Glenn Scarpelli explains why he left ODAAT......July 13, 1983

[TVFactFan]

Feud between him and Bonnie?? Interesting Read. Took advantage of his trust

[opus]

He’s changed his tune over the years. Now he speaks glowingly of her and his time there.

Article from a few weeks ago:
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/...120947210.html


>>>In 1980, Glenn Scarpelli made his debut as Alex Handris on One Day at a Time. The actor was just 14 years old when he joined the cast of the CBS sitcom alongside veteran stars Bonnie Franklin, Valerie Bertinelli, Pat Harrington, Jr., and Mackenzie Phillips, who returned to the show the following year.

During an appearance on The Patrick Labyorsheaux podcast, Scarpelli, 59, looked back on his three seasons on the hit Norman Lear sitcom, noting that it was “the happiest set” to work on. “We laughed from the moment we got there to the moment we left," he said. “There were no burdens; everyone got along.”

Scarpelli also noted that Lear allowed the actors to “play a really big part in the development” of his TV series. “We would sit Monday mornings, we'd read through the script, they'd give us Art’s Deli ...We basically would then go through the script all day, Monday, page by page, with notes from the actors, with the writers, and we would really talk about what was going on,” he explained, adding, “When I say we, I didn't say a word for the first month I was on the show. I'm 14 years old. I'm loving the show. I can't even, I've won the lottery. Like, I can't even believe I'm on the show.”

Scarpelli revealed that Franklin, who played the lead character Ann Romano, finally pulled him aside to give him a tip.

“Bonnie pulls me over about a month into being on the show,“ he shared. “She goes, ‘You don't talk.’ I'm like, ‘What do you mean?’ She's like, ‘We do these things and you don't talk.’ And I said, ‘Well, honestly, I didn't know I could.’ She goes, ‘You better. Because I'm going to teach you how to do some notes. And even if something comes out,’ she goes, ‘First of all, these f---ing 65-year-old writers don't know how to write for a 14-year-old boy, know what a 14-year-old boy thinks like or acts like or sounds like. So, we need your input."

Scarpelli said Franklin’s gesture was an “invitation to a lifetime of education” for him in character development, arcs, and story lines.

“And Norman really set that pace of allowing the cast to really play a big role in where the characters go, what is real life to them, how can they make it more authentic, how can they bring it home,” he added.

Scarpelli has fond memories of his years on One Day at a Time. In an interview with Blogcritics, he compared the sitcom to doing a play and said it was unlike other TV shows he worked on.

In 1983, the actor left One Day at a Time to appear in a new series, Jennifer Slept Here. He noted that the creative process was very different on the short-lived series.

“I think what it did for me was make me realize how special One Day at a Time was, because on Jennifer Slept Here, although everybody was really sweet and I looked forward to getting to the set every day, the cast wasn’t involved in the creative process," Scarpelli said. “We were told when to come: ‘Here’s your lines, this is what you say, and stand there.’”

“On One Day at a Time, the cast had so much creative input, and that was thanks to Bonnie, because she had been there longer than most of the writers and most of the producers,” Scarpelli added. “Even though I was only 14, they always asked for my input: ‘What do you think? Would a kid your age say that? Where do you want your character to go?’”<<<

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by opus

He’s changed his tune over the years. Now he speaks glowingly of her and his time there.

Article from a few weeks ago:
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/...120947210.html


>>>In 1980, Glenn Scarpelli made his debut as Alex Handris on One Day at a Time. The actor was just 14 years old when he joined the cast of the CBS sitcom alongside veteran stars Bonnie Franklin, Valerie Bertinelli, Pat Harrington, Jr., and Mackenzie Phillips, who returned to the show the following year.

During an appearance on The Patrick Labyorsheaux podcast, Scarpelli, 59, looked back on his three seasons on the hit Norman Lear sitcom, noting that it was “the happiest set” to work on. “We laughed from the moment we got there to the moment we left," he said. “There were no burdens; everyone got along.”

Scarpelli also noted that Lear allowed the actors to “play a really big part in the development” of his TV series. “We would sit Monday mornings, we'd read through the script, they'd give us Art’s Deli ...We basically would then go through the script all day, Monday, page by page, with notes from the actors, with the writers, and we would really talk about what was going on,” he explained, adding, “When I say we, I didn't say a word for the first month I was on the show. I'm 14 years old. I'm loving the show. I can't even, I've won the lottery. Like, I can't even believe I'm on the show.”

Scarpelli revealed that Franklin, who played the lead character Ann Romano, finally pulled him aside to give him a tip.

“Bonnie pulls me over about a month into being on the show,“ he shared. “She goes, ‘You don't talk.’ I'm like, ‘What do you mean?’ She's like, ‘We do these things and you don't talk.’ And I said, ‘Well, honestly, I didn't know I could.’ She goes, ‘You better. Because I'm going to teach you how to do some notes. And even if something comes out,’ she goes, ‘First of all, these f---ing 65-year-old writers don't know how to write for a 14-year-old boy, know what a 14-year-old boy thinks like or acts like or sounds like. So, we need your input."

