The movie was awesome, far better then I expected! :)

I had no idea of all that had went on in the series behind the scenes. It is unbeleivable how much suzanne's husband screwed her over, I always that she alone was the one who made all the crazy demands and what not, I didn't know her jerk husband was behind most of it. Also, too bad to hear what happened with Norman Fell ... he really got screwed :(

overall, excellently made movie ... glad I recorded it. Too bad that Chris Mann didn't get the credit he so diserved.

I would have liked some more information on Joyce and John, but the movie mainly focused on Suzanne ... which was fine.

My mom actually refused to watch this movie with me, though she enjoyed watching the series so much when it was originally on ... she didn't want to here about all the "s*it" that happened behind the scenes! :eek: I guess she didn't want to ruin her memories of the series.

What did everyone else think?
(should be interesting to see how it did in the ratings)

I just got done and it was very interesting but I do have 2 questions:

Why isn't the character "Larry" in the movie?
Is Suzanne still married to that JERK today?

In the movie, the woman almost does look like Audry, do anybody agree with me?

I.....I......can't believe....what I just witnessed. I LOVED it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The ending....almost had me in tears. Just. Wow. I think there are some people on the west coast that haven't seen it yet...so I think I'll go into more detail tomorrow.;)

Yes Suzanne is still married to him :( .... Good Question, why no Larry :( ?

Yes she is still married to Alan Hamil (sp?)

I saw Chris Mann's name in the opening credits as consulting producer.

I also loved it. I really never knew that happened. i guess because i was 10 at that time. but i know about it now.
i think the movie was great.

I was also thinking where was larry. :)

and yes she is still married to Alan. he is in all of her books too.
boy i really never knew he did that to her. i think he did ruin her to a point.

my hubby said to me she should of left him when he ruined her career.

What ever happened to Janet? did she ever do any other shows, movies?

i know that suzanne was in that tv show step by step.

but im still shocked at what i saw tonight. i really was in the dark.


Allie

I loved the movie and I enjoyed watching the movie on NBC
I hope they re-aire it again so I can enjoy it again.



Aaron

i thought the movie was real good to. you never know what happens behind a set till you see a movie about it. then when you watch the show for the first time it kinda feels weird lol. this summer i plan to buy some 8 hr tapes and gonna record threes company. right now im working on doing step by step.one of my fav shows

Ahhh the love of my life looked so beautiful it was hard to keep my mouth closed and not drool, She was so breathtaking i almost started to cry.

I thought the movie was good but it was a shame that no one portrayed Larry..

Overrall i gave it 7 *'s

This was a very intersting movie, I loved it, I agree with everyone else that Suzanne's husband was a complete idiot at the time, and I believe he led to her getting fired. Also watching the movie, it also seemed like the producers were not truthful to the cast so to speak, they didn't want John to tell Joyce about the spinoff, until she found out when she came to the studio that day. I thought Joyce did a wonderful job narrorating it, overall I give this movie an 8. Now since they done a movie, hopefully they can have a Three's company reunion soon.

I actually thought the movie was AVERAGE/slightly above average.. there was allot to like about it.. but it wasn't all true..

what makes NO sense in Joyce was involved in the creative process of making the movie..

Joyce has said in countless interviews for the last 25 years about how the Producers were male pigs!!

Joyce said that NONE of the producers would NEVER listen to her & her ideas.. so she would have to tell John and he then would repeat her exact words.. Then they would use her idea.. (they didn't show this)

*it seemed like they didn't want to show that Suzanne MIGHT have had some reason(s) for being the way she was.. BUT at that time in the Mid 1970's.. Men that ruled Networks and TV Shows..treated actors and women like second rate (Joyce has said this a MILLION times and we just saw it again with her when they had the E! True Story on 3's Company.. even John agreed... Priscilla even said it happend to her..)

SO they should have or MUST have put this scene in the movie.. THEY made The Producers/Creators look like ok guys.. when they really were not!!

Joyce had a problem with them.. Suzanne did to.. EVEN Priscilla did also even after the "suzanne thing".. They made Pricilla do line readings for dumb stuff.. because she wouldn't sign for a longer deal..so they gave her LESS money,ect.. (all on E! true hollywood story)

NONE of that was shown??

also I felt it was trying to be like "The Late Shift" HBO Movie (a movie about Jay Leno & Dave Letterman trying to get Johnny Carson's tv show when he retired).....they actually got the guy who played Jay Leno in this 3's Company Movie he played Ted

also.. They should have shown more of that last episode!!!.. WATCH it.. Joyce & Priscilla were CRYING in every shot!!! (also Terri was the one to shut the light off.. not Jack)

*** I just think they stayed waaaaaay to long on the Suzanne thing... and should have shown how the Producers were scumbags ALL through the Show.. from day one - until the end!! They were real SCUMBAGS to the women (mostly)..

They should have shown a little more of the actual TV show too!!

I couldn't believe how they talked how bad Cindy Snow was.. wow that was kinda shocking how they said she basically sucked!

They made Allan Hammel look like "Paul Snyder" from the movie: Star 80 ..almost!!??

**** I kinda have a feeling that "maybe" the producers in real life made Joyce tone down ALL "the producers bad stuff".. so they can get the rights to make the movie for nbc??

because IF NOT.. Joyce has said allot of things about them for 25 years... and she had her chance to tell the WHOLE STORY!!! But she didn't?????????????????????????



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BUT what I liked.. I LOVE the casting!!! THEY all got everyone little things right!! even their personality!!.. the acress that played Joyce was amazing!!!!


The Movie was very very good! I just wished they made it a little better.. add a little more with Producers.. and a little less with Suzanne.. (because that was the truth)

Where was Mickey Ross treating EVERYONE like crap?? He was sooo cocky with Priscilla ( She had 2 or 3 things she couldn't stand with the producers.. why didn't Joyce let her get that off her chest on the nbc movie???)

Joyce & John talked all about that on the E! True Story.. and Chris Mann did as well in his Book..

why didn't the nbc movie have it??????

very odd... I think ALL my ideas would have taken up maybe 5-8 minutes of the movie..(they could have cut down some of that suzanne stuff.. and added my ideas)

but I am happy that they made something new about 3's Company!! that was cool!!

I just WISH they would put all the episodes out on DVD!!:confused:

I watched the movie too...but I was kind of upset. I had no idea that any of that went on because i just started watching 3's company on nick at nite like 4 months ago. I love the show, but it was upsetting to find out that Suzanne Somers was so stuck up with herself and let her husband rule her life like that...
I love Joyce DeWitt and I feel so bad for her, she got screwed over! She is my favorite on the whole show...by the way, where was larry, haha?? And who is Chris Mann that everyone keeps talking about?

