Keely Shaye Smith and the middle UM years

[Oldschooler81]

From what I've read people seem kinda mixed on the time she was on the show in the mid 90s.

Personally I liked it and I think they still had lots of good Wanted (my personal favorites), Unexplained Death and Missing stories, just not as many of the really creepy or disturbing ones. It seems like basically a slightly "newer" version of the 1988-93 classic shows, and they probably brought her on just for a change. She did the telecenter stuff and small updates the most often, but it was still mostly Stack's show.

P.S. Did any of you guys know that she was in the music video for the Huey Lewis song "Stuck With You" (she's his girlfriend and they get stranded on a tropical deserted island)? I'm a huge fan of 80s music and I've always liked that song yet I never knew that until recently!

[kadrmas15]

Haha, yeah Oldschool, I knew it. Keely still is a good looking woman but back then in 86 or so when the video was made, wow. But yeah I found the music video on a certain website and showed Crystaldawn and she found it entertaining as did I. I'm glad you are an 80's music fan oldschool, so am I, Huey Lewis and the News being one of my favorites.

[TracyLynnS]

I'm one of the people who didn't like it when they brought Keely on the show.
I thought she was there for nothing but eye candy.

The ratings had probably dipped (UM had been on tv for quite a while by then)
and stupid C/M did what all the other shows do.
They panicked and brought out the boobies.

[justins5256]

There were some decent stories in the middle years. The problem was they had switched to shooting on video as opposed to film and the series just seemed cheaper than it did in the earlier years, specifically 87-93. I think the first shot on video season was in the fall of 1993. I would say that was the beginning of the downward spiral.

[UMfan77]

Originally Posted by justins5256

The problem was they had switched to shooting on video as opposed to film and the series just seemed cheaper than it did in the earlier years, specifically 87-93. I think the first shot on video season was in the fall of 1993. I would say that was the beginning of the downward spiral.

I agree. I also noticed that the "creepiness" feel of the show disappeared. Robert Stack also didn't have that low eerie tone to his voice. For instance, the Shannon Mohr Davis or Coral Polge segments

[dynoguy88]

Originally Posted by UMfan77

I agree. I also noticed that the "creepiness" feel of the show disappeared. Robert Stack also didn't have that low eerie tone to his voice. For instance, the Shannon Mohr Davis or Coral Polge segments

You're right. That's when the creepiness factor did go down because of the change in production.

Keely seemed like a beautiful and intelligent woman but I never understood the point of adding her to the show. I think Robert Stack was just fine doing the updates. That didn't need to change.

[Corky Kneivel]

Aside from Keely Shaye bringin' the boobies (which I appreciate no end, and which is a wonderful gift Virginia Madsen has brought to just about every movie she's ever been in), let's not forget that Pope Robert Stack II was somewhere near his 80th trip around the Sun in 1993 and maybe the workload was just too much for the guy. I'd love it if it was Stackman the Great's own suggestion to hire KSS. I can imagine him all like, "Hey Cosgrove...hey Meurer...why don’t you two flunkies, after getting me my coffee & Danish, go find a young hottie to hang around the phone center, handle the updates, and call me "Big-Shot Bob" like we’re all buddy-buddy?” And then he pimpslaps the both of them.

Seriously though, why are we all assuming that KSS was only hired to bring the sex factor to the show? I think its more likely a woman was sought out because executives felt like the show needed to resonate better with women. Executives probably noticed that the female audience was the largest part of their audience and, with the logic of executives, decided to fix something that wasn’t broke in the first place.

[Oldschooler81]

Nice, Kadrmas. I love Huey's music too and he had some of the best music videos. I wonder if RS knew about Keely being in Stuck With You, lol.

Justins - that's cool to know about the filming change, I didn't realize that but it makes sense. Even today shows from then don't seem very dated and I'm sure that's why. The first few years when it was shot on film, I agree that gave them that creepier feel (especially the Wanted stories) like a movie. Whereas the video ones look more "real worldish".

Yeah, I agree that's the only thing I don't like as much about the mid 90s UM (the eerie feeling was kinda lost, even RS was a bit more casual. He seemed more personally involved in the early shows too).

[TracyLynnS]

Originally Posted by Corky Kneivel

I'd love it if it was Stackman the Great's own suggestion to hire KSS. I can imagine him all like, "Hey Cosgrove...hey Meurer...why don’t you two flunkies, after getting me my coffee & Danish, go find a young hottie to hang around the phone center, handle the updates, and call me "Big-Shot Bob" like we’re all buddy-buddy?” And then he pimpslaps the both of them.

I hope that's exactly how it happened! Cosgrove/Muerer have proven themselves to be idiots. I think UM was a success in spite of those buffoons.

Seriously though, why are we all assuming that KSS was only hired to bring the sex factor to the show? I think its more likely a woman was sought out because executives felt like the show needed to resonate better with women. Executives probably noticed that the female audience was the largest part of their audience and, with the logic of executives, decided to fix something that wasn’t broke in the first place.

I really don't think KSS was brought onto the show to appeal to female viewers or to resonate with the female demographic. She was eye candy for the guys.

If the producers realized that they had a large female (or even family) audience that they felt they needed to appeal to, they could have hired a woman with a law enforcement type background or LE image, who came across as more of a professional, rather than a music video girlie that they stuffed into a tight suit.

And just because KSS is a woman doesn't mean that women will automatically identify with her. The housewives/moms watching UM, at the end of a tiring day, with their husbands, seeing their hubbies looking at Keely prancing around in her size 4 skirt and push up bra, were probably made to feel uncomfortable and insecure about their imperfect bodies.

