TMC
02-05-2022, 03:11 AM
https://greensboro.com/pressures-of-successful-tv-show-drives-actress/article_750849dd-9d97-57d6-949c-6ef20371e288.html
BY SUSAN KING Los Angeles Times Jan 6, 1995
``Dave's World' actress, DeLane Matthews (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeLane_Matthews), keeps on her toes to keep show's rating high.
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DeLane Matthews wants to set the record straight: She was cast as Beth Barry (https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/coming-air-time-bby-betsy-sharkebbr-clearnonebr-clearnonejonathan-axelrod-fred-barr/) on CBS' popular sitcom ``Dave's World' (https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Me4UtXgqsoAJ:https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1995/01/08/in-daves-world-she-gets-to-laugh-at-last/de169ecf-b725-4a7b-9e2a-ccf1aa272787/+&cd=23&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us) before Harry Anderson was hired to play her husband, columnist Dave Barry.
``I didn't audition for this,' says Matthews, over a cup of coffee in the dining room of the cozy Beverly Hills house she shares with her fiancé, actor Tyrone Power Jr.`` I was hired before he was. Let's make that very clear. It just turned out that way. His deal took a little longer to close than mine. I was signed on, and he was still making decisions. He lives out of state, and I think after 'Night Court' he was really interested in not coming to L.A. for a while. So he has either got the bug really bad or he couldn't pass it up.'
Being on a hit TV series is a real change of pace for the Florida native, who previously appeared in the short-lived comedy series ``Joe Bash,' ``Eisenhower & Lutz,' ``FM' and ``Laurie Hill.' (https://screenrant.com/90s-sitcoms-forgotten-best-worst-ranked/)
Still, Matthews says, there are pressures involved in being on a hit series. ``Obviously, you trade one pressure for another,' she explains. ``But I prefer this pressure, keeping the ratings high, maintaining what we have and growing. Previously, it was desperately trying to achieve what I have now. It's a different pressure, and I pick this one. You don't really ever truly relax. ...'
The demise (https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/10/archives/television-the-short-life-and-unhappy-death-of-laurie-hill.html) of ``Laurie Hill' (https://web.archive.org/web/20210620130809/https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1992-09-30-1992274011-story.html) was especially painful for Matthews. The ABC (https://books.google.com/books?id=GqRWDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT334&lpg=PT334&dq=laurie+hill+DeLane+Matthews&source=bl&ots=eIsg9f1IzW&sig=ACfU3U2WgdwNLuEcIs67GkWaycMyXiySRQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiuoL_GhOj1AhWQRzABHYALBdA4RhDoAXoECAwQAw#v=onepage&q=laurie%20hill%20DeLane%20Matthews&f=false) sitcom, the brainchild (https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:tV4FgWzpSnEJ:https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-09-30-ca-41-story.html+&cd=25&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us) of ``Wonder Years' creators (https://buffalonews.com/news/ladies-of-the-evening-on-tv-a-new-season-for-women/article_81f28948-0281-5565-a60d-e4c0667616da.html) Neal Marlens and Carol Black (https://variety.com/1993/tv/news/marlens-black-back-off-from-friends-116465/), premiered (=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19921106&slug=1523038) in the fall of 1992 in the cushy time slot after ``Home Improvement.' Matthews played the title role, a pediatrician trying to juggle career and family. The series, though, didn't hold the ``Home Improvement' audience and was soon canceled (https://books.google.com/books?id=C3JuDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA103&lpg=PA103&dq=laurie+hill+DeLane+Matthews&source=bl&ots=0sCRGIN6bP&sig=ACfU3U3f0tI-_PW_qciZoaN-NR_lDQVFnw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjo-vmlhej1AhX_lGoFHV4BDW44UBDoAXoECAIQAw#v=onepage&q=laurie%20hill%20DeLane%20Matthews&f=false).
``What was unique about 'Laurie Hill' was that I was the lead (https://books.google.com/books?id=RxHbPxbBM1AC&pg=RA14-PP32&lpg=RA14-PP32&dq=laurie+hill+DeLane+Matthews&source=bl&ots=AXV0yf11FZ&sig=ACfU3U3uZBx4HSAF7P32IMd6UHh2sqYZfw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjo-vmlhej1AhX_lGoFHV4BDW44UBDoAXoECAkQAw#v=onepage&q=laurie%20hill%20DeLane%20Matthews&f=false) in that, but I wasn't the star,' she says. ``Carol Black and Neal Marlens (https://books.google.com/books?id=ew14GwQa4R0C&pg=PA102&lpg=PA102&dq=laurie+hill+DeLane+Matthews&source=bl&ots=xVR2hzkUQt&sig=ACfU3U1IJuuaD66xuule1I1DfZrnKawK3g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjo-vmlhej1AhX_lGoFHV4BDW44UBDoAXoECAoQAw#v=onepage&q=laurie%20hill%20DeLane%20Matthews&f=false) were the stars. I was never consulted about anything. I just played Laurie Hill.'
