Karen Valentine

Perky brunette actress whose slightly bumbling cheerleader charm evokes a combination of Debbie Reynolds and Sally Field. Among Valentine's earliest TV credits was, in fact, "Gidget Grows Up" (1969), in which she played Field's former role. The same year, Valentine won an Emmy for her best-remembered part, that of student teacher Alice Johnson, forever getting caught in the schoolbus doors in the popular comedy-drama "Room 222" (ABC, 1969-74). The 70s were Valentine's busiest period: she was a regular on the Dinah Shore-hosted chat show "Dinah's Place" and starred in her own sitcom, "Karen."