Here's Marlo Thomas' reaction to ending her hit series That Girl
Marlo Thomas' character in the 1966 series That Girl was an extension of herself. Both Thomas and her character, Ann Marie, grew and evolved throughout the show's five season run.
The similarities were unmistakable as she entered the fifth and final season of her hit series in 1970. It would be the last time Thomas played the role, but she carried parts of Ann Marie with her long after the cameras stopped rolling.
According to a 1970 interview with The Ithaca Journal, Thomas and the cast of That Girl felt they had reached a point where they could no longer take the series in a creative direction to keep it long lasting.
Although the ending of That Girl left a huge hole in the hit series' fan base, with many sad that their favorite show was ending, Thomas said it was better to quit when people would be disappointed rather than when they got bored or stopped watching.
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"It has been the best experience of my whole life and I just love the show," Thomas said.
As for what was next, Thomas was both confident and scared about moving on to something new. She said she was in talks with other networks about potential shows but wasn’t sure if she wanted to do another series right away. Instead, she had her sights set on a play.
"I would like to try a whole new character," Thomas said. "I'm not leaving That Girl because I want to make movies. After all, there are only three mediums. For a while I would like not to play the same part. I've done Ann Marie 148 times. That's like 40 movies in five years on the same character. That's a lot of film. People don't understand that. They think you're just running away."
Thomas pushed for many changes in the final season of the series. Tired of the same old storylines, the final season of That Girl included developments in Ann Marie's romantic dynamic, her wardrobe and style, and more subtle feminist themes.
But perhaps one of the most important changes Thomas successfully made to the final season was altering her iconic hairstyle and bangs.
"So much has happened in the last five years and Ann has never changed her hairdo," Thomas said. "For the first two years they wouldn't let me... I begged and pleaded and they said I could do it."
She took a lot of Ann Marie home with her after the series ended. While she was ready to let go of Ann Marie, she knew she'd always have a piece of the character with her.
"Ann's enthusiasm and involvement and her light optimistic way, those ways are mine," Thomas said. "A lot of the zannies and illogic are not mine. The most important quality that I've wanted to give to Ann is not to be defeated by your mistakes. That's a part of me."
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