Suzanne Muldowney
Suzanne Muldowney (a.k.a. "Underdog Lady" and "Mary Poppins", born 13 August 1952 in Camden, New Jersey) is a performance artist best known for her appearances on the Howard Stern show to discuss and perform her very serious dance interpretation of the cartoon character Underdog.
History
Muldowney was born in New Jersey. As a young child, she was inspired by the improvisational dance of Isadora Duncan.
She first performed in 1976 as Dracula in Philadelphia. By 1980, she was appearing at costume contests at science fiction conventions. It was during this time that Muldowney began identifying with the cartoon superhero Underdog.
In 1987, she began appearing in seasonal parades up and down the East Coast, including the Mayor's Annual Christmas Parade in the Hampden neighorhood of Baltimore, Maryland.
Muldowney's most famous dance interpretation is of Underdog, but she has also portrayed Vlad the Impaler. Among her other self-created characters are Shelley the South Jersey Shore mermaid, Irish Cinderella, and Spectrum the Ghost King. She sews all her own costumes and they are known for their exacting detail and elaborate ornamentation. For example, the interior of her Underdog cape is lined with streaks of silver, representing the streaks of light trailing behind the animated Underdog.
She has appeared on many television programs. On May 22, 2006 she appeared as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live and demonstrated "figure jogging," a dance activity she invented that she hopes will become an Olympic sport.
In 2006 the documentary My Life As An Underdog was released by director Boris Gavrilovic.
Muldowney has been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. She lives in Delran, New Jersey with Ebony, her cat. Her other interests are sewing, cake decorating, gift wrapping and making angel figurines. She is a devout Roman Catholic and a college graduate.
Howard Stern
Muldowney appeared on the The Howard Stern Show several times during the 1990's, including Stern's Channel 9 television show. Her extremely serious nature and her strong offense to any comedic references to the Underdog character brought smiles to countless Stern listeners and viewers. Muldowney carries a grudge against Howard Stern, maintaining that she was lured to the show "through deceit and guile"[1] and that her association with him and inclusion in the Wack Pack has sullied her family-friendly image. Muldowney has never referred to herself as "Underdog Lady" and resents the title. She has expressed frequent disgust with Stern's shock jock material.
Muldowney is reportedly legendary for chasing children when they called her "Mary Poppins" in the vicinity of Hunter's Glen Apartments in Delran. She allegedly once delayed a school bus field trip because the kids called her "Mary Poppins."
References
External links
- Suzanne Muldowney at the Internet Movie Database
- My Life as an Underdog at the Internet Movie Database
- My Life As Underdog trailer
- Suzanne Muldowney's appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live
- Muldowneyville, a fan site
- Muldowney, Suzanne. The Splendorous Truth of Underdog. Atomic TV. Retrieved on 2006-12-19.
- Suzanne Muldowney's blog
- Suzanne Muldowney's MySpace page.
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