so…they have this problem. It is hysterical! Well
the scene continues, and she and G.W. take up
with each other. You see, he needs love and she is
a very loving woman. So she says to GW, “Well,
I am a good Christian woman and I have never
been like this. What will people think?” Well, the
next thing you see is her dancing with Juanita who
is the barfly of a local beer joint. She walks over to
the bar and has a couple of beers herself which is
unusual for her. She walks over to G.W. and invites him to dance. Well, they fall in love, and she
has this horrid affair with Noleta’s husband! And
you just know this goes against all of her upbringing. But, she is having a wonderful love affair,
which she never experienced with her husband of
33 years. This is a scandal! And, of course, they
are trying to keep all of this from Noleta. She and
GW would meet at the Galaxy motel, but eventually everyone finds out about it. That’s the main
thrust of her story.
.
Freya: What is your character’s name and when
will it air?
Rue: Her name is Peggy and it will air in June.
Freya: Is this an hour or half-hour show?
Rue: It is a weekly half-hour show.
Freya: You must just be having a blast with this.
Rue: Well, we start it next week. I am so excited,
I just can’t tell you.
Freya: Tell me about your son, Mark, he’s in
Austin, right?
Rue: Yes, he teaches at the Austin Guitar School
and he has a “loose group.” He gets them together
when he wants to record. He is a wonderful jazz
guitarist; he is really an artist. He is a collector
of primitive art; he has a house full of primitive
art from all over the world. He has gone to these
places and brought this art back. It is a fascinating house and he is a fascinating man, terrific,
good looking, and blue-eyed blond.
Freya: I met him at your Christmas party; he and
I talked for hours.
Rue: Well, that was about 3 years ago.
Freya: Yes, he and I were sharing stories about
Texas. I need to call him because he will get a
kick out of this. Just think, here we are; both back
in Texas, about an hour and a half away from
each other.
Rue: Is that all?
Freya: That’s all. We really are close. I’ll have to
call him. How did you like Austin when you did
your book promotion there?
Rue: Well, I have been there many times to see
Mark since he moved there in 1992. I love visiting, making friends, and just falling in love with
Austin and the Austin people.
Freya: It is gorgeous, isn’t it?
Rue: It is a very lovely place; it is just an oasis. It
is so different from any other town in Texas. He
really likes it there and I really like it too.
Freya: I read that you were considering buying a
home in Austin. Is that true?
Rue: Oh, I have been considering that for eight or
nine years. I am still thinking about it.
Freya: You should give it some good consideration. It is gorgeous.
Rue: My husband, you see, won’t move out of
Manhattan. It would have to just be a part-time
home, but I am considering it.
Freya: Rue, you just mentioned your husband,
Morrow. Tell me about him.
Rue: He is putting together a Noel Coward evening that he is going to sing and present at the
Players Club in January. It is called, “Noel Coward 101.” Of course, your mother has taught him
how to really sing. He had so many voice teachers
and until he met Luba he just didn’t have one that
was good. She is brilliant and they have a wonderful relationship. He put together this cabaret
evening of Noel Coward songs and anecdotes. He
is also working on a wonderful novel called “For
Stephanie.” He is such a great writer; oh, he is
SUCH a writer.
.
Freya: Speaking about books, tell me about your
book: MY FIRST FIVE HUSBANDS…AND THE
ONE THAT GOT AWAY. What inspired you to
write it?
Rue: I was asked and urged by friends for many
years to write about my so-called “colorful” life.
The first thing that came to me was the title. At
first my husband said, “The One That Got Away.”
I thought that would be a really great way to sell
it and it has been. But, it truly is about my career
and my life, my family and my love for animals.
It has got everything in it. It has also got men and
those stories make it saleable.
Freya: Your book is the commercial end of the
business. Tell me about your involvement in animal rights. Do you consider yourself an animal
activist?
Rue: Yes, I do and I have helped PETA. Although
I haven’t marched naked in Tokyo or anything
like that, I have gone to many functions and given
many speeches and tried to stop so many atrocities in the small way that I could. PETA protests
against the use of fur. They are the true heroes.
Mr. Newkirk started this movement, and he is my
all time hero. He is just fearless and amazing; all
of these people are amazing. I got involved with
them many years ago and am also active in several
other animal societies. We’re trying to awaken
people to see how cruelly animals are treated.
And how wonderful they are and how much we
have to learn from them. We are just now beginning to discover how many traits we have in common. We just slaughter them instead of trying to
promote how very smart they are. Animals are
very smart and very loving. Winston Churchill
said it very well, “A cat will look down at you and
a dog will look up at you, but a pig wil