Joyce explains how the producers wanted janet to be a prude in season 1 and how she was able to give the character a nice balance by mid-season 2

I was surprised to find out she tried out to be Fonzie's girlfriend on Happy Days

Joyce explains how the producers wanted janet to be a prude in season 1 and how she was able to give the character a nice balance by mid-season 2

I was surprised to find out she tried out to be Fonzie's girlfriend on Happy Days

The Happy Days thing is in the Chris Mann book. It was for Pinky Tuscadero.

The Happy Days thing is in the Chris Mann book. It was for Pinky Tuscadero.

Oh wow!! I could not imagine Joyce playing Pinky Tuscadero ! :eek:

Oh wow!! I could not imagine Joyce playing Pinky Tuscadero ! :eek:

Wasnt the Pinkly character taller than Fonz?? lol

The Happy Days thing is in the Chris Mann book. It was for Pinky Tuscadero.

Yeah that's in there but not how the producers got Norman and Audra to make a guest appearance after being told they cant come back to TC:lol:

Yeah that's in there but not how the producers got Norman and Audra to make a guest appearance after being told they cant come back to TC:lol:

My book contains in-depth, exclusive interviews with nearly the entire cast and the then-surviving executive producers, director, and other major players, and tells for the first and only time ever the entire true story of the Suzanne years and all of the difficulties Joyce faced from day one to the final day of taping.

I'm sorry I didn't include the factoid you're referencing. I thought it was pretty clear that Norman and Audra loved John Ritter so much that they'd return to Three's Company in a flash to work with him again.

Happy New Year.

My book contains in-depth, exclusive interviews with nearly the entire cast and the then-surviving executive producers, director, and other major players, and tells for the first and only time ever the entire true story of the Suzanne years and all of the difficulties Joyce faced from day one to the final day of taping.

I'm sorry I didn't include the factoid you're referencing. I thought it was pretty clear that Norman and Audra loved John Ritter so much that they'd return to Three's Company in a flash to work with him again.

Happy New Year.

I always felt that book was a waste of money because of that missing fact alone. How can you mentioned that they was told they couldn't return but dont mention their guest appearance and how the producers got them to make a guest appearance. All the information below made Chriss Mann book a waste of money

No mention of why Larry character role was so small between season 1 and 3
No mention of Why Lana character disappeared
No mention of how producers got Audra and Norman to guest star
No mention of why Cindy character disappeared
No mention of why LA Zoo was used for opening credits after season 5

I always felt that book was a waste of money because of that missing fact alone. How can you mentioned that they was told they couldn't return but dont mention their guest appearance and how the producers got them to make a guest appearance. All the information below made Chriss Mann book a waste of money

No mention of why Larry character role was so small between season 1 and 3
No mention of Why Lana character disappeared
No mention of how producers got Audra and Norman to guest star
No mention of why Cindy character disappeared
No mention of why LA Zoo was used for opening credits after season 5

LOL.

*they were

Audra gave an interview in the early 1990s saying she and Norman were thrilled go to back for one episode. I think it gave them some sort of closure to go back to where it all began. She may have been bluffing but she was happy to move on to do other things.
Lana disappeared after Joyce and Suzanne complained she was getting more lines than they were. John already was not a fan of the character so things came to a major change after A Camping We Will Go.

Audra gave an interview in the early 1990s saying she and Norman were thrilled go to back for one episode. I think it gave them some sort of closure to go back to where it all began. She may have been bluffing but she was happy to move on to do other things.
Lana disappeared after Joyce and Suzanne complained she was getting more lines than they were. John already was not a fan of the character so things came to a major change after A Camping We Will Go.

Thank you. All of the Lana stuff is in my book. I got Ann Wedgeworth to break her silence about this.

And a contractual stipulation that Norman and Audra couldn’t return to 3’s Co as *co-stars* if their spinoff lasted more than one year has zero to do with them being asked to return as guest stars. That’s just common sense for two beloved actors/characters who left the show on good terms.

Hello Chris! While we are on the subject of Norman and Audra. Can you share anything you may know about the spinoff "Three Apartments" ? It wasn't in your book. It was going to feature the Ropers and some characters from Three's Company, Three's A Crowd and Too Close For Comfort. It was suppose to air on or about April, 1987.

I bought a few Three's A Crowd and Three's Company rarities from Carol Summers via Ebay. I asked her if there were any unproduced scripts of Three's Company and she said there wasn't any as far as she could remember. But a episode called "Larry Loses His Job" did pop up on Ebay. Any info on that script. She also thought there was one Three's A Crowd script that went unproduced that involved a carnival? Do you know the name of the script?