I loved this movie!!!!!

I thought the actors playing John and Joyce were EXCELLENT (is that girl the same one who's on the Glad commercials?) and I'm only sorry the movie didn't show more of their stories and less of Suzanne's (I mean does anyone really care about her thigh master days??). I also think they should have shown some scenes with Priscilla Barnes and maybe at least mention that Larry existed.

Still, I LOVED the movie and immediately afterwards I watched my favorite episodes of TC. Joyce did a great job at the beginning and end too and she looked beautiful!

I just want you all to remember one thing:

JACK TRIPPER IS THE KING OF THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :clap: :clap: :clap:

This is only like my second time posting at the TC board, but I had to give my opinion about the movie! I thought it was great. The actors were good at portraying the real actors. The only thing I thought was weird was the guy who played Don Knotts. He really didn't have it. I mean there's only ONE Don Knotts and to me no one can be like him. Also in the movie they had Don Knotts act almost the same way Mr. Furley did. I guess he was just a funny guy in real life too. The lady that played Janet is the Glad trash bags lady! It's kind of funny because when I first saw her on those commercials I always thought that she looks and sounds just like Joyce DeWitt! And if there's ever a movie about Three's Company she should play Janet! well, she did a good job at it. I can't believe how much of a jerk that Alan Hamil was. What a shame that all had to happen and Suzanne got into the mess. Despite all the trauma off camera the show was great! Well, to me it IS great because I really wasn't around when it originally aired (born in 1983). Well, that's all I have to say about it. I recorded it and I'm going to watch it over and over again!

I saw it and it went pretty much how I expected it. I thought it was good, but of course, I have some complaints. I knew it was going to mainly focus on Suzanne, her situation being the biggest TC turmoil, so I was not at all suprised. I do wish they could have had more focus on the others though. Austin Tripper summed up my opinions, so I really don't need to go on anymore with that. Great points he made--I would have liked to see the way the producers REALLY were. I wasn't disappointed, however, with not seeing more scenes from the show. After that disaster which was the Lucy movie from last week, I was relieved they didn't waste time with that. Well, it would have been time wasted to me. Maybe a couple scenes would have been good, I suppose.

I did learn a couple things--"Three's A Crowd" being kept from Joyce and the unbelievable control Suzanne's husband had. I really thought the movie was going to show Suzanne as the only dirty dog. That's probably because I wasn't really aware of her husband's part. Cannot believe she is still married to him.

I was pleased they touched on the situation with Norman Fell. I was afraid they would have overlooked it completely.

I do have one question: Was Suzanne really the reason that season 5 was delayed, as the movie showed? From this board I learned it wasn't actually her doing, but many shows that season were delayed because of a strike.

The casting WAS fantastic. Every person was great. Except for the two who played Jenilee and Priscilla. You can tell not much effort went into casting them, being as they weren't even really the focus.

I knew about pretty much everything in the movie, but this really brought it to light, and made it "real" I guess. In the beginning of the movie, I thought Suzanne was the biggest bitch to walk the planet -- until the middle when it was really Allen who was doing all of that. Such a shame she is still married to that loser. I think what happened was HER fame went to HIS head. He screwed her royally.

I thought the movie was fantastic. It could of focused just a little less on Suzanne. How "real" was that movie to me? I got literally sick watching "John" keep the news of Three's a Crowd from "Joyce". And for Joyce to walk in on the auditioning of Vicky was, wow. I had no idea that happened. And they gave her Joyce's dressing room too. What losers.

I doubt the movie will effect my view on the show, because you know no matter what, the cast had a ball doing it.

The guy who played Don Knotts sounded SO much like him it was incredible. The entire cast, I can't say enough about them. At times Jud Taylor really did look like Suzanne. This was some of the best tv-show-behind-the-scenes-movie casting I've ever seen.

i have to admit it was about what i expected it to be--average. Yeah, the casting was great, i thought htey really got the mannerisms and the look of the actors/characters down. but other than that, it was just ok. i thought they shouldnt have focused on suzanne so much, and should have focused more on the commraderie between john and joyce, and the other cast members, and them discussing their opinions about the situations instead of them showing suzanne throw newspapers and stuff at alan. i felt the focus on suzanne made more people feel sorry for her, and what her husband put her through, but i dont think thats what the effect should be. a contract is a contract, and suzanne really did bring all that bad publicity, cease and desists, and lawsuits, by herself. sure alan may have "helped" a little, but i dont know why people are now feeling sorry for suzanne. we have to keep in mind also that they were in their 20's, they were young, and now, they look back on the experience as an overall good experience, and are wiser for it. i especially liked how joyce came on at the end of the movie and talked about how much she really loved making the show.

i liked it. i was interesting to see what went on behind the scenes. and i personally think that Joyce was/is way prettier than Suzanne. everybody just liked Suzanne cause she was a blonde.

I too really liked the movie, I was surprised how much I liked parts of it, but here come the however, there was TOO much Suzanne!!!!. Tell me, was the begining of the movie not the best part, it was fun and exciting and funny, even the part when they were actually doing the show was funny. I would have had much more laughs had the movie focused on John Ritter, he is the man, plain and simple, a great personality and Bret Anthony was great. Why the show had to focus on the crap "crissy" did was too bad. Make a 2 hour movie about the good and the fun and the funny, Three's Company. do for them as they did for us.

First off I have to say WOW. LOL. the casting, the acting, everything about the movie was great. Since I've been into Three's Company for a few years now, I pretty much know what happened behind the scenes, and the movie really summed it up. I loved seeing all the fun they had in the beginning, and it's really sad all the bad stuff that went on. One flaw I saw was when they were doing the last episode and they had John turn off the lights instead of Priscilla. I also agree that they DID spend a little too much time on the whole Suzanne thing...here it's over in a half hour and it's still focusing on that.(Ugh, by the way...that Alan is a jerk no doubt about it...I guess Suzanne wanted to be a big star so much, she was willing to do anything the jerk said.) But I really did think all who were involved did a great job. The ending almost made me cry.

Right after the movie ended I made sure to turn Three's Company on. Kind of a coincidence it was right around the Suzanne dispute.

Overall, I'll give it 9/10. I thought it was great. :)

This is my first time posting on Three's Co. boards.

I liked the movie, and I had been looking forward to it ever since I heard about it being made (I'd been out and rushed home to catch it even though I had the VCR set for it).

I agree with some of the other posters on here---great casting job (especially the actors playing Jack and Mr. Furley...I thought they nailed them).

