Three's Company

Crimson

Crimson

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Snarky Oracle! said:
But others said Lucy's response was the precise opposite, with Miss Ball responding, "No way!"

But Morton had committed her, and Lucy reluctantly went along with it. That's the version I believe
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Most versions align fairly closely to those events. Lucy was miserable in her semi-retirement of the early 80s, whiling away her time playing endless games of backgammon, but she also knew she couldn't give the public the "Lucy" they expected. Morton may have thought she'd be happier back in the studio, but she seemed to know she was being set up for failure.


Snarky Oracle! said:
Interestingly, Lucille Ball hosted a THREE'S COMPANY retrospective -- she apparently respected the physical comedy of the show (presumably, John Ritter's).
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Pity the producers of THREE'S COMPANY didn't utilize Lucy as a guest star rather than just a host. THREE'S COMPANY was bawdier than Lucy was typically associated with, but she obviously liked it. And I LOVE LUCY could be surprisingly randy for its staid era. Lucy & Ethel in the hotel room with the travelling salesman ("You! Here! Dressed like that!") was a very proto-THREE'S COMPANY scenario.
 
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Snarky Oracle! said:
Somers lied incessantly for decades about the details -- which is why Ritter and deWitt stopped talking to her. I think they were right.

Lucille Ball had a "very tough" reputation. If she liked you (she liked Carol Burnett and Mary Tyler Moore) she could be incredibly gracious -- especially if she thought you were talented and that you were genuinely nice (like Carol Burnett and Mary Tyler Moore). But Ball suffered fools badly. And she was infamous with the service industry, she and her second husband, enabler Gary Morton. In restaurants and on airplanes -- they hated to see her coming. Nothing was ever right.

In the press, the story was planted that Morton approached her with the offer to do LIFE WITH LUCY and Lucy's face lighted up with enthusiasm. But others said Lucy's response was the precise opposite, with Miss Ball responding, "No way!"

But Morton had committed her, and Lucy reluctantly went along with it. That's the version I believe -- Lucy may have been a bitch on wheels (Elizabeth Taylor describes how Lucy kept screaming at her on the set when Taylor & Burton guest starred on HERE'S LUCY, Taylor adding snarkily about Ball, "But she's an icon...!") but Lucy was a smart woman, and knew LIFE WITH LUCY was not a good idea.

Interestingly, Lucille Ball hosted a THREE'S COMPANY retrospective -- she apparently respected the physical comedy of the show (presumably, John Ritter's).

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I understand that you do not care for Suzanne Somers, but the show was never as good without her.

And Joyce DeWitt basically had no career after the show - Sour grapes?
 
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Jock Ewing Fan said:
I understand that you do not care for Suzanne Somers, but the show was never as good without her.

And Joyce DeWitt basically had no career after the show - Sour grapes?
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No, it's not sour grapes on Dewitt's part (and I thought Priscilla Barnes was funnier) and it has nothing to do my "not caring for" Somers. Somers lied from get-go and continued all the way to the grave, pushing her manipulative version of events -- which often involved the names of her co-workers -- which is why they cut off contact with her permanently. Among other things, Somers always worded her comments in the media ("I just wanted what the boys were getting") so people would infer that she was only after financial parity with John Ritter, and as an act of feminism.
 
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The movie "Stay Tuned" (1992) with John Ritter, Pam Dawber.

It has a scene where John Ritter's character is transported to a TV set with two actresses portaying Chrissie and Janet.

They say "Where have you been" with the music
 
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people.com

Suzanne Somers' 'Step by Step' Costars Set to Reunite at 90s Con for the First Time Since Her Death (Exclusive)

'Step by Step' stars Patrick Duffy, Staci Keanan, Angela Watson, Christine Lakin, Christopher Castile, Jason Marsden and Sasha Mitchell are confirmed to attend 90s Con in March, five months after Suzanne Somers' death in October 2023
people.com people.com

Suzanne Somers' Step by Step Costars Set to Reunite at 90s Con for the First Time Since Her Death​


A nice tribute to Suzanne Somers.

I remember seeing one episode where Suzanne Somers and Patrick Duffy walked into a diner and
PD said something like 'Maybe I will see the blond in the T Bird'
referring to Suzanne's role in "American Graffiti" - a great scene!
I like when a clever reference is made

Patrick Duffy and Staci Keanan were quite complementary to Ms. Somers, in the article,
it was nice to read about their memories of her in the article
 
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I remember when the show had a six episode run as a fill-in type for the network.
It was funny and well-cast.
I was happy to see it as a permanent series.
Too bad Suzanne Somers had issues with a new contract and did not continue.
The how was never as good without her, IMHO
 
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Jock Ewing Fan said:
I remember when the show had a six episode run as a fill-in type for the network.
It was funny and well-cast.
I was happy to see it as a permanent series.
Too bad Suzanne Somers had issues with a new contract and did not continue.
The how was never as good without her, IMHO
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Without Suzanne I could still watch but it never quite felt the same for me, and I really liked both roommates that followed. Cindy being such a klutz and always injuring Jack was actually quite funny. Terri was fun and very witty and I’ll say the chemistry was still good but I don’t think it was ever as good as when we had the original cast. Suzanne could steal the show like no other.
 
