Mary Martin actor, singer and mother of actor Larry Hagman talks about her career on stage and screen.
The Texas born superstar of show business has featured in Peter Pan, The Sound of Music, South Pacific, Annie Get Your Gun, Hello Dolly, to name but a few.
She is also probably very well known in Ireland as being the mother of JR. That is Mr Hagman himself.
Mary Martin describes how when she first arrived from Texas and she was given a complete makeover to conform to the standard look at the time in Hollywood.
She recalls, while starring on stage in South Pacific, that she washed her hair 28 times a week in front of an audience.
Growing up, Mary Martin says she was terrible at school but was a good performer which is what she always wanted to be. After graduating from High School, she went on to a girl's finishing school. However, her stay at finishing school was short lived. She ran away and got married and had her son Larry at the age of just 17.
Otherwise, we wouldn’t have JR.
Mary Martin says that while Larry Hagman never had any aspirations to act, he is now a wonderful actor and the best thing that ever happened to her.
This episode of The Late Late Show was broadcast on 21 March 1981. The presenter is Gay Byrne.