I was just a little disappointed that they didn't touch more on some of the other behind the scenes behavior and problems. I had been familiar with most of the Suzanne stuff from some of those behind-the-scenes type of shows, etc. I was hoping to see more of the stuff that might not have been as highly publicized. It would also have been interesting to see how the female cast was really treated since I remember hearing about the whole "jiggle factor" with the show and what the woman were expected to wear. I'm sure they had to put up with a lot back then in the late 70's. I wasn't quite sure about something else in the movie--was ABC more responsible for pushing Suzanne and the Chrissy character in the forefront early on or was it more of her idea? I can remember hearing that ABC had singled her out from the other two stars, however, the movie made it seem that it was more like Suzanne and her husband's planning--not sure, maybe I'm wrong.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie. Joyce's comments at the end of the movie about "Three's Company" seemed very genuine and sincere. You could tell that she loved doing this show despite all the behind-the-scenes problems (I'm sure she left out a lot of stuff out too). I also loved her quote about laughter.

Here are the ratings for last night - http://tv.zap2it.com/news/dailynielsenrankings.html?31563

The movie came in #2, not bad at all!

I only got to watch part of the movie, not all of it. I left off at the part where Suzanne's husband was telling her something in there bed room. He had his bath robe on. Anyways, I thought they where REALLY nice to each other until the whole (Suzanne Thing.) they even said "nice to meet you", and stuff like that during the 1st reahersul. But I didn't like the part when they did the read-through for an episode and it called for Suzanne to do her snortty pig laugh, and John said "does she have to that now?" or something like that! Also, when they were shooting that cover for the magaine. MAJOR tension. But all in all it was good, and who ever said there should be a "Threes Company" reunion, good idea! :).

PS. Could someone PLEASE tell me after that part where I told you about? PLEASE?!?!?!

Sorry! I meant to say "could someone tell me what happend after the part I told you about? (where I leaft off.) I'd be SO GREATFUL!

Thanks! :)

I LOVED the movie! I was so impressed - I expected it to be ones of those average behind-the-scenes movies.

I have to agree that the casting was incredible. The guy playing Don Knotts sounded so much like him and Melanie (Joyce) Moore had her mannerisms down perfectly! Bret (John) Anthony was *really* good too - with both looking like John and with the physical comedy (his "new moves." lol).

My favorite little part of the movie was how Joyce kepy calling John "Jonathan!" That was so classic. "Jonathan ... have you seen the Suzanne Somers lunchbox?" LOL. I'm easily amused.

I felt soo sorry for Normal Fell - poor guy.
The ending also had me almost in tears - when John and Joyce "made up" during curtain call after she was mad at him about the whole "Three's A Crowd" thing. That was so precious how he just stuck his hand out. **melt** Aww.. LOL

Overall, it was awesome!

For anyone who missed part (or all) of it, the movie will be rerunning on VH1 this weekend, according to TVguide.com

Saturday May 24, at 9:00 eastern
Sunday May 25, at 12:00 noon eastern

Originally posted by Crimson_and_Clover
i liked it. i was interesting to see what went on behind the scenes. and i personally think that Joyce was/is way prettier than Suzanne. everybody just liked Suzanne cause she was a blonde.

Finally someone agrees with me that Joyce is and always will be better looking then Suzanne! :D

If it had been me i would have fired Alan and divorced his sorry ass then went crawling back to TC on my hands and knees. She let greed get in her way and she went from a star to a thighmaster has-been.

JMO

Here's my two cents...

The guy who played Jack was as dead-ringer as could be. Suzanne and Joyce's was come and go, but seeing the guy splashing in the waves on the beach... wow, it was like the same guy.

The movie showed Suzanne has being run by her husband, which I always heard was true. Alan Hamill is all smile and that's about it. I didn't realize the thighmaster was right after TC, but I guess it make sense.

I felt sorry for Joyce DeWitt (in the movie). She just kept being cast aside for the others. No wonder she dropped out of sight after the show ended.

I do think John should have told her about TaCrowd.

Other parts of the movie were really good. It was nice to get a better view of things.

Someone was griping about a lot of things not being included... perhaps that's because it was a TWO-HOUR movie. You can't include every detail. If Joyce had made it into a whiney-fest for herself, it would have come back on her. I felt it was a professional protrayl of some unprofessional things.

For the most part I liked it...there were some chronology things they messed up. Like when Fred Silverman left ABC..didn't he do that in 1979 instead of 1980? Because I recall Joyce having a talk with Tony Thompolous (sp?) in 1979 about her contract. Also, Suzanne was not entertainer of the year in 1983 (she was in 1987) and she didn't do anything Thighmaster wise until the late '80s.

Werm this movie made me feel sadder for Suzanne. Her husband messed up her career. I mean, her husband was telling her how great she was and eventually that had to have gotten to her. But they love each other so I can see why they're still together since love is more important than money.

I liked that Joyce was involved. She made the portions she was in more classier. well imo.

They made Jenilee look like she didn't work out at all, when (IMO) she did. Jenilee was fine on the show, at least to me.

Werm the movie also made me wish John, Joyce, and Suzanne had communicated better. I think that maybe if they had all explained their points of view to each other instead of storming out of the room when one of them entered, they could've straightened things out.

I thought the casting overall did a wonderful job at portraying their characters. I thought that this movie was basically focused on Suzanne, and about her struggles as a cast member, and after awhile hearing about her troubles to make herself a star, didn't interest me anymore. I thought that Jud Tylor really portrayed Suzanne very well, I didn't think she looked much like her, but I thought she was close enough to Suzanne. I think that her husband was the cause of all these scandals, because he was making decisions for her.

I felt that Norman Fell was screwed when he wasn't invited back to rejoin the cast, I didn't think a spin-off would have worked in the first place, just the Ropers and their neighbors. I thought the actor who played Don Knotts spoke exactly like him, I couldn't believe it.

I liked the movie, I thought it held my attention real well, I thought the movie was well done.

The movie was good, but didn't any of you kind of see the obvious bias towards Joyce DeWitt. Yes, she was really screwed over and over again, but the way they portrayed her as this "sweet, lovely, kind" girl has to be called into question as far as her producing the movie. I also thought it was kind of awkward how disassociated Suzzanne was portrayed from her husband's actions. She had to know what was going on, he was doing it in her name.

I'd really be curious to see what John Ritter and Suzanne Somers have said regarding this movie, but I haven't been able to find it in any articles regarding the movie.

As far as the posts about how now they should do a reunion movie, I really doubt it, if anything wouldn't you think that Joyce's involvement in a project that was blatantly anti-Suzanne would turn back the effort for the two of them to make up? I remember reading somewhere that DeWitt called Somers when she was diagnosed with cancer. We'll see.

Did Mrs. Roper wear a wig on the show?

