Loni Anderson Remembers Bill Bixby - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

tv star collector · 09-09-2008, 12:11 PM

Loni Anderson guest-starred in the Incredible Hulk episode "Of Guilt,
Models, and Murder" but she had met Bill Bixby years before. In her auto-
biography, My Life in High Heels (1995), she remembered Bill Bixby:

"ABC was about to begin a TV movie called Three on a Date, to be
directed by Bill Bixby. It was a comedy about couples who win dates to Hawaii; so far they'd cast June Allyson, Ray Bolger, Carol Lawrence, Gary
Crosby, Meredith MacRae, Patrick Wayne, Rick Nelson, Didi Conn, and John
Byner. ...

"When I walked in, Bill Bixby, Danny Thomas, and Ron Jacobs were there. I
didn't exactly get a warm welcome; I was a complete unknown to them. But
then, after a long minute, Bill Bixby leaned forward and said slowly, 'If you can
talk, you've got the part.'

"Beginnings, especially good ones, stay in your mind, and the people you
share them with hold a kind of magical meaning in your life. After all, you
never have another first.

"Danny Thomas was another part of that magic. He would come in every day
and look at the dailies, smoking that cigar. He would point to me with it,
saying, 'You, you, you. I discovered you.' There are few people as special in
this business as Danny Thomas was, or Bill Bixby.

"Bix became a good friend to me on that shoot and stayed one for years
afterward. He asked me to guest star on The Incredbile Hulk. I played
a killer (who karate'd people to death), and Jeremy Britt, who these days is
the brilliant and inscrutable Sherlock Holmes on PBS, played my lover and evil
cohort. Everybody thought the Hulk was killing those folks, and it was bad me.
What fun. When I called my grandmother and told her that I was going to be a killer, she said, 'I can't tell anyone that, Loni, especially my bridge club.
What on earth would they think?'

"When I was doing Nurses in 1993 and Bix was directing Blossom,
I would see him regularly and we would laugh at our Three on a Date
memories. And we commiserated--my marriage to Burt had collapsed, and
Bix was valiantly fighting prostate cancer, like my dad. Although he had
recently remarried, his first wife, actress Brenda Benet, had committed
suicide years before, after the death of their son. Mother and son had
visited on the Three on a Date set, and losing them both had been a
terrible tragedy to him. The people Bix worked with, and the work he did with
them, meant so much and gave him courage. I think he stayed on Blossom
until the week before he died. If there are role models in Hollywood--real
ones--Bill Bixby was a shining example."

AB · 09-09-2008, 05:45 PM

What a nice story, thanks for posting it.

dandelion wine · 12-13-2008, 11:34 PM

My thanks to you for sharing this as well, along with Lou Ferrigno's memories.

catlover79 · 10-14-2009, 12:15 AM

I can't believe I missed this post before. What a nice tribute.

Pitooey · 10-14-2009, 12:39 AM

Bill Bixby was a great guy.

jules70 · 04-13-2010, 07:32 PM

For me, there's a shortage of good tv out there anymore... consequently I've been re-living my childhood a bit, watching some of my favorite old shows online. The Incredible Hulk is one of those, and it has led me to wonderful gems like the one you posted here, tv star collector. Thank you very much!

Bill Bixby seemed like such a kind man, a gentleman in the truest, best sense of the word, and that came through in his work as well. He was a marvelous actor who is sorely missed.

Marvo301 · 04-13-2010, 08:07 PM

What a lovely tribute to Bill Bixby.

