Rue McClanahan

They gave me four weeks, and I asked if the first week could be just music with the two main conductors. So, the conductors came over to my home, and we worked in the music room, and I learned my two little songs.

Our show was - it remained - you know, kids could watch it and laugh at it. And they wouldn't know - they wouldn't get the jokes. But they would laugh at it. So they tell me now they have grown up and they're watching it. Now they get the jokes. But we didn't say anything blatant.

We stopped doing my clothing line about five years ago, so it isn't available anymore.

Cruelty is one fashion statement we can all do without.

The matinee audiences are different because they're mostly kids, a great percentage kids. So they respond to everything differently, but I understand what they do respond to.

The first clothing line I had was called Very Rue. Then we changed the name and moved to QVC, and the name became A Touch of Rue.

I take the longest to get ready of anyone. I've been going in two hours before the show every performance.

I didn't know anything about breast cancer when I got it.

I almost fainted. There was no family history. I had been eating a vegetarian diet and I exercised.

We have one cat. I had eight cats and six dogs in Los Angeles.

I've been allowed to develop my own character, which I'm still working on.