OK, I'm ready to share now. This is gonna be a long post, just telling you ahead of time. ;)

First of all- the casting. GREAT. Although they didn't look much like the people they did very well. lol...I wish they gave the Priscilla person something to do. I mean, she didn't even have any lines. At least Jenilee had a few. But Priscilla, lol. The guy who played Don Knotts sounded JUST like him, it was scary. I LOVED when he first walked on the Three's Company set. Everyone was fighting with Suzanne and then here he comes, unaware of what is going on, very happy. And Audra and Norman were good too. Now, as for Bret, Melanie, and Jud...

Bret Anthony- Wow. He was GREAT. See, John Ritter is my favorite TC actor and judging by pictures of Bret and seeing him in commercials I thought he'd be horrible. His voice and John's were pretty different, but Bret was awesome. Maybe my favorite. I loved when he was dancing in Joyce's dressing room during the first episode, lol. And wow, when it came time towards the end to discuss the spinoff and he wasn't allowed to tell Joyce about it, he acted that so well. And he was great as John when John had to audition for TC. Go Bret!

Melanie Deanne Moore- And I thought she was just the Glad Girl :p. She was great too. At first I also thought she'd suck because well she really doesn't look like Joyce and I have heard her high voice from the Glad commercials. But she was excellent. And like I said with Bret, she acted the end really well. You could tell she was hurt, but showed some compassion.

Jud Tylor- lol...some of you know I've said bad things about her all the time, but those are just first impressions. She was pretty good. I think she and Suzanne sounded alike. Anyway, she was pretty good. She did the transition between just-starting-out-with-no-money-and-little-acting-experience Suzanne, to experienced-actress-gaining-fame Suzanne, to I-want-more-money Suzanne.

Guy Who Plays Alan Hamel (no Sean, not Alan Hamel also known as Al:p)...I can't remember his name, anyway: He was very good, even though his character was pure evil. lol. He got mad so easily and he did well playing angry. And he made it seem like he was really trying to help Suzanne but only screwed up really badly. :D. I really feel that most of Suzanne's firing was Alan's fault. I mean he gave her really bad ideas, and she listened to him..well they're husband and wife so, what else should she have done? lol

Now, I want to talk about the actual movie plot. The beginning, talking about the pilots was pretty cool. I actually got to see Man About the House :p...for a few seconds. I loved seeing their episode shootings too. lol...the party :D. I loved it when John, Joyce, and Suzanne started dancing. The newsweek shoot...wow, very well acted. I didn't even know it was that bad. I knew that everyone was uncomfortable, but I guess I understood more when I saw it on screen. I was laughing when Joyce got mad at her boyfriend, lol. Anyway this was mostly the Suzanne story and stuff, and that was well acted too. They used a lot of exact quotes, like Donahue. That was exactly as it was with Suzanne. And the Suzanne firing was emotional. And then when she was a little mad at Alan (GO SUZANNE. If I were her I'd be thinking of divorcing...:p) and then they started talking about the thighmaster. Haha, I didn't even think that would be in there. I thought that came later. Anyway, talking about the spinoff was SO sad to me. How John wanted to tell Joyce about the spinoff, but Ted wouldn't let him. And then Joyce had to find out for herself, the hard way. Awwww. And then the end. The end had to be the best part. John's "I love you Joyce", omg...that had me crying inside. I still really don't understand why she replied with "I KNOW" and not "Thank you" or "I love you too" or something. Whatever though, it was still great.

Very well acted, very funny at times, very emotional at times, I give this movie an 8/10, only because Priscilla never said anything, there were some errors, such as how John closes the door at the end and not Priscilla, and other things too. Overall, I thought it was very good.

Sorry you all but I didnt like it......The way they potrayed Suzanne wasnt good. They had her acting like SUCH a bitch. Her husband was the reason for everything, but she could have told him to **** off if she wanted to. And why did they spend so much time on Suzanne. The whole Three's Company story was about Suzanne's contract dispute, they didnt get into the cast changes that much, I dont even remember seeing anyone play Cindy or Terri, and no one mentioned Lana. Ugh, Im sorry it made me a little mad (just a little). It was a good movie in terms of acting and everything tho....

^.. I was actually surprised that they didnt make SUzanne look too bad! They actually made ALan Hamel the bad guy. They actually made Suzanne look okay. It was just Joyce John and everyone else treating her bad, but they made it clear that it was all Alan Hamel.

What made me the maddest was them keeping the secret of TAC from Joyce, I'm not surprised she left show biz. They were also male pigs, Never listning to what she had to say, Treating her like nothing but a lowley female. If it had been me i would have said **** it and walked out. But as Joyce has said for a long time," Hollywood can be a cruel world."

Hi all,
Some opinions . . . for what they're worth:

The entire cast of the movie was great. Brian Dennehy was outstanding as Fred Silverman. The guy who played John Ritter was especially great. He created the sense at times that the viewer was watching the real John Ritter, instead of an actor playing him. Suzanne Somers was done pretty well. So was Joyce DeWitt . . . except for the voice. The woman who played Audra Lindley did a nice job, too. The guy who played Don Knotts did a wonderful Barney Fife imitation.


Based on what I've heard, I'm not so sure that the movie showed *quite* what a bunch of bastards the producers of "Three's Company" may in actuality have been. And, maybe I'm sick, but I enjoyed seeing Suzanne Somers (even though it was only someone portraying her) being taken down from believing she was God's gift to television, and as valuable a star as Alan Alda or Carroll O'Connor, to not even being *allowed* on the set of her TV show -- relegated to a one-minute tag scene at the end of each episode, which was taped on a separate little set apart from everyone else on the show. I might have felt sorry for her, had she (and her husband) not brought it all on herself. Meanwhile, I'm also not sure I sympathize with some of John and Joyce's behavior near the beginning. I used to play in a band. If the face of one of the other guys were suddenly all over lunchboxes and posters, I'd be happy for him! I, personally, would be thrilled to be on the cover of Newsweek . . . even if one of my partners was standing a few feet closer to the camera than I was. That kind of pettiness and jealousy among members of any ensemble can be nothing but counter-productive.

"Three's Company" surely didn't cease to exist after Suzanne Somers left it. More attention should have been paid in the movie to those later years of the series.

And finally, I am *astounded* that a movie about the TV show "Three's Company" would devote a comparable amount of screen time to Suzanne Somers learning to use the Thighmaster and being interviewed by Phil Donahue as it did to Jennilee Harrison and Priscilla Barnes on the set of the show combined! And, not even acknowledge the existence of the character Larry!!

Over all, I liked it, though.

Later,
Art

Here is the original cover of that NewsWeek magazine.
http://www.sitcomsonline.com/nickatnitetvlandpromos/threescompanyphotogallery/castphotos/castphotos-003.jpg

Hi all,
You have to admit -- they did a nice job on that Newsweek cover. I mean, It really does *almost* look like they were all together for it.


