Co-stars hate each other (https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/gbi9kg/?utm_content=title&utm_medium=post_embed&utm_name=965c22561ff74ad7b743fb94167218bb&utm_source=embedly&utm_term=gbi9kg) all the time, that's not new. But they can usually pull it together long enough to pretend in front of the cameras. Are there any examples of actors who weren't professional or talented enough to disguise their contempt for their co-star?

jane curtin could never really hide her dislike of chevy chase back when they were casrmafes on snl and to this diy she admits that she really did not like him then nor does she now

Jane curtin could never really hide her dislike of chevy chase back when they were casrmafes on snl and to this diy she admits that she really did not like him then nor does she now

I read somewhere that A LOT of people who worked with him feel the same way.
My cousin; who worked with him on the show COMMUNITY calls him "a really nasty s.o.b."

William Frawley and Vivian Vance - Fred and Ethel Mertz of "I Love Lucy".

Andy Griffith and Frances Bavier - Sheriff Andy Taylor and Aunt Bea of "The Andy Griffith Show".

Cheers: Everyone else vs. Shelley Long.

Not a sitcom, but on the Good Wife, Julianna Margulies refused to do a parting scene with one of the other principal actresses.

Linda Lavin and Polly Holliday on Alice. I'd say that in at least some of the episodes before Holliday left the show it's obvious they don't like each other.

Ed.

Lavin was the problem and the primadonna on Alice and she considered it her show and hated Polly Holliday because she was the favorite character which drove Lavin nuts. Lavin didn’t get the memo that she was supposed to be the “straight man” to the other characters.

Polly’s show should have worked and don’t know why it didn’t. Had a good supporting cast and the down home Texas/Southern characters should have worked especially in that era when country music and that culture was ironically hip.

I hope for Lavin she saved her coin because the lady hasn’t been in anything since Alice and she should have been grateful to have had that show and have it last ten years.

Not a sitcom. But, according to Steven Boscho and Daniel J Travanti. Kiel Martin and Michael Conrad couldn't stand eachother and fought backstage on Hill Street Blues.

Lavin was the problem and the primadonna on Alice and she considered it her show and hated Polly Holliday because she was the favorite character which drove Lavin nuts. Lavin didn’t get the memo that she was supposed to be the “straight man” to the other characters.

Polly’s show should have worked and don’t know why it didn’t. Had a good supporting cast and the down home Texas/Southern characters should have worked especially in that era when country music and that culture was ironically hip.

I hope for Lavin she saved her coin because the lady hasn’t been in anything since Alice and she should have been grateful to have had that show and have it last ten years.

A similar thing apparently happened on Cybil Shephard's CBS sitcom, where she was uncomfortable with the notion of Christine Baranski being the show's breakout character and thus, getting most of the laughs.

A similar thing apparently happened on Cybil Shephard's CBS sitcom, where she was uncomfortable with the notion of Christine Baranski being the show's breakout character and thus, getting most of the laughs.

Even more so with Bruce Willis on "Moonlighting" where their little feud made headlines.

While some of the Cheers costars had a problem with Shelley Long’s work style, I don’t see any dislike coming through on screen. Ted Danson has generally been gracious towards her. He said her preparation was difficult to deal with, but he acknowledged that she had the most difficult character to play. And that once they were onstage together, he was “in heaven”.

Amanda Bearse and Ed O'Neill of "Married With Children" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkjNyoPRBsc)


I don't blame him. I didn't like her either!

Amanda Bearse and Ed O'Neill of "Married With Children" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkjNyoPRBsc)


I don't blame him. I didn't like her either!

Oh, so you knew her personally?

She sounded pretty respectful to me in that clip. She could have tore into him and she took the high road. If anything, he seems like the jerk.

I'm surprised no mentioned Lucy and Desi on the last few comedy hours they did. "The Ricardos Go To Japan" is painful to watch, and the last one filmed with Ernie Kovacs is brutal, the tension between Lucy and Desi at that point comes across to the viewer, there's no way you can miss it.

Lavin was the problem and the primadonna on Alice and she considered it her show and hated Polly Holliday because she was the favorite character which drove Lavin nuts. Lavin didn’t get the memo that she was supposed to be the “straight man” to the other characters.

