On this day in movie history - Young Frankenstein (1974)

 

Young Frankenstein

directed by Mel Brooks,

written by Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks,

inspired by the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley,

was released in the United States on December 15, 1974.

Music by John Morris.

“Puttin’ on the Riiiiitz!”

- Peter Boyle, as The Monster.

Cast:

Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, Teri Garr, Kenneth Mars, Richard Haydn, Liam Dunn, Danny Goldman, Oscar Beregi Jr., Arthur Malet, Richard A. Roth, Monte Landis, Rusty Blitz, Anne Beesley, Gene Hackman, John Madison, John Dennis, Rick Norman, Rolfe Sedan, Terence Pushman, Randolph Dobbs, Norbert Schiller, Pat O'Hara, Michael Fox, Lidia Kristen, Ian Abercrombie, Leon Askin, Benjie Bancroft, Mel Brooks, Ken Clayton, Jack Clinton, Robert Cole, Lou Cutell, Alphonso DuBois, Peter Eastman, Sig Frohlich, Michael J. Grayson, Peter Halton, Bob Harks, Lars Hensen, George Holmes, Kathryn Janssen, Michael Jeffers, Dale Johnson, Berry Kroeger, Ethelreda Leopold, Bob Liddle, John Marlin, Jeff Maxwell, John Hugh McKnight, Ernesto Molinari, Monty O'Grady, Tony Regan, Leoda Richards, Clark Ross, Paul Russell, Maida Severn, Norman Stevans, Don Terwilliger, Arthur Tovey, Clement von Franckenstein, Max Wagner.

Recommended reading - Speedbumps: Flooring it Through Hollywood, by Teri Garr, with Henriette Mantel (2005)

Speedbumps: Flooring it Through Hollywood

by Teri Garr, with Henriette Mantel.
 
Published 2005.
Published by Hudson Street Press.
Hardcover.

ISBN-10: 1594630070
ISBN-13: 978-1594630071
 
Description:
 

In her laugh-out-loud funny and inspiring autobiography, Teri Garr, one of Hollywood’s best-loved comediennes, muses about movies, men, motherhood, and MS.

 

From the directors she’s worked with and admired to the men she’s loved; from sipping cokes with Elvis Presley on Good Friday to hangin’ with the Beatles; from her secrets to succeeding in Hollywood without losing her sanity, to dealing with the fear, anxiety, and denial of being plagues by mysterious physical problems that eluded diagnosis for over twenty years – the insights in Speedbumps, while always couched in Garr’s trademark humor, are honest, heartfelt, and often profound.

 

Since she was eight years old, little Terry Ann Garr was a natural performer, staging elaborate productions for the neighborhood in her family’s garage, captivating her teachers, and easing the tensions between her alcoholic, gambling vaudevillian father and her hard-working Rockette mother with her natural charm and wit. By the age of thirteen – two years after her father’s premature death catalyzed her to “get serious” about becoming a dancer – she was touring with a San Franscisco ballet company; at seventeen, she was swiveling her hips alongside Elvis and Ann-Margret in Viva Las Vegas.

 

By the time she was thirty, Teri had become known as one of Hollywood's best-loved comic actresses, starring in such classic films as Young Frankenstein; Oh, God!; Close Encounters of the Third Kind; and Mr. Mom; and receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance alongside Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie.

 

In October 2002, Teri announced on national television that she had multiple sclerosis, making headlines across the country. Since then, she has become a leading advocate in raising awareness for MS and the latest treatments for the disease, traveling around the United States speaking to corporations, physicians, and patients about her experience.

 

Now, in a book that is at once Hollywood hilarious and personally moving, Teri writes about her life – speedbumps and all – with the same characteristic wit and warmth that have won the hearts of fans and Hollywood for more than three decades.

