{alltv} Randee Heller brings 'Mad Men' secretary to comedic life

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AMC's Mad Men (Sunday, 10 ET/PT) may be revered for its dark, moody tone. But when the story line shifts to secretary-from-hell Ida Blankenship, TV's three-time Emmy-winning drama is quickly infused with comic relief.

Blankenship (Randee Heller) is the clueless, loudmouthed New Yawker from the secretarial pool — payback for boss Don Draper's latest office indiscretion, the boozy one-night stand with comely lovelorn secretary Allison (Alexa Alemanni).

Heller is best-known for known for her role as Ralph Macchio's mom in 1984 teen hit The Karate Kid. But her Blankenship is the ying to Allison's yang, and she routinely exasperates the suave, normally unflappable Draper (Jon Hamm). One running gag: announcing Draper's office visitors after they've entered his office.

The bespectacled, crossword-puzzle-loving Blankenship has also admonished Draper for his frequent on-the-job naps, made him cringe when she loudly brayed that his daughter's psychiatrist had called, and has treated him more like an afterthought than the golden-boy creative genius behind upstart advertising agency Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.

"What I love about this character is she doesn't have any agenda — she's not trying to climb the proverbial ladder, she's not following the rules. She doesn't know there are rules," says Heller, 63.

On the set, "people have trouble keeping a straight face when she's performing," says Mad Mencreator Matt Weiner. "And I love that the audience has responded to her."

Weiner says Heller is a consummate pro, often doing three or four variations of a scene. In last week's episode, she adjusted Blankenship's wig — which wasn't called for in the script. "It was a nice surprise to see that in the editing room. She adds a lot to the character, giving us different versions of things," he says.

The role has prompted a Facebook fan page and plaudits among fan-site bloggers.

"It's been such a surprise. I've been in this business for 40 years — you do a show and you don't know what's going to come of it," Heller says. "The accolades have been fun."

It takes makeup artists two hours to get her in character, including wig and makeup. "It was kind of freaky when I first saw myself," she says. "It helped bring this character to life. But when you seek Christina Hendricks (office manager Joan) and all these other beautiful women, you just get nauseous," Heller says.

Miss Blankenship is based on a secretary that Mad Men producer Maria Jacquemetton once worked with. "Maria was always quoting her, and in this Boston-Brooklyn voice, and we'd always laugh," says Weiner, who is editing the Season 4 finale this week. The character was introduced — but not seen — previously as the secretary of agency figurehead Bert Cooper.

Heller has two daughters from a previous marriage, Kansas City-based TV journalist Sloane Heller, 33, and Cody Heller, 25, a writer's assistant on HBO comedy Hung.

Randee Heller lives in Los Angeles with longtime boyfriend Bob Griffard, a TV writer and producer.

She has worked steadily in TV, film and stage since the 1970s; this week, she's taping a guest spot on ABC's Grey's Anatomy. But Heller hadn't watched Mad Men before auditioning a month before taping on the fourth season began. "I didn't know anything. I was just doing what was on the page, an older secretary with a strong New York accent."

That came easy for Brooklyn-born Heller, who's been catching up on prior episodes. "Thank God for TiVo to get the tone and the characters," she says.

Weiner says he wasn't aware of Heller's Karate Kid ties, just the résumé of a veteran actress. "When you see someone working that much, you don't worry about them melting down or freezing up on the job."

Weiner isn't saying what's in store for Blankenship. Heller isn't talking, either.

Will there be a Blankenship/Draper office romance? Doubtful.

"I wouldn't mind going home with him," Heller says. "With Ida, anything could happen."