Lance Avery Morgan
The TV & Theatrical Star Has Been In The News Again Lately. Here’s A Look Back At A Favorite Texas Performer…
She’s been in the news lately, so we found an interview done years ago that shows how special Betty Buckley is to the entertainment world. Winning a Tony Award and starring on one of the most popular television series of the 1970s and 1980s are just two things for which this talented diva is known. Fort Worth native Betty Buckley has entertained millions of fans with her Broadway songbird voice and striking stage presence on records and live performances.
You may remember her award-winning turn in Cats, and have seen her in Sunset Boulevard in New York or London. She’s already considered a living legend in the world of show tunes… so much so that the Texas Film Hall of Fame honored her in 2007, which is when we caught up with her. And here she gets real with our Lance Avery Morgan about her life, her career, and giving back with much of what she’s learned.
Lance Avery Morgan: Betty, I’ve followed your career since you were first on television because your sister-in-law, Bonnie Buckley, was one of my high school English teachers. I knew we’d always connect somehow. And everyone I knew watched your series Eight is Enough, when I was a kid. You played the cool mom role. Was that a fun part?
Betty Buckley: Great to meet you. Love the magazine. I played the stepmom. It was a good part and a great learning experience for a young actress.
And then you went to Broadway to take the world by storm with Cats. How did that transition happen?
Betty Buckley: I had already done three Broadway shows… 1776, Pippin, and in London Promises, Promises. I auditioned for Cats twice and won the role.
It seems that the show ran forever, and you were part of the original cast. Did you feel like you were a part of pop culture history at the time? After all, you did win the Tony for your outstanding performance.
Betty Buckley: We all knew we were in a hit show that had staying power.
You sang and recorded Memory that became a huge hit – did you see that coming either?
Betty Buckley: You know, the song was already a hit. The London cast album was out, and Barbra Streisand had the pop recording at the time. After we opened, my single recording and our cast album were released.
Your musical career started young. Most people don’t know you were Miss Fort Worth as a teenager, a title that took you to the Miss Texas contest. Were pageants fun for you then, or was it just a platform for artistic things you wanted to accomplish in the future?
Betty Buckley: I was a young feminist in college, so the notion of beauty pageant competition was not what I had in mind. But I was recruited as the girl singer in town, and the scholarships were appealing. When I was a senior at TCU, I was invited to sing at the Miss America Pageant, and from that television appearance, I got my first agent in New York City.
You’ve done so many shows, and perhaps the most recent hit we all loved and many of our readers saw you in…Sunset Boulevard. You are considered the best interpreter of the Andrew Lloyd Webber version of Billy Wilder’s masterpiece. Was playing a diva tough, or did you embrace your inner diva?
Betty Buckley: Thank you for the compliment. I was so ready for that show. For years I felt like a little race horse that was taken to the track and breezed every morning to have everyone say, “Damn, she’s fast!” But then I never ran the big races. Finally, I got a big race and I was ready to run.
And you’ve played Carnegie Hall in a solo performance – the dream of every stage performer. What was that like?
Betty Buckley: The evening at Carnegie Hall was one of the most exciting nights of my life. It was a three-hour concert and charity event for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, with a symphony orchestra and guest performers. We rocked the hall.
You’re also giving back to the world in many ways…you’ve taught at the University of Texas at Arlington, right?
Betty Buckley: When I first moved back to Texas three years ago, I taught at UTA for two years. Now, this spring, I am teaching song interpretation at Casa Manana again. I also teach in New York City and other theatre and performance schools and conservatories. It is a privilege to share what I have learned from great teachers.
And there’s even The Betty Lynn Buckley Awards…how did that start and what does it reward?
Betty Buckley: The Buckley Awards were instituted by Denton Yockey, artistic director of Casa Manana. It is a great honor to have them named for me. It awards annual excellence in musical theatre for high schools in Tarrant County.
What did being honored by the Texas Film Hall of Fame mean to you?
Betty Buckley: My career is so eclectic, and I have been so fortunate to have done some wonderful films with great directors. It‘s an honor to be included in and acknowledged by the Texas Film Hall of Fame.
