...for Mary after Rhoda left for her own show instead of using Georgette, whose dimwittedness and ditziness may have been too broad for the show? Wouldn't instead, a saloon singer with an adventurous past provided a good contrast to Mary without feeling like a Rhoda replacement?

...for Mary after Rhoda left for her own show instead of using Georgette, whose dimwittedness and ditziness may have been too broad for the show? Wouldn't instead, a saloon singer with an adventurous past provided a good contrast to Mary without feeling like a Rhoda replacement?

That suggestion wouldn't have worked. First, look who played the character, Sheree North! Do realize how hot her career was at that point? She was getting as much work as she could handle. During the 1974-75 TV season she appeared in 14 different productions, TV shows, TV movies, films, in addition to signing on to be the female lead in a TV series going into production in the summer of 75 (Big Eddie). She played the lead character (a bail bondswoman) in an an episode of Barnaby Jones during the season that looked a lot like a backdoor pilot. She was in demand, signing her would have been expensive and she would have to have been given substantial screen time. There were already problems behind the scenes with actors complaining about being given too little to do on the series.