Please make a donation in support of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research:
http://www.nationalmssociety.org
http://www.mshope.com/
https://www.cando-ms.org/
http://msfocus.org
https://multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com
http://www.momentummagazineonline.com/
http://positivelivingwithms.com
https://www.msmindshift.com/
http://mymsaa.orghttps://mssociety.ca
https://fumsnow.com/http://www.msra.org.au/
https://www.annerowlingclinic.org/
 
#BikeMS #Brain #ChronicIllnessWarrior #CureMS #Demyelination #Disease #FightMS #FuckMS #FuckYouMS #FUMS #Lesion #MovingMountainsForMS #MS #MSawareness #MSAwarenessMonth #MSeducation #MSOnMyMind #MultipleSclerosis #MSHope #MSstrong #MSSucks #MSwarrior #MuckFestMS #Myelin #mymsme #OverMS #LivingWellWithMS #ThisIsMS #vertigo #WalkMS #WalkTogether #WeAreILLmatic #WeAreStrongerThanMS #WorldMSDay #March1
 
NEVER GIVE UP!

Born on this day – Teri Garr:

Teri Garr

Actress

Dancer

Comedian

December 11, 1944 – October 29, 2024

Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 1983.

 

Teri Garr in Star Trek (1968)
 

Richard Dreyfuss (left) and Teri Garr (right) in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
 

Gene Wilder (left) and Teri Garr (right) in Young Frankenstein (1974)
 

Credits:
 
Book:
 
Speedbumps: Flooring it Through Hollywood (2005).
 
Movies and television:
 

