Q&A With Lindsay Bloom

Exclusive Interview by Karen Beishuizen
Photos courtesy of Lindsay Bloom

Lindsay Bloom is an American actress who starred as the lead in the 1975 movie “Six Pack Annie” and as Jean Harlow in the 1978 movie “Hughes and Harlow: Angels in Hell”. On TV she switchboard operator Maybelle on “The Dukes of Hazzard” and Mike Hammer’s secretary Velda on The Mike Hammer series. She works in Sales and Marketing now but continues to do personal appearances at autograph shows for “The Dukes of Hazzard”. She has been married to actor, singer and songwriter Mayf Nutter for 46 years.

KB: Did you always want to become an actress growing up?

No, I wanted to grow up and be a professional dancer like Juliet Prowse, Ann Margaret, etc.

Growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, I loved to dance! My Mom started me in ballet lessons when I was 5 years old. As I got older, I loved learning Jazz routines (besides lots of Ballet classes) and even got a crash course in Tap dancing to replace someone in the Omaha Community Playhouse show, “Damn Yankees”!

KB: What was your first ever Acting Role? Do you remember how you felt?

My first acting role was on “The New Dick Van Dyke Show” (filmed in Carefree, AZ)! I worked with Dick on 2 episodes when I was 20yrs old. Carl Reiner directed both episodes! The producers Saul Turtletaub and Bernie Orenstein had seen me in the recent Miss Arizona Pageant (where I danced, etc.) and asked me to come in for an interview. I was thrilled when I got the part!

KB: “Six Pack Annie”: How did you get this part? What were the audience reactions to the skimpy wardrobe and language?

I auditioned for “Six Pack Annie” several times back in the spring of 1975. I had recently returned from doing my first movie in The Philippines; “Cover Girl Models”. My agent submitted me for the title role. The last girl I had to beat was Catherine Bach! (She later played Daisy on “The Dukes Of Hazzard”). I was so excited to work with Bruce Boxleitner, Jana Bellan, Larry Mahan, Joe Higgins, Stubby Kaye, and so many character actors! American International Pictures sent me out on tour to the Midwest and South to promote our movie that summer (since my initial meeting with theatre owners had gone so well).

The audience reactions were great! We started out in Memphis where Rick Dees introduced me at all the theatre’s I went to. (Long before his hit record “Disco Duck”). We also did an interview on his Radio Show. I’m still getting fan mail requests to sign photos and the Six Pack one sheet 50 years later from “Six Pack Annie”! So YES, the audience liked my movie!

KB: You later played Jean Harlow in the movie “Hughes and Harlow: Angels in Hell”. How did you prepare to become Jean Harlow and how difficult or easy was it?

I was fortunate to be asked by the director, Larry Buchanan, to come in for a meeting about the part. I had met Larry earlier when he was looking for an actress to play Marilyn Monroe in his movie “Goodbye Norma Jean”. I was even in the Marilyn Monroe lookalike contest in Hollywood which was featured in People Magazine. It was down between Misty Rowe and me…. And she got the part. I was thrilled to be offered the role of Jean Harlow! I did a lot of preparation – read as many books about her that I could find. (Hard to find her movies from long ago). I wanted to capture her essence, not mimic her. To learn that she had died at 26yrs old really shocked me since I was 26yrs old when we started filming. After wardrobe fittings, hair style decisions, and make-up artist, Tina Hutchence, to help with the glamour look, I finally felt I looked the part! It was a joy to play Jean Harlow! We filmed at Culver City Studios and many locations.

BTW: last year I was interviewed for Tom Lisanti’s new book “Dueling Harlows” about the three actresses who got to play Jean Harlow in the movies!

KB: Maybelle on “The Dukes of Hazzard”: What is your fondest memory of working on that show?

Vivian McCrae, the casting director for the “Dukes of Hazzard”, called me in to audition for the switchboard operator, Maybelle Tillingham which was a one day job. My agent didn’t want me to go to the interview because he didn’t like the show, but I went ahead and got the job which became a recurring role for three seasons.

One of my favorite memories was when the Duke boys rescued me from the phone office after the bad guys had blown it up! I was tied up to a chair and laying on the floor!

KB: Velda on the Mike Hammer TV Series: How did you get the part and what’s it like working with Stacy Keach?