Also any chance of a revised hardcover version of your book like what Herbie J. Pilato did with his Six Million Dollar Man/Bionic Woman Reconstructed book? Bob Leszczak did a nice hardcover version of his Wings book as well.

Also any chance of a revised hardcover version of your book like what Herbie J. Pilato did with his Six Million Dollar Man/Bionic Woman Reconstructed book? Bob Leszczak did a nice hardcover version of his Wings book as well.

And an updated version could include more recent RIP obituaries and such.

And the original book is pretty expensive on the back market. Lowest I see is $60, but usually it’s in triple digits (although this doesn’t affect me personally since I bought it when it first came out)

Hello Chris! While we are on the subject of Norman and Audra. Can you share anything you may know about the spinoff "Three Apartments" ? It wasn't in your book. It was going to feature the Ropers and some characters from Three's Company, Three's A Crowd and Too Close For Comfort. It was suppose to air on or about April, 1987.

I bought a few Three's A Crowd and Three's Company rarities from Carol Summers via Ebay. I asked her if there were any unproduced scripts of Three's Company and she said there wasn't any as far as she could remember. But a episode called "Larry Loses His Job" did pop up on Ebay. Any info on that script. She also thought there was one Three's A Crowd script that went unproduced that involved a carnival? Do you know the name of the script?

Also any chance of a revised hardcover version of your book like what Herbie J. Pilato did with his Six Million Dollar Man/Bionic Woman Reconstructed book? Bob Leszczak did a nice hardcover version of his Wings book as well.

Hi there! Thanks for your questions. I knew a little about Three Apartments, but I was unable to add a section about it to the book due to time and space limitations. (Suzanne interviewed for the book at the 11th hour, causing me to need to re-interview many others about her account (and do two follow-ups interviews with Suzanne in between), rewrite portions of the book, and make some cuts to materials I'd intended to include at the end. Also, my mind is a bit hazy about this particular matter, as I finished writing the book 29 years ago and so much of the focus of the story was on the backstage relationships of the original trio and their dealings with the producers.)

I asked Joyce about Three Apartments last year and she said she'd never been approached about it. It wouldn't surprise me that she wasn't consulted early in the development process, which is about how far TA made it. John had agreed, though, to guest star as Jack because he loved Norman and Audra. As I'm sure you know, the producers intended to include Chrissy, too, but this time played by a new actress. That re-casting never happened because the show wasn't ordered to pilot or series. Much of this info I learned in more recent years.

I am unaware of any specific episodes that went unproduced on 3's Co or its two aired spin-offs. 3's a Crowd shot an episode ("One Ego to Go") with at least one carnival scene.

I haven't given much thought to a revised hardback edition of my 3's Co book. Was Pilato's Bionic Book commemorative edition heavily illustrated with crisp and vibrant black-and-white and color photos from the original two series? Quality printing and other considerations can run up prices these days.

Thank you. All of the Lana stuff is in my book. I got Ann Wedgeworth to break her silence about this.

And a contractual stipulation that Norman and Audra couldn’t return to 3’s Co as *co-stars* if their spinoff lasted more than one year has zero to do with them being asked to return as guest stars. That’s just common sense for two beloved actors/characters who left the show on good terms.

it still would have been nice for it to be mentioned how the producers got them to come back. Especially since it was only a year later. And they just didnt return as a guest they obviously had to be contacted. So i am curious to know what the conversation was like when they was contacted to make a guest appearance.

Did they agree right away? Did money had to be offered?


All this should have been mentioned

Audra gave an interview in the early 1990s saying she and Norman were thrilled go to back for one episode. I think it gave them some sort of closure to go back to where it all began. She may have been bluffing but she was happy to move on to do other things.
Lana disappeared after Joyce and Suzanne complained she was getting more lines than they were. John already was not a fan of the character so things came to a major change after A Camping We Will Go.

That interview should have been mentioned in the book lol

Hi there! Thanks for your questions. I knew a little about Three Apartments, but I was unable to add a section about it to the book due to time and space limitations. (Suzanne interviewed for the book at the 11th hour, causing me to need to re-interview many others about her account (and do two follow-ups interviews with Suzanne in between), rewrite portions of the book, and make some cuts to materials I'd intended to include at the end. Also, my mind is a bit hazy about this particular matter, as I finished writing the book 29 years ago and so much of the focus of the story was on the backstage relationships of the original trio and their dealings with the producers.)