1988 MTV Video Music Awards (1988); 50 Years of Funny Females (1995); A Better Man: The Making of Tootsie (2008); A Colder Kind of Death (2001); A Comic's Climb at the USCAF (2005); A Festival at Ford's (1991); A Quiet Little Neighborhood, a Perfect Little Murder (1990); A Simple Wish (1997); A Swingin' Affair (1963); A Taste of Jupiter (2005); Adventures in Wonderland (1993); AFI Life Achievement Award (1986–2013); AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs: America's Funniest Movies (2000); AFI's 100 Years... 100 Stars: America's Greatest Screen Legends (1999); After Hours (1985); Aliens for Breakfast (1995); Aloha, Scooby-Doo! (2005); American Cinema (1995); An American Saturday Night (1991); And the Oscar Goes to... (2014); Ask Rita (2003); Banyon (1972); Barnaby Jones (1974); Barney's First Adventures (1998); Batman (1966); Batman Beyond (1999–2000); Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000); Batman Beyond: The Movie (1999); Biography (1998–2002); Bitte umblättern (1984); Black Dahlia / Video Game (1998); Casper Meets Wendy (1998); Celebrity First Loves (1995); Changes (1969); Changing Habits (1997); Cher (1975); Chicken Soup for the Soul (1999–2000); Cinemax Comedy Experiment (1985 / 1988); Clambake (1967); Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977); Crumbs (2006); David Letterman's 2nd Annual Holiday Film Festival (1986); Deja View (1986); Deliver Them from Evil: The Taking of Alta View (1992); Des O'Connor Tonight (1992); Dick (1999); Do It Debbie's Way (1983); Doctor Franken (1980); Double Jeopardy (1996); Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist (1999); Dr. Kildare (1965); Dream On (1992); Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man (1994); Dumb and Dumber (1994); E! True Hollywood Story (2003); Elvis Forever (2002); Entertainment Tonight (2007); ER (1999); Expired (2007); Faerie Tale Theatre (1982 / 1985); Felicity (2001); Firstborn (1984); For Pete's Sake! (1966); Frasier (1995); Fresno (1986); Friday Night (1992); Friends (1997–1998); Fugitive Nights: Danger in the Desert (1993); Full Moon in Blue Water (1988); Fun in Acapulco (1963); Futures (1991); Gene Wilder: Loved, Remembered (2017); Ghost World (2001); God Out the Window (2007); Good & Evil (1991); Good Advice (1994); Great Drives (1996); Greetings from Tucson (2003); GSN Live (2009); Half a Dozen Babies (1999); Head (1968); Hey, Hey We're the Monkees (1997); Hollywood Squares (2001–2002); Hollywood: The Gift of Laughter (1982); Homage to Steve (1984); Honky Tonk Freeway (1981); Hour Magazine (1984–1986); How to Marry a Billionaire (2011); Hunter (1977); Imagine (2018); Inside the Coppola Personality (1981); Insight (1966); Intimate Portrait (2000); Intimate Strangers (1986); It Takes a Thief (1969); I've Got a Secret (2000); Jackie Gleason: The Great One (1988); Java Junkie (1979); Jeopardy! (1993–1998); Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2006); John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965); Kabluey (2007); Kill the Man (1999); King of the Hill (2000); Kissin' Cousins (1964); La tele de tu vida (2007); Larry King Live (2005); Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1995–1996); Late Night with David Letterman (1982–1993); Late Show with David Letterman (1993–2008); Laugh? I Thought I'd Die! (1999); Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2005); Law and Order (1976); Legends (2008); Let It Ride (1989); Life with Bonnie (2003); Life Without Dick (2002); Lifetime Presents: Disney's American Teachers Awards (2001); Love, Gilda (2018); M*A*S*H (1973 / 1978); Mad TV (2002); Martin Mull Live from North Ridgeville, Ohio (1987); Mary & Tim (1997); Maryjane (1968); Maude (1975); Mayberry R.F.D. (1968); McCloud (1970–1975); Memories Then and Now (1988); Men Behaving Badly (1996); Michael (1996); Miracles (1986); Mom and Dad Save the World (1992); Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme (1990); Movin' with Nancy (1967); Mr. Mike's Mondo Video (1979); Mr. Mom (1983); Mr. Novak (1964); Murder Live! (1997); Murphy Brown (1993); Night of 100 Stars II (1985); NightScream (1997); Oh, God! (1977); Once Upon a Brothers Grimm (1977); Once Upon a Brothers Grimm / Segment: The Frog Prince (1977); One from the Heart (1981); One on One with John Tesh (1991); Out Cold (1989); Pack of Lies (1987); Pajama Party (1964); Paul Reiser: Out on a Whim (1987); Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers (1974); Perfect Alibi (1995); Prime Suspect (1982); Radio City Music Hall: The Story Behind the Showplace (1999); Ray Parker Jr.: Ghostbusters (1984); Ready to Wear (1994); Red Line 7000 (1965); Remembering Gene Wilder (2023); Rendez-Vous Video Magazine / Segment: Coppola (1981); Role Model: Gene Wilder (2008); Rolling Stone Magazine: The 10th Anniversary (1977); Room 222 (1969); Roustabout (1964); Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1997); Safeguard: Beige Deodorant and Antibacterial Soap Commercial (1972); Saturday Night Live (1979 / 1985); Save the Rabbits (1994); Screen Goddesses (2006); Searching for Debra Winger (2002); Sesame Street (1987); Sex at 24 Frames Per Second (2003); Shindig! (1964–1965); Shining Time Station: One of the Family (1995); Shivaree (1965); Short Time (1990); Showbiz Today (1992); Sin City Spectacular (1998–1999); Spielberg (2017); Star Trek (1968); Steve Martin: A Comic Life (1999); Stranger in the Family (1991); Strong Medicine (2001); Studio 10 (2017); Summertree (1971); Tales from the Crypt (1991); Teri Garr in Flapjack Floozie (1988); That Girl (1967–1968); The 13th Annual CableACE Awards (1992); The 15th Annual IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards (2000); The 41st Annual Golden Globe Awards (1984); The 50th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1993); The 51st Annual Golden Globe Awards (1994); The 55th Annual Academy Awards (1983); The 58th Annual Academy Awards (1986); The 6th Annual Independent Spirit Awards (1991); The 7th Annual American Comedy Awards (1993); The Absent-Minded Waiter (1977); The Alan Hamel Show (1978); The Andy Griffith Show (1968); The Arsenio Hall Show (1991); The Best of Disney: 50 Years of Magic (1991); The Best TV Shows That Never Were (2004); The Black Stallion (1979); The Black Stallion Returns (1983); The Bob Newhart Show (1973–1974); The Bonnie Hunt Show (2008); The Booth / Segment: Death at Dinner (1985); The Burns and Schreiber Comedy Hour (1973); The Carson Podcast (2018); The Celebrity Guide to Entertaining (1993); The Conversation (1974); The Cool Ones (1967); The Definite Maybe (1997); The Definitive Elvis: The Hollywood Years - Part II: 1962-1969 (2002); The Dennis Miller Show (1992); The Downer Channel (2001); The Dream Studio (2004); The Escape Artist (1982); The Factor (2014); The Full Wax (1992); The General Motors Playwrights Theater (1993); The Girl with Something Extra (1973–1974); The Greatest Show You Never Saw (1996); The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk (1967); The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1975); The Ken Berry 'Wow' Show (1972); The Larry Sanders Show (1993); The Last Resort with Jonathan Ross (1987); The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (2005); The Legend of Prince Valiant (1993); The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' (1977 / 2001); The Martin Short Show (2000); The Merv Griffin Show (1975–1984); The Mike Douglas Show (1978); The Moonshine War (1970); The Mothers-In-Law (1969); The Movie Awards (1991); The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1973); The New Show (1984); The Odd Couple (1974); The Player (1992); The Rosie O'Donnell Show (1996); The Sky Is Falling (1999); The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour (1971–1977); The Sonny Comedy Revue (1974); The Sting II (1983); The T.A.M.I. Show (1964); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1975–1992); The Tony Danza Show (2006); The View (2005); The Weird Al Show (1997); The Winter of Our Discontent (1983); This Is the Life (1970); This Means War (2012); To Catch a King (1984); Today (1982); Tootsie (1982); Trailers from Hell (2007); Trying Times (1987); Twentieth Century Fox: The Blockbuster Years (2000); Ultimate Trek: Star Trek's Greatest Moments (1999); Unaccompanied Minors (2006); Viva Las Vegas (1964); Waiting for the Light (1990); Weakest Link (2001); What a Way to Go! (1964); What's New, Scooby-Doo? (2003); Where the Action Is (1965); Where's the Bus? (1966); Witches' Brew (1980); Wogan (1987); Women of the House (1995); Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976); Young Frankenstein (1974); Young Frankenstein: It's Alive! Creating a Monster Classic (2008); Your Total Health (2006).