Still, Matthews says, she was more devastated after it was canceled (https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:oI0KCQWREMMJ:https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1992/10/23/laurie-hill-cut/7e2f2646-0355-493b-9c3b-7b8637aae642/+&cd=27&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us) than she had been with her other series' demises. ``Maybe it was an accumulation of devastation or maybe because I was Laurie Hill and it was hard not to take that a bit personally. It is really great to be on a hit show so people won't maybe associate failed shows with me.'
After ``Laurie Hill,' though, ``the issue I was dealing with was how much I had left to give. I don't have as much to give emotionally to the industry as I used to. It is probably better this way. I am tremendously lucky to have had all of these opportunities, but then to have them fall apart was so disappointing. I wouldn't have changed anything about it now because if it would have happened sooner, I probably wouldn't have been ready for it.'
It took Matthews a while to feel comfortable in Beth's shoes. When she views the pilot episode of ``Dave's World,' she says she's dissatisfied with her take on Beth. ``Now, I feel completely comfortable about it,' she adds, especially since the writers have discovered they ``love it when I get angry - when Beth gets a bit miffed. It creates pretty comic situations. They found it works.'
Matthews also believes that Beth may seem more sensible than Dave, but in reality she's just as much of a big kid as her husband. ``I want to make it clear (to the writers) as possible that Beth is a kid, too. What I don't want to happen is that I find myself being the one who always puts the kids to bed, who always is responsible for the meal being prepared. That bores me to death. I like it that Beth and Dave are equally inept, but in different areas.'
During her break last summer, Matthews made the CBS movie ``The Women of Spring Break,' which is scheduled to air Jan. 10. Matthews, Shelley Long and Mel Harris play three friends who reassess their lives when they travel back to the vacation spot where they shared a spring break years before. Matthews plays a recent divorcee.
BY SUSAN KING Los Angeles Times Jan 6, 1995
``Dave's World' actress, DeLane Matthews (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeLane_Matthews), keeps on her toes to keep show's rating high.
------*------
DeLane Matthews wants to set the record straight: She was cast as Beth Barry (https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/coming-air-time-bby-betsy-sharkebbr-clearnonebr-clearnonejonathan-axelrod-fred-barr/) on CBS' popular sitcom ``Dave's World' (https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Me4UtXgqsoAJ:https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1995/01/08/in-daves-world-she-gets-to-laugh-at-last/de169ecf-b725-4a7b-9e2a-ccf1aa272787/+&cd=23&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us) before Harry Anderson was hired to play her husband, columnist Dave Barry.
``I didn't audition for this,' says Matthews, over a cup of coffee in the dining room of the cozy Beverly Hills house she shares with her fiancé, actor Tyrone Power Jr.`` I was hired before he was. Let's make that very clear. It just turned out that way. His deal took a little longer to close than mine. I was signed on, and he was still making decisions. He lives out of state, and I think after 'Night Court' he was really interested in not coming to L.A. for a while. So he has either got the bug really bad or he couldn't pass it up.'
Being on a hit TV series is a real change of pace for the Florida native, who previously appeared in the short-lived comedy series ``Joe Bash,' ``Eisenhower & Lutz,' ``FM' and ``Laurie Hill.' (https://screenrant.com/90s-sitcoms-forgotten-best-worst-ranked/)
Still, Matthews says, there are pressures involved in being on a hit series. ``Obviously, you trade one pressure for another,' she explains. ``But I prefer this pressure, keeping the ratings high, maintaining what we have and growing. Previously, it was desperately trying to achieve what I have now. It's a different pressure, and I pick this one. You don't really ever truly relax. ...'
