Document 6447193

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BY JOAN WILEN & LYDIA WILEN
but no matter how famous you
are, you are constantly rejected .
Danielle is now a theater and
film major at NYU; Jason is a
student at Professional •
Chitdren's School .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
LESLIE UGGAMS
You also went to
has come a long way since her teens whene she sang atong
the Professional
with Mitch . She's merged marriage (27 years to manager
Chlidren's Schooi.
Grahame Pratt) and motherhood with a successful career s When I went thete,-there were
; only five black kids . Elliotf as an actress and singer. She won a fiony for her farst
s -Gouldwasgoing there, all theBroadway show, "Hallelxcjah Babyl ."Her portrayal of
: kids in "The Sound of Music ."
Kizzy in "Ropts" wbn her the Crities Choice AwccrcL She's working on a musical aboxct Ethel Waters' early years .
-- ~ You've won many
; awards. If you had to
When I was 6, I got the part of
single out one pe'son`to
Mlhen you were 5 you
started going for
auditions .-How
did that - happen?
My parents had
a friend who
taught at'a
dancing and
singing school .
She thought I had
talent, and she
would take me
around to
auditions.
the niece on the Ethel Waters show, "Beutah." Shortly after
that, I got on the Apollo
Theater's radio amateur hour. I
kept winning. Then they
[booked] me into the Apollo .
Your children, Danielle,
21, and Jason, 16, have
told you they want to be
in show business . How
did you react?
I told them : A lot of times you
see the very positive side of it,
a pioneer couple,
interracialiy speaking.
Did you have problems?
We got very little mail, but the
interesting thing is that the mail'
that we did get came from the,
North and not from the South .
Do you have
: . political aspirations?
; rm interested .in it, especially -: since I moved back to New
~ York . This is the most fabulous
` city. We just can't let it die.
Are you invohred in
any causes? My best friend is Dionne
Warwick. We're very concerned
about AIDS. We do all these
benefits to raise money, but
nothing is happening . In the
meantime, I'm crossing out
more and more names in my
phone book.
: What song expresses
Do you collect anything? : your personality
I collect dolls. I have a doll
; or philosophy?
that's been in the family for € ."I Am What I Am" (from "La
∎
about 75 years . € Cage aux Folles") .
SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING : Quitting Smoking
Now Greatly Reduces Serious Risks to Your Health .
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thank, who would it be?
When Mitch Miller wanted me
on "Sing Along With Mitch,"
he was told that as long as
Leslie's there, the South would
black out the show. Mitch said,
"Listen, if there's no Leslie, there's no show!" I'll always be
very grateful.
You and Grahame were
m
ORT'RAITS of PLEASURE
KENT
gives you a Light with pleasure.
Light . Lighter . Lightest .
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unnbers o f
BY SHEILA ANNE FEEN'
Joyce . Phiiiips formerly Joyce Filippazzo,
eventually Jay-Cei;,Phillips=- was doing q~yffii an aspirhig .
starletandOuger,Slie,had
opened foX:AYweiuo ~Tall in
Atlantic City and sto6d'in for.
MerylStreep on"Sophie's
Choicz.','-Them she landed two
terrific movie roles only to lose
them because of "politicking'
:ssful actresses ,"bymoresuc
both of whom happened to be
married to the directoTsof the
movies.
Like. ScarIett O'Hara
vowing never to go hungry
again, the Sicilian-American
Elmhurst girl who grewup
singing the "AveMaria" at
weddingsand funerals vowed
never again to be powerless. In
show business, Phillips learned,
a performer is nothing more
than a product, and "contacts
are No .land talent is No. 2."
All her work at the American
Academy of the Dramatic Arts
didn't count for scratch if she
wasn't on schmoozing terms
with directors.
Phillips decided to get on
schmoozing terms . And to
become so rich and powerful
that no one could ever'write
her off as ariobody.
In 1984, Phillips, then 26,
joined with her friend Frank
Zazza, now 45, and founded
Advertising in Movies - and
AIM Promotions Inc. in 1989
- two companies that sneak
endless numbers of product
plugs onto screens big and
small .
Serving as the Swifty Lazar
for everything from pancake
mix to chewing tobacco may
not have the cachet of repping,
say, Jack Nicholson, but it is
not devoid of rewards: By 1989,
Phillips had done so well that
A SNAP : Polaroid got its
camera,into;JNadonna's_
hpnds ili1!'Desperately!.' ;
Seeking Susan:'
amp