Cloris Leachman Finds 'Love & Money'

Note: "On The Set" appears every week in our Entertainment section.

There's Only One Cloris Leachman
In a career that spans five decades, Cloris Leachman has won a whopping seven Emmys, an Oscar ("The Last Picture Show") and earned an international cult-like following. Most of us grew up watching her - and we're still watching.

While most actresses find it tough to find substantive roles after a certain age, Leachman is still working. In fact, she never stops.

In between her film roles, Leachman makes guest appearances on the small screen. Last year, her guest spot on "Promised Land" earned her an Emmy. Her latest gig takes her to the set of the new CBS sitcom "Love & Money," starring TV vets Swoosie Kurtz and David Ogden Stiers.

'Love & Money' Is A Laugh Out Loud Kind Of Show
Premiering Oct. 8, (8:30 p.m. ET/PT) "Love & Money" is a romantic comedy set in a ritzy New York City apartment building. A well-meaning handyman Eamon Roach (Brian Van Holt), who lives in the basement, falls for the shy young heiress Allison Conklin (Paget Brewster). She lives with her quirky billionaire parents, Effie Conklin (Kurtz) and Nicholas Conklin (Stiers), in the penthouse. Kurtz and Stiers are hilarious, but for this episode, "The Stepmummy," there's definitely something about Leachman.

Playing the evil step "grandmummy" to Kurtz' caustic Effie, Leachman's impeccable timing and scene stealing mugs remind us why we loved her so much on "Mary Tyler Moore," as "Phyllis," and on "Facts of Life." It is hard to turn away while she is speaking because you fear you might miss a look or subtle movement.

Leachman plays an aristocratic and mouthy grandmother in a way that proves to be a larger than life "character" in every sense of the word. But Leachman makes her real. Somehow, she manages to make Grandmummy true, honest, and full of heart.

Leachman Plays Dress Up
After a take, Leachman rushes to the side of the show's set. Still dressed as Grandmummy, she is slim, athletic, and glowing.

"How'd I do?" she asks me excitedly. "Look, I get to play dress up!"

Leachman is wearing a haute couture dress true to the wealthy and stylish grandmummy character. Perhaps best known for a host of film roles where she donned outrageous costumes, this role allows her to look elegant and it delights her.

"I am having so much fun!" she exclaims. The cast and crew is having fun with her, too. The audience goes wild when the producers announce she will be on this week's show.

It has been quite a week, she says.

Grapes And Ice Cream
Leachman is eating a handful of grapes (she is very health conscious) she found at the craft service snack table. Then she's gone, ready to tape another scene.

In search of grapes, I locate the craft service area where I find Kurtz taking an ice cream Dove Bar out of the freezer.

Realizing that someone has discovered her, she turns around, eyes twinkling. "I was never here and you never saw me with this ice cream" quips the trim actress. And soon, she, too, heads back into the bright lights of the set.

Don't worry, Swoosie, we'll keep it our little secret.

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