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IT’S EDIE IN HERE
IT’S EDIE IN HERE is Edie McClurg’s hilarious and moving story of her early life. We meet all the strong Midwestern women and men who influenced the dreams and aspirations of a child of blue collar parents in Kansas City, Missouri. The genesis of all Edie’s portrayals in her professional acting career can be traced to these funny and poignant personalities from her family, neighborhood, schools, and work.
McClurg’s keen observation of her surroundings growing up have informed her more memorable characterizations in films, television, and stage work for close to thirty years. Grace, the High School secretary, in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and Florence Burns, Edie’s character from Robert Redford’s “A River Runs Through It” both owe a lot to Edie’s mother, Irene, who worked as a federal government secretary for most of her adult life. Her Aunts from Wisconsin showed up as “Mrs. Marv Mendenhall” with her helpful household hints in her acclaimed Groundling revues and on David Letterman’s daytime show on NBC. After twelve years of Catholic school, nuns from the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth (yes, THAT Leavenworth) even made an appearance by Edie as Sister Pollyanna in “The Incredible Hulk”. Blessed with an audiographic memory and long voiceover experience, Edie puts the audience in the room with all the people from her past. IT’S EDIE IN HERE is a joyous, memorable and ultimately moving ride through Edie’s early life.
Edie McClurg began her performing career at age five with the oxymoronic Kansas City Rhythm Kids. She retired at the age of six when the dance teacher was arrested on a morals charge. Edie then concentrated on her education and received a Master of Science from Syracuse University and taught radio at the University of Missouri/Kansas City for 8 years. There, she re-entered the entertainment field as a DJ, newswoman, and producer for the NPR affiliate KCUR-FM. Her proudest moment was portraying John Ehrlichmann in Conversation 26 of the NPR national broadcast of the Nixon Tape Transcripts. Thus did Edie contribute to the peaceful overthrow of the government of an un-indicted co-conspirator.
Her career-long devotion to satirical improvisation included an impressive tenure with “The Groundlings.” She went on to create original characters, performed on the daytime David Letterman Show: Mrs. Marv Mendenhall, Dot Duncan, Whirly June Pickens, Officer Jeanelle Archer, 105-year-old Edie, among others. TV has been a home to many of Edie’s characters – on “The Richard Pryor Show,” as Lucille Tarlek on “WKRP in Cincinnati,” and as Mrs. Poole on “The Hogan Family.”
Her movie career growth paralleled her 10 years with The Groundlings. Her first film was the teen horror favorite, “Carrie.” She did several John Hughes films including “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” “She’s Having a Baby,” and “Curly Sue.” Offbeat cult faves are “Eating Raoul,” “Elvira,” HBO’s “Pee Wee Herman” special, and Martin Mull’s “History of White Man in America.” In more mainstream films, she received a National Media Award for her portrayal of a mentally disabled woman in “Bill: On His Own,” starring Mickey Rooney, and she’s acted for Robert Redford in “A River Runs Through It,” for Oliver Stone in “Natural Born Killers, for Diane Keaton in “Hanging Up,” and she was named Best Actress of the Chicago Alternative Film Festival for her portrayal of Ted Kazcynski’s mother.
A few of Edie’s most recent accomplishments: David Spade's nasty neighbor in Paramount Pictures’ “Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star”, Manager of an Adult Baby Fetish Store on "CSI", Jane Kazcmarek’s friend in “Malcolm in the Middle”, guest star on NBC’s “Providence”, WB’s “7th Heaven”, Lea Thompson’s mother on “Caroline in the City;” and several animation roles for TV and in features – such as “The Little Mermaid,” “The Rugrats Movie,” and as Dr. Flora in ”A Bug’s Life.” She recently has voiced the role of a Midwestern Mini Van for the Pixar film "CARS" due out in 2006. She has finished a film "Simple Things" in North Carolina playing a nurse in a country clinic. It is a large role Edie is pleased to have portrayed. Also due out in 2006.
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