by G. Jack Urso
When the opportunity to interview Hot Hero Sandwich cast member Claudette
Sutherland I immediately leapt at the opportunity. Not just because she is Hot Hero alumni, but she actually was,
unknowingly, a part of my childhood. Sutherland’s first role on Broadway was as
part of the original Broadway cast for How
to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying with Robert Morse in the lead
as J. Pierrepont Finch. My father — a repressed actor — loved the show. In
addition to having the soundtrack of the original Broadway cast (with
Sutherland), and seeing the film, we even had the board game!
A quirky tale of ladder-climbing that
parodies and satirizes the post-war obsession with corporate success, the story
starts off with the hero working in a mailroom, echoing Bruce and Carole Hart’s
personal manager Larry Weiss’ tale on how the legendary William Morris Agency started off their
agents-in-training in the mailroom.
 |
| Left to Right: Frankie Faison, L. Michael Craig, Saundra McClain, Claudette Sutherland, Jarret Smithwrick, and Andrew Duncan. From the episode 5 sketch, “What’s New.” |
Sutherland, along with Andrew Duncan,
Frankie Faison, Saundra McClain, and Adam Ross, form the supporting cast for Hot Hero Sandwich, performing the adult/parent
or child roles (the latter in the case for Ross), as needed. The steady,
experienced hand of the veteran older actors brought an efficiency and
stability to filming. As has been noted in several of the series’ actor
interviews, there were no extensive read-throughs or rehearsals in prep for the
sketches. Show up, know your lines, hit your marks, a couple of practice runs,
and then ACTION! Those cameras are rolling. You HAVE to be good.
These veteran actors brought a sharp
sense of timing in addition to portraying the wide variety of character types
needed.
Sutherland was working in theater
during the time of Hot Hero Sandwich,
but later moved to television, racking up an impressive number of parts, before
transitioning to teaching creative writing (please visit her website GotoClaudette.com). In our
conversation, we discuss the long arc of her career, her involvement with the
show, and the dynamics of being a supporting cast member. We also take look together
at a few sketches she hasn’t seen since broadcast to get her reaction and
analysis as a veteran stage actor and writer.
____________________________________________________
From Stage to Screen
Ae13U:
Did you intend acting for a career? It’s a perilous journey at best. Nothing is
guaranteed. There’s a lot of rejection, yet it attracts millions to pursue it —
willingly. What brought to decide that you had to try this?
Claudette
Sutherland: Well, I did intend it. I was at Yale for Yale School of Drama for
a while. When I got out of school, I went directly to New York and How to Succeed was the first audition I
had and I booked it. I mean, I just went, “Oh, that's easy.” You just go and
you sing and then you get the thing and then you do it! I was all sort of,
“Well, yeah, isn't that the way it's supposed to be?” But it wasn't for most
people and for me that was just really a piece of luck. Good luck. So, I was
grateful for that.
Ae13U:
How long were you with How to Succeed in
Business Without Really Trying?
Claudette
Sutherland: It ran for 2 1/2, three years, and I was in it the whole
time.
Ae13U:
Jumping ahead a few years, just prior to Hot
Hero Sandwich, you were mainly just doing theater at the time,
correct?
Claudette
Sutherland: That’s right
Ae13U:
Do you recall how you got involved with Hot
Hero Sandwich? Did your agent hook you, word-of-mouth, ads in the
trades?
Claudette
Sutherland: [laughter] I have no idea! I have no memory of that at all. Maybe
Bruce and Carole knew of me, they may have.
[Note
from series writer Sherry Coben: “Everyone involved in NY theatre knew of
Claudette, and everyone knew Andrew Duncan too from his work in improv and
comedy. There were a series of auditions for all the cast members, but it is
within the realm of possibility that Claudette and Andrew may have gotten
offers without auditioning. I think Frankie and Saundra probably auditioned
though since we weren’t that familiar with their work.”]
Ae13U:
Did you audition directly for Bruce and Carole?
Claudette
Sutherland: [laughter] That's so funny,
I don't even remember an audition. Sorry!
Ae13U:
Well, it was a while ago, though that seems to be fairly consistent with the
cast’s recollections. In the course of their careers, everyone must have gone
on hundreds of auditions, at least.
_________________________________________________
Name Jeans — Episode 8
Ae13U:
I’d like to draw on your theater experience and take a closer look at some
sketches from Hot Hero Sandwich,
which range from broad comedy to a more serious, realistic, “true-life”
situation.