On this day in movie history - Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

directed and written by Steven Spielberg,

was released in the United States on November 16, 1977.

Music by John Williams.

Cast:

Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon, Bob Balaban, J. Patrick McNamara, Warren J. Kemmerling, Roberts Blossom, Philip Dodds, Cary Guffey, Shawn Bishop, Adrienne Campbell, Justin Dreyfuss, Lance Henriksen, Merrill Connally, George DiCenzo, Amy Douglass, Alexander Lockwood, Gene Dynarski, Mary Gafrey, Norman Bartold, Josef Sommer, Michael J. Dyer, Roger Ernest, Carl Weathers, F.J. O'Neil, Phil Dodds, Randy Mark Herman, Hal Barwood, Matthew Robbins, David Anderson, Richard L. Hawkins, Craig Shreeve, Bill Thurman, Roy E. Richards, Gene Rader, Eumenio Blanco, Daniel Nunez, Chuy Franco, Luis Contreras, James Keane, Dennis McMullen, Cy Young, Tom Howard, Richard Stuart, Bob Westmoreland, Matt Emery, Galen Thompson, John Dennis Johnston, John Ewing, Keith Atkinson, Robert Broyles, Kirk Raymond, Bennett Wayne Dean Sr., Danyi Deats, Jenny Inge Devaney. Basil Hoffman, J. Allen Hynek, Monty Jordan, Shay McLean, Dejah Moore, Carl Neal, Monty O'Grady, Julia Phillips, Murray Pollack, Stephen Powers, David Rambow, Howard K. Smith.

On this day in movie history - Spielberg (2017)

Spielberg

a documentary on director Steven Spielberg,

directed by Susan Lacy,

was released at the New York Film Festival in the United States on October 5, 2017.

Cast:

Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Richard Dreyfuss, Bill Butler, John Williams, David Edelstein, Michael Phillips, Nancy Spielberg, Anne Spielberg, Janet Maslin, Sue Spielberg, Leah Adler, Arnold Spielberg, J.J. Abrams, Sid Sheinberg, James Brolin, David Geffen, Roger Ernest, Steven Bochco, George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, Vilmos Zsigmond, Brian De Palma, Tony Kushner, Bob Balaban, Tom Hanks, Drew Barrymore, Peter Coyote, Melissa Mathison, Leonardo DiCaprio, A.O. Scott, Kathleen Kennedy, Harrison Ford, Tom Stoppard, Walter F. Parkes, Oprah Winfrey, J. Hoberman, Frank Marshall, Christian Bale, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Janusz Kaminski, Michael Kahn, Annette Insdorf, Dennis Muren, David Koepp, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Rick Carter, Robert Zemeckis, Ron Meyer, Laurie MacDonald, Cate Blanchett, Holly Hunter, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Dustin Hoffman, Lawrence Kasdan, Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Todd McCarthy, Tom Cruise, Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Adam Somner, Joanna Johnston, Alan Alda, Karen Allen, William Atherton, Richard Attenborough, Dan Aykroyd, Ned Beatty, John Belushi, Ed Bradley, Tom Brokaw, Jessica Capshaw, Kate Capshaw, Dana Carvey, Bill Clinton, Sean Connery, Joan Crawford, Hugh Downs, Denholm Elliott, Peter Falk, Paul Freeman, Teri Garr, Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Cary Guffey, Goldie Hawn, Alfred Hitchcock, Norman Howell, Amy Irving, Ben Johnson, Wayne Knight, Shia LaBeouf, Marcia Lucas, K.C. Martel, Mike Myers, George Negus, Al Pacino, Fievel Posner, Dan Rather, John Rhys-Davies, Terry Richards, Oliver Robins, Mark Rylance, Roy Scheider, Gene Shalit, Robert Shaw, Dinah Shore, Tom Snyder, Rebecca Spielberg, Sasha Spielberg, Theo Spielberg, David Strathairn, Henry Thomas, François Truffaut, Dennis Weaver, Robert Young, Margaret Avery, Ruby Barnhill, Marlon Brando, Edward Burns, John Candy, David Costabile, Melinda Dillon, Dakota Fanning, Morgan Freeman, Adam Goldberg, Alec Guinness, Mark Hamill, Hal Holbrook, Anthony Hopkins, Djimon Hounsou, Byron Jennings, Tommy Lee Jones, Charlie Korsmo, Ronald Lacey, Maurice LaMarche, Lee Majors, Joseph Mazzello, Samantha Morton, Sam Neill, Frances O'Connor, Kevin J. O'Connor, Peter O'Toole, Haley Joel Osment, Barry Pepper, Giovanni Ribisi, Ariana Richards, Miranda Richardson, Pat Roach, Geoffrey Rush, Amy Ryan, Omar Sharif, Martin Short, Tom Sizemore, Robert Stack, Christopher Walken, Dee Wallace, Robin Williams.

On this day in movie history - After Hours (1985)

After Hours

directed by Martin Scorsese, and written by Joseph Minion,

based on a story by Joe Frank,

was released in the United States on September 11, 1985.

Music by Howard Shore.

Cast:

Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, Verna Bloom, Tommy Chong, Linda Fiorentino, Teri Garr, John Heard, Cheech Marin, Catherine O'Hara, Dick Miller, Will Patton, Robert Plunket, Bronson Pinchot, Rocco Sisto, Larry Block, Victor Argo, Murray Moston, John P. Codiglia, Clarke Evans, Victor Bumbalo, Bill Elverman, Joel Jason, Rand Carr, Clarence Felder, Henry Judd Baker, Margo Winkler, Victor Magnotta, Robin Johnson, Stephen Lim, Frank Aquilino, Maree Catalano, Paula Raflo, Rockets Redglare, Catherine Scorsese, Charles Scorsese, Martin Scorsese, John Spacely.

On this day in movie history – Dick (1999)

Dick

directed by Andrew Fleming

written by Andrew Fleming and Sheryl Longin,

was released in the United States on August 4, 1999.

Music by John Debney.

Cast:

Kirsten Dunst, Michelle Williams, Dan Hedaya, Will Ferrell, Bruce McCulloch, Teri Garr, Dave Foley, Jim Breuer, Ana Gasteyer, Harry Shearer, Saul Rubinek, Devon Gummersall, Ted McGinley, Ryan Reynolds, G.D. Spradlin, Shannon Lawson, Karl Pruner, Brenda Devine, Jonathan Rannells, Paulino Nunes, Michael Dyson, Jerry Schaefer, Jack Mosshammer, Karen Waddell, Richard Fitzpatrick, Cole Barrington, Scott Wickware, Mark Lutz, Kedar Brown, Paul Wildbaum, Kerry Dorey, Len Doncheff, Igor Portnoi, Jennifer Wigmore, Jane Moffat, Rob Nickerson, Bernard Browne, Rummy Bishop, Deborah Grover, Stephen Jared, Michael Eric Kramer, Mike Anscombe, Brunswick (the Dog), French Stewart, Laila Ayad, David Berni, Barry Goldwater, Michael Kaufman, Chad Ridgely, Jade Wu.

