Big Stars, Forgotten Shows

[Jude The Obscure]

Being a big movie star is no guarantee that if you attempt a TV series, you have a smash hit. Often I've been surprised to see movie stars (esp from the golden days) with TV shows that were colossal flops and now, most people don't ever recall the shows themselves.

Such as

Bing Crosby--The Bing Crosby Show
Gene Kelly--Going My Way (1963 series adaptation of the movie)
Henry Fonda--The Deputy; The Smith Family (series with Ron Howard, c 1971)
Jimmy Stewart--The Jimmy Stewart Show; Hawkins
Shirley MacClaine--Shirley's World

I know there are more examples of this--so come on, help out on this list :)

[tv star collector]

I wouldn't exactly consider The Deputy a flop; it did run for two seasons
(which is more than you can say for a lot of series). In fact, nowadays a show is lucky to last one whole season.

However, I have always found it interesting that--as a general rule--TV stars
have had more success in movies than motion picture stars have had on
television.

Other examples:
The Judy Garland Show (1963-'64; opposite Bonanza)

That's the only one, not already mentioned, that I can think of at the moment.

[catlover79]

Oscar winner Richard Dreyfuss struck out with 2001's The Education of Max Bickford, which co-starred another Academy Award winner, Marcia Gay Harden. Yet another Oscar winner, Geena Davis, starred in the flops The Geena Davis Show (2000-01) and Commander In Chief (2005-06).

[70s show watcher]

bette midler had a big flop wit bette a few years ago and i have to say that even though i cant stand her myself i know she has alot of fans and i did think the show would be a hit because so many people seem to like her

[Ireneparalegal]

The show with Whoopie Goldberg...I think it was called Baghdad Cafe.

Why was Commander in Chief cancelled anyways? I thought it did good ratings-wise.

[Jude The Obscure]

Yep, Whoopi and Jean Stapleton had that sitcom based on the movie of the same name--Baghdad Cafe. CBS aired it on Friday nights (along with the short-lived Sugar & Spice with Loretta Devine). I enjoyed it.

As for Commander--it started out strong, but petered out as the season went along (especially after Steven Bocho took over production).

I think Jerry Lewis had a primetime variety show that floundered around for one or two seasons, not sure.

Sammi Davis Jr, did one of those splashy daytime talk/variety shows ala Merv Griffin--I think it lasted one year before getting axed.

[Ireneparalegal]

Joan Rivers late night talk show. I liked it much better when it turned into the Arsenio Hall show. :cool:

Howie Mandel had a daytime talk show, how long did that last?

[Jude The Obscure]

Fox was really stupid when they didn't offer Arsenio the permanent hosting gig for "The Late Show on FOX". Paramount saw the opportunity and grabbed it--sure, his show only lasted 5 year in latenight, but still to this day, people remember his show and of course, Bill Clinton playing the sax on there, started the whole politicians going on entertainment programs to reach the voters thing.

Howie Mandel I think lasted two years in daytime.

Another flop--Martin Short--in saturday morning (Ed Grimely), in primetime (I can't recall the name of the sitcom) and in daytime (1 season).

[Ireneparalegal]

Thanx Jude, you really know your stuff. ;) I went to a taping of one Arsenio Hall show. Very memorable and lots of fun. :cool:

[dawsongirl]

What about that one Whoopi did recently...just called Whoopi maybe? She worked in a hotel with all sorts of odd people, like a white girl who talked like she was black, and some Arabian guy. I'm thinking her character's name was Mavis.

[howierules86]

What about that one Whoopi did recently...just called Whoopi maybe? She worked in a hotel with all sorts of odd people, like a white girl who talked like she was black, and some Arabian guy. I'm thinking her character's name was Mavis.

Yes, that one was indeed called "Whoopi" from the 2003-04 season on NBC. Her character's name was indeed Mavis, and she did work at a hotel. Supporting characters included Rita, the "white girl who talked like she was black," and Nasim, the hotel's Persian janitor with implied terrorist connections.

[jayman75]

Marie Osmond and Betty White had a show called Maybe This Time (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112066/fullcredits#cast). It co-starred Ashley Johnson, who was the youngest kid on Growing Pains.

[Ireneparalegal]

Yes, that one was indeed called "Whoopi" from the 2003-04 season on NBC. Her character's name was indeed Mavis, and she did work at a hotel. Supporting characters included Rita, the "white girl who talked like she was black," and Nasim, the hotel's Persian janitor with implied terrorist connections.
I loved that show.

[HuntingtonM15]

bette midler had a big flop wit bette a few years ago and i have to say that even though i cant stand her myself i know she has alot of fans and i did think the show would be a hit because so many people seem to like her

And that was right after she won a People's Choice award for it.

[Ireneparalegal]

And that was right after she won a People's Choice award for it.
Goes to show it doesn't matter what the people want. It is what the industry wants to present to us. :crazy:

[dawsongirl]

Yes, that one was indeed called "Whoopi" from the 2003-04 season on NBC. Her character's name was indeed Mavis, and she did work at a hotel. Supporting characters included Rita, the "white girl who talked like she was black," and Nasim, the hotel's Persian janitor with implied terrorist connections.
That show wasn't so bad. Prehaps offensive to some I guess.

[catlover79]

That show wasn't so bad. Prehaps offensive to some I guess.
I never saw it, but I heard one of the reasons the show was cancelled was because of some negative things Whoopi said to the media about President Bush. I'm not sure if that's true, but that's what was said at the time.

[ryan423]

Bob Saget in the 2001-02 WB sitcom "Raising Dad". Personally, I liked it alot. Saget was always my least favorite on Full House but I loved the chemistry on this show between him and his father.