Polly’s show should have worked and don’t know why it didn’t. Had a good supporting cast and the down home Texas/Southern characters should have worked especially in that era when country music and that culture was ironically hip.

I hope for Lavin she saved her coin because the lady hasn’t been in anything since Alice and she should have been grateful to have had that show and have it last ten years.

The fact that there were no crossover episodes is a real telltale sign. It would have been logical to have at least one at the start of the second season and maybe one for the November sweeps to help prop the series up. There was finally a crossover episode when Mel visited, but it was far too late to do any good coming after the February sweeps long past the point where it might have done some good.

I always wondered why they didn’t stick to the original storyline, which had Flo moving to Houston to work at a posh restaurant. They could have taken a fish-out-of-water approach and it would have worked better. Instead, they threw out that premise and had Flo stop in her hometown on the way to Houston and buy a roadhouse. I thought that setting was depressing and the characters were dull and didn’t constraint enough with Flo.

It’s worth nothing that none of the Alice creative team was involved with Flo. That’s unusual for a spinoff. Clearly, Holliday got her own team and threw out the original spinoff idea.

I'm surprised no mentioned Lucy and Desi on the last few comedy hours they did. "The Ricardos Go To Japan" is painful to watch, and the last one filmed with Ernie Kovacs is brutal, the tension between Lucy and Desi at that point comes across to the viewer, there's no way you can miss it.

That’s because the Arnazes didn’t hate each other, and it was also not an ongoing issue. Even with the marriage falling apart, by most accounts Lucy and Desi were still loving and respectful to each other on the set for the comedy hours, until that last special when they were no longer speaking to each other. They had already agreed to a divorce prior to filming. Most of their friends agreed they still loved each other, but were so different that they couldn’t live together anymore. But there was a great deal of affection between them after the divorce.

Another one would be Bob Cummings and Julie Newmar when they co-starred in My Living Doll. They kept clashing until he finally left the show. After his departure, the show got canceled due to declining ratings.

what was FLO Original Spinoff idea about ?

I always wondered why they didn’t stick to the original storyline, which had Flo moving to Houston to work at a posh restaurant. They could have taken a fish-out-of-water approach and it would have worked better. Instead, they threw out that premise and had Flo stop in her hometown on the way to Houston and buy a roadhouse. I thought that setting was depressing and the characters were dull and didn’t constraint enough with Flo.

It’s worth nothing that none of the Alice creative team was involved with Flo. That’s unusual for a spinoff. Clearly, Holliday got her own team and threw out the original spinoff idea.

what was Flo Orignal Spinoff idea about i never heard of this before. do u remember what it was

Flo was written out of Alice as saying she had accepted a job in Houston as the hostess at a fancy restaurant.

I always wondered why they didn’t stick to the original storyline, which had Flo moving to Houston to work at a posh restaurant. They could have taken a fish-out-of-water approach and it would have worked better. Instead, they threw out that premise and had Flo stop in her hometown on the way to Houston and buy a roadhouse. I thought that setting was depressing and the characters were dull and didn’t constraint enough with Flo.

It’s worth nothing that none of the Alice creative team was involved with Flo. That’s unusual for a spinoff. Clearly, Holliday got her own team and threw out the original spinoff idea.

Do you have a source for the statement "Holliday got her own team and threw out the original spinoff idea", I have to tell you there is no evidence to suggest that was the case at all. Lavin wanted Holliday off the show so she was going one way (into a spin off series) or another (written out of the series). Holliday was in no position to dictate terms at this point in her career, she was not a star, she had no future on Alice, so the production company held all the cards. My point, she was going with the premise the production team gave her. As far as the Alice creative team having no involvement, you can imagine how any involvement on their part would have gone over with Lavin.

That’s because the Arnazes didn’t hate each other, and it was also not an ongoing issue. Even with the marriage falling apart, by most accounts Lucy and Desi were still loving and respectful to each other on the set for the comedy hours, until that last special when they were no longer speaking to each other. They had already agreed to a divorce prior to filming. Most of their friends agreed they still loved each other, but were so different that they couldn’t live together anymore. But there was a great deal of affection between them after the divorce.

