Brian Damage
07-31-2010, 11:23 PM
Della's first regular network series assignment came when she joined the cast of the NBC hit comedy Chico and the Man (Sept. 1974 - July 78).
The series starred Freddie Prinze, a relative unknown when he was cast as 'Chico' - opposite 'The Man', vaudeville veteran Jack Albertson (as irascible mechanic Ed Brown).
In 1978, Della Reese was brought in as the 'substitute teacher' for Gabe Kaplan when he left Welcome Back Kotter over a salary dispute. The show was on its last legs anyway, John Travolta ended his sporadic appearances a year earlier and took most of the show's ratings (and charm) with him. Della's character was left to fend for herself against a class of aging sweathogs. The show died at the end of the season with Gabe Kaplan and the individual sweathog's careers withering soon after.
The eighties weren't kind to Della Reese, she was largely ignored by television during the new-wave decade. In the fall of 1982, Della played Judge Caroline Phillips in the critically acclaimed sitcom It Takes Two starring Richard Crenna, Patty Duke Astin and Helen Hunt. It was the story of the tumultuous life of a surgeon and his 'liberated' District Attorney wife. That series only lasted one season.
In 1986, Della was cast as argumentative Aunt Mabel in a mid-season attempt to save the floundering Charlie and Company, a rip-off of the 'Cosby Show' starring Flip Wilson and Gladys Knight (and a very young Jaleel 'Eurkel' White). Nothing could have helped this misguided production, the quality of the scripts was dismal and the show died just a few months after Della joined the cast.
The Royal Family debuted September 18, 1991 and was a modest success, with ratings climbing each week. Della played Victoria Royal, long suffering wife of Al Royal (Redd Foxx), mother to three kids and neighbor to obnoxious Willis Tillis (Shabaka).
Things were finally going Della's way. The Royal Family wasn't great, but it was a pretty decent show, audiences enjoyed the bantering between Della and her longtime friend and costar Redd Foxx - these two old pros more than overcame the tepid material.
But just a month after The Royal Family debuted, Redd Foxx suffered a critical heart attack during rehearsals. At first, everyone thought it was just a joke - that he was doing his 'I'm Coming, Elizabeth' routine.
As he lay dying, it became horrifyingly clear that this was no joke. Della Reese knelt down, held Redd Foxx and prayed - begging him "Don't Die Redd, Don't Die!"
He did.
http://www.tvparty.com/mystery.html
The series starred Freddie Prinze, a relative unknown when he was cast as 'Chico' - opposite 'The Man', vaudeville veteran Jack Albertson (as irascible mechanic Ed Brown).
In 1978, Della Reese was brought in as the 'substitute teacher' for Gabe Kaplan when he left Welcome Back Kotter over a salary dispute. The show was on its last legs anyway, John Travolta ended his sporadic appearances a year earlier and took most of the show's ratings (and charm) with him. Della's character was left to fend for herself against a class of aging sweathogs. The show died at the end of the season with Gabe Kaplan and the individual sweathog's careers withering soon after.
The eighties weren't kind to Della Reese, she was largely ignored by television during the new-wave decade. In the fall of 1982, Della played Judge Caroline Phillips in the critically acclaimed sitcom It Takes Two starring Richard Crenna, Patty Duke Astin and Helen Hunt. It was the story of the tumultuous life of a surgeon and his 'liberated' District Attorney wife. That series only lasted one season.
In 1986, Della was cast as argumentative Aunt Mabel in a mid-season attempt to save the floundering Charlie and Company, a rip-off of the 'Cosby Show' starring Flip Wilson and Gladys Knight (and a very young Jaleel 'Eurkel' White). Nothing could have helped this misguided production, the quality of the scripts was dismal and the show died just a few months after Della joined the cast.
The Royal Family debuted September 18, 1991 and was a modest success, with ratings climbing each week. Della played Victoria Royal, long suffering wife of Al Royal (Redd Foxx), mother to three kids and neighbor to obnoxious Willis Tillis (Shabaka).
Things were finally going Della's way. The Royal Family wasn't great, but it was a pretty decent show, audiences enjoyed the bantering between Della and her longtime friend and costar Redd Foxx - these two old pros more than overcame the tepid material.
But just a month after The Royal Family debuted, Redd Foxx suffered a critical heart attack during rehearsals. At first, everyone thought it was just a joke - that he was doing his 'I'm Coming, Elizabeth' routine.
As he lay dying, it became horrifyingly clear that this was no joke. Della Reese knelt down, held Redd Foxx and prayed - begging him "Don't Die Redd, Don't Die!"
He did.
http://www.tvparty.com/mystery.html