Later,
Art

Thanks for the photo, T.a.T.u Gurl18! I CANNOT believe they made it look like that.

Here's my 2 cents.

I remember the original 3's company before the re-runs. Back then it started out with Jack, Janet and Chrissy. Everyone was the same. Chrissy "WAS NOT" the featured star AT ALL. Not even in the magazines nor anything. This was a concoction from her and her hubby. ............ If you remember in the movie Jack Hamil asked Suzanne. What do you want Suzanne? - Her reply was "I want to be Farrah".

Now............................... Farrah was the biggest bombshell back then. She was numero uno! Suzanne could not touch Farrah at all back then. So Suzanne said she wanted to be as big as Farrah. Jack Hamil tried to please his wife by giving her what she wanted but, it backfired. Back then this little episode was splattered all over the tabloids and magazines. It was
all over ther place and people like me walked away with the thought............. She's not so BIG. Jack was BIGGER than her he was the funy one not her! So she wound up selling her thighmasters and Jack Hamil did good by her because they're still together.

What I believe is that they are both at fault for what happened.

The guy who played John Ritter was fantastic!............

I know within ten years of 3's company, Jenilee Harrison was on Dallas, Did anyone on Dallas complain of her acting ability? I guess I can't tell good actors from bad ones. I felt she did fine on both series. What was so awfull about her on 3's company?

Originally posted by Cashodeen
Thanks for the photo, T.a.T.u Gurl18! I CANNOT believe they made it look like that.

Your welcome...I think it sucks IMO Joyce and John were the stars.
Suzanne's husband just got greedy was all.

One thing about the movie though that I had completely forgotten was that Joyce did have a husband/boyfriend back then. I completely forgot about that.

I think that Jack Hamil and his wife both got GREEDY............. I blame Suzanne and Jack Hamil for getting handlers for Suzanne, I thought that was ridiculous the way they were pushing the other actors aside. Please...........

I think Suzanne looks better now in 2000
than she looked back then. I thought she looked ugly back then (My opinion only) She had funny teeth back then too. Joyce was pretty back then and still is......... Joyce was styling back then too.

When I look at the reruns today I find Chrissy more attractive now. Don't ask me why. Maybe because I'm older.... :lol:

Originally posted by T.a.T.u Gurl18


Finally someone agrees with me that Joyce is and always will be better looking then Suzanne! :D

If it had been me i would have fired Alan and divorced his sorry ass then went crawling back to TC on my hands and knees. She let greed get in her way and she went from a star to a thighmaster has-been.

JMO

She didn't do too bad after TC. She had Step by Step in the 90's that lasted about 8 seasons.

I used to think worse of her, like it was all her doing with the raises and such, but now I realized that she was more innocent then I thought. Yes, she was still a pretty big part of it, but I don't think the same way towards her as I once used to.

I also felt so bad for Norman. He got royally screwed. I thought they got the voice for Don Knots perfect, but I didn't like the actor much. He just didn't look like Furley to me.

About Priscilla, I hated how they completely ignored those years and gave her no lines at all. Annoyed me to no end. I know the main plot of the story was about the Suzanne thing, but they gave Jennilee more lines then her, and she wasn't there nearly as long. But I loved the part when Chrissy left the stage and saw all the blondes auditioning. It was so sad and I really felt for her when she said she wanted to continue to do TC for longer.

I enjoyed the movie and thought Bret Anthony did a terrific job playing the role of John Ritter.

What I'm disturbed by, however, is how most people on this message board seem to believe the movie, which had a documentary feel, protrayed exactly what happened without embellishment or conjecture.

The dialogues between Sommers and her husband is just speculation by the writers since the only two people involved in the conversations did not participate in the making of the movie. We don't know how much influence Sommer's husband had in her career.

The movie is just one interpretation of what happened. I'm sure if Sommers had as much say in the movie as Dewitt did, it would have turned out different.

JamesC

Hi again all,
I remember watching "Three's Company" from the very first night it was ever on, and every week probably for the rest of that season watching ABC's "naughty" night of comedy with "Three's Company" & "Soap." I never thought of "Three's Company" as anything but a three-star show. There was no *one* stand-out star to me -- even though John Ritter's name was always shown first. The same is true, for that matter, of "Charlie's Angels." I never uderstood why so much fuss was made over Farah. She didn't seem to be a magnificent actress and wasn't even the best-looking girl on that show.

The idea that Suzanne Somers was worthy of the attention Farah didn't even deserve . . . or the salaries that the best actors of the day earned . . . is laughable. Maybe Suzanne can act a little and was certainly good at making her chest bounce around. She has gotten better-looking with age, but back then, she was nowhere near as spectacular physically as she thought she was. You could see it especially the night when Loni Anderson made a guest appearance on "Three's Company" and made Suzanne look like a used dish rag.

===========================================

JamesC,
You make it seem as though the "Three's Company" movie was practically a complete work of fiction. I think we have seen enough interviews and documentary specials, and enough books have been written for the children you seem to think we all are to have an idea of what really happened. Maybe the *exact* wording in the movie's conversations was speculation, but we've all seen and heard Suzanne admit to the mistakes she made.


============================================
Pitooey,
Fancy meeting you here!



Later,
Art

Where did I write the movie was baseless? The facts are indeed well known, but I maintain that there was embellishment and conjecture. Joyce DeWitt has said, according to various articles, that there is an enourmous difference between the original script and the one that resulted from her input. In light of the fact that no other cast member or major player was involved, the movie is one version of what happend.

Artfiore1:
"Maybe the *exact* wording in the movie's conversations was speculation..."

Entire scenes, Artfiore1, were speculation. When people have a private conversation and they don't tell you want was said, any dialogue created for them is speculation. We're not even talking about the exact wording here...entire scene were guess work.

Try this simple experiment. Without input from a married couple you know very well (parents, perhaps), create a dialogue of the marriage proposal you were not a witness to. Even if you know their personality and their mannerisms, you will be just guessing as to what was said and how they reacted. You may not even know where the proposal took place! This is the situation the writers of the movie faced.


I'd rather not be an apologizist for Alan Hamel, but people have vilified him based on the movie:

"...they made it clear that it was all Alan Hamel."

"...when it was really Allen who was doing all of that. Such a shame she is still married to that loser."

For all we know, he could have played an even more parasitic role in Suzanne's career, but I felt the movie protrayed him as someone who loved his wife, doing what he felt was best for her albeit incompetently.

JamesC

edit: Added "simple experiment" paragraph.

