Alley Mills has been one of TV’s most beloved actresses for decades, best known to nighttime viewers as sitcom mom Norma Arnold on The Wonder Years and to daytime viewers for her 13-year run as Pamela Douglas on CBS’ The Bold and Beautiful, which she took a break from following the death of her husband, 91-year-old actor Orson Bean, who died after being struck by a car in February 2020.
Alley Mills Opens Up
Mills has returned to the New York stage, a place where she feels close to Bean, given their mutual love of the theater. She’s starring in the acclaimed Off-Broadway revival of Morning’s at Seven from playwright Paul Osborn. Appearing alongside her is former Wonder Years co-star Dan Lauria, Lindsay Crouse, Patty McCormack, John Rubinstein, and Tony Roberts.
Soap Hub recently spoke to Mills about the play, her experience on B&B – especially working with Susan Flannery and Betty White – appearing on the new version of The Wonder Years and more.
SOAP HUB: How does it feel to be back on the stage again?
ALLEY MILLS: It’s pretty crazy for an old gal like me and also a little bit of a miracle. It feels so wonderful to do this play; the entire company is so embracing, and it’s a pleasure to share the stage with so many true New York theater actors. I actually lived in New York as a kid and I came back there shortly after I graduated from Yale. But then I got a play in Los Angeles, and after that, I got cast in a sitcom called The Associates with Martin Short, and somehow, I’ve stayed there ever since.
SH: In some ways, the character you play in this show, Arry, is very different than you. She’s still unmarried at age 70, and you were happily married for 27 years to Orson Bean. How do you get into her head?
AM: Well, I waited until I was 40 to get married, so that played into my interpretation of Arry. Her issue is she has been madly in love with her sister’s husband, Thor, since she was 16 [played by Lauria]. Essentially, she picked the wrong man, and that was true of my life, more than once, until I met Orson. The minute we met, we became best friends and he was the love of my life until he died. He was truly a great man. I honestly thought Orson would live until he was105.
SH: Orson also had a strong background in theater, which is something you guys shared.
AM: Yes, we always had this place on the Upper West Side – I’m living there now – and we used to come every year around Christmas and just see plays every day. Orson did love New York and the theater; I still talk to him every night when I am backstage! But by the time we got married, he didn’t think there’d be enough work for him in New York. So one of the hardest decisions I ever made was turning down this series that Michael Patrick King (the creator of Sex and the City) offered me right after we got married because it had to shoot in New York. In fact, one of the reasons I agreed to do The Bold and the Beautiful was the opportunity to work in L.A. and basically leave the set by 5 pm. Sometimes, wedding scenes ran longer, but they were actually my favorite because all I had to do was sit there and cry!
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SH: So what is the situation with B&B? Are you planning/hoping to return to the show?
AM: I think I will come in and out like I did last year when I came back for the wedding of Steffy and Finn. But after Orson’s death, I not only needed this break, but I realized I wanted to do plays, indie films — things that let me be a character actor. But I still keep in touch with a lot of the cast, and some of them are coming to see me do this play in New York.
SH: Speaking of castmates, let me ask you about two special women, starting with Betty White, who played your mom, Ann.
AM: She is the nicest person. I think we had this instant connection because she had done all these game shows with Orson. What I admired most about her is she just didn’t give up no matter what happened on set or worry about the small stuff.
SH: And then there’s Susan Flannery, who played your sister, Stephanie Forrester. What can you tell me about her?
AM: She is a rock as an actor, the salt of the earth, and still my best friend. She is so full of life and loves her place in Santa Barbara. You know, I had never seen a single soap opera before I stepped on the set of B&B opposite Susan and Betty. And it was such an intense storyline because it was about Susan’s character being [abused by her father] as a child. One day, I cried in Susan’s arms, spontaneously, and they asked me to stay on permanently. We were like children together. I think Pam has a case of arrested development, much like Arry in the play. Honestly, I liked playing Pam when she was “crazy.”
SH: Of course, before B&B, you really became famous as Norma Arnold on The Wonder Years. What do you think of the reboot? Would you do a cameo on it?
AM: Since Orson’s death, I don’t really watch TV. But I have heard from the best friend of Don Cheadle [who narrates the adult Dean in the revival] that it’s brilliant. I think it’s a fantastic idea that they made them a middle-class Black family. I would love to go on, but not as Norma. I would love to be a maid or something.
SH: So, does this mean Alley Mills is heading back to L.A. when the play is over?
AM: I don’t have time now to think this through. On one hand, I have nine grandchildren in L.A. and two outdoor cats. But I love New York and doing theater is my favorite thing to do. So, I am putting on my seat belt and just taking this rollercoaster ride.
Morning’s At Seven is now playing a strictly limited engagement through December 5 at Theatre at St. Clement’s, located at 423 W. 46th Street, NYC. For tickets and information, click MorningsAt7.com or Telecharge.com, or you can call (212) 239-6200.
The Bold and the Beautiful (BB) airs weekdays on CBS. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Los Angeles, check out all the latest that’s been posted on B&B spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.
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