TV's Unsolved Mysteries --- Rumours that never became true (or false)

[Sal]

Have you ever read an interesting item about one of your favourite shows or stars dealing with an event that might happen in the future, like a famous guest star that is scheduled to appear on that show, only to find out a few weeks later that it will never happen and nobody has bothered to explain why?

That might sound a little confusing to you so I'll explain it this way. We've all heard some weird rumours about things that allegedly happened in the past that were all proved to be false yet people will still believe them, like the "Paul McCartney is dead" stories or Jerry Mathers being killed in the Vietnam War, both of which are 100% untrue! Those are all what are known as urban legends, stories which ended up being nothing more than publicity stunts that worked a little too well in some cases. What I'm talking about are stories that I've read in newspapers or magazines or heard about on TV that at the time were taken as gospel truths, but never came to pass and were never confirmed or denied, and no reason for this was ever given. So I'd like your help with these. If you're a fan of one of these stars or shows, maybe you can fill in the blanks for me and give me "the rest of the story".



CASE #1: LUCY'S GOLDEN GOOF-UP

In the mid-1980s, TV icon Lucille Ball was looking to get back into television. Senior citizens had become popular on TV again, thanks to shows like "Murder She Wrote", "Diagnosis Murder", "The Love Boat", and especially "The Golden Girls". Lucy was thinking about updating her character and making her into a screwball senior, allowing her to star in a sitcom that was similar to "The Golden Girls". I had read where she was offered a chance to appear on "The Golden Girls" as a regular in the cast. This would certainly have made some sense, since it was one of her favourite shows at the time. She was also familiar with the cast, having worked with Bea Arthur in the movie "Mame" and she had known Betty White since the early 1950s. But she never appeared on the show, instead making the disastrous "Life With Lucy" which only lasted about 8 episodes. Lucy didn't make many mistakes in her career, but that one finished her career for good and she certainly deserved a better fate. What I've never understood was this: was she ever asked to appear on the show and why would she possibly turn it down?


CASE #2: EIGHT SIMPLE RULES FOR DITCHING THE FONZ


It is a huge understatement to say that the death of John Ritter affected those around him and those who were lucky enough to watch him perform on a weekly basis. What is more certain is that his loss came as a shock to so many of his fans, who had made him into one of the funniest and most beloved TV stars of his generation. Unfortunately, his death also resulted in one of the most brutal casting moves in TV history, permanently scarring a great show that had been fun to watch with John Ritter, and, for a brief time, fun to watch without him. I had heard that his good friend Henry Winkler was scheduled to appear on "8 Simple Rules" as a guest star on the episode that was filmed on the same day that Ritter died. Once that happened, everything stopped. The show's writers used the downtime to consider what to do with the show once the mourning period passed and it was time to go back to work. I'm sure that ending the series right then was talked about, but that idea was soon rejected even though it would have been perfectly understandable. It was decided to bring in James Garner as a father figure to help in the transition from dealing with Ritter's death up to the point in the series where the characters can resume their normal fictional sitcom lives, which I thought was a nice touch. It was later on in that season where the staff made a huge mistake. Instead of bringing back Winkler as a regular character---a friend of the family that is welcomed warmly and becomes part of their lives---they opted to cast the painfully unfunny and notorious series-killer David Spade. It was at this point where I stopped watching the show for good, and others must have agreed since “8 Simple Rules” didn’t last very long afterwards. It had started as a warm, funny, and good-natured sitcom that reminded me of the great family sitcoms of the 50s and 60s and ended up a huge mess, one that could have been avoided with a better detail for casting.

CASE #3: THE O.M.G.! TEEN STAR NOT “DESPERATE” ENOUGH?

In another bad case of misguided casting, the people behind “Desperate Housewives” had a chance to revitalize a stagnant series and possibly return it to its peak popularity that it had enjoyed in its first season, but instead they blew it! In the spring of 2006, the fans of the hit FOX series “The O.C.” were stunned at the news that one of its most popular characters Marisa, played by Mischa Barton, would killed off at the end of the season. The results from this were somewhat predictable since the series itself would be cancelled after the next season. With some unexpected free time on her hands, Barton was looking for another series to star in and she almost hit the jackpot. I had read where she was about to appear as a regular on “Desperate Housewives” in the fall of 2006 and, naturally, like the other women, her character would have some deep, dark secret from her past. Suddenly I was really looking forward to watching the series again to see what would happen next. Unfortunately, her character’s secrets stayed a secret and she was never seen on the show. Instead, a new character was introduced to be played by Dana Delany. Now, I realize that Dany Delany is a fine actress and has done some good work previously, but her character is a little on the dull side, (or rather, make that a LOT on the dull side) and Mischa Barton would have been so much better! As in the other 2 cases I’ve mentioned, her omission from the cast was never explained.

CASE #4: SMALL SCREEN SNUBS

When a sitcom becomes popular in reruns years, and sometimes decades, after it leaves prime time, someone will eventually decide to make a movie out of it. But, given the hit-and-miss status of such ideas, where for each “Get Smart” there are about 10 “Honeymooners”, the risk is often too great and this means many great shows don’t make it to the big screen, but that doesn’t stop some studios from trying. For instance, I remember many years ago hearing a rumour that Michael Douglas would be starring in a movie version of “My Three Sons” as Steve Douglas, Fred McMurray’s old role, after he had completed his latest picture, which at the time was “The Wonder Boys”. Other than the fact that the actor and character shared the same last name, a joke that can get old rather quickly, I was still excited about the idea. “My Three Sons” was one of my favourite shows as a child and I would have loved to see what it would be like as a movie. The one concern I had at the time was that I hoped that the movie wouldn’t end up looking like a parody of the TV series as had been done with other ‘sitcom movies’, most notably “The Brady Bunch”, “Leave It To Beaver”, and “Bewitched”. But, yet again, the movie was never made, and no reason was given why. The same fate was felt with other classic sitcoms that were also allegedly supposed to be filmed. These included “Green Acres”, “Gilligan’s Island”, “I Dream Of Jeannie”, and “The Partridge Family”, as well as the legendary variety series “American Bandstand”, which was later turned into the TV series “American Dreams”.


So does anyone have any reasons why these items were never explained or are they better left unsaid?