TMC
04-28-2022, 04:17 AM
https://jacksonupperco.com/2022/04/27/fours-company-klines-a-scribe/
A “spec script” is a script written on speculation — that is, a script written by someone who’s not on staff of a TV series but is hoping that the producers of that show (or another show) will take a look at it and give him/her a job. Some of you might remember several years ago when I shared a spec Mary Tyler Moore Show written by Beverly Sanders, who’d guested a few times on that series as Rayette the waitress, a character whom she emphasized when writing her script. Well, this effort — entitled “Larry Loses His Job” and written by Kline — is similar, as it emphasizes Larry. Now, there’s no precise date on my copy, but I am confident placing it during the 1979-’80 season (Three’s Company’s fourth) for a few reasons. To begin with, it features Chrissy and includes a reference to Mr. Furley. That narrows things down considerably. Second, there are published articles from 1979 that explicitly discuss Kline’s efforts to make Larry a more regular presence on the show, and there’s even mention of him pitching ideas to the writers — including one story about the trio helping him shoot a commercial for his used car lot. And, lastly, in the Three’s Company tell-all book, it is said that when Kline approached the writers/producers to talk about his character — somewhere around “the fourth or fifth season” — they punished him with a quiet suspension. Based on the entries where he’s “credit only,” that would have occurred in… Season Four. So, using all of these clues, Four is my pick.
A “spec script” is a script written on speculation — that is, a script written by someone who’s not on staff of a TV series but is hoping that the producers of that show (or another show) will take a look at it and give him/her a job. Some of you might remember several years ago when I shared a spec Mary Tyler Moore Show written by Beverly Sanders, who’d guested a few times on that series as Rayette the waitress, a character whom she emphasized when writing her script. Well, this effort — entitled “Larry Loses His Job” and written by Kline — is similar, as it emphasizes Larry. Now, there’s no precise date on my copy, but I am confident placing it during the 1979-’80 season (Three’s Company’s fourth) for a few reasons. To begin with, it features Chrissy and includes a reference to Mr. Furley. That narrows things down considerably. Second, there are published articles from 1979 that explicitly discuss Kline’s efforts to make Larry a more regular presence on the show, and there’s even mention of him pitching ideas to the writers — including one story about the trio helping him shoot a commercial for his used car lot. And, lastly, in the Three’s Company tell-all book, it is said that when Kline approached the writers/producers to talk about his character — somewhere around “the fourth or fifth season” — they punished him with a quiet suspension. Based on the entries where he’s “credit only,” that would have occurred in… Season Four. So, using all of these clues, Four is my pick.