On this day in movie history - Michael (1996)

 

Michael

directed by Nora Ephron,

written by Nora Ephron, Delia Ephron, Peter Dexter and Jim Quinlan,

based on a story by Jim Quinlan and Peter Dexter,

was released in the United States on December 25, 1996.

Music by Randy Newman.

Cast:

John Travolta, Andie MacDowell, William Hurt, Bob Hoskins, Robert Pastorelli, Jean Stapleton, Teri Garr, Wallace Langham, Joey Lauren Adams, Carla Gugino, Tom Hodges, Catherine Lloyd Burns, Richard Schiff, Calvin Trillin, Donald J. Lee Jr., JoAnn Fregalette Jansen, David Harrod, Jane Lanier, John Hussey, Margaret Travolta, David M. Bernstein, Betsy Sokolow Sherman, Tracey A. Doyle, Blue Deckert, Deborah Nunez, Dell Aldrich, Kay Colvin, James N. Harrell, Peyton E. Park, Dianne Dreyer, Tim Harrison, Daniel Mimura, Mark Nutter, Thomas F. Evans, Jimmy Borto, Stephen Bruton, Dominic Paolo Testa, Tom Woodruff Jr.

Actress Teri Garr Calls Multiple Sclerosis a “Scum Sucking Pig of a Disease”:

November 5, 2018

Teri Garr is a 73-year-old actress best known for her roles in Young Frankenstein, Oh, God!, Tootsie, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. She also played Phoebe’s biological mother on the TV sitcom Friends. One day in 1983, Teri went out for a run around Central Park in New York. She began to experience a tingling in her right leg and before long, she felt a sharp pain in her arm. During this time, Teri was at the peak of her career and she was not going to let a little pain and tingling get her down. “Every movie I did, I’d go see a different doctor in the location where we were shooting, and everyone had a different opinion about what it might be. Every so often someone would mention MS, but then someone else would think it was something else,” she said.

Over the next 16 years, she kept on working and her symptoms came and went. Finally, in 1999, she received a definite diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Teri, who had also trained as a dancer, did not feel sad or depressed about her condition. Rather, she felt angry. She could not understand how her body could have deceived her and this anger brought up memories of her mother. 

Teri’s complicated upbringing

Teri grew up in a family involved in show business. Her father, Eddie Garr, was an ex-vaudevillian and her mother, Phyllis Garr, was a former Radio City Rockette. However, the family was struggling to make ends meet and at one point, they decided to split their house and rent out the front. At the age of 11, Teri’s father died, leaving her mother with three children to take care of. Despite the family’s devastation, her mother Phyllis remained optimistic and wore a pin on her blouse that read EGBOK – Everything’s going to be OK. In order to get by, Phyllis worked 18 hours a day and ultimately, she was able to put Teri and her two brothers through college. “That was my role model. Someone who takes care of things, copes. So, I was conditioned to do that,” said Teri.

Unfortunately, in Hollywood, a physical handicap can sometimes mean the end of one’s career, as the acting business is very judgmental. For this reason, Teri decided to keep her diagnosis quiet and tried her best to mask her symptoms. She knew that agents and producers would view her as being disabled, so she felt like she needed to protect herself. She frequently stumbled and dropped objects in the privacy of her own home, but she could handle the accidents. “Getting depressed or sad wouldn’t have helped me,” she said.

Revealing her diagnosis to the world

Finally, she decided to tell the world the secret she had been hiding because rumors were floating around and she wanted the information to come from her and not an outsider. “I thought, there’s too much drama here. What if someone went out and talked about it like a stand-up comic? If you get somebody laughing — and then stick in a point about something important — they’ll remember it,” said Teri. So, in October of 2002, she went on ‘Larry King’ and spoke publicly about her condition, all the while using her wit. She also used to same wit when she went on ‘Letterman’ to raise awareness on MS and uplift the spirits of MS patients and their families.

