps, like Roseanne Barr, Rosie O'Donnell, Melissa McCarthy, and Rebel Wilson, to name a few.
So on the 10th anniversary of her passing, I think it is time she got some recognition for her impact on comedy. Wendy Jo, take your bow.
