Watching Sally Field appear in shows like Gidget and The Flying Nun in the 1960s would lead someone to believe that she’s a good sitcom actress.
That seemed to be the course Field was on at the time. Field got her role as the beach-loving teenage daughter in Gidget as a teenager. The show, which was an extension of the Gidget movies, also starred Don Porter as her father. But the sitcom didn’t last beyond one season due to low ratings. Ironically, when ABC aired reruns during the summer, ratings kicked up to a respectable number. Yet there was no coming back from the cancellation heap for Gidget.
Field then went on to portray Sister Bertrille in The Flying Nun, another ABC sitcom. Trying to believe that a nun could fly stretches the bounds of imagination. Yet the show’s producers were able to make it work. What they did to Field, though, was sad. Field didn’t enjoy her time on The Flying Nun, a 180 from her experience on Gidget. She was not respected by the producers, even though she was the star of the show.
Slowly, Sally Field started getting typecast into specific types of roles. The roles gave her work, but they didn’t allow her to stretch that acting muscle much.
Moving Away From Sitcoms And Other Roles
Sally Field was tired of the same old roles. She wanted to take on different challenges, ones that would help her to grow and grow. Acting was in her blood and Field loved it. Yet the trivial types of scripts for television shows and movies she received didn’t satisfy her.
Ultimately, Field reached a professional fork in the road. She faced a career choice: Does she make a change for stronger, better roles…or simply settle for the mediocre work opportunities? Field chose to go for the better roles. Yet even she knew that getting to that next level would be a trip.
She needed some help and support to hit that next level. It’s a good thing that she ended up on The Flying Nun. Why? Field probably would not have met fellow actress Madeleine Sherwood. Sherwood played Mother Superior on the sitcom. Field talked about Sherwood’s influence on her and her career.
“And I was so desperately unhappy,” Field said in an interview with the Academy of Achievement. “She said, ‘Come with me.’ At the end of the first year of The Flying Nun, she took me to the Actor’s Studio to meet Lee Strasberg, and that was a monumental change in my life. From then on, I would work in the daytime, in between The Flying Nun, and at night I would be at the Actor’s Studio in L.A. because Lee Strasberg would be, six months out of the year in L.A.”
Strasberg was highly respected and taught his students the fine art of method acting. This tool became one that actors like Field, Paul Newman, Al Pacino, George Peppard, Dustin Hoffman, Marilyn Monroe, Jane Fonda, and Jack Nicholson would use.
Sally Field Started Reaping The Rewards
With her newfound acting knowledge, Field was ready to take on the new roles. An early one led her to star in Sybil, where Field’s lead character dealt with dissociative identity disorder. Field’s effort landed her an Emmy Award. That happened in 1976.
In 1977, she starred in Smokey and the Bandit along with Burt Reynolds, Jackie Gleason, and Jerry Reed. It was a smash hit at the movie theaters, leading to two more sequels (Field only appeared in the second one). Yet Field wanted serious roles. She got one in Norma Rae in 1979, leading her to an Oscar victory as Best Actress.
She won another Oscar in 1984 thanks to her work in Places in the Sun. From this point on, Field has been blessed with pretty solid roles. She’s been in numerous supporting roles in both movies and on television. Her hard, focused work with Strasberg has paid off handsomely.
Sure, Gidget always will have a soft spot in Field’s heart. Yet that unhappy role in The Flying Nun ultimately led her to meet Sherwood. And that led to her decade-long work with Lee Strasberg. Without Sherwood’s friendly, guiding hand, Field probably would end up in a trash heap of unfulfilled dreams.
But that didn’t happen and we’re all the better for it.
Also Read: Ed Sullivan Held The TV World In His Hands
For More Entertainment Insights
Total Apex is an all-encompassing content producer. We provide heavily-detailed articles daily on entertainment, gaming, sports, and so much more! Check out all our great sports content Total Apex Sports. Check us out on X @TotalApexEandG and our other sites: Total Apex Sports Bets and Total Apex Fantasy Sports.