One
sketch that comes to mind is the “Name Jeans” sketch from episode 8. Rather
than the broad comedy of, say, a Nightmare High sketch, this is a small scene
between you, as the mother, and Vicky Dawson, as the daughter. Playing out an
almost timeless theme — teens and the latest fashions. In this sketch, Vicky
wants to buy a pair of designer jeans for $40 (approx. $160 in 2023).
[Note:
This sketch was timely as 1979 was the height of Jordache Jeans’ well-funded PR
campaign and just preceded Calvin Klein’s infamous 1980 jeans ads with Brooke
Shields].
I
know you haven’t seen this since it was filmed, but I’d like to take a look at
that sketch with you now and get your thoughts.
Hot Hero Sandwich Episode 8: "Name Jeans.”
[Note:
Series writer Sherry Coben appears as the store clerk. The sketch itself may
have been written by Marianne Meyer.]
Claudette
Sutherland: [laughter] Oh, my God . .
. I have long hair. I was about a size
10, and I looked a little bit like Mary Tyler Moore, but other than that . . .
how funny.
Ae13U:
[laughter] Well, what like about this scene is . . . first, just to note for
our readers, the line about the mother’s t-shirt lasting longer than Elvis
comes just two years after he had passed away, so still a bit timely.
There
are a couple things about this sketch I like. First, it models a real-life
scenario for both parents and teens to watch together, which was part of the
vision I think the Harts had for the show, but also the acting in the scene is
pretty tight. The rapport between you both is believable. The dialog is snappy.
The timing is spot on. It’s a testament to you both, and Vicky is just 18
here.
Claudette
Sutherland: Yes, that’s right. I
remember.
Ae13U:
Yet, she keeps up with you, a Broadway vet. I’m wondering if you could share
some thoughts about this scene. To achieve that timing seems like it would take
a lot of rehearsal, but just the opposite is true here. You both got your
script, were expected to show up and know your lines, a couple run-throughs and
you’re filming, right?
Claudette
Sutherland: Well, you know, it
depends on the production, but in this case, and I must confess, to not being
able to remember a tremendous amount from that time because it was so long ago
because I’m so old [laughter], but sometimes the things that are done on the
fly are the ones that stay the freshest. So, you know, if you've got a time problem
with the scene or with the show or whatever, you know, it's not such a bad idea
to kind of step up to the plate and wing
it in a in a way. I don't remember that we had tremendous rehearsal time . . .
I don't remember a lot about that time.
Ae13U:
In my mind, knowing the long days that were put in, I’m thinking you’re all
standing around, doing read-throughs, exploring the characters, rehearsals, but
now I realize I realize you guys didn't have time for that.
Claudette
Sutherland: No, there's not. You just
go.
____________________________________________________
Fitting In — Episode 5
Ae13U:
OK. I have another scene cued up, from episode 5, “Fitting In,” with Denny
Dillon. Now, this is a much broader kind of comedy, so the question I’d like to
explore afterwards regards the strategies for doing this kind of broad comedy
built on stereotypes rather than the more character-driven and conversational
humor in the “Name Jeans” sketch. Let’s take a look and get your thoughts.
Hot Hero Sandwich Episode 5: "Fitting In."
[Note:
Sherry Coben and an associate producer also appear in this sketch as customer
extras.]
Ae13U:
I love that sketch, it still is pretty spot-on in that some teen themes, like
our appearance, are pretty timeless. While like “Name Jeans” it deals with the
teen obsession with appearances, the approach is much broader. Is there a
danger of “overacting” in such sketches, or can one really “overact” in these
pieces because they’re “over-the-top” to begin with?
Claudette
Sutherland: No, you don't have to
overact, but, you see, in all of these situations you simply trust the text.
And that's, you know, the text is what you have to work with and when the text
is good and well done, in my opinion, you just say it. I know that that sounds
simplistic, but for me that has always worked when the text is good, when the
script is good. If it doesn't then it shows like overacting or it shows as
underacting, whatever it shows, but when the script is good then you’re in fine
hands and you just have to trust it . . . and that makes you trust yourself and trust your first impulses.
Ae13U:
Since we’re discussing “fitting in,” Hot
Hero Sandwich had a large cast. It's a 50-minute show with seven main cast
members, five supporting cast members, you, Andrew Duncan, Saundra McClain,
Frankie Faison, and Adam Ross. I also
count Dr. Tom Cottle as a cast member because his segments took up time on the
show and set up the sketches. So, in a way, I look at him as a cast member as
week, so there's fourteen people all demanding attention to a degree. I wonder,
was the cast too big for the show?
