Vickiless-' Vicki!' Queries

[PracTz]

I'm not sure this is the best place for this but I'd think if anyone would know the answers, they'd be frequenting this spot. Anyhoo, I recall Miss Lawrence's early 1990's talk show and overall it seemed like okay fluff with celebs, etc. To keep this on topic, I recall she did a fairly good 'Mama's Family' reunion with most of the cast [save the unlamented Buzz and Sonya who the others just shrugged the disappearance of]. Although, it seemed like like just fun fluff without any attempts to do any Oprah or Donahue topics, the thing that stuck out in my mind was how one day I turned it on and Miss Lawrence was nowhere in sight but it had [the now late] Mary Frann of 'Newhart' fame hosting the show with no real explanation given for Miss Lawrence's departure- despite keeping the opening title sequence [and show name] completely intact. I think the Vicki-less Vicki! Show limped along for maybe a week or two before it disappeared altogether. So does anyone know what may have happened re Miss Lawrence and the producer/s? How and why Mary Frann was chosen as Miss Lawrence's sub? And why was there no attempt to do a 'Mary!' show with her? Thanks in advance.

[quincywagstaff]

In her autobiography, Vicki mentions that she had many disagreements with Group W (the company that produced the show) and apparently things finally came to a head and Vicki quit. I think they wanted Vicki to do a the Oprah/Phil Donahue type show and she wanted it to be fun and entertaining. If I'm not mistaken, it was Marilu Henner, not Mary Frann who they brought in to finish off the season after which point the show was cancelled, presumably because the ratings were poor.

[PracTz]

Originally Posted by quincywagstaff

In her autobiography, Vicki mentions that she had many disagreements with Group W (the company that produced the show) and apparently things finally came to a head and Vicki quit. I think they wanted Vicki to do a the Oprah/Phil Donahue type show and she wanted it to be fun and entertaining. If I'm not mistaken, it was Marilu Henner, not Mary Frann who they brought in to finish off the season after which point the show was cancelled, presumably because the ratings were poor.

Thanks for the explanation. If what Miss Lawrence is saying is true, it wouldn't be the first time producers messed up everything by trying to fix what wasn't broken.

Well, according to IMDB, Mary Frann did at least appear as 'Herself' on "Vicki" while Marilu Henner did not. Whether this means that Mary Frann was a Guest Star but not Interim Host for "Vicki" [and whether the IMDB folks missed any "Vicki!" appearances that Miss Henner may have made], I can't say for certain.
However; I think we can both agree that it's a virtual certainty that, in its closing days,"Vicki!" wound up being hosted by a buxom, fetching redhead whose name began with 'M' who'd become famous for being a 'straight woman' on a popular sitcom not too many years prior.

Anyway, thanks for the explanation!

[quincywagstaff]

You're very welcome.

[danfling878]

Originally Posted by PracTz

Thanks for the explanation. If what Miss Lawrence is saying is true, it wouldn't be the first time producers messed up everything by trying to fix what wasn't broken.

Well, according to IMDB, Mary Frann did at least appear as 'Herself' on "Vicki" while Marilu Henner did not. Whether this means that Mary Frann was a Guest Star but not Interim Host for "Vicki" [and whether the IMDB folks missed any "Vicki!" appearances that Miss Henner may have made], I can't say for certain.
However; I think we can both agree that it's a virtual certainty that, in its closing days,"Vicki!" wound up being hosted by a buxom, fetching redhead whose name began with 'M' who'd become famous for being a 'straight woman' on a popular sitcom not too many years prior.

Anyway, thanks for the explanation!

I did not see the late Mary Fran as the host of the show. However, at the time, I read about the resigination of Vicki Lawrence, so I tuned in. On the episode that I saw, actress Alley Mills (the wife of Orson Bean) was the host.