JamesC,
You make a good point.
However, I'd gamble on the movie being a pretty reasonable facsimile of the supposedly unknown reality . . . mindful, as I am, of how entirely possible it is that Suzanne Somers could certainly have told people numerous times through the years, "I went home that night and told Alan this. And he said that, and then I said this . . ." and so on -- particularly to her friend and co-worker Joyce DeWitt, who *was* involved with the movie.

Later,
Art

Originally posted by Austin Tripper
I actually thought the movie was AVERAGE/slightly above average.. there was allot to like about it.. but it wasn't all true..

what makes NO sense in Joyce was involved in the creative process of making the movie..

Joyce has said in countless interviews for the last 25 years about how the Producers were male pigs!!

Joyce said that NONE of the producers would NEVER listen to her & her ideas.. so she would have to tell John and he then would repeat her exact words.. Then they would use her idea.. (they didn't show this)

*it seemed like they didn't want to show that Suzanne MIGHT have had some reason(s) for being the way she was.. BUT at that time in the Mid 1970's.. Men that ruled Networks and TV Shows..treated actors and women like second rate (Joyce has said this a MILLION times and we just saw it again with her when they had the E! True Story on 3's Company.. even John agreed... Priscilla even said it happend to her..)

SO they should have or MUST have put this scene in the movie.. THEY made The Producers/Creators look like ok guys.. when they really were not!!

Joyce had a problem with them.. Suzanne did to.. EVEN Priscilla did also even after the "suzanne thing".. They made Pricilla do line readings for dumb stuff.. because she wouldn't sign for a longer deal..so they gave her LESS money,ect.. (all on E! true hollywood story)

NONE of that was shown??

also I felt it was trying to be like "The Late Shift" HBO Movie (a movie about Jay Leno & Dave Letterman trying to get Johnny Carson's tv show when he retired).....they actually got the guy who played Jay Leno in this 3's Company Movie he played Ted

also.. They should have shown more of that last episode!!!.. WATCH it.. Joyce & Priscilla were CRYING in every shot!!! (also Terri was the one to shut the light off.. not Jack)

*** I just think they stayed waaaaaay to long on the Suzanne thing... and should have shown how the Producers were scumbags ALL through the Show.. from day one - until the end!! They were real SCUMBAGS to the women (mostly)..

They should have shown a little more of the actual TV show too!!

I couldn't believe how they talked how bad Cindy Snow was.. wow that was kinda shocking how they said she basically sucked!

They made Allan Hammel look like "Paul Snyder" from the movie: Star 80 ..almost!!??

**** I kinda have a feeling that "maybe" the producers in real life made Joyce tone down ALL "the producers bad stuff".. so they can get the rights to make the movie for nbc??

because IF NOT.. Joyce has said allot of things about them for 25 years... and she had her chance to tell the WHOLE STORY!!! But she didn't?????????????????????????



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BUT what I liked.. I LOVE the casting!!! THEY all got everyone little things right!! even their personality!!.. the acress that played Joyce was amazing!!!!


The Movie was very very good! I just wished they made it a little better.. add a little more with Producers.. and a little less with Suzanne.. (because that was the truth)

Where was Mickey Ross treating EVERYONE like crap?? He was sooo cocky with Priscilla ( She had 2 or 3 things she couldn't stand with the producers.. why didn't Joyce let her get that off her chest on the nbc movie???)

Joyce & John talked all about that on the E! True Story.. and Chris Mann did as well in his Book..

why didn't the nbc movie have it??????

very odd... I think ALL my ideas would have taken up maybe 5-8 minutes of the movie..(they could have cut down some of that suzanne stuff.. and added my ideas)

but I am happy that they made something new about 3's Company!! that was cool!!

I just WISH they would put all the episodes out on DVD!!:confused:

everything u just said i agreed with.
and ur right i was thinking the same thing-Terri turned the lights out, not Jack.

I thought it was a pretty good movie. There was way too much focus on Suzanne. I think she was a major part of the movie, but not that much major. They needed to should more of why they got rid of Cindy-and why Terri wouldn't sign on for more seasons.
Its a shame Larry wasn't in it. That wasn't fair.

I did think the Acting was really great. Overall, I think they did a nice job. Not prefect, but pretty good.Could've been better, but not everything is prefect.

Yeah, they did take some liberties with what they did with the scenes with Suzanne and Alan. For all they knew they could've been dressing up as chickens each night and singing some disco song, though I highly doubt that lol. There was also that scene that was supposed to be taking place in 1983 - the one where Alan went to the producers and asked if Suzanne could be Vicky - where Suzanne was reading that magazine which had the headline that Fred Silverman had been fired from NBC, which he had switched to. However, how did they know she did that? They made her act as if she was very mad at Fred, yet I believe Fred left ABC in 1979 - before her contract dispuit ever started! As I recall, the maddest he ever got at her was when she signed with CBS. Could be wrong about that though.

Nice banter JamesC & Artfiore1.

Just a question and not meant to incite...are either of you in the age frame to have seen the series while it was actually in progress? I'm born in '67 and remember the show quite well. Not a fanatic. It seems many posts on this topic are from people that weren't even alive during the series. Just wondering.

I would have to agree with JamesC on the privleged dialogue. Suzanne Somers talking to Joyce DeWitt about her discussions with her husband does not seem "totally"accurate. The show made it appear that they weren't that good a buddies at that point anyhow. And Somers being interviewed and saying "I told my husband this...or that." Again...we weren't there and had Somers been involved the show would have taken a different spin.

I understand though how some things might be pieced together in a general sense. But the swimming scene, the actual dialogue that went on? Pure speculation.

My wife commented on the interesting aspect of why a show featured on ABC was a "made for tv movie" on NBC. Anything with ABC not wanting to admit to their poor upper management style?

Someone else mentioned it...but I'd like to see something from John Ritter's camp on his opinion, as well as Somers. With DeWitt as the only former cast member providing dialogue (as well as producer), does tend to leave the hint of "whiner" behind it.

I thought the show was interesting and the behind the scenes perspective was something we don't get to see often, so it was refreshing in a sense.

I'd like to know when another ABC smash has a "made for tv" special...MOONLIGHTING.

Interesting tidbit. At $30,000 an episode (if they stayed at that pay) is $5.16 mil over the 172 episodes. What was Somers husband thinking? Here's his gravy train pulling up to the station...and he tries to rob the train? Not very intelligent people...1970's or 2000's.

This in comparison to my just reading that Ray Romano just signed for another year @ $1.8 mil per episode...I'm in the wrong business!!

Thanks,

Roger

Originally posted by Artfiore1
Maybe Suzanne can act a little and was certainly good at making her chest bounce around. She has gotten better-looking with age, but back then, she was nowhere near as spectacular physically as she thought she was. You could see it especially the night when Loni Anderson made a guest appearance on "Three's Company" and made Suzanne look like a used dish rag.

