By Laura Lee Leathers
Actress Sandy Duncan in the film adaptation of Neil Simon’s play “The Star-Spangled Girl.”
After completing my military schooling as a cryptanalyst (deciphering Morris Code) at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, I was assigned to Augsburg, Germany, with the Army Security Agency. Here, I debuted my first significant acting role.
Have you ever heard of the Broadway production “The Star-Spangled Girl” (1966)? It’s a comedy written by Neil Simon, set in San Francisco in the 1960s. I know, I’m dating myself. The story revolves around two journalists, Norman and Andy, who both fall in love with an all-American girl named Sophie.
The play came to Augsburg when a friend and her husband, who had worked behind the sets of several Broadway plays, decided to produce “Star-Spangled Girl” for the military and civilian personnel stationed there. Somehow, I got roped into auditioning.
To my surprise, I got the part of Sophie! I was given the script and instructed to memorize it. What had I done?
Every spare moment, I focused on memorizing the script. Then came rehearsals. I had to practice a Southern drawl because, at that time, I didn’t have one. I think it stuck.
The three-act play ran for six weeks. For the first time ever, I had to dye my hair — blonde instead of my natural auburn. My hair felt like straw and took almost a year to recover.
The young man who played Andy worked in my department as a Russian linguist. As we spent time together learning our lines, he shared his passion for acting and desire to pursue a Hollywood career.
After 50 years, I remember the experience being challenging, fast-paced, and enjoyable. And I remember one line, probably the most important line of the play, at the end. Sophie, madly in love with Andy, turns to him and says – with a long-drawn-out Southern drawl – “I like the way you smell.”
The audience would burst out laughing. Then, after the play, the three of us would return to the stage for the curtain call while a recording played the “Hallelujah Chorus” by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
From Augsburg to Hollywood
After performing with Laura in “The Star-Spangled Girl,” actor Jack Blessing found success in Hollywood, including (pictured) in the TV series “Small & Frye.”
What about my coworker who wanted to pursue an acting career? His name was Jack Blessing (1951-2017). After his discharge, he started his professional career at Boston’s seminal improvisational company, where a Paramount casting director spotted him and cast him in the television film “The Defection of Simas Kudirka” (1978) with Alan Arkin.
Eventually, Jack moved to Los Angeles. He found roles in television and movies such as “Small & Frye” (1983) and collaborated with actors such as George C. Scott, Kirk Douglas, Melissa Gilbert, and Jon Voight, among others. He also did voiceovers for more than 3,000 movies and television shows.
An All-American girl
My experience taught me to be willing to try new things. As I stepped out of my comfort zone, this country girl gained confidence in her gifts, talents, and abilities. Over the years, my acting career continued with Vacation Bible School skits, short acts for women’s ministry, and mission events.
I’m grateful to call myself an all-American girl, to have been born in America to patriotic parents, for the opportunity to serve my country, and for the Declaration of Independence. Most of all, I’m thankful for God’s amazing grace that saved a wretch like me. It’s in Him I find true freedom and liberty.
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free,
and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
Galatians 5:1, NKJV
Laura Lee Leathers is a writer and speaker. Imagine Lois Lane, over 65, living on a farm. Her metropolis is the area of freelance writing. Her primary love interest is the Word of God. She digs for information, interviews fascinating people, offers a cup of biblical hospitali-tea, and encourages, and helps others with the how-to’s of life. Visit LauraLeeLeathers.com.