A lot of us growing up knew who Roz from Night Court was, she was the woman that took over when Selma Diamond passed away, rest in peace, in the mid-80s. That was a hard blow for the Night Court crowd and it was experienced as a hard moment for the cast as well since Selma was one of the only people that could really handle Bull, played by Richard Moll. When Roz came on the scene though it took a little bit of time to get used to her, but thankfully it didn’t take too long since her comedic chops might still have been those of a rookie but she played it off as though she’d been on stage for a long time at that point. As a result she became one of the favorite and toughest characters on the show since even Bull was known to back down to her when she got really steamed. But for the most part Roz was the sarcastic but lovable person in the show that a lot of people depended on and a lot of people knew not to mess with, kind of like a younger and blacker version of Selma, but still her own person through and through.
It might surprise you to learn that Marsha actually retired from acting back in 1999 and went back to being a stand-up comedian, where she came from in the first place. Even during her time on Night Court she would sometimes fly out to LA and catch a gig now and again. It sounds as though she’s been doing this for a while and if you know anything about Marsha then you’ll know that she was made for comedy as she’s been involved in a few different comedic movies and series that have allowed her to really make use of her talent. One movie that’s worthy of note even if it’s not that well-liked by many people is Caddyshack II, in which she plays the role of Royette Tyler, the foreman that works for Jack Hartounian, the notable rich slob in the movie that was essentially the same type of rich slob from a different culture that Rodney Dangerfield played in the first movie. Royette was fun because she was a great supporting character but she didn’t get a whole lot of play in the movie since it was focused more around Jackie Mason and Robert Stack and the feud between their characters. Still, what time she did get in this movie was a lot of fun to see since she got to be the tough individual much as she was on Night Court.
Apparently though she went right back to the drawing board once she had the chance to begin her standup routine since she wanted to get back into it and has so far been pretty good at it. She didn’t exactly get into comedy once again after retiring as she’s actually admitted that she just hung around and played on the internet for a while, but it’s great to hear that she’s back in comedy and doing what she wants to do. It’s worth asking though, how many people knew that Marsha was gay? It’d be a surprise to some folks for certain but she’s been pretty open about it for a while and apparently her mother knew for quite some time before Marsha opened up to her, though she did ask Marsha to avoid coming out until she’d passed away. While that might seem hurtful it was done for a reason that Marsha came to realize later on. But the very open comedian has been quite frank about her life thus far and has been grateful for the chance to get back on stage and continue to do what she’s so passionate about so it’s easy to be glad for her and to think that she’ll do quite well since she brings out a lot of nostalgia in a lot of people and should be able to reach folks on a very deep level. It’s Roz for crying out loud, how could you not love this woman?
So yes she has aged a bit and her looks have changed, but one thing about Marsha that hasn’t changed is that razor wit that she’s been so well-known for throughout the years. Whether it was on TV or in the movies she’s always been known to be able to hold her own with just about anyone, and that much hasn’t faded throughout the years as she’s managed to keep her mind sharp and her wit honed in a way that is no doubt keeping her steeped in laughs while on stage. It’s great to see that she’s back out doing something worthwhile and who knows, maybe one day we’ll see her on the screen again. But until then it’s enough to wish her all the luck and support she needs while doing her thing. Michael Mackey from InKansasCity might agree I think.
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