========================================
Pitooey,
Fancy meeting you here!



Later,
Art :wave: Hi Art........... You made me laugh with the dish rag ditty.... :rotflmao:

I loved the movie. I taped it and watched it twice. Being a former disco gal here, I loved the 70s setting and music.
Most everything's been covered here, and I agree with it all--great casting, acting and good story.
I think Brian 'don't call me Freddy' Denehy was fantastic. I wasn't bothered by the fact that it focused on the Suzanne negotiation's war. That's what interests me the most.
I'm old enough to remember this when it actually happened, so I didn't learn anything new at all from the movie, but I loved seeing it played out.
Nothing has changed my mind either. I think Suzanne and her husband got greedy and overplayed their hand and lost big time. She was no innocent in this. She was an ambitious back stabber who didn't give a rat's ass for anyone but herself.
I felt that way back then, and I still do. I love how ABC showed her the door, and the back door at that.
She was a marginally talented blonde bombshell. I haven't seen her in any big movies. She miscalculated her talent. She thought she was in Farah's league, but the thing is, Farah is a talented actress while Suzanne is sitcom limited.
Joyce said it best about believing your own press releases. Suzanne said herself on the E! True Hollywood Story that she regrets what she did.
This was a tale about greed.

Roger wrote:
"...are either of you in the age frame to have seen the series while it was actually in progress? I'm born in '67 and remember the show quite well. Not a fanatic."

Hi, Roger. I was born in 1971 so I was very young when I saw, along with my brother, the original episodes. I think it was the combination of the sexuality and the physical comedy that made it our favorite. We were at an impressionable age so the show, dreaded the thought, probably has a lot of influence in our current mindsets. :)

I'm a big fan, but I wouldn't consider myself a fanatic either. Thanks to Nick at Nite, I can see the first few minutes of an episode to know the full plot, but I've never owned Three's Company memorabilia or written letters to the actors.

And getting back to topic... :)

I thought it was cool to see the familiar living room and kitchen sets recreated, but they were obvious counterfeits. Could someone post side by side images of the actual sets and the ones used in the movie for us to compare?

JamesC

From what I understand, Joyce actually did try to approach both Suzanne and John about participating in this show, as well, so that their voices would also be represented. Joyce herself evidently didn't get involved until late into the movie's production, after she'd heard they were going to be telling this story with or without any of the original cast members' involvement. After weighing the matter for several weeks, she finally decided that at least someone who was originally there during TC's run should be on hand for the TV movie to try and assert as much accuracy as possible. As she said, this was not the story she would have chosen to relate about the TC experience, because the good times far outweighed the bad. This is not "Joyce's side of the story," it is a filmed account of certain portions of Chris Mann's book "Come and Knock on Our Door," as related to the author by nearly all the original TC cast and crew. In the portions if the film Joyce narrates (which account for her 'co-producer' credit), I think she's about as positive and fair-minded in her assessment of the overall TC experience as one can be. John, who was reluctant to participate at first, later praised her involvement after seeing the finished film.

zerces,
Thanks for all the info.

=========================================

Janice,
Very well said. You hit the nail right on the about a lot of things.

=========================================

Roger,
I was born in 1957, and was 20 when the "Three's Company" series began. I believe I mentioned earlier having watched it from Day One. I think my then-bride-to-be and I saw every single episode of the first few seasons as it was shown for the first time.

Had the network given Suzanne Somers the money she wanted, they would have had to give Joyce DeWitt the same thing, and John Ritter at least a comparable amount. Would there have been anything left with which to produce the show? And, I have a feeling that the dollars Ray Romano earns aren't worth exactly what the ones Suzanne Somers wanted were.

========================================

JamesC,
While I've enjoyed "Three's Company," I've never really been a huge fanatic, either. I think this is the first discussion on this particular message board that I have participated in.

As for how much of the movie was confirmed fact and how much was speculation, I'm starting not to care. Even if Suzanne Somers' husband knew who I was, he probably wouldn't give a damn what I thought of him . . . or whether or not that opinion was based on accurate information. It just doesn't matter.


========================================

Pitooey,
So glad you got a giggle.



Later,
Art

Do you think that if people (actors) made the type of money Ray Romano & the cast of Friends were making, do you think Suzanne would have asked for a million?


I believe it.

I had a mixed reaction to it.

I've watched bits and pieces of it over this week and I have to say that Joyce DeWitt (Janet) did a good job trying to explain what really happened under the circumstances. There was a big shake-up during the last few years of the show that shouldn't have happened.

I've never liked telepictures that dwell too much on the negative aspects of a performer or group because it deflates the "Bigger Than Life" aspect of Hollywood overall.

I can understand that actors and actresses are all too human
and are not Gods and Goddesses, but they should have at least tried to show an even balance of happiness as well as sorrow in these things.

Even at the time all this went on I actually felt more sorry for John, Joyce, Don, Richard and the others than I did for Suzanne.

What's done is done and it can't be taken back.

The movie was entertaining, but I agree with James -- let's keep in mind that this was not a documentary, and that some things were changed around for dramatic effect. For instance, Joyce did NOT find out about the "Three's a Crowd" spinoff by walking in on a casting session. She and the rest of the cast were told about the spinoff about six weeks before the casting process started (John WAS told earlier, though). Also, Suzanne didn't start doing Thighmaster immediately after the producers turned down her husband's idea for Chrissy being Jack's girlfriend on TAC. Instead, she did another pilot for ABC called "Goodbye Charlie" around that time, and then did "She's the Sheriff" before doing Thighmaster in the late 80s. And I find it highly suspect that Norman Fell came back to the studio, in the middle of the Suzanne mess, to get his job back. Things simply aren't done that way in Hollywood -- his agent would have called the producers. And that certainly would have happened at the end of the prevous season, when "The Ropers" was cancelled, and not well after production for the next season of TC had already begun.

As far as Suzanne goes: negotiating in the middle of the season was a terrible way to do business, and the amount of back-end she wanted (10%) was ridiculous. That said, it is commonplace today for actors on major hits to get a small percentage of the profits (look at the cast of "Friends", for instance). TC is one of the most successful series in the history of syndicated reruns, and the actors wound up getting relatively little in comparison to what the owners/producers got. Doesn't seem quite fair. Too bad the three actors didn't stick together (like the "Friends" cast) and negotiate a nice deal for themselves.