Wow….no simple answer. I call it the ‘Velda Marathon’! I got the call to audition for ‘Velda’ in mid-July 1983. After my first reading my agent called me and said, “I have good news and bad news. What do you want first?” I said, “Good first”. He said. “They loved your reading but they want you to lose 15 pounds!” I said, “What??? How long do I have to lose this weight?” He said, “a week, maybe 10 days.” My reply, “Yikes”! I immediately started fasting that whole week-end on protein shakes. Started aerobic classes on Monday morning for the next week. Also swam laps in my pool!

And so it began…when I went into read the 2nd time (2 weeks later) the casting director said “You’re looking better but you need to lose more weight! (I’d already lost 10 pounds). They loved your reading!”

I decided to add work outs with a trainer at Vince’s Gym at night! And doing 15 – 20 minutes of kicking in my pool. By mid-August I had lost 22lbs and went from a size 12 to a size 6!!
The casting director Tim Flack called me in to tell me that I had the best reading but thought that I should dye my hair brunette before I screen tested with Stacy Keach. He shared that the producer, Jay Bernstein, told him, “I don’t care how many times you bring that Lindsay Bloom girl in here, she is not right for the part”

I should mention here that Tanya Roberts (who had done the pilot) was unavailable for the TV series as she was in Africa filming a movie “Sheena of the Jungle” for which she had bleached her hair blonde!

So, I went to my hairdresser Betty Pehrson, (after much personal debating) and let her color my hair a medium brown. What a shock that was! So I went back to show my new hair color to the casting director. He said it looks a lot better but you need to go darker! Yikes! So off I went again to my hairdresser. Now my hair was a dark chestnut brown!

But I still needed the perfect outfit to look like “VELDA! So my husband, Mayf Nutter, said, “Here’s the money, now go to Beverly Hills and get a great outfit!”. Which I did… A royal blue, silk blouse and skirt (with a slit on the side).

By now there were 7 girls still vying for the role of ‘Velda” (out of the original 5,000 that Jay Bernstein had interviewed all summer).

I screen tested with Stacy Keach 2 times so he never saw me with blond hair! The last actress I competed with for the role of ‘Velda” was Delta Burke. When my agent called me later that afternoon to tell me “I got the part of Velda” I yelled “Really? You are not kidding, right?”

My husband and I celebrated that night at dinner. Then the hard work began….all the fittings with wardrobe, appointments with make-up and hair, meetings with producers, public relations people, interviews… I could barely catch my breath.

But in retrospect: I loved every minute of it!

KB: Are there people you would love to collaborate with or wished you had?

I would have loved to have worked with Jack Nicholson and Burt Reynolds. I was asked to play David Soul’s girlfriend in a Movie of The Week (to be shot in Japan) but Columbia Pictures TV wouldn’t let me out of my Mike Hammer contract (while we were on hiatus).

I was also interviewed several times to play Beau Bridges wife in a movie, but the director, Mel Ferrer, thought I looked too young (even though I was 36) to have a 16 yr. old daughter but liked my screen test with Beau.

KB: I give you the lead in a movie and you can pick the director and co-star: who would you pick and why?

Back when I was acting full time (in the 80’s) I would have picked Leo Penn to direct and Robert Urich to co-star.

I met Leo when he directed an episode of “Mike Hammer”. He was gracious and gave me freedom to try different acting choices, but always guiding the unfolding story. I picked Robert because we had wonderful charisma when I played his girlfriend Rocket on two episodes of “Vega$” (which they were bringing me back as a recurring character in the 3rdseason but unfortunately the show got canceled).

KB: What are you currently up to?

While I’m still doing my Sales and Marketing job, I continue to do personal appearances at autograph shows for “The Dukes of Hazzard” (upcoming one in Alabama June 20th). The Hollywood Show (a Dallas reunion last year) and recently at the Bakersfield Comic Con. In my spare time I’m enjoying my five grandchildren (ages 4- 13) and researching my genealogy (I’m a member of the Daughter’s of The American Revolution and a charter member of the Colonial Dames of the 17th Century). I’ve been married to actor, singer and songwriter Mayf Nutter for 46 years.

Follow Lindsay on Facebook: HERE

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