The difference, of course, is that Marilyn Hack is depicted by O’Hara, with tragicomic precision, as a mediocrity. O’Hara, who passed away today at the age of 71, was not. She was exceptional, and within her reputation as a primarily comic actress, she possessed an extraordinary range. She was the best-case scenario of a performer trained in sketch comedy, able to slip into various characters and render them instantly vivid.