I asked Joyce about Three Apartments last year and she said she'd never been approached about it. It wouldn't surprise me that she wasn't consulted early in the development process, which is about how far TA made it. John had agreed, though, to guest star as Jack because he loved Norman and Audra. As I'm sure you know, the producers intended to include Chrissy, too, but this time played by a new actress. That re-casting never happened because the show wasn't ordered to pilot or series. Much of this info I learned in more recent years.

I am unaware of any specific episodes that went unproduced on 3's Co or its two aired spin-offs. 3's a Crowd shot an episode ("One Ego to Go") with at least one carnival scene.

I haven't given much thought to a revised hardback edition of my 3's Co book. Was Pilato's Bionic Book commemorative edition heavily illustrated with crisp and vibrant black-and-white and color photos from the original two series? Quality printing and other considerations can run up prices these days.


Thanks for answering my questions! I really appreciate it. Especially about Three Apartments. I wonder who they had in mind to play Chrissy.... maybe Teri Copely?

For more information about the "Larry Lose His Job" script here is a link:
https://jacksonupperco.com/tag/unproduced-episode/

Regarding the Three's A Crowd unproduced episode maybe "One Ego To Go" was a rewrite of a episode deemed too expensive? Or maybe it was a episode that originally had a carnival but got dropped. I always liked the episodes where they got away from the apartment on Three's Company and the Bistro on TAC.

The Bionic Book and the Wings hardcover books were put out by Bear Manor Media. I thought BMM did a good job with the book/pages/binding. There are no color photos. Only B&W photos. Scott Ryan's Moonlighting book is a softcover but it has color photos along with B&W photos. It feels more computer made though. I think it is a private press. If you ever do a revised hardcover version of your book I'll be buying a copy!

it still would have been nice for it to be mentioned how the producers got them to come back. Especially since it was only a year later. And they just didnt return as a guest they obviously had to be contacted. So i am curious to know what the conversation was like when they was contacted to make a guest appearance.

Did they agree right away? Did money had to be offered?


All this should have been mentioned

As Norman mentioned in the book, ABC President Fred Silverman was the main force that lured him into signing a contract stipulating he could return as a co-star to 3's Co if The Ropers was cancelled before the end of one year. And Joyce said that ABC, after Silverman left, tried to go back on a non-executed contractual promise to her as leverage to keep Norman and Audra from getting big money for their spinoff.

Fell's beef was primarily with ABC--namely Silverman, who was long gone in 1980-81. And as he told me in the book when he learned he couldn't come back as a co-star, "I put it behind me. I was upset about it, but I give myself a day or two to be moody." In fact, as Ted Bergmann told me, he tried unsuccessfully to sell The Ropers to Silverman at NBC after ABC dropped it. So the producers did make an effort to rectify the situation, and I'm sure they made them a conciliatory and/or attractive offer for their guest-starring gig in spring 1981.

Much, much more important stuff was happening behind the scenes at 3's Co during that season. The producers threw some "special guest star" money at them, they loved John and Joyce, and they said yes. It's not really rocket science.

But thanks for your politely stated input.

Thanks for answering my questions! I really appreciate it. Especially about Three Apartments. I wonder who they had in mind to play Chrissy.... maybe Teri Copely?

For more information about the "Larry Lose His Job" script here is a link:
https://jacksonupperco.com/tag/unproduced-episode/

Regarding the Three's A Crowd unproduced episode maybe "One Ego To Go" was a rewrite of a episode deemed too expensive? Or maybe it was a episode that originally had a carnival but got dropped. I always liked the episodes where they got away from the apartment on Three's Company and the Bistro on TAC.

The Bionic Book and the Wings hardcover books were put out by Bear Manor Media. I thought BMM did a good job with the book/pages/binding. There are no color photos. Only B&W photos. Scott Ryan's Moonlighting book is a softcover but it has color photos along with B&W photos. It feels more computer made though. I think it is a private press. If you ever do a revised hardcover version of your book I'll be buying a copy!

Thanks so much for your support, and for this info about the BMM and Moonlighting books.

I had no idea that Richard Kline tried pitching his own spec script. Thanks for the "Larry Loses His Job" link!

