>> i knew there was something bigger than kinloch. i knew i had to get out. television gave me that out. i watched television. bette davis, joan crawford, pearl bailey. i mean i stayed in the late, late show it was called right before television went off, remember, at night? well, i went from that small town to of course in high school i discovered i was an alpha female. i became president of my class, captain of the cheerleading squad. i started to nurture that gift of leadership during that time, and then i went on to webster university, majored in theater arts, got my b.a. and, honey, went to new york the day after graduation, got my first broadway show, eubie blake's musical review within 11 days of graduating from college. >> i was just floored by that. >> i had no fear in me. >> you had no fear. >> no fear. i had bipolar disorder. of course back then they didn't know what it was. so i had this mania that fed the dream. see, there was a positive side to it also. i was certainly depressed at night, but in the day i got up. i went to acting class, voice le