Did Ellen Burstyn originally agree to star in the TV version of Alice?

[TMC]

Or was she merely asked, but as a formality because they knew she would say no and she did of course. With that being said, the lyrics to the theme song seem to be describing her and not the woman who wound up actually playing the tv version. 'There's a fresh freckle face in the neighborhood', sure doesn't sound like Linda Lavin now does it?

Interestingly, when Ellen Burstyn did the film, she was apparently asked if she wanted to be paid upfront or take a much smaller salary but her a piece of the back end of the movie. She was going through a divorce at the time and needed the money.

The movie was a big hit, but what Burstyn didn’t know was that the back end not only included film profits, but she would’ve gotten a piece of the profits if the movie was adapted into a TV series. So she could’ve made millions.

[Dr. Thong]

Ellen Burstyn had a pretty good movie career at that time, so I doubt she would have agreed to be on TV.

[TheLittleFaerie]

Originally Posted by TMC

Or was she merely asked, but as a formality because they knew she would say no and she did of course. With that being said, the lyrics to the theme song seem to be describing her and not the woman who wound up actually playing the tv version. 'There's a fresh freckle face in the neighborhood', sure doesn't sound like Linda Lavin now does it?

Interestingly, when Ellen Burstyn did the film, she was apparently asked if she wanted to be paid upfront or take a much smaller salary but her a piece of the back end of the movie. She was going through a divorce at the time and needed the money.

The movie was a big hit, but what Burstyn didn’t know was that the back end not only included film profits, but she would’ve gotten a piece of the profits if the movie was adapted into a TV series. So she could’ve made millions.

I always thought the "Fresh freckle face" line was referring to Tommy.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by Dr. Thong

Ellen Burstyn had a pretty good movie career at that time, so I doubt she would have agreed to be on TV.

Ironically, Ellen Burstyn would later actually find her way onto TV (about a year and a half after Alice went off the air) with her own self-titled sitcom.

[PracTz]

Originally Posted by TMC

Ironically, Ellen Burstyn would later actually find her way onto TV (about a year and a half after Alice went off the air) with her own self-titled sitcom.

Yeah, she later admitted doing that short-lived show (13 episodes broadcast in 1986)in the 80's just so she'd be able to keep paying for her then-home since her movie career had somewhat gotten stale by that point (though things would improve roughly a decade later).

Oh, it also co-starred the stage star Elaine Stritch as her zany mother Sydney (who HAD been in the running to play Dorothy on 'The Golden Girls') but would later half-cheerfully/half-ruefully admit that she had BLOWN it by an ill-timed ad-libbed f-bomb during her audition and playing Ellen's straight woman daughter was none other than future sitcom star Megan Mullally (who played Ellen's straight woman daughter Molly)and the three generations of women were raising Miss Mullally's character's wisecracking young son). Oddly enough, despite Ellen's character having been married twice (as per her narrative), she and her mother Sydney had the same last name of Brewer (lazy scriptwriting?).

Of course, back in the 'Alice' TV show days Miss Burstyn's career was still hot and she didn't see the need to do a sitcom.

[JR1]

I also took that line to be referring to Tommy.

Ellen may have been asked, but was probably just a formality. Among many examples, would any of the top stars from A League of Their Own have done the TV series?

On a related note, is Alice the only most successful film-to-TV-series project? Doesn't seem like there were many that enjoyed such a run.

[Charley Knox]

Don't forget MASH and the Odd Couple.

[Dr. Thong]

Originally Posted by TMC

Ironically, Ellen Burstyn would later actually find her way onto TV (about a year and a half after Alice went off the air) with her own self-titled sitcom.

Right, but by the 80s, her movie career had cooled.

A lot of the big 70s stars (Elliott Gould, among others) would try their hands at sitcoms once the big screen career stalled.

[JR1]

M*A*S*H indeed is one, if not the, most successful. I never got into the show, though it was very popular and acclaimed. The Odd Couple (which I adore) didn't run as long as either M*A*S*H or Alice, and wasn't as big a ratings hit as either of those, though it gained prominence in reruns.

[BestTVever]

No. Back in those days it was taboo for a Hollywood actor to do TV. It was seen as a step down and for a washed up actor to do. It would be another 15 years or so before big name Hollywood actors agreed to to TV and it did not hurt their career.
The story of the sitcom Alice is clear. CBS came right for Linda Lavin. She did not have to audition. She was on Broadway and she was confused they wanted her for a TV show.

[TheLittleFaerie]

Originally Posted by JR1

I also took that line to be referring to Tommy.

Ellen may have been asked, but was probably just a formality. Among many examples, would any of the top stars from A League of Their Own have done the TV series?

On a related note, is Alice the only most successful film-to-TV-series project? Doesn't seem like there were many that enjoyed such a run.

Me too! I THINK there were some episodes in which Tommy did not appear that the line is omitted

[JR1]

Apparently, Ellen was not asked, per what she said at an event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2014.

[TheLittleFaerie]

IMO, I can't see Ellen tying herself down to a sitcom

[JR1]

^Other than her aforementioned self-titled one in the mid-80.s. At the time of the Alice series, though, probably not.

[PracTz]

Originally Posted by TheLittleFaerie

IMO, I can't see Ellen tying herself down to a sitcom

Oddly enough, Miss Burstyn would wince whenever anyone in her presence called her self-titled mid 1980's show a 'sitcom'.