By Fred Chernow
Annette Mauer grew up in Cleveland. After graduating Cleveland Heights High School, she enrolled in Western Reserve University, where she joined the Cleveland Playhouse.
Not long after that, she met and married Irving Mauer. When he became an orthopedic surgeon they moved to New York City. Two little girls completed the family and Annette was involved in the usual routines of that time. Today, her older daughter Judy owns Phantom Audio, a sound studio in Manhattan. Eve is a quilt designer and lives with her husband on Long Island.
Annette had a rather traditional life until she reached age 40. Then, her “inner child” appeared and pointed her, like a compass, to her true passion – acting.
Recalling her days at the Cleveland Playhouse, she asked her husband what he thought of her going to a real acting school. His reply was, “Go for it.”
“And I did.”
“My husband supported me financially and emotionally,” she said. “I didn’t have to wait on tables the way my fellow actors did. I spent three years at the well-regarded HB studio on Bank Street in Manhattan. There I got experience doing light comedies, Shakespeare and everything in between. Upon graduation I acquired an agent, and soon after I got a part on the television soap opera, ‘Guiding Light.’ Not long after that I appeared on ‘All My Children.’ I accepted many different roles on television from that of a housekeeper to a jury member.”
Between episodes she won parts in commercials: Brawny paper towels and Blue Cross-Blue Shield were two of the most popular.
“The fun part was that people would stop me on the street and ask, ‘Aren’t you the lady on the Brawny commercial?’”
Wanting to give back, she heard about the need for support for the families of soldiers fighting overseas. She became involved in running a support group for soldiers and their families at Fort Totten. Not long after she was offered parts in the Woody Allen movies “Broadway Danny Rose” and “Hannah and Her Sisters.”
Her creative juices continued to flow and she became a published poet. This led to her writing lyrics for songs.
“By this time I was living on Long Island and began to teach acting at the Port Washington Senior Center,” Mauer said. While there she wrote a musical comedy, “It’s Not Too Late.”
It was about life at a Manhattan Bridge Club. A popular number began:
“I used to know Diamond from a Heart.
I used to know a Club from a Spade.
Now, all I remember is: ‘I pass.’
I used to be a sexy, glitzy, ‘don’t mess with me lass.’
Now, all I remember is: ‘I pass’”
Through the years Annette became a member of Actors Equity and the Screen Writers’ Guild. Now once again, she wants to give back. She is going to give a course for the new Adult Education classes that are forming now at North Shore Towers.
