The Moment that Put Suzanne Somers on the Map

[LittleRickyII]

American Graffiti, 1973.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8TDBSlgFAw

She discusses how she got the part here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJnVi4dPWPY

[TVFactFan]

Cindy Williams and Ron Howard went on a date on three different TV shows

American Graffiti

Happy Days

Laverne and Shirley

[Tiffy540]

I honestly think Three's Co. would be 10x better without Chrissy. Her stupidity is unbearable.

[AB]

Originally Posted by Tiffy540

I honestly think Three's Co. would be 10x better without Chrissy. Her stupidity is unbearable.

But she did play the ditzy blonde to perfection.

[Mr. Television]

It's just getting to be a sport to knock Suzanne. lol I loved her on TC during the first 3 seasons. Nobody was sexier. I didn't like it when they dumbed her down and made her like a kid. Totally stupid on the producers part. In the end it was better for the show that she left as it kept the show fresher.

[Retro4Life]

Originally Posted by Stuck In The '70's

It's just getting to be a sport to knock Suzanne. lol I loved her on TC during the first 3 seasons. Nobody was sexier. I didn't like it when they dumbed her down and made her like a kid. Totally stupid on the producers part. In the end it was better for the show that she left as it kept the show fresher.

Yeah, I agree. Nobody's perfect and while I'm sure she wasn't the easiest person to be around, who can truly say how such fame and fortune achieved so fast would have affected any of us?

And to the poster who said the show would have been better off without her...are you serious? That show would never have taken off like it did without Suzanne. Ritter was the better actor, no doubt, and Joyce added a lot to it, as well. But to discount Somers' contributions to the show's success is to deny reality. And I don't mean just because she was sexy (though that was a BIG part of it). She was a younger Marilyn Monroe...sexy but still vulnerable and likeable. You couldn't help but like her because most of the things she said or did were so darned innocent...and no one could have played that role as strongly as she did.

[Mr. Television]

Originally Posted by Retro4Life

Yeah, I agree. Nobody's perfect and while I'm sure she wasn't the easiest person to be around, who can truly say how such fame and fortune achieved so fast would have affected any of us?

And to the poster who said the show would have been better off without her...are you serious? That show would never have taken off like it did without Suzanne. Ritter was the better actor, no doubt, and Joyce added a lot to it, as well. But to discount Somers' contributions to the show's success is to deny reality. And I don't mean just because she was sexy (though that was a BIG part of it). She was a younger Marilyn Monroe...sexy but still vulnerable and likeable. You couldn't help but like her because most of the things she said or did were so darned innocent...and no one could have played that role as strongly as she did.

I agree totally. I think a lot of the newer fans just don't realize how popular Suzanne was back then. And it did go to her head. But when you think about it a lot of the stars of the 70's behaved the same way. Carroll O'Connor and Redd Foxx both walked out on their shows. They were welcomed back. The problem with Suzanne was she wasn't the star. That belonged to John Ritter and ABC wanted to make an example out of her after that fiasco with Farrah. It got very personal between everybody and I think that's why all the feud talk lasted so long.

[LittleRickyII]

Originally Posted by Stuck In The '70's

I think a lot of the newer fans just don't realize how popular Suzanne was back then. And it did go to her head. But when you think about it a lot of the stars of the 70's behaved the same way. Carroll O'Connor and Redd Foxx both walked out on their shows. T

Indeed. Add to that list the conflict between Linda Lavin and Polly Holiday on Alice that resulted in Polly Holiday being sent off to her own show with a no-return policy when it flopped (Lavin, supposedly, didn't like the competition). And then there's the infamous problems on Laverne & Shirley where Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams reportedly each counted words in the scripts each week to make sure the other wasn't being given more lines. Even in the opening credits of the show, because Penny Marshall's name came first, they had to make Cindy William's name higher. And remember when Esther Rolle walked off of Good Times for awhile? Which followed John Amos's firing from that show. These sorts of disputes were very common back then and all over the place. I don't think this happens so much these days because, with so darn many cable channels and viewing options, no TV show has the impact that shows had back in those days. It doesn't allow for TV actors to become the huge and influential celebrities they were at that time.