I totally forgot about this until I rewatched s1 before I got the other seasons, and I recall the episode where Rue was brought in the opening credits as "and Rue McClanahan as Marion". I know Rue was already a well-known TV actress because of Maude (Mama's Family was a year or so away and Golden Girls was four years in the future) so were they planning on making Marion a regular and then deals fell through? I remember that episode ending with the Chief deciding that while he still missed his wife, that it was time to start living again and like there was hope for her to come back more, and then nothing happened.

Granted, I think it all worked out for the best because maybe if she stuck to GAB, we never would've had her as Fran and Blanche, but it seemed weird that out of nowhere, she had an opening credit bill as if she was going to be a regular.

Yep, I always felt like she was supposed to have been a regular and wham.......no more Rue!

I totally forgot about this until I rewatched s1 before I got the other seasons, and I recall the episode where Rue was brought in the opening credits as "and Rue McClanahan as Marion". I know Rue was already a well-known TV actress because of Maude (Mama's Family was a year or so away and Golden Girls was four years in the future) so were they planning on making Marion a regular and then deals fell through? I remember that episode ending with the Chief deciding that while he still missed his wife, that it was time to start living again and like there was hope for her to come back more, and then nothing happened.

Granted, I think it all worked out for the best because maybe if she stuck to GAB, we never would've had her as Fran and Blanche, but it seemed weird that out of nowhere, she had an opening credit bill as if she was going to be a regular.
They had other special guest stars billed on o/c too. Like Andy Gibb from season 3. Also, according to imdb, Rue made another Gimme a Break appearance, but this time as Katrina.

Yes it is true that Rue appeared in both that first season episdoe as well as an episode three years later. However the parts that she played were quite different. The the later episode she was a Polish American woman in at least in her seventies who was living with her father in Omeha Nebraska. Her father was played by Milton Bearl. The untold story was the as a teenage, she had had an affair with the cheiff's father was was then single. I thought that it was amazing that she went from being someone young enough to have gone to high school with the cheif to being only five years younger than the cheif's father! I also thought that it was interesting that this episode came out only a year before she started her long-running role on "The Golden Girls"!

Unlike many other shows, GAB will sometimes take the extra step to fix opening credits for certain guest stars.
Notice grandma, grandpa and Simpson are only billed when they're in the episode.
At least, that's my observation. I don't think Rue was intended as a regular.
I think it's because she's Rue and at that time, an established actor.

Yeah, I often wondered this as well. I think the "And" was more like what they did when they did "Special Guest Star" for all those who were special guest stars in the later seasons.

Rue was known, she was on Mama's Family, so she had a commitment to that show.

I really think the "And' was more for "Special Guest Star"

Yes, GAB only set their opening credits up by having every character appear in the intro even if not in the episode, but Grandpa, Addy, Simpson and Joey they left them out of the intro if they weren't in it. In season 6, it was Nell and whoever was in the episode, anyone not in it was left out of the intro.

I remember a few episodes where they had to use a LOT of stock footage, especially in season 6.

Grandma was NEVER in the intro. Either was Uncle Ed. Both should have had places in the intro in season 2 at least but didn't.