1980s TV Shows: A Trip Down Memory Lane with… Carol Potter (Maggie Clinton in “Today’s FBI”)

Exclusive Interview by Karen Beishuizen

“Today’s FBI” was a crime drama series: an updated version of the series “The F.B.I.” Both shows were based on real cases. The old series ran for nine seasons and this series only for 18 episodes and a TV-movie pilot. It was aired on ABC from 1981 to 1982. Carol Potter played Maggie Clinton, the only female FBI member.

KB: “Today’s F.B.I.”: What was the show about?

It was an update about the Bureau that now included women and people of color, as well as ethnic groups like Italians. It is also a bureau where agents go undercover in order to infiltrate criminal activity. The challenges of this were sometimes the topic of a show.

KB: How did you get the part as Maggie Clinton?

As I recall, I auditioned twice; the second time included the producer David Gerber. I felt pretty confident but it was not much of a gauntlet as these things go. Many times you have to go through 4, 5 or even 6 auditions, the final one being for the network. I was happy not to have to go through that.

KB: What did you like about the character and how did you make it your own?

Maggie Clinton was a natural for me. She was a psychologist, and I majored in psychology in college. She was also a sharpshooter, and I had never shot a gun, so that was something new to explore. Of course, in college during the Vietnam War, the FBI were pretty much the bad guys, so there was some irony in me playing an FBI agent. I think that was part of the point of the show: this is not the white guys in black suits and aviator sunglasses FBI of the 60’s; it is the new, diverse FBI who is trying to protect Americans, not surveil them.

KB: Did you get training from real FBI agents on the set and what did the training look like?

There were advisers on set, but I don’t remember a lot of training. Some of the expectations, especially of women agents, were pretty odd. For instance, women agents did not wear their guns on their persons, the way the men did; we carried them in our purses! In a special holster. Heard stories from the women about their purses being snatched, the robber unsuspecting, but then they are also out of a gun. In those days, they didn’t wear a lot of pants, as women in new TV Series playing law enforcement often do. So, here you are, in a skirt, wearing high heels, carrying your gun in a purse. The women did tell me, though, that they wore makeup, did their nails and generally tried to emphasize their femininity, so as not to blend in too much with the men. I think it was an attempt to highlight their roles, be professional and keep some of the rowdiness men can get into when left on their own in check.

After the show ended, I was invited to Quantico to work out. These days all actors work out at the gym, and they are in much better shape than I was in those days. I did Pilates, but I could not climb up a wall, as part of an obstacle course, without help. By the time I got near the top of the wall, I was laughing hysterically at my incompetence, which certainly didn’t help! They had to literally drag me over the top! Learning to shoot a gun, however, was very cool, and it turned out I was a pretty good shot. I shot at targets in a gun range, outdoors on my stomach with a long range rifle and even held, and shot a few times, a machine gun. Really fun, but you have to watch for the kick. It was also great to meet the three agents whose careers had been combined to make Maggie Clinton. They were solid people, very inspiring.

KB: How did a week on the set looked like from getting the script to filming?

As with most hour shows in my experience, the hour-long episode was shot over 7 days. You received the script for the next episode while still shooting the one before. In addition, when arriving on set, you received the colored paper rewrites for the scenes you were going to shoot that day. There was a specific progression of colors through drafts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, and then repeat, but I don’t remember the progression. I just remember green pages, and blue pages, yellow and pink. And white, of course. We did not do a sit-down read-through of any of the scripts; people showed up for their scenes in whatever location, and shot all the scenes in that location. We did shoot our offices at Laird Studios, which was in Culver City, but pretty much everything else was on location. That can be difficult, with the interruption of planes over head, dealing with traffic and neighborhood onlookers, but LA is used to it. I think it leant a lot of authenticity to the show.

I remember vividly the first day of filming in Los Angeles. I was staying with friends in Santa Monica, not having found my own place yet. There had been a Writers’ Strike, so we were 2-3 months behind. It was August and our first day was in San Gabriel, about an hour drive from Santa Monica. I got up at 3:30 and, in addition to my usual morning meditation, I did yoga! I didn’t have to worry about breakfast, because you get that on set when you have an early call, but I must have had a little something. I was so gung ho! Once we got into the rhythm of shooting, though – it is a pretty grueling schedule – I never did that again. I just slept as late as I could, showered and got on my way, figuring I would find a time to meditate on set.

KB: Every episode was based on real cases I believe?

Yes. There was also a book, called “Inside the FBI” by Andrew Tully which related some of these stories. We each got a copy, I believe, signed by William Webster who was then head of the FBI. I met him when I went to Quantico, and it turned out he knew a cousin of mine from St. Louis. Small world.

KB: Do you have a favorite episode on the whole show and why this one?

We shot the first episode, which was aired as a 2-hour movie, in New York. Joe Cali goes undercover with the mob, gets in a little too deep, so they send me in as his “girlfriend” to help him stick to the objective. He’s getting pulled in to the loyalty to the mob, and I am there to make sure his mind stays clear as to where his true loyalties lie.

There is another one involving an agent, who was a guest star, who is also undercover, and I am monitoring him and concerned that he too is losing his way, psychologically. There was also one where I have to try to talk a hostage taker into letting people go. I liked the way they used my character, although these days I am sure she would be involved in more of the action. Seems like everyone does action these days.

KB: Looking back now would you have played Maggie Clinton differently?

I am sure I would be doing a lot differently now, as my relationship to my work has changed, but I do not like watching myself on film, terribly self-conscious. I see all the little gestures and stuff I would like to eliminate. It’s all in the face; keep it simple and focused. One of the reasons I like the stage is that I get to use my whole body, much more relaxing.

KB: There are still people, like me, who grew up with this show on TV in the 80s and think it’s great. Does this surprise you?

In a way, it does, although I did get fan mail from people who related to my intelligence, the Kate Jackson of the FBI. I was always the smart one, not the glamorous one. We only lasted one season, and though we got a 28 share – an unheard of number these days, but the 3 major networks were still king, and cable had only just begun to encroach on their monopoly. So we lost out to “T.J. Hooker” starring the incomparable William Shatner and the beautiful and equally talented Heather Locklear.

And I have to talk about working with Mike Connors; it was an honor and a privilege. He was the coach, teaching me camera techniques, how to make sure I am in the frame, shifting his own body so I would be better seen. One of the most unassuming people I have ever met, he was still married to his high school sweetheart and every day recognized his good fortune at having turned his college basketball career into an acting career. A genuine guy in a town full of phonies, unassuming in a town of braggarts and a quiet, confident presence in a town full of raging egomaniacs. Kind, generous and totally professional. I felt lucky to be working with him.

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