09-09-2008, 12:11 PM	#1
tv star collector I Love Susie Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Oct 18, 2005 Location: South Carolina Posts: 4,486	Loni Anderson Remembers Bill Bixby Loni Anderson guest-starred in the Incredible Hulk episode "Of Guilt, Models, and Murder" but she had met Bill Bixby years before. In her auto- biography, My Life in High Heels (1995), she remembered Bill Bixby: "ABC was about to begin a TV movie called Three on a Date, to be directed by Bill Bixby. It was a comedy about couples who win dates to Hawaii; so far they'd cast June Allyson, Ray Bolger, Carol Lawrence, Gary Crosby, Meredith MacRae, Patrick Wayne, Rick Nelson, Didi Conn, and John Byner. ... "When I walked in, Bill Bixby, Danny Thomas, and Ron Jacobs were there. I didn't exactly get a warm welcome; I was a complete unknown to them. But then, after a long minute, Bill Bixby leaned forward and said slowly, 'If you can talk, you've got the part.' "Beginnings, especially good ones, stay in your mind, and the people you share them with hold a kind of magical meaning in your life. After all, you never have another first. "Danny Thomas was another part of that magic. He would come in every day and look at the dailies, smoking that cigar. He would point to me with it, saying, 'You, you, you. I discovered you.' There are few people as special in this business as Danny Thomas was, or Bill Bixby. "Bix became a good friend to me on that shoot and stayed one for years afterward. He asked me to guest star on The Incredbile Hulk. I played a killer (who karate'd people to death), and Jeremy Britt, who these days is the brilliant and inscrutable Sherlock Holmes on PBS, played my lover and evil cohort. Everybody thought the Hulk was killing those folks, and it was bad me. What fun. When I called my grandmother and told her that I was going to be a killer, she said, 'I can't tell anyone that, Loni, especially my bridge club. What on earth would they think?' "When I was doing Nurses in 1993 and Bix was directing Blossom, I would see him regularly and we would laugh at our Three on a Date memories. And we commiserated--my marriage to Burt had collapsed, and Bix was valiantly fighting prostate cancer, like my dad. Although he had recently remarried, his first wife, actress Brenda Benet, had committed suicide years before, after the death of their son. Mother and son had visited on the Three on a Date set, and losing them both had been a terrible tragedy to him. The people Bix worked with, and the work he did with them, meant so much and gave him courage. I think he stayed on Blossom until the week before he died. If there are role models in Hollywood--real ones--Bill Bixby was a shining example."

12-13-2008, 11:34 PM	#3
dandelion wine ~ Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 20, 2003 Location: Behind the Couch Posts: 34,967	My thanks to you for sharing this as well, along with Lou Ferrigno's memories.
	__________________ Fans of Jon-Erik Hexum Merry Christmas!

10-14-2009, 12:15 AM	#4
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,376	I can't believe I missed this post before. What a nice tribute.
	__________________ "Jesus loves you and He approves this message." "I'm alive. I'm feeling good. I'm trying to live every moment as much as I can." - Valerie Harper, March 2013

10-14-2009, 12:39 AM	#5
Pitooey Member Forum Star Join Date: Feb 15, 2001 Location: Rocking in Transylvania. Posts: 15,042	Bill Bixby was a great guy.
	__________________ Pitooey... AKA JennyLee - I love the Monkees all over again! *SAY NO TO DRUGS* Jesus saves...

04-13-2010, 07:32 PM	#6
jules70 Bixby's Babe Occasional Poster Join Date: Apr 20, 2008 Location: Illinois Posts: 33	For me, there's a shortage of good tv out there anymore... consequently I've been re-living my childhood a bit, watching some of my favorite old shows online. The Incredible Hulk is one of those, and it has led me to wonderful gems like the one you posted here, tv star collector. Thank you very much! Bill Bixby seemed like such a kind man, a gentleman in the truest, best sense of the word, and that came through in his work as well. He was a marvelous actor who is sorely missed.
	__________________ Julie Sam to John, who is looking for evidence in a manhole: "You see anything?" John: "Well, there's a parade in downtown Peking." ~ "Night Dreams" (Profiler) John to Sam, after taking down Arthur DeRhodes: "How come you're the only one left standing?" Sam: "'Cause I wasn't standing alone." ~ "Doppelganger" (Profiler) David Banner: "Mr. McGee, don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry." (The Incredible Hulk)

09-09-2008, 05:45 PM	#2
AB Member Eternal Member Forum Icon Join Date: Dec 26, 2006 Location: The South Posts: 59,429	What a nice story, thanks for posting it.

04-13-2010, 08:07 PM	#7
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,452	What a lovely tribute to Bill Bixby.
	__________________ Only a life lived for others is worth living. Albert Einstein A life isn't worth living unless it has impact on other lives. Jackie Robinson Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. Benjamin Franklin