 

Advocating for MS

 

As a spokesperson for MS LifeLines, an educational and support service, Teri traveled the country to speak to individuals with MS. She aimed to encourage them to find out everything they could on available treatment options and to try to move forward with their lives. She spoke out about her own symptoms, including extreme fatigue, stumbling, and difficulty controlling her right hand. “I had weakness on the right side — arm, leg, and foot. Having to manage fatigue is something I and many people with MS have to deal with, and heat is no friend to my MS either; it can be devastating. However, each person with MS lives with his or her own special suitcase of symptoms. Yet, we all work around our symptoms and move forward with our lives,” she said. Teri also spoke out about how one type of approved disease-modifying drug, a healthy diet, and exercise have helped her in managing her symptoms and slowing down the progression of MS. In regards to exercise, she noted that it is crucial to her well-being and she favors a machine similar to that of a recumbent bicycle. “I try to use it an hour a day. It helps strengthen both my arms and legs and is aerobic as well. Plus, I can read or watch TV while I’m on it. In the summer I swim, which I really love. It’s vital to keep moving,” she said. Although slowing down was not in her nature, Teri realized that she had to because stress and anxiety were not good for MS. So, she learned to ‘simplify’ her tasks and do one thing at a time.

 

Her advice to anyone who suspects MS

 

Teri’s advice to any individual who suspects that they may have MS is to see a neurologist right away, as early treatment is crucial. “I’d advise anyone recently diagnosed to relax. MS affects everyone differently. The status of MS research has never been more exciting and there are many therapies available that slow the progression of the disease. As we all know, knowledge is power. Get involved on a local level. Become a volunteer, be an advocate, join one of the many Walk MS or Bike MS events in your area. Bring your friends and family with you. It’s a good way to connect with people and you’ll feel better about not only helping yourself but helping others,” she said.

 

These days, from time to time, the actress can muster up the strength to walk for short periods of time. However, she frequently needs to use a cane or wheelchair, as is the case for over 60% of individuals who have MS. “I call it the scum sucking pig of a disease that treats everyone differently. Some people don’t get any symptoms, but I wasn’t one of them,” said Teri.

 

Still, despite her lasting battle with the disease, Teri remains positive in the face of her condition. “I think some people want you to be upset. Not only am I not upset, but I’m okay. I don’t see any profit in being down, I don’t see that it gets you anywhere. Maybe it has to do with my show-business background. You’re always being told that you’re not right for something, not tall enough, not pretty enough, whatever. I would say, ‘But I’m smart, I’m talented, I’m this, I’m that!’ I’ve always been able to do that, and I do it now with MS,” she said. Teri has inspired so many individuals and because of her, some are saying that they are no longer letting their symptoms get in the way of them living their lives to the fullest and pursuing their dreams. “Speaking out about multiple sclerosis to others who may be dealing with this disease is actually helpful to me, as well as, I hope, to others. It builds community, helps bring awareness to MS, and strengthens the MS movement that will ultimately lead to the end of this disease,” she said.

 

References:

 

https://www.findatopdoc.com/Healthy-Living/what-teri-garr-calls-multiple-sclerosis

 

https://www.rd.com/health/conditions/actress-terri-garr-battles-multiple-sclerosis

 

https://www.express.co.uk/celebrity-news/786660/Teri-Garr-Multiple-Sclerosis-MS

 

https://www.nationalmssociety.org/Get-Involved/Personal-Stories/Ambassadors-Familiar-Faces/Teri-Garr

 

https://journals.lww.com/neurologynow/Fulltext/2005/01010/Teri_Garr_on_Life_with_MS.6.aspx

 

https://www.everydayhealth.com/multiple-sclerosis/living-with/teri-garr/

 

In support of Multiple Sclerosis research:

 

http://www.nationalmssociety.org

http://msfocus.org

https://multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com

http://mymsaa.org

http://positivelivingwithms.com

https://mssociety.ca

https://stumblingprincess.com

http://www.msra.org.au/

 

#BikeMS #brain #CureMS #demyelination #disease #FightMS #FuckMS #FuckYouMS #FUMS #lesion #MS #MSawareness #MSAwarenessMonth #MSeducation #MultipleSclerosis #MSstrong #MSSucks #MSwarrior #MuckFestMS #myelin #mymsme #OMS #ThisIsMS #vertigo #WalkMS #WalkTogether #WeAreStrongerThanMS #WorldMSDay

 

NEVER GIVE UP!