RetroGuy2000
02-17-2019, 10:47 PM
So, we've discussed Felice Schachter's role on TFOL, and how she had a major part in "The Girls' School", the backdoor pilot of TFOL, but somehow, by the start of the series, her role had been, in her own words, "severely diminished". She had a decent part in episode 4, "IQ", only.
According to Felice, she went to Al Burton, one of the producers, and asked what had happened to her part. It seems as though it was around that time that Nancy's boyfriend Roger was constructed, in order to give Felice something to do. It's a good thing they gave her Roger; otherwise she would have been left with "Let's see a fast finish!" and not much else. Mindy has spoken about Felice's "bum deal".
After "IQ", Felice would have no major role in the first season: from what I recall, she never even had more than ten lines per episode during that season, and there are even scenes where her parts are cut in syndication (I'm thinking primarily of her cut scene in "Overachieving", episode 5).
It makes me wonder what Felice might have done to cause the writers to "severely diminish" her role. I'm reminded of Friends, and how Joey Tribbiani said something to a journalist which caused his character on Days of Our Lives to be written out of the show by falling down an elevator shaft. Nancy didn't get killed, but she now rarely even spoke. She'd be in the scene, but with almost no lines. Tellingly, at the end of the season, Nancy didn't even make it into "The Group", and Mrs. Garrett takes her out to pasture... er, out to the garden... to put a flower in her hair.
Of course, this is all speculation, but I do wonder. Why would the writers go from using her frequently, to giving her "Let's see a fast finish!" ?
According to Felice, she went to Al Burton, one of the producers, and asked what had happened to her part. It seems as though it was around that time that Nancy's boyfriend Roger was constructed, in order to give Felice something to do. It's a good thing they gave her Roger; otherwise she would have been left with "Let's see a fast finish!" and not much else. Mindy has spoken about Felice's "bum deal".
After "IQ", Felice would have no major role in the first season: from what I recall, she never even had more than ten lines per episode during that season, and there are even scenes where her parts are cut in syndication (I'm thinking primarily of her cut scene in "Overachieving", episode 5).
It makes me wonder what Felice might have done to cause the writers to "severely diminish" her role. I'm reminded of Friends, and how Joey Tribbiani said something to a journalist which caused his character on Days of Our Lives to be written out of the show by falling down an elevator shaft. Nancy didn't get killed, but she now rarely even spoke. She'd be in the scene, but with almost no lines. Tellingly, at the end of the season, Nancy didn't even make it into "The Group", and Mrs. Garrett takes her out to pasture... er, out to the garden... to put a flower in her hair.
Of course, this is all speculation, but I do wonder. Why would the writers go from using her frequently, to giving her "Let's see a fast finish!" ?