Scarpelli said Franklin’s gesture was an “invitation to a lifetime of education” for him in character development, arcs, and story lines.

“And Norman really set that pace of allowing the cast to really play a big role in where the characters go, what is real life to them, how can they make it more authentic, how can they bring it home,” he added.

Scarpelli has fond memories of his years on One Day at a Time. In an interview with Blogcritics, he compared the sitcom to doing a play and said it was unlike other TV shows he worked on.

In 1983, the actor left One Day at a Time to appear in a new series, Jennifer Slept Here. He noted that the creative process was very different on the short-lived series.

“I think what it did for me was make me realize how special One Day at a Time was, because on Jennifer Slept Here, although everybody was really sweet and I looked forward to getting to the set every day, the cast wasn’t involved in the creative process," Scarpelli said. “We were told when to come: ‘Here’s your lines, this is what you say, and stand there.’”

“On One Day at a Time, the cast had so much creative input, and that was thanks to Bonnie, because she had been there longer than most of the writers and most of the producers,” Scarpelli added. “Even though I was only 14, they always asked for my input: ‘What do you think? Would a kid your age say that? Where do you want your character to go?’”<<<

He had no idea that this thing called the internet would be created many years later lol Him or Norman Fell lol

[Bonniegirl]

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

Feud between him and Bonnie?? Interesting Read. Took advantage of his trust

Teenage idol. Screaming girl fans in the audience? 2,000 fan letters a week? Sounds like he's delusional ?!

[opus]

Originally Posted by Bonniegirl

Teenage idol. Screaming girl fans in the audience? 2,000 fan letters a week? Sounds like he's delusional ?!

He had out albums, was in the teen mags of the day, and on a hit network TV show when there were only 3 networks. I can see truth to it.

[opus]

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

He had no idea that this thing called the internet would be created many years later lol Him or Norman Fell lol

Why would Norman Fell fear the internet?

[Bonniegirl]

Originally Posted by opus

He had out albums, was in the teen mags of the day, and on a hit network TV show when there were only 3 networks. I can see truth to it.

Attachment 334854

Attachment 334855

I guess. I was already late teens , early 20's at this point. I didn't read the teen magazines anymore. I was into Cosmopolitan ( considered pretty racy back than) . And I crushed on Matt Dillon. Glen was way too young and immature for me.

[Dude111]

Thank you Solomon!

I wondered why he left something he wasnt doing that bad in!

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by opus

Why would Norman Fell fear the internet?

Because just like Glenn, Norman lied in the future about coming back to TC. In 1979 he was told that he could only come back to TC if the Ropers was not added to the fall schedule. But in 1998 he said something completely different on the true hollywood story. And he also didnt know that I would be able to find his 1979 interview in 2026

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by Bonniegirl

I guess. I was already late teens , early 20's at this point. I didn't read the teen magazines anymore. I was into Cosmopolitan ( considered pretty racy back than) . And I crushed on Matt Dillon. Glen was way too young and immature for me.

I dont get the alex vibe in those pics so maybe he was told to play a nerdy role on ODDAT

[Bonniegirl]

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

I dont get the alex vibe in those pics so maybe he was told to play a nerdy role on ODDAT

Yeah. In the magazine pictures he looks like a cool Italian type guy. Way different than in the show.

[opus]

Originally Posted by Bonniegirl

Yeah. In the magazine pictures he looks like a cool Italian type guy. Way different than in the show.

He was a bigger thing than is commonly remembered these days for a brief moment back then. Didn’t have staying power though.

Speaking of Italian type guys, he worked with Al Pacino on Broadway. This was a year before landing ODAAT.

[opus]

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

Because just like Glenn, Norman lied in the future about coming back to TC. In 1979 he was told that he could only come back to TC if the Ropers was not added to the fall schedule. But in 1998 he said something completely different on the true hollywood story. And he also didnt know that I would be able to find his 1979 interview in 2026

One thing in the newspaper article is it said Scarpelli claimed that there was also a lot of tension between Bonnie and Valerie. I’m pretty well versed in Valerie history and I never heard such a thing before. So I don’t know how much faith I have in the accuracy of that story.

[opus]

Although the offer of 6 episodes for season nine is accurate if we’re also believing Wikipedia sources

>>>Scarpelli's role as Alex Handris (1980–83) on the long-running television situation comedy One Day at a Time is his most prominent. After learning that for the show's 9th season he would be reduced to only appearing in six episodes, he chose to leave the series to appear in the NBC sitcom Jennifer Slept Here.<<<

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Scarpelli

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by opus

Although the offer of 6 episodes for season nine is accurate if we’re also believing Wikipedia sources

>>>Scarpelli's role as Alex Handris (1980–83) on the long-running television situation comedy One Day at a Time is his most prominent. After learning that for the show's 9th season he would be reduced to only appearing in six episodes, he chose to leave the series to appear in the NBC sitcom Jennifer Slept Here.<<<

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Scarpelli

Im actually impressed some accuracy was confirmed for wikipedia lol