GE

Let's say goodbye to Georgia Engel, who died a few days ago.  She had a way about her like no one else.

After doing some stage work, Engel's first movie was Taking Off (1971), Milos Forman's first film after he moved to America, and one of his oddest.  It's about how times are changing, and though it isn't well remembered, from the start you can see that Georgia is a memorable presence.

Engel also had a weird role as a crime victim in a curious film about a French hit man in Los Angeles called The Outside Man.  Then she booked a guest shot on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, playing Georgette, a fellow employee of Rhoda Morgenstern's who shows up at one of Mary's parties. It was supposed to be a one-off--she only had a few lines--but Engel was so delightful they asked her back.

Before long she became a regular and Georgette started dating, then married, anchorman Ted Baxter.  The relationship helped to deepen his character, and the show as well.  Georgia herself became a fan favorite as the goofy and generally cheerful woman who may not appear to be all there, but knows what's what when it matters.  Engel received two Emmy nominations before the show left the air.

(Perhaps this is an odd thing to note right now, but Valerie Harper was diagnosed with brain cancer over five years ago. It's good to know she's still around, but since then, Mary Tyler Moore and now Engel have passed away.)

She continued to do good work over the next few decades, mostly on TV.  Other notable roles include Shirley Burleigh on Coach and Pat MacDougall on Everybody Loves Raymond.  She even got three Emmy nominations as Guest Actress for the latter.

But she'll always be Georgette to me.