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Chris2

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DallasFanForever said:
Really? I guess it wasn’t for everyone but I have to say it always made me laugh. I used to look forward to it and many times I was disappointed when I thought he was about to but didn’t.
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When Dave Powers became the show’s regular director in the third season, he didn’t like Roper breaking the fourth wall and wanted to eliminate it. But the producers said - “Oh no - the audience is expecting it.”
 
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The thing about Chrissy was that I enjoyed the Chrissy of season 1 and 2 better then the Chrissy of season 3 and thereafter. While the punchline and quick laugh came about because of the dumbing down of the character in season 3, she became just a walking idiot vs the sweet and naive version of the character of season 1 and 2.
 
ClassyCo

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The show definitely wasn't the same without Suzanne Somers. The whole situation surrounding her exit was handled lazily. The network didn't want to loose Somers because they saw her too important to the show, while the producers wanted her gone as soon as possible. They kept her around in the clunkiest way imaginable in my opinion.

I hate how Jenilee Harrison was done. They basically hired her to absorb some of the scripts they had already written with Somers in mind, but had no intention of keeping her full-time. I actually thought she did pretty good, even if her inexperience shined through occasionally. And they keep her for season six, add her to the intro, and then casually discard her towards the end of the year.

Priscilla Barnes was a good addition, even if I think she lacked the chemistry with John Ritter and Joyce DeWitt that Somers had. I don't find her as funny, either.

Don Knotts was hilarious, and he filled a vacancy Norman Fell and Audra Lindley had left, even if he filled it differently. I like both eras of landlords.

The biggest casting waste to me was Ann Wedgeworth. Her interpretation of Lana in the fourth season was hilarious, but the kinks with her and the writers couldn't get worked out, so she was gone by mid-season. It's a shame, too, because Wedgeworth is an attractive and talented actress.
 
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Chris2 said:
When Dave Powers became the show’s regular director in the third season, he didn’t like Roper breaking the fourth wall and wanted to eliminate it. But the producers said - “Oh no - the audience is expecting it.”
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It’s funny we’re discussing this because recently I found a compilation video online of all the times Roper did this. I have to say it was a lot more than I recalled. I can understand why they wouldn’t want him doing that but I’ve always found it to be hilarious.


Soaplover said:
The thing about Chrissy was that I enjoyed the Chrissy of season 1 and 2 better then the Chrissy of season 3 and thereafter.
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It feels like two entirely different characters. In the beginning she was actually the witty one and at times the most sensible when the other two wouldn’t listen. She changes drastically as the show moves on but you know what? For some reason I kind of prefer the later Chrissy to the earlier one. She becomes like a caricature of herself, cartoon like even, but she’s just so entertaining that I end up enjoying that version more, if this makes any sense.
 
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Somers played her hand too much. She wanted as much as JR. Somers was offered a raise, half mark between what she initally wanted, but she got greedy and turned it down.

ClassyCo said:
The show definitely wasn't the same without Suzanne Somers. The whole situation surrounding her exit was handled lazily. The network didn't want to loose Somers because they saw her too important to the show, while the producers wanted her gone as soon as possible. They kept her around in the clunkiest way imaginable in my opinion.

I hate how Jenilee Harrison was done. They basically hired her to absorb some of the scripts they had already written with Somers in mind, but had no intention of keeping her full-time. I actually thought she did pretty good, even if her inexperience shined through occasionally. And they keep her for season six, add her to the intro, and then casually discard her towards the end of the year.

Priscilla Barnes was a good addition, even if I think she lacked the chemistry with John Ritter and Joyce DeWitt that Somers had. I don't find her as funny, either.

Don Knotts was hilarious, and he filled a vacancy Norman Fell and Audra Lindley had left, even if he filled it differently. I like both eras of landlords.

The biggest casting waste to me was Ann Wedgeworth. Her interpretation of Lana in the fourth season was hilarious, but the kinks with her and the writers couldn't get worked out, so she was gone by mid-season. It's a shame, too, because Wedgeworth is an attractive and talented actress.
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Ann was funny. Her southern twang was great. Odd how rhe men were treated funny as the letch but the female version didn't work. Huh?
 
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Chris2

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I also preferred the Chrissy of the early seasons. Once she went platinum blonde, the character became an idiot.

Also, the setup was fresher in the early seasons. In those years, the cast was in their late 20s but playing early 20s, and the setup made sense. By the time you got to seasons 4 and 5, the cast was looking their age and you were wondering why the hell they were still living together.
 
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