Show tit4fl IN STEP WITH: Si L it alt JAMES ORAN lie 'omers BORN: Suzanne Mahoney on Oct 16 1948 In San Bruno Calif PERSONAL Married to Bruce Somers j HIS WAS A MONDAY MORNING IN New York Suzanne Somers' just-a- ltered skirt and top hadn't arrived and she was scheduled to do the Phil Don- ahue show that afternoon with Patrick Duffy late of Dallas and now her costar on Step by Step a hot new ABC series "The Donahue Show in a body suit?" she was saying incredulous only to be saved an instant later when a messenger appeared at the hotel with her clothes "Whew!" I said much relieved I hate to see beautiful women cry Suzanne—best remembered for Three's Company of a decade earlier—was having a busy week She'd just been profiled in People magazine I was asking things and taking notes and she was off to Washington the next day to be honored by Secretary of Health Louis Sullivan for her work with the children of alcoholics What else? "I have an ABC movie coming out a thriller" she said "And I just bought the rights to Brenda Clubine's story about a battered wife who's now in prison for killing her husband And my new book will be out in the spring The title is Wednesday's Children You know 'Wednesday's child is full of woe' I interviewed about 30 celebrated people who come from abusive pasts—like Desi Amaz Jr and Cindy Williams and Sinéad O'Connor" Suzanne talks like that without drawing breath Yet she's anything but the stereotypical talky blonde all looks and no brains—although for a lot of us that was how she came off when she lost her Three's Company job in a dispute over money (she was asking $150000 per episode!) and for a time virtually disappeared from the network television scene I think it was when Suzanne wrote her autobiography Keeping Secrets that she grew up in our perception of her and perhaps in her own mind The book is a powerful and heartbreaking account of being the child of an alcoholic parent the brutality and degradation and how the Mahoney (her real name) clan courageously pulled itself together "After the book" she recalled "my father had stopped drinking but he was still ordering my mother around and finally I demanded 'Who do you think you are?' We talked for four hours After that he sent me a long letter—after tossing away and balling up page after page—telling me he finally understood "The words 'I'm sorry' are the two hardest words to say in the English language" Suzanne says today As for her own life that seems to be very much on track "Step by Step parallels my life" she explained "Married at 17 a child divorce I knew my second husband Alan Hamel for eight years and now we've been married for 14 My son Bruce just got married after graduating from the UCLA film school and he's now—he hates this term—a 'fledgling director'" EL H 1963-6- 4 one son Bruce Manied the TV do host-manag-er Alan Hamel In 1977 MIPS: Include Reiff 1968 American Cra874 1973 Magnum Force 1973 Yesterky's Hero 1979 Nothing Personal 1980-TV SEMES: Include Three's Company She's the Sheriff1987 Step by Step 1991-- 4 1977-8- 1 TV MOVIES: Include 1975 Zama Beach 1978 SAy Heist Hollywood Wives (ntlidseries) 1985 BOOKS: Include Tow Me (poetry) " Keeping Secrets 1988 best-selli- BRADY'S Suzanne Somers wentfrom stardom on "Three's Company" to the network pits Beal life was even tougher Just how did the actress climb back? BITS The theme of deals of kidssubstantivelybYStepisbow a knows the second marriage problems Suzanne Enamel herproblem firsthand "Alan and I had second husband) had one" hvOt she didn't went to says "and Nve they No child vdth each ethec wants his The beast in them parent te remorrY comes ed They're la blended families trYing too to realize hard end You're that SO in this percent of kids country are because haft going throuVo this Bruce ther the marriages break IA soot sold 'On few holiday no years matter which you spend lt WO Parent keep saying lust you're 'Prong' hang kr there" 4 --i Sri no qv PAGE 28 JANUARY 5 1992 PARADE MAGAZINE |