The demise (https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/10/archives/television-the-short-life-and-unhappy-death-of-laurie-hill.html) of ``Laurie Hill' (https://web.archive.org/web/20210620130809/https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1992-09-30-1992274011-story.html) was especially painful for Matthews. The ABC (https://books.google.com/books?id=GqRWDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT334&lpg=PT334&dq=laurie+hill+DeLane+Matthews&source=bl&ots=eIsg9f1IzW&sig=ACfU3U2WgdwNLuEcIs67GkWaycMyXiySRQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiuoL_GhOj1AhWQRzABHYALBdA4RhDoAXoECAwQAw#v=onepage&q=laurie%20hill%20DeLane%20Matthews&f=false) sitcom, the brainchild (https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:tV4FgWzpSnEJ:https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-09-30-ca-41-story.html+&cd=25&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us) of ``Wonder Years' creators (https://buffalonews.com/news/ladies-of-the-evening-on-tv-a-new-season-for-women/article_81f28948-0281-5565-a60d-e4c0667616da.html) Neal Marlens and Carol Black (https://variety.com/1993/tv/news/marlens-black-back-off-from-friends-116465/), premiered (=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19921106&slug=1523038) in the fall of 1992 in the cushy time slot after ``Home Improvement.' Matthews played the title role, a pediatrician trying to juggle career and family. The series, though, didn't hold the ``Home Improvement' audience and was soon canceled (https://books.google.com/books?id=C3JuDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA103&lpg=PA103&dq=laurie+hill+DeLane+Matthews&source=bl&ots=0sCRGIN6bP&sig=ACfU3U3f0tI-_PW_qciZoaN-NR_lDQVFnw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjo-vmlhej1AhX_lGoFHV4BDW44UBDoAXoECAIQAw#v=onepage&q=laurie%20hill%20DeLane%20Matthews&f=false).
``What was unique about 'Laurie Hill' was that I was the lead (https://books.google.com/books?id=RxHbPxbBM1AC&pg=RA14-PP32&lpg=RA14-PP32&dq=laurie+hill+DeLane+Matthews&source=bl&ots=AXV0yf11FZ&sig=ACfU3U3uZBx4HSAF7P32IMd6UHh2sqYZfw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjo-vmlhej1AhX_lGoFHV4BDW44UBDoAXoECAkQAw#v=onepage&q=laurie%20hill%20DeLane%20Matthews&f=false) in that, but I wasn't the star,' she says. ``Carol Black and Neal Marlens (https://books.google.com/books?id=ew14GwQa4R0C&pg=PA102&lpg=PA102&dq=laurie+hill+DeLane+Matthews&source=bl&ots=xVR2hzkUQt&sig=ACfU3U1IJuuaD66xuule1I1DfZrnKawK3g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjo-vmlhej1AhX_lGoFHV4BDW44UBDoAXoECAoQAw#v=onepage&q=laurie%20hill%20DeLane%20Matthews&f=false) were the stars. I was never consulted about anything. I just played Laurie Hill.'
Still, Matthews says, she was more devastated after it was canceled (https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:oI0KCQWREMMJ:https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1992/10/23/laurie-hill-cut/7e2f2646-0355-493b-9c3b-7b8637aae642/+&cd=27&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us) than she had been with her other series' demises. ``Maybe it was an accumulation of devastation or maybe because I was Laurie Hill and it was hard not to take that a bit personally. It is really great to be on a hit show so people won't maybe associate failed shows with me.'
After ``Laurie Hill,' though, ``the issue I was dealing with was how much I had left to give. I don't have as much to give emotionally to the industry as I used to. It is probably better this way. I am tremendously lucky to have had all of these opportunities, but then to have them fall apart was so disappointing. I wouldn't have changed anything about it now because if it would have happened sooner, I probably wouldn't have been ready for it.'
It took Matthews a while to feel comfortable in Beth's shoes. When she views the pilot episode of ``Dave's World,' she says she's dissatisfied with her take on Beth. ``Now, I feel completely comfortable about it,' she adds, especially since the writers have discovered they ``love it when I get angry - when Beth gets a bit miffed. It creates pretty comic situations. They found it works.'
Matthews also believes that Beth may seem more sensible than Dave, but in reality she's just as much of a big kid as her husband. ``I want to make it clear (to the writers) as possible that Beth is a kid, too. What I don't want to happen is that I find myself being the one who always puts the kids to bed, who always is responsible for the meal being prepared. That bores me to death. I like it that Beth and Dave are equally inept, but in different areas.'
During her break last summer, Matthews made the CBS movie ``The Women of Spring Break,' which is scheduled to air Jan. 10. Matthews, Shelley Long and Mel Harris play three friends who reassess their lives when they travel back to the vacation spot where they shared a spring break years before. Matthews plays a recent divorcee.