I'm really not sure about the Three's a Crowd carnival question. I, too, enjoyed the episodes of 3's Co and TAC filmed away from the apartments. My favorite episode of TAC was the one that featured Jack working as a Benihana-style chef at a Japanese restaurant. I sure missed the 3's Co gang, though, and wish they'd been more involved in, as Joyce called it, "the transition" to the spin-of -- meaning Jack Tripper's ninth season (aka the first season of TAC), at least.

I suppose it's possible that Teri Copley was or would be considered for the Chrissy re-cast. But I'm betting she was already attached to the syndicated version of We Got It Made that premiered in Sept. 1987 and was publicly announced in December 1986 -- two months after Taffner publicly announced Three Apartments.

Here is the interview. She says she never thought about going back to TC but loved going back as a guest star to see everyone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46KIz5X-syA

As Norman mentioned in the book, ABC President Fred Silverman was the main force that lured him into signing a contract stipulating he could return as a co-star to 3's Co if The Ropers was cancelled before the end of one year. And Joyce said that ABC, after Silverman left, tried to go back on a non-executed contractual promise to her as leverage to keep Norman and Audra from getting big money for their spinoff.

Fell's beef was primarily with ABC--namely Silverman, who was long gone in 1980-81. And as he told me in the book when he learned he couldn't come back as a co-star, "I put it behind me. I was upset about it, but I give myself a day or two to be moody." In fact, as Ted Bergmann told me, he tried unsuccessfully to sell The Ropers to Silverman at NBC after ABC dropped it. So the producers did make an effort to rectify the situation, and I'm sure they made them a conciliatory and/or attractive offer for their guest-starring gig in spring 1981.

Much, much more important stuff was happening behind the scenes at 3's Co during that season. The producers threw some "special guest star" money at them, they loved John and Joyce, and they said yes. It's not really rocket science.

But thanks for your politely stated input.

Ok thank you

Here is the interview. She says she never thought about going back to TC but loved going back as a guest star to see everyone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46KIz5X-syA

This is so helpful. I wish I had the full power of the Internet at my hands in 1995-96. Thanks for sharing.

Here is the interview. She says she never thought about going back to TC but loved going back as a guest star to see everyone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46KIz5X-syA

I wish I can go back in time and jump into this video and ask her



1.Did the producers tell you why they wanted you and Norman to come and do a guest appearance

2.Were there any discussions of anymore guest appearances after that one?

3.Were u surprised that Suzanne Somers was no longer part of the show

Here is the interview. She says she never thought about going back to TC but loved going back as a guest star to see everyone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46KIz5X-syA

I was in 8th grade when most of the filming was done on Buffalo's upper west side. Played street hockey at very playground / rec park that Burt Reynolds was at in a scene watching kids playing hockey. An interesting fact, Burt Reynolds and Goldie Hawn were at the Buffalo Aud on Feb 24, 1982 when Wayne Gretzky scored his 77th goal to break Phil Esposito's single-season record. Both big hockey, fans Reynolds and Hawn were in the middle of the Buffalo filming of "Best Friends".

Here is the link https://x.com/BWipp/status/1037830015067537410

Thanks so much for your support, and for this info about the BMM and Moonlighting books.

I had no idea that Richard Kline tried pitching his own spec script. Thanks for the "Larry Loses His Job" link!

I'm really not sure about the Three's a Crowd carnival question. I, too, enjoyed the episodes of 3's Co and TAC filmed away from the apartments. My favorite episode of TAC was the one that featured Jack working as a Benihana-style chef at a Japanese restaurant. I sure missed the 3's Co gang, though, and wish they'd been more involved in, as Joyce called it, "the transition" to the spin-of -- meaning Jack Tripper's ninth season (aka the first season of TAC), at least.

I suppose it's possible that Teri Copley was or would be considered for the Chrissy re-cast. But I'm betting she was already attached to the syndicated version of We Got It Made that premiered in Sept. 1987 and was publicly announced in December 1986 -- two months after Taffner publicly announced Three Apartments.

Just to circle back to Teri Copley, she was in the original 1983 NBC version of the show that lasted only one season. I had no idea there was a second version of the show aired in sindication 4 years later. Of course the irony would be about a woman (maid) living with 2 men. It did run concurrently with 3's Comp during it's last season.

Finally in another interesting tie to "Best Friends", Valarie Curtin has an uncredited role in the movie as Hawn's friend. Curtin co-wrote the movie with husband at the time Barry Levinson. She also co-stared (as Jenny) with John Ritter and Susanne Zenor in the 1st pilot of Threes Company. Of course Lindley and played the landlords.