And seriously, there's no way UM would have hired her to appeal to the female fans if she had been the size then that she is now. Most women wouldn't care, but I really do think the male viewers would have been very displeased to watch a 280lb woman handling the UM call center.

[Kane]

Originally Posted by TracyLynnS

I really don't think KSS was brought onto the show to appeal to female viewers or to resonate with the female demographic. She was eye candy for the guys.

If the producers realized that they had a large female (or even family) audience that they felt they needed to appeal to, they could have hired a woman with a law enforcement type background or LE image, who came across as more of a professional, rather than a music video girlie that they stuffed into a tight suit.

True. Such a person would have had much more credibility with the viewers. Since Keely was devoid of that kind of image, she obviously left something to be desired.

And just because KSS is a woman doesn't mean that women will automatically identify with her. The housewives/moms watching UM, at the end of a tiring day, with their husbands, seeing their hubbies looking at Keely prancing around in her size 4 skirt and push up bra, were probably made to feel uncomfortable and insecure about their imperfect bodies.

There was an obvious contrast between Robert Stack's wardrobe and Keely's wardrobe. Stack tended to be dressed conservatively, while Keely appeared to have been dressed in a somewhat showy fashion. In general, Stack looked more professional on UM than Keely did.

Needless to say, a person's wardrode can sometimes be a contributing factor in determining his/her credibility (or lack thereof) in the eyes of other people, especially television viewers.

And seriously, there's no way UM would have hired her to appeal to the female fans if she had been the size then that she is now. Most women wouldn't care, but I really do think the male viewers would have been very displeased to watch a 280lb woman handling the UM call center.

Keely's husband was said to have liked curvy women. I wonder if that statement has come back to haunt him.

[TracyLynnS]

Keely's husband was said to have liked curvy women. I wonder if that statement has come back to haunt him.

I hope he really enjoys having a curvy wife, because that girl has lots of curves!

AND she loves showing them off. Even in a bikini.

That makes me think that she's got the self confidence to to not force herself to be a bulimic hollywood starlet type, just to please the rest of the world, and also that her husband probably really does like those curves. If he was complaining, she might feel more self conscious and less likely to wear revealing clothes.

That's all jmo, of course. Who knows what's really going on in anyone's marriage. It could be that she's bigger than her husband and threatened to kick his ass if didn't publicly praise her figure as a bottichelli ideal.

[kadrmas15]

Well, it does seem Pierce has a temper. However he has also shown a compassionate side and has donated large sums of money to charity and to various building projects including donating 100 grand to rebuild a playground for school children near his home in Hawaii.

Personally, I always liked KSS. Yes she was there mostly as eye candy, and to basically serve as a younger balance to Stack. My guess it was Cosgrove who got all paranoid and decided to mess with a good thing and try to attract younger audiences and stuff by bringing in a young woman with a nice chest to try to bring up ratings. It seems the ratings for UM started dropping off around 1993 as through the 92-93 season UM was in the top 20 for ratings. UM's ratings fell pretty fast and the show was canceled by NBC in 1997. Of course it was picked up by CBS where it only lasted a few episodes before being canceled and then being picked up by lifetime.

But yeah KSS is quite a curvy woman who I personally found attractive both in her days on UM as well as before that and even now. Yes she has gained weight since her days on UM, but I do not view it as a problem and evidently neither does Pierce Brosnan. But I agree Tracy it is nice to see a woman in Hollywood be proud of how she looks and you can tell KSS is quite confident about how she looks as she should be. Too often today women are pressured to be twigs. I mean just look at the whole mess with Tyra Banks who was called 'fat' because she is 5'10 and weights 160 pounds.

[MegtheEgg86]

I had far less of a problem with KSS than I did with the film-to-video switch, as well as the manner in which the stories were presented. This is certainly JMO, but I feel that the older segments took a more serious, no-nonsense approach whereas the post-93 segments have more of a "whodunit" vibe (the Danny Wheeler and Eric Tamiyasu segments come to mind). The latter may be entertaining, but the former suits the program more appropriately.

KSS was/is an intelligent, capable, and very attractive woman, but like dynoguy I sort of question her necessity on the show.

The Tyra Banks fiasco was ridiculous, BTW. Being 5'10" and 160 pounds myself, I was rather amused at the notion the American media mill considers me fat. If only I could be an emaciated waif with no muscle tone, devoid of breasts and hips like "everyone else." Lame.

[Corky Kneivel]

Originally Posted by Kane

There was an obvious contrast between Robert Stack's wardrobe and Keely's wardrobe. Stack tended to be dressed conservatively, while Keely appeared to have been dressed in a somewhat showy fashion.

hahahahahahaha!! And thank God for that! I don't even know how one would dress an 80 year old man in a "showy" fashion. Like if he came out in a shirt buttoned only once at his paunch...grey chest hair streaming out...a gold Pisces medallion hanging from his neck...a big hoop earring...tight leather pants...black leather trenchcoat.


One of the reasons I believe KSS was added primarily for the woman factor is the early “live telecenter” and “live Alcatraz” episodes they made sure to have a woman, or a couple of women, be the ones to pair up with the Stackster. I don’t think anyone would have contended these women were hired to be eye candy or that they were tarted up for the camera. No, they were rather ordinary looking. So I think the idea was there from early to have a female presence on the show. I think it goes a little bit deeper than the “show needs sexiness” theory. Now did they hire KSS because she looked so good while hosting the show? Yes, most definitely. Did they try and accentuate her natural gifts? Yes, and I thank them for that. KSS was a competent professional and did her job well.

[UMfan77]

Originally Posted by Corky Kneivel

KSS was a competent professional and did her job well.

Anyone else notice how she NEVER blinked her eyes while she was on camera. How did she do that? Everytime I watch her, just once I want to catch her blinking, but never happened.