Claudette
Sutherland: Gee, I never gave that
much thought. I guess I would have to sit and look through a hole through a
whole production to decide that, but at the time, I didn't. I didn't feel that
way at all. I thought it was very well produced and very well-written and I
think it really served its purposes.
Ae13U:
Having watched the entire series, I think that for such a large cast that they
made the effort to respect the actors enough to provide a balance of work for
everybody.
Claudette
Sutherland: Seemed to me, yes.
Ae13U:
I think they tried to give everyone the spotlight as much they could in a short
eleven-episode run. I thought Jarret Smithwrick and Vicky Dawson could have
done a bit more. They didn’t have characters like The Puberty Fairy, Tapedeck,
Stanley Dipstyck, Captain Hero, or Ym and Ur to have fun with, but perhaps a
small point given the abbreviated run.
I
recall talking with cast member Michael Longfield (L. Michael Craig) about his
experiences on film, specifically the film Taps,
where he noted there was a hierarchy, or at least a separation between the main
and supporting cast members. I’m sure there’s a big difference between a
Hollywood film and a TV production, but I’m curious if there any similar sort
of hierarchal dynamic on Hot Hero Sandwich, or were you just a bunch of
actors together working on your scenes?
Claudette
Sutherland: I would say that it's the
last because number one, there was no reason for us to be all together when we
were taping or anything of that sort. It was pieced together and then in
editing. That was what pulled it together and made it a whole show. So, I don't
have a memory of it being hierarchical.
 |
| Left to Right: Claudette Sutherland, Adam Ross, and Saundra McClain. |
Ae13U:
On the perimeter of all this is the lone child actor, Adam Ross. I always have
had mixed feelings about the use of child actors. In the late 1980s, I spent
two summers as a tape operator for a PBS uplink facility in upstate New York
and probably saw every episode then in syndication of Sesame Street, Mr. Roger’s
Neighborhood, Reading Rainbow, Zoobilee Zoo, among many others, and, of
course, I grew up also watching The
Electric Company and Zoom.
Commercial children’s productions, such as those from Disney and Nickelodeon,
seem, frankly, a bit exploitive to me.
Then,
on Hot Hero Sandwich, we have Adam
Ross, who was maybe 13 years old at the time. The only child actor in cast of
11 adult actors, not to mention the crew and staff, Adam is there all alone —
one child in a sea of adults. He’s a
novelist now, and editor of The Sewanee
Review, a literary journal, so he’s done well for himself, but still I
can’t help but have some concerns about what the experience must have been for
the lone child actor.
Claudette
Sutherland: He [Ross] . . . had to have a tutor. That relationship, which most kid actors had,
was often with their tutor as much as it was with the show. So, that's another
way to look at that and to see how kids fared with their tutors. I mean, they
could have had bad tutors or they could have had really tutors that changed
their lives. It's an interesting question to ask.
Ae13U:
I also should add Adam really holds his own in a lot of his scenes, all of
which were with older, more experienced actors. He’s pretty assertive and
something of a scene-stealer, so he was well-chosen by the Harts.
Claudette
Sutherland: I’m sure that’s the
case.
____________________________________________________
The Transition to Writing
Ae13U:
Turning to your writing career a bit, I read you transitioned to writing and
teaching creative writing, even in Singapore for a couple of stints. At what point did you decide to transition from acting to writing and teaching?
Claudette
Sutherland: What was happening was,
most of my time was in New York for thirty years. When I came here [California]
was in 1990 and I was done with New York, I was just done with it, and it was
getting kind of staggy around about in the ‘80s. So, I left and they came out
here and I'm glad I did because when I came out here. There was television out
here and there wasn't that much television, only soap operas, shooting in New
York. I came out here and I started to work in television — about which I sort
of have mixed feelings because I'm a theater person, right? And I, you know, I
realize there's money in television, so I wanted some of that money and so
that's what I began to do. But then when I reached my middle 50s, the roles
that were that were available for character women like myself were beginning to
disappear or be taken by very established character actresses.
