Why did Don DeFore and Whitney Blake leave the show?

[Will Dockery]

Originally Posted by Duster76

TMC said:

There are several theories that I've heard regarding what happened behind the scenes during the final season. The consensus seems to be that when the show changed networks, a younger family was desired by the brass. Don DeFore was considered too old to attract younger viewers whereas the more attractive and "hunky" Ray Fulmer was a draw. Consequently, Whitney Blake was out, too.

Other theories include the fact that Lynn Borden and Fulmer were cheaper than DeFore and Blake. Also, there's a rumor that rumor that Whitney Blake got wind the 1965-66 season would be the series last, so she refused to renew her contract in retaliation. Of course, that meant the end of Don DeFore too".


The evidence seems pretty convincing that DeFore and Blake were replaced for economic reasons. Booth owned the right to the series, in changing networks after NBC dropped the show CBS was in the stronger negotiating position, in all likelihood this would have led to a reduced fee for a 5th season. This of course would mean cuts, and the easiest place to start was on salaries. Fulmer and Borden weren't just younger, they were both getting their first major roles, so the salary savings were significant. In addition, Shirley Booth was Hazel, and Booth was 68 years old, and there is no getting around that. The series was on CBS, of the three major networks the CBS audience tended to be older and more rural, so the series with its 68 year old star fit in pretty well. The show was Monday's, so let's take a look at that line-up. First hour of prime-time featured two game shows that had been on since the 50's (To Tell The Truth and I've Got A Secret). Next at 8:30 was Lucy who had been part of the Monday line-up since the early 50's, then came the rural comedy smash, The Andy Griffith Show. With all that coming before Hazel,I doubt anyone at CBS was that concerned about the age of Hazel's employer.

I never thought much about Shirley Booth's exact age, amazing that she was in her later 60s during Hazel, she seems much younger, at least a decade or more.

[Will Dockery]

Originally Posted by Commander Benson

Both of you are in the ballpark as to why the format was revised on Hazel and essentially correct. I can provide some more detail for you.

For several years now, Lynn Borden, who played Barbara Baxter in the revised-format 1965-6 season, has been a friend of mine (long story--a couple of years of exchanged letters and another year of exchanged telephone calls, before finally getting together several times, whenever I was on the West Coast).

During our second conversation, I finally asked her why Hazel changed formats, allowing her to step into the regular rôle of Barbara Baxter (which was the first rôle in which I ever saw her).

As she explained: at the end of the 1964-5 season, NBC had cancelled the show--thus, Don DeFore's comment about his option not being picked up--and all of the actors were left at ends to find other work. When CBS expressed interest in picking up the show, Shirley Booth agreed to provide the financial backing herself to put the show back into production By the time the deal with CBS was finalised, former regular cast members DeFore and Whitney Blake had moved on to other commitments. (Left unsaid by Lynn, but budget considerations was probably also a factor--as TV Guy pointed out--the salaries for new actors as the new Baxter family were undoubtly lower than those for DeFore and Miss Blake would have been.)

A thematic change also instituted by Miss Booth was that her realtionship with Steve Baxter would be less adversarial than that with George Baxter.

Contrary to some misconceptions, Hazel was not cancelled by CBS at the end of that 1965-6 season. The show's ratings were acceptable. However, Miss Booth was slowly succumbing to illness. She required a nurse present on the set; and if one will notice, by the middle of that last season, more scenes are devoted to semi-regulars Ann Jillian and Mala Powers and their characters' interactions with the Baxter family, thus reducing the amount of screen time for Miss Booth. At the conclusion of the season, Miss Booth was unable to continue and folded the show.

Incidentally, Lynn Borden is one of the sweetest, warmest people I have ever known, in or out of Hollywood. I don't know many women who would stop directing of the renovation of her home, leaving it a virtual disaster area--as she did, just to spend the afternoon with me when I made a spur-of-the-moment trip to Los Angeles. She's a class act!


Commander Benson

Interesting, thanks, that explains a lot.

[Duster76]

Originally Posted by Will Dockery

Interesting, thanks, that explains a lot.

I've commented before on Commander Benson's comments from 2003. I enjoyed reading them but I have issues with the information presented and one of the main assertions.


Commander Benson:

"Contrary to some misconceptions, Hazel was not cancelled by CBS at the end of that 1965-6 season. The show's ratings were acceptable".

