Jenilee Harrison, a '70s and '80s TV star, will host an auction at Gay West, with proceeds benefiting Wingspan's programs. A former Miss Young America and L.A. Rams cheerleader, Harrison played Cindy Snow on "Three's Company" and later starred in "Dallas," playing Jamie Ewing (1984-87). Since then she's stayed busy — she's married to Dr. Bruce Oppenheim, a chiropractor, is a stepmother of two and writes, produces and directs infomercials. She's now working on a TV pilot called "Garagin," in which she turns "garage junk into gold." We caught up with Harrison last week:
How how often do you come to Tucson?
"I've only been there a couple times. Actually, I have cousins who've moved there. I haven't been out to see them yet but am looking forward to it. I have a sister who lived in Scottsdale. That was the closest we'd get."
Why did you decide to do this event?
People are also reading…
"My dear friend Mark Sennett said, 'Would you like to do this?' I said, 'Absolutely.' Mark is one of most talented producers in Hollywood. I'm fortunate enough that's he's my partner and friend. When you're in the arts, you're surrounded by artistic, flamboyant people, who happen to be gay. And we appreciate their work. I'm a drama queen myself. My style is eccentric, and I'm happy to do this."
Tell us about your new show "Garagin."
" 'Garagin' is about the art of finding the deal at garage sales and seeing what you can do with turning trash into treasures. I'm not sure if you're familiar with my background, but I didn't grow up with a lot of money. My dad was the only worker in the family. We had to make do with what we found at garage sales.
"Even today my house is furnished with everything five cents on the dollar. We buy at auctions, thrift and consignment stores. . . .
"With Mark we've created a show and a retail concept to sell those goods. I love the art of the sale."
So I keep hearing about a movie remake of "Dallas." Do you know if that's going to happen?
"I don't. It's been rumored about a lot. You hear that Brad Pitt will be in it or John Travolta will be cast. But it doesn't involve us (the original cast). It's neat those old shows are being revived, but we had a great time on the original shows. I had a great time on 'Three's Company' and 'Dallas.' I have no complaints."