There was a great deal of bitterness and animosity between Ball and Arnaz, she referred to Arnaz as a loser in a 1977 interview with Barbara Walters and that was 17 years after the divorce, you can imagine what the feelings were in 1960. I know they resolved some of their issues in the 80's and she was actually very complimentary of him, but that was in the 80's. She reportedly was crying on the set of the episode The Ricardos, in Japan which is evident by the look of her eyes in that episode. It is a very difficult episode to watch. Edie Adams was on the final episode with her husband and she reported having a great deal of problems with Ball on the set. On top of that, the episode has a choppy quality to it because of all the edits, Ball and Arnaz clearly were not comfortable being in the same scene.

There was a great deal of bitterness and animosity between Ball and Arnaz, she referred to Arnaz as a loser in a 1977 interview with Barbara Walters and that was 17 years after the divorce, you can imagine what the feelings were in 1960. I know they resolved some of their issues in the 80's and she was actually very complimentary of him, but that was in the 80's. She reportedly was crying on the set of the episode The Ricardos, in Japan which is evident by the look of her eyes in that episode. It is a very difficult episode to watch. Edie Adams was on the final episode with her husband and she reported having a great deal of problems with Ball on the set. On top of that, the episode has a choppy quality to it because of all the edits, Ball and Arnaz clearly were not comfortable being in the same scene.

The thread is about co-stars who hated each other. There is not any source that said Ball and Arnaz hated each other. Go watch interviews with Lucie Arnaz. Go dig up the photos from the late 60s which have Lucy, Gary, Desi, and Edie laughing together. Go look at the 1968 ad in Variety where Desi congratulates Lucie and Desi Jr on their new show, with a line that says, “P.S - that red headed gal playing your mother is the greatest.” Go read about the stories where Desi was showing up at filmings of “Here’s Lucy” or sending Lucy flowers on the set.

When Lucy did the Barbara Walters interview, she meant that Desi was a loser because he had to lose everything that he had built up, not a loser the way we now define it.

Do you have a source for the statement "Holliday got her own team and threw out the original spinoff idea", I have to tell you there is no evidence to suggest that was the case at all. Lavin wanted Holliday off the show so she was going one way (into a spin off series) or another (written out of the series). Holliday was in no position to dictate terms at this point in her career, she was not a star, she had no future on Alice, so the production company held all the cards. My point, she was going with the premise the production team gave her. As far as the Alice creative team having no involvement, you can imagine how any involvement on their part would have gone over with Lavin.

I have to tell you that there is evidence that the way they set up the Flo spinoff on Alice was not the way they eventually executed the spinoff. Go watch Holliday’s last episode on “Alice”. And Holliday, a multiple Emmy nominee, had plenty of clout. Go read interviews with her costar, Lucy Lee Flippin, who commented on how Holliday was very influential on the set. And check out this TV Guide article which describes the clout Holliday wielded on the set: https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=158814

George Peppard and Mr. T famously clashed around the beginning of THE A-TEAM season 4 in the cruise ship season opener, and never made up, from what I read. Their on-screen chemistry wasn’t the same after, compared to the earlier seasons where they seemed very chummy. There were several episodes where they were barely on-screen together.

I have to tell you that there is evidence that the way they set up the Flo spinoff on Alice was not the way they eventually executed the spinoff. Go watch Holliday’s last episode on “Alice”. And Holliday, a multiple Emmy nominee, had plenty of clout. Go read interviews with her costar, Lucy Lee Flippin, who commented on how Holliday was very influential on the set. And check out this TV Guide article which describes the clout Holliday wielded on the set: https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=158814

Thanks for the link, I don't see how this helps your main assertion, this is what you wrote:

" I always wondered why they didn’t stick to the original storyline, which had Flo moving to Houston to work at a posh restaurant. They could have taken a fish-out-of-water approach and it would have worked better. Instead, they threw out that premise and had Flo stop in her hometown on the way to Houston and buy a roadhouse. I thought that setting was depressing and the characters were dull and didn’t constraint enough with Flo.

It’s worth nothing that none of the Alice creative team was involved with Flo. That’s unusual for a spinoff. Clearly, Holliday got her own team and threw out the original spinoff idea".