The show's ratings were not acceptable. There were two top 10 series right in front of Hazel, The Lucy Show at number 3, and Andy Griffith at number 6, Hazel wasn't in the top 30, so the series was not retaining enough of the lead-in audience. As an inducement for Don Fedderson to bring My Three Sons to CBS he was promised a spot on the schedule without a pilot, that series was Family Affair which took over the 9:30 Monday timeslot the following season and finished number 14.

Commander Benson:

"However, Miss Booth was slowly succumbing to illness".

Very slowly, she lived for another 26 years! Benson's comments suggests Booth was lucky to make it to the end of the season. In fact she starred in two CBS Playhouse productions (one during the 66-67 season, and the other during the 67-68 season). She did other TV work after that, in addition to some theatrical work in the early 70's. She starred in another TV series, A Touch of Grace in 1973 at the age of 74! She may not have been in the best of health, and episodic TV requires a lot of hours especially from the star but I don't see any evidence to suggest that was the reason the show wasn't renewed.

[katanaguy]

Originally Posted by RD4

Well, you all are somewhat in the ballpark as to why my Dad did not continue with the Hazel series. Real answer: he was holding out for more money because he believed that his value was greater than his compensation. Let history be the judge...and when I have time I'll tell you why my Dad had his hand bandaged in several episodes. Hint: It wasn't the dog that bit him :-)

I think history has spoken.....I KNOW your father was sorely missed...Back in 1965....& still even today when viewing the later years episodes with Ray Fulmer as Mr. 'B'. I do recall when as a kid to early teen ....my family was upset that George & Dorothy were replaced. America came to know that pre 1965 Baxter bunch as almost extended family!!

It was almost unfair to Fulmer & Borden to take those roles, yet they chose them. Today, I still watch Hazel everyday...& admit I watch very few reruns of the episodes after Defore & Blake left. There were so many great lessons of life to learn in almost each episode of the pre 1965 episodes...for kids & adults---and we did learn from them!!...& I for one thank this wonderful, funny, thoughtful & warm TV creation of the remarkable 1960's. Now that was a decade to remember...& my fav decade of all in my now 72 yrs of living--- that is when Americai's flag waved of national pride by all....& one can still see it in many of the Hazel episodes.

[tracys2cents]

" There were so many great lessons of life to learn in almost each episode of the pre 1965 episodes...for kids & adults---and we did learn from them."

This is so true, and true of many other 60s shows including Leave It To Beaver, The Andy Griffith Show and Family Affair. It's what's missing for kids who are growing up today I think. I often see, online, teens who say they don't know how to make friends and things like that. In the 60s we learned what was socially acceptable (and even moral) by watching tv, sixty years later they are mostly watching housewives fight and fathers kill.

I still remember one of the lessons I learned from watching Hazel.....carry your school backpack further up on your shoulder...center of gravity!

[MichaelKeith]

And the time when Hazel told Harold to brush his teeth up and down, the new way back then that dentists were advising.

Also, the episode where Enzo Martinelli maintained loyalty to Hazel by skipping the Italian diva's concert to still take Hazel to her Bowler's Ball.

[stevea]

Originally Posted by Hazel Anyday

Ahh, now there, I just boiled again thinking about it. That was a perfect example of where I would have fired Hazel on the spot if she tried force feeding me vitamins, esp. as she did in front of business clients!! Hazel would have been gone in an instant.

This is where I boil everytime when watching nowadays, everytime Hazel acts in her outrageous disrespect of Mr. B's (George or Steve) I want to scream and many times I actually do yell out, FIRE HER! I tell you I really need to take a break from watching Hazel, I never used to feel like this when watching, but now I just blow my top FOR Mr. B and am furious they don't speak up and fire her after repeated offenses. (And yes I did cut my Hazel watching down to once a week for the past couple of years since I was getting so angry almost every time I watched. But it hasn't changed me, the once a week plan didn't work, I still get furious.

Maybe I'm just getting old and no longer have patience with people like this, because I used to love watching Hazel, I really did, I never had this reaction of extreme anger. I'm worried about me. )

Mr. Steve let the vitamin pill thing go (Hazel would be in counseling or on medication for OCD in today's world, for taking the time to count 1000 pills)
but even called his sister to take Harold (in preparation for firing Hazel) when she lied about George being a bad dancer to puff up Steve's ego. He should have fired or warned her after the vitamin incident.