Zelda Spinoff?

[gilligan fanatic]

I read at the IMDB that Zelda was going to have a spinoff and four episodes of it were filmed, but the series was dropped. Anybody have any information about this spinoff

[someguy23475]

From what I read somewhere (can't remember the source) they show never made the air because it was found out that Sheila James is a lesbian. No joke... that's really what I read. People in the 1960s were not as tolerant as they are now.

[gilligan fanatic]

yeah was reading something like that too.

[pscisme]

Originally Posted by someguy23475

From what I read somewhere (can't remember the source) they show never made the air because it was found out that Sheila James is a lesbian. No joke... that's really what I read. People in the 1960s were not as tolerant as they are now.

It sounds reasonable but I doubt this is true-after all, Sheila James did pretty well for herself in the years immediately after "Dobie" ended, with guest appearances on "Petticoat Junction" (which led to a one-off appearance on "Ed Sullivan," where she and the 3 Hooterville girls made up the "Ladybugs" singing group!) "Donna Reed Show," "Bob Hope Chrysler Theater," and an episode of "McHale's Navy" in 1963 that inspired the producers to cast her as a regular on "Broadside," a female version of "McHale" that ran on ABC for one season starting September '64.

Following that, James scored a semi-regular role on "The Beverly Hillbillies," which suggests the producers (who also ran "Petticoat Junction") must have liked her as well.

I suspect that if there really was a "Zelda" spinoff, it failed because it came from a show that had run its course and, though I feel bad saying this, Networks and sponsors were probably pessimistic about backing a show built around a woman who wasn't on the photogenic level of say, Inger Stevens ("The Farmer's Daughter") or Elizabeth Montgomery, of "Bewitched."

Again, I hate to bring up such an idea, because it discounts a talented and likeable actress in this case, but sexism was rampant as homophobia in those days.

[TV Knowledge Fan]

...CBS had plans to spin "Zelda Gilroy" off into her own series for the fall of 1962- only the storyline and central characters were supposed to be a lot different from "DOBIE GILLIS". In "ZELDA", she was a student at "Central High" [ignoring her relationship with Dobie and the fact that she was enrolled at "S. Peter Prior Jr. College" as well], and focusing her attention on snaring "Bimbo", a fellow student, while living in a garage apartment with her parents {Jean Byron and Joe Flynn}. The pilot was helmed by Rod Amateau ("DOBIE's" producer/director), but apparently it got no farther than that. When Jim Aubrey, the president of CBS, dsicovered Sheila's true sexual preferences, he privately declared that under no circumstances would she EVER star in a series on HIS network...and that was that.

[pscisme]

Wow, that's quite a scoop! Where did you get this info?

[TV Knowledge Fan]

...the information on "ZELDA" came from Lee Goldberg's "Unsold Television Pilots- 1955 through 1988", and the Aubrey reaction to Sheila James came from another reference book I browsed through a while ago, 'pscisme'. Hope that answers your question!

[pscisme]

it sure does, thanks!

[tanner]

Originally Posted by TV Knowledge Fan

...CBS had plans to spin "Zelda Gilroy" off into her own series for the fall of 1962- only the storyline and central characters were supposed to be a lot different from "DOBIE GILLIS". In "ZELDA", she was a student at "Central High" [ignoring her relationship with Dobie and the fact that she was enrolled at "S. Peter Prior Jr. College" as well], and focusing her attention on snaring "Bimbo", a fellow student, while living in a garage apartment with her parents {Jean Byron and Joe Flynn}. The pilot was helmed by Rod Amateau ("DOBIE's" producer/director), but apparently it got no farther than that. When Jim Aubrey, the president of CBS, dsicovered Sheila's true sexual preferences, he privately declared that under no circumstances would she EVER star in a series on HIS network...and that was that.

I heard the same thing too. Why is ironic about all of this was that Aubrey wasn't exactly "Mr. Family Values" himself.