Most people catching Freakier Friday this weekend probably think of the 2003 Freaky Friday movie with Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis as the original.
But the story actually goes way back—to a 1976 film starring Barbara Harris and a young Jodie Foster.
And that film itself was based on a 1972 novel written by someone with a serious showbiz pedigree.
Meet Mary Rodgers: Broadway Royalty and Author Behind the Tale
Mary Rodgers, who wrote the Freaky Friday book, wasn’t just any author.
She was the daughter of Richard Rodgers, one of Broadway’s greatest composers.
You might recognize his work—he teamed up with lyricists like Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein to create classics such as Oklahoma!, The Sound of Music, and Carousel.
These are some of the most enduring musicals in American history.
Mary often joked about living in her famous father’s shadow, especially when she’d pick up the dinner bill with friends and say, “When your dad writes Oklahoma!, you can pay for dinner.” But Mary was no small-time figure herself.
Mary’s Own Star Shines Bright on Broadway
Beyond writing, Mary Rodgers made a big splash as a composer with the 1959 musical Once Upon a Mattress, which launched Carol Burnett’s career.
Based on The Princess and the Pea, the show was an instant hit thanks to Carol’s charm, Mary’s bubbly music, lyricist Marshall Barer’s words, and Jay Thompson’s witty book.
Interestingly, Once Upon a Mattress connects to a recent Broadway gossip storm.
Rumors swirled about an affair between Sutton Foster and Hugh Jackman, which allegedly contributed to Hugh’s split from his wife in 2023.
Sutton and Hugh starred together in The Music Man, and just before the affair rumors exploded, Hugh was spotted watching Sutton perform in Once Upon a Mattress—fanning the flames of speculation.
A Friendship with Broadway Legend Stephen Sondheim
Mary Rodgers was also lifelong best friends with Stephen Sondheim, another Broadway giant known for his work on West Side Story, Sweeney Todd, and Into the Woods.
Their friendship was so close that, despite knowing Sondheim was gay, Mary once entered a brief and awkward trial marriage with him in an era when being openly gay was taboo.
She later reflected on that time with a mix of disbelief and humor.
The Inspiration Behind the Story
Mary’s idea for Freaky Friday came from real-life parenting challenges.
While raising her own teenage daughters, she realized that even with her liberal, open-minded attitude, she had become “an authority figure” much like her own strict mother.
She was also inspired by an earlier humorous novel called Turnabout (1931), where a husband and wife swap bodies—and the husband gets pregnant! Mary’s story focused on a teenage girl and her mother switching places, originally considering the title Funky Friday before settling on Freaky Friday to avoid sounding too close to a certain curse word.
The 1976 Movie and Mary’s Mixed Feelings
The 1972 novel’s success led to the 1976 film adaptation starring Jodie Foster, fresh from her breakout role in Taxi Driver.
Mary wrote the original screenplay but was disappointed when Hollywood rewrote much of it with what she felt was “sexism” and sitcom clichés.
She fought to keep her screenwriting credit but later said it felt like getting credit only for the blame. Despite that, the film was a hit.
Warm Words for the 2003 Remake
Mary had much nicer things to say about the 2003 Freaky Friday with Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis.
She felt the characters finally seemed real and relatable—“plucky instead of whiny”—which she credited largely to Jamie Lee Curtis’s performance.
She even shared a sweet personal note about Jamie Lee: “Have you ever met someone who, after one minute together, you just know anyone who likes you would also like her? She was one of those people for me.”
Casting Tidbits and Mary’s Legacy
Mary revealed that the roles Jamie Lee and Lindsay played were originally offered to Annette Bening and Kelly Osbourne but eventually went to the duo we now know.
Mary Rodgers passed away in 2014 at age 83. She left behind five children, including Adam Guettel, who carries on the family’s musical tradition as a Broadway composer.