Now let's go to the article:

"Polly was set to work writing down her ideas about what the new series should be. This time she was over her head. She theorized that Flo would go home to Cowtown, Texas, and settle in with her domineering mother and misanthropic sister (so far so good) but that she would fall madly in love with a politician who gets elected governor, thus making her the First Lady of Texas and a comical misfit among a lot of high-class people in the state capital.
"No, no, no," said Alan Shayne. The studio and CBS then hired three writers, Harvey Bullock, Jim Parker and Pam Chais, to sit down with her and "conceptualize." The conceptualizing went on for several months, after which two other writers, Jenna McMahon and Dick Clair, were hired to confer with Polly and commit the conceptualizing to paper. By now, the current format had emerged---with Flo going home, buying the Yellow Rose beer joint, and wrestling weekly with the problems of its employees and habitu'es, as well as the complications of her own personal life".

The fact that Holliday had influence on her set is no surprise to me, she was the lead in the series, what you were indicating was she had clout, she didn't, that's a fact. You don't think her agent wanted a clause in her contract that she could return to the mother series, well she didn't get it. You don't think she didn't want some crossover support from the top 10 series she was coming out of? You don't think her management team didn't want some commitment around a timeslot for the series. Hell, after giving her the slot behind MASH for just 6 episodes, to start the new season the network stuck her in the 8pm Monday slot against perennial hit Little House and breakout smash That's Incredible. Real clout is successfully navigating those arrangements. One final point:

"It’s worth nothing that none of the Alice creative team was involved with Flo".

Marc Daniels was the main director for season 4 of Alice (he directed 16 of the 24 episodes), he was also the director of all 6 of the first season episodes of Flo.

The fact that there were no crossover episodes is a real telltale sign. It would have been logical to have at least one at the start of the second season and maybe one for the November sweeps to help prop the series up. There was finally a crossover episode when Mel visited, but it was far too late to do any good coming after the February sweeps long past the point where it might have done some good.


It's a shame what happened to Polly because of Lavin. The funny thing is Lavin has never even denied it. lol Polly to her credit to this day has never said a bad word about Linda.

It's a shame what happened to Polly because of Lavin. The funny thing is Lavin has never even denied it. lol Polly to her credit to this day has never said a bad word about Linda.

It was a shame that's for sure. To actors and actresses this is real inside baseball stuff. It seems Lavin thought Holliday was trying to steal the show from her and she wasn't interested a sit-down to work things out. With that type of attitude life on the set must have been pretty tense for all involved.

The thread is about co-stars who hated each other. There is not any source that said Ball and Arnaz hated each other. Go watch interviews with Lucie Arnaz. Go dig up the photos from the late 60s which have Lucy, Gary, Desi, and Edie laughing together. Go look at the 1968 ad in Variety where Desi congratulates Lucie and Desi Jr on their new show, with a line that says, “P.S - that red headed gal playing your mother is the greatest.” Go read about the stories where Desi was showing up at filmings of “Here’s Lucy” or sending Lucy flowers on the set.

When Lucy did the Barbara Walters interview, she meant that Desi was a loser because he had to lose everything that he had built up, not a loser the way we now define it.

You said:

The thread is about co-stars who hated each other.

The full title of the thread was:

Co-stars who hated each other...and it showed on camera

Take a look at those final episodes and tell me you don't see what audiences at the time who were tuning out in droves were seeing. The two programs I referred to were very uncomfortable to watch, Here are a couple of behind the scenes comments:

"Dick Kallman was a member of Lucille Balls' acting workshop on the RKO/Desilu lot. He later starred in the NBC sitcom 'Hank'. While producing this final episode, tensions between Lucy and Desi were so high that they couldn't speak to each other without having loud arguments or shouting matches on set. They soon realized it would be best if they didn't speak directly to each other there and instead used surrogates to carry messages or questions back and forth. This allowed them time to calm down and stay in character when the script required them to act".

Adams commented that Ball's emotions were up and down the entire week of rehearsals and that she had commented to Kovacs how harshly Ball was treating her. Kovacs passed that along to Arnaz who took Adams aside and explained to her that Lucy was under a lot of pressure and wasn't feeling very good. And that she should just be herself and not let Ball push her around. She took his advice and things between them were fine.

In the years after the divorce when things had calmed down the relationship rebounded to the extent possible. That's not what's under discussion here, what was going on with them when these episodes were filmed that's the "and showed it on camera" part.