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<blockquote data-quote="Crimson" data-source="post: 408428" data-attributes="member: 5079">Very odd indeed.&nbsp;&nbsp; I could have sworn there was at least a throwaway line early in S5 about Rhoda having moved, but I may be misremembering the scene between Mary and Georgette where Georgette offered to be Mary&#039;s new best friend.&nbsp; That happened when Mary &amp; Rhoda were feuding, not after Rhoda left.Other than the wedding episodes, I haven&#039;t watched RHODA in years.&nbsp; How was Rhoda&#039;s exit from Minneapolis handled on that show?&nbsp; Was she visiting NYC, met Joe and decided to stay, or was it indicated that she had already moved to NYC?&nbsp; I&#039;m wondering how much the MTM producers were hedging their bets.&nbsp; If RHODA flopped, maybe the plan was to bring her back to MTM and treat her time in NYC as an extended visit.I&#039;ll admit that Georgette is my least favorite of the main MTM cast, although I&#039;d stop well short of saying I find her grating.&nbsp;&nbsp; I&#039;m glad her woman-child persona lightened a bit, because in the early episodes she came across as borderline &quot;special&quot;.A curious thing about early American sitcoms (50s through 70s) is how often they would reuse actors.&nbsp; Some shows practically had a rotating troupe of actors who would play various supporting or background roles, so that you&#039;d see the same faces over &amp; over.&nbsp; &nbsp; I assume there was no anticipation of future viewership trends; no one envisioned a day when people would watch episodes in close succession, making the recurring faces so obvious.&nbsp;&nbsp; There&#039;s 2 1/2 years in between Schaal&#039;s appearances as Howard Arnell and Dino, so viewers at the time probably didn&#039;t notice too much.&nbsp;&nbsp; Even in syndication, the episodes would be weeks apart.Watched in closer proximity, &quot;I Was a Single for WJM&quot; is more jarring.&nbsp; Not just because Schaal is playing yet another character, but here&#039;s an actor who had played Chuckles the Clown paired with the actress who had played Chuckles&#039; daughter; only now they&#039;re husband and wife.Judd Hirsh was the producers first choice for Joe; a Jewish actor from the Bronx, casting that would have pleased Ida immensely.&nbsp;&nbsp; With Joe Gerard in the role, I don&#039;t believe Joe was meant to be Jewish or that his faith (or lack of) was ever addressed on the show.&nbsp; One thing&#039;s for certain: RHODA wasn&#039;t going to address an interfaith couple.&nbsp; Aside from the MTM ethos of avoiding social issues, even in the age of Norman Lear interfaith marriages were controversial in 70s TV.&nbsp; In 1972, there had been a show called BRIDGET LOVES BERNIE about a Catholic woman marrying a Jewish man.&nbsp; It was a firestorm and quickly cancelled.&nbsp; RHODA wasn&#039;t going to repeat that.The writers found the marriage challenging.&nbsp; By the mid-70s, American TV was getting a bit prudish and &quot;sex&quot; -- even among married couples -- was getting a bit taboo.&nbsp;&nbsp; The writers felt boxed in by the marriage.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Crimson, post: 408428, member: 5079"] Very odd indeed. I could have sworn there was at least a throwaway line early in S5 about Rhoda having moved, but I may be misremembering the scene between Mary and Georgette where Georgette offered to be Mary's new best friend. That happened when Mary & Rhoda were feuding, not after Rhoda left. Other than the wedding episodes, I haven't watched RHODA in years. How was Rhoda's exit from Minneapolis handled on that show? Was she visiting NYC, met Joe and decided to stay, or was it indicated that she had already moved to NYC? I'm wondering how much the MTM producers were hedging their bets. If RHODA flopped, maybe the plan was to bring her back to MTM and treat her time in NYC as an extended visit. I'll admit that Georgette is my least favorite of the main MTM cast, although I'd stop well short of saying I find her grating. I'm glad her woman-child persona lightened a bit, because in the early episodes she came across as borderline "special". A curious thing about early American sitcoms (50s through 70s) is how often they would reuse actors. Some shows practically had a rotating troupe of actors who would play various supporting or background roles, so that you'd see the same faces over & over. I assume there was no anticipation of future viewership trends; no one envisioned a day when people would watch episodes in close succession, making the recurring faces so obvious. There's 2 1/2 years in between Schaal's appearances as Howard Arnell and Dino, so viewers at the time probably didn't notice too much. Even in syndication, the episodes would be weeks apart. Watched in closer proximity, "I Was a Single for WJM" is more jarring. Not just because Schaal is playing yet another character, but here's an actor who had played Chuckles the Clown paired with the actress who had played Chuckles' daughter; only now they're husband and wife. Judd Hirsh was the producers first choice for Joe; a Jewish actor from the Bronx, casting that would have pleased Ida immensely. With Joe Gerard in the role, I don't believe Joe was meant to be Jewish or that his faith (or lack of) was ever addressed on the show. One thing's for certain: RHODA wasn't going to address an interfaith couple. Aside from the MTM ethos of avoiding social issues, even in the age of Norman Lear interfaith marriages were controversial in 70s TV. In 1972, there had been a show called BRIDGET LOVES BERNIE about a Catholic woman marrying a Jewish man. It was a firestorm and quickly cancelled. RHODA wasn't going to repeat that. The writers found the marriage challenging. By the mid-70s, American TV was getting a bit prudish and "sex" -- even among married couples -- was getting a bit taboo. The writers felt boxed in by the marriage. [/QUOTE]

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Who played JR Ewing?