I'm not saying that I didn't work. I
did quite a lot of work out here but, finally, I began to feel that it wasn't
enough, and for me it wasn't about money as much as it was feeling creative. So
that's when I began to teach creative writing, because I have a really good eye
for it and I'm a good writer and I like that relationship. I very, very much
like teaching people how it works. So that became the thing that has it has
occupied me for the past few years and I'm glad it has because it's got a
longer shelf life than anything else does. So, that's good, because you know,
I'm 84 years old, so what am I going to do? I can't turn back the clock
[laughter].
Ae13U:
Do you recall if you had any expectation for a second season or did you see it
as just a summer gig? Was there any anticipation that the show might go on for
a second season?
Claudette
Sutherland: For me, there wasn't, necessarily.
There may have been other cast members who felt differently about that, but I
I'm not sure. I just felt it was kind of a one-off for me. I guess had it been
picked up . . . for another season that would have been OK, but I wasn't really
a principal player. I mean, I was a player, a really good player, but so for me
it was fine. So, it was like a one-off.
Ae13U:
Did you have much contact at all with Bruce and Carole Hart? I know they
weren't there for the entire filming in New York.
Claudette
Sutherland: I remember staying in
touch with them . . . seeing them from
time to time and I always respected their work a lot. So, I was very pleased
for them [winning the Emmy]. They were really good at what they do.
Ae13U:
It was a long time ago, so a lot of these casual details are hard to
recall.
Claudette
Sutherland: You jolted my memory in
some places! Then when I have to see myself [in the clips] all those years ago,
I go, “My Lord. Where did that hair come from? When was I ever a size ten?”
[laughter]
Ae13U:
Well, watching the clips has been a trip down memory lane for everyone. I don’t
think any of the actors had seen the show since it was broadcast, so I’ve heard
some similar reactions.
Well,
talking about clips from the show, let’s take a look at one final scene you’re
in. Here, as Miss Pinch the librarian in the Nightmare High series of recurring
sketches, helping some students to check out books, or does she? Let’s watch.
Hot Hero Sandwich Episode 8: "The One
about the Whale.”
Claudette
Sutherland: [laughter]
Ae13U:
Poor Miss Pinch! Between Pooh and Moby Dick, she really had her work cut out
for her that day. With only slight variation, that sketch is still relevant
today as it regards the censorship of books in public schools.
Claudette
Sutherland: It’s true.
Ae13U:
That, along with other scenes, such as Jarret Smithwrick’s “n-word” monologue
in episode 5 or Denny Dillon’s scene on running away in episode 6, and even the
“Name Jeans” sketch with Vicky, deals with classic themes of growing up and
helps make the show a bit timeless in that respect.
Well,
Claudette, I can’t thank you enough for adding another chapter to the Hot Hero
book. Being able to speak with someone who unknowingly was a part of my
childhood has been great. Thank you.
Claudette
Sutherland: It’s been fun!
Note: Other sketches Claudette Sutherland appears in include episode 3's, "High School Job Counselor," episode 4’s “Hippie Parents” and "Sex Ed.," and episode 5’s “What’s New," where Matt McCoy does a funny satirical impersonation of talk show host Tom Snyder.
____________________________________________________
Concluding Thoughts
Sutherland today.
Claudette Sutherland’s experience as a
supporting cast member underscores the importance of having the steady hand of
experienced professional actors on board. Hot
Hero’s adult supporting cast members were veteran actors of varied
experience — working professionals who could rise up to the challenges of long
days, brief rehearsals, knowing your lines, hitting your marks, and needing few
takes. For producers, these are the people who help keep the shooting schedule
on time. John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, and even Jack Webb had their own
supporting cast companies integral to their productions’ success.
Sutherland also echoes a common theme
among the actors and writers I’ve interviewed for the Hot Hero Sandwich Project — the importance of luck and being
mindful of its fickle nature. In Sutherland’s case, she notes that she landed
her very first audition, which also just happened to turn out to be the first
run of an absolutely legendary Broadway show, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
Yet, in all cases, everyone also put
in the work on their craft. Before Broadway, Sutherland attended the Yale
School of Drama, not too shabby a place to learn. She recognized her worth as a
character actor, knew when to move from East Coast to West Coast, and knew when
to transition to a writing career. Spending decades looking at scripts prepared
her well to recognize good writing, and bad, so she took an element from acting
she connected with and evolved that into another career.
Maybe it is just good luck that gets
an actor or writer their first break, but it takes hard work to get that bit of
luck in the first place, hard work to stay in the business, and then hard work to
make some luck of your own.
Though I somewhat suspect J.
Pierrepont Finch, the hero of How to
Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, might disagree.
● ● ●