I Didn't Realize Danny Arnold Of 'Barney Miller' Fame Worked On 'Bewitched?'

[Brian Damage]

It Sounded Like He Wasn't Too Proud of his work on Bewitched. He wanted to use his time on this classic to get "better" work. Is that true?

[Rezny@gmail.com]

He did,producing only the first season episodes,and wrote a couple first season shows,(I think it was a couple)before he was replaced by Jerry Davis.

[TV Knowledge Fan]

Danny worked only during the first season, succeeded by Jerry Davis in mid-season. Supposedly, Sidney Sheldon was asked to take the producer's chair before Danny took the job (he claimed this in his autobiography "The Other Side Of Me"). If he had, he wouldn't have created and produced "I DREAM OF JEANNIE"!

[catlover79]

He did indeed, and he also worked on That Girl.

[comedyfreak]

I heard negative things about Danny Arnold, he constantly had last minute changes in the script and the actors had no time to memorize the lines, they also worked long hours. This comes from people on Barney Miller, I wondered if this was the reason he was replaced on Bewitched.

[Arfies]

Interesting blog post about Danny Arnold and Bewitched here: http://zvbxrpl.blogspot.com/2006/03/...ny-arnold.html

[catlover79]

Originally Posted by comedyfreak

I heard negative things about Danny Arnold, he constantly had last minute changes in the script and the actors had no time to memorize the lines, they also worked long hours. This comes from people on Barney Miller, I wondered if this was the reason he was replaced on Bewitched.

Danny Arnold was a notorious perfectionist, to be sure. Those last minute changes and tapings that went on into the wee small hours of the morning meant that Barney Miller stopped recording in front of a live studio audience. But he had a definite soft spot, especially concerning Jack Soo (Yemana), and I found this anecdote about when Mr. Soo had become terminally ill - http://www.classicsitcoms.com/shows/barney5.html -

Producer Danny Arnold had known Korean-American actor Jack Soo since they'd both performed stand-up on the same Midwestern nightclub circuit in the late forties--before Soo made his Broadway splash in Flower Drum Song in the fifties. The producer's loyalty to the actor was so great that he refused to authorize a new photo to commemorate the show's fifth anniversary once Soo had gone into the hospital. "Nothing goes out without Jack," the producer insisted. "Use the old shots."

Getting back to Bewitched, Dick York had nothing but kind things to say about Danny Arnold in his book.

[comedyfreak]

Originally Posted by Arfies

Interesting blog post about Danny Arnold and Bewitched here: http://zvbxrpl.blogspot.com/2006/03/...ny-arnold.html

A very interesting read, makes me think what would the show have been like had he stayed through the 4th season.

[catlover79]

Originally Posted by comedyfreak

A very interesting read, makes me think what would the show have been like had he stayed through the 4th season.

Same here - I think one of the reasons he left was because ABC was starting to interfere with the show (there's a shock).