TV Guy,
Joyce DeWitt was startled by the news that she was out of a job, and that her friend and co-worker John Ritter had known it was coming, but he didn't say anything to her. *Roughly* around the same time, there were tryouts for the part of Jack's girlfriend on "Three's A Crowd." The movie merely combined these two events. That kind of thing is necessary in writing, or else there'd be a lot more nine-hour mini-series than two-hour movies. This boils what you're saying down to -- in the movie, John found out about the spinoff series before Joyce did . . . whereas in reality, Joyce found out about it after John did. The difference is . . . ?

By the way, the movie never claimed that Suzanne started doing the Thighmaster immediately after the producers turned down her husband's idea for Chrissy being Jack's girlfriend on "Three's A Crowd" -- but merely that, at that point, he told her, "I see a Thighmaster in our future."


Later,
Art

Originally posted by Artfiore1

By the way, the movie never claimed that Suzanne started doing the Thighmaster immediately after the producers turned down her husband's idea for Chrissy being Jack's girlfriend on "Three's A Crowd" -- but merely that, at that point, he told her, "I see a Thighmaster in our future."


The Thighmaster was not called the Thighmaster before Suzanne started promoting it. I believe it was called something else and never sold that well until Suzanne came aboard.

Originally posted by Artfiore1
Joyce DeWitt was startled by the news that she was out of a job, and that her friend and co-worker John Ritter had known it was coming, but he didn't say anything to her. *Roughly* around the same time, there were tryouts for the part of Jack's girlfriend on "Three's A Crowd." The movie merely combined these two events. That kind of thing is necessary in writing, or else there'd be a lot more nine-hour mini-series than two-hour movies. This boils what you're saying down to -- in the movie, John found out about the spinoff series before Joyce did . . . whereas in reality, Joyce found out about it after John did. The difference is . . . ?

There's a major difference between finding out that you're out of job by your boss telling you in a closed-door meeting and by finding out while accidentally walking in while they're interviewing your replacement. This was a major factual problem that could have been handled differently in the movie, but was changed to make things more dramatic. The movie would not have needed to be even an extra five minutes to get this right. I thought the scene was unfair to the producers.

Originally posted by Artfiore1

By the way, the movie never claimed that Suzanne started doing the Thighmaster immediately after the producers turned down her husband's idea for Chrissy being Jack's girlfriend on "Three's A Crowd" -- but merely that, at that point, he told her, "I see a Thighmaster in our future."

It certainly was implied, IMHO. I'm merely pointing out these factual problems to show that people shouldn't take everything that happened in the movie as gospel.

Hi all,
Had Joyce DeWitt been informed properly, behind closed doors, that her series was being canceled, the bottom line would've still been the same. There was going to be a "Three's A Crowd," and she WASN'T going to be in it.

It is certainly quite likely, that not every single little event and conversation depicted in this movie happened in reality *exactly* the way the film presented it:

Rather than a conceited, misguided, money-hungry brat, Suzanne may have only been a greedy child who thought too much of herself and was given bad advice.

And the producers of "Three's Company" may have only been heartless bastards instead of lowlife scumbags.


Come on, people -- so instead of giving us six, the movie *may* have given a half dozen.

=============================================

Sean Snow,
If that is true, now *there's* a goof! Maybe the producers of this movie felt that if they called the Thighmaster by what it was called then, viewers might not know what they were talking about. Remember -- us TV fans are a simple bunch. By the way, would you happen to know what the original name of the Thighmaster was?

Later,
Art

Originally posted by Artfiore1
Hi all,
Had Joyce DeWitt been informed properly, behind closed doors, that her series was being canceled, the bottom line would've still been the same. There was going to be a "Three's A Crowd," and she WASN'T going to be in it.


How you tell people they're going to be let go is actually extremely important, as anyone working in Human Resources can tell you. Joyce's beef (at least according to "Come and Knock on Our Door") is not that she was dropped for the spinoff -- it's that she felt the way she was told was disrespectful. And the movie made it seem even worse than it actually was for dramatic purposes. We all realize that the movie can't be completely factual, but I felt that this was an unfair way to present the events that happened, and does make the producers seem even more heartless than they apparently were.

Originally posted by Artfiore1
By the way, would you happen to know what the original name of the Thighmaster was?


According to the E! True Hollywood Story done on Suzanne last year, the Thighmaster was originally known as The V Toner. It changed around 1989, when Suzanne was asked to become the spokesperson for it.

Originally posted by Artfiore1
It is certainly quite likely, that not every single little event and conversation depicted in this movie happened in reality *exactly* the way the film presented it...

It's certain (not just likely) that the majority, I'd say close to 99%, of the conversation and events did not happen *exactly* as the movie presented it. I don't remember the exact words to conversations I had earlier today, let alone ones I had in the late 1970s! Think about it. How many conversations from 1977 can you recall from memory word for word? And then there is bias and motivation (entertainment vs accuracy) that further clouds reality.

The movie does an admirable job of depicting generally what happend, but the details should be seen with a critical eye (unless you see the movie as purely entertainment fiction). Were Normen Fell and Audra Lindley taken advantage of by the producers w/out their lawyers and agents present? It makes them look more vulnerable while the producers more unscrupulous, but I doubt that's how it happened.

And the movie does have an undeniable spin to it. "Rich Girl" is played when Sommers is on the screen while Joyce DeWitt's husband (I believe they later divorced) is jealous of her success in her their only personal scene.

JamesC

JamesC,
Early one evening in July of 1977, a friend of mine tried to convince me that he and I should purchase something. I was against it at first, but gave in several minutes later. And we did buy it. To be honest with you, I must admit that I don't recall if I initially said, "No way!" "Get out of here!" or "What are you -- crazy?" Now, if you really think that constitutes "clowdy" or "inaccurate" storytelling, then I guess you're right.

I can tell you the gist of our conversation (He wanted to buy it -- I didn't.), what the end result was (We bought it.), where we were and what the dollar amount was. But then again, since that night, I've only had a traumatic brain injury, major brain surgery and several months in a coma . . . and am almost 26 years older.

And no, that is not by a longshot the only event I remember from that year -- just an example.


Later,
Art


P.S. By the way, this had to do with our (his and my) appearance on a local cable TV show. Had it pertained to something nationwide, or a big network like ABC, I just might remember the conversation a little better.

The movie was great, but it made me sad :( It was just sad to be reminded of all the hard stuff that went on behind the scenes.

I LOVE Melanie Deanne Moore!!! She demonstrated such great acting skills that she's not always able to show on the Glad commercials, lol. I thought she was so great. It was so sad when she found out about Three's A Crowd. :(

I felt so terrible for Norman. That was awful. I knew about that before but it was so heart breaking to actually see it being acted out...

And as for the guy who played RF, is it just me or does he look exactly like the guy on the Del Taco commercials???? Seriously, was that him? It sure looked like him...but maybe I'm going mad or something.