Inside TVLand: The Pitch, followed by I Love Lucy pilot and more pilots... - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Pavan · 10-26-2001, 11:56 AM

Inside TV Land: The Pitch Debuts Friday, November 16 at 9:00 PM Followed By Rarely Seen Pilots of I Love Lucy, Hogan's Heroes, Get Smart and The Brady Bunch.

Creators, Network Executives and Stars Tell Their Stories in Newest Installment of Inside TV Land as Series Explores the Creative Evolution of Classic
Sitcoms.

From brainstorm to broadcast, TV Land will explore the development of some of the most popular sitcoms ever seen on television when the network presents Inside TV Land: The Pitch on Friday, November 16 from 9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT. The newest installment of Inside TV Land, produced exclusively for TV Land by Gay Rosenthal Productions, will feature in-depth, interviews with numerous television creators, stars and well-known network executives as they re-trace the development of
various hit shows from the original pitch to their broadcast premieres. Then, immediately following from 10:00pm-Midnight ET/PT, TV Land will telecast the
rarely-seen pilots of I Love Lucy (not seen on television in six years), Hogan's Heroes, Get Smart, and The Brady Bunch.

Before these ground-breaking comedy series ever made it to air, they had to make the often perilous journey where at any point the show could be scrapped. TV Land will illustrate this trip from the writer's initial
vision -- to the network boardroom -- to the casting call -- to the production set-- to the research focus group -- and finally to the television screen.
This pressure-filled process is highlighted by the infamous 'pitch' -- the indelible moment when the idea of a series is presented and is either accepted or rejected.

Among the Hollywood notables sharing their experiences are: Garry Marshall (Happy Days, Mork & Mindy); Phil Rosenthal, Ray Romano, and Patricia Heaton
(Everybody Loves Raymond); Gary David Goldberg and Meredith Baxter (Family Ties); Diane English (Murphy Brown); Eric McCormack (Will & Grace); Les
Moonves (President of CBS); Carl Reiner (The Dick Van Dyke Show); Allan Burns (The Mary Tyler Moore Show) and Warren Littlefield (former NBC President).

In this 60-minute original special, creators, television stars and network executives re-count their experiences in clearing the many, often hilarious
hurdles between having a great idea and getting it on the TV screen.

TV Land has selected four classic sitcom pilots to air following the premiere of The Pitch, all of which served as the launching pad for some of the most acclaimed series in television history. The rarely seen I Love Lucy pilot will air at 10:00 ET/PT, Hogan's Heroes at 10:30 ET/PT, Get Smart at
11:00 PM ET/PT, and The Brady Bunch at 11:30 PM, ET/PT.

TV Guy · 10-26-2001, 03:27 PM

I wonder why "The Brady Bunch" pilot is considered rarely-seen? N@N shows it all the time, and I've seen it run in local syndication as part of the regular rerun rotation. The only time it seemed to be missing (to me) was in the late 80s, when I noticed a few local stations skipping it.

As far as the "Hogan's Heroes" pilot goes, I've also seen this rerun on several local stations as part of their package. Maybe some stations skipped over it because it's not in color, but not the ones where I've lived.

Sean Snow · 10-26-2001, 03:48 PM

They could air a lot better show pilots (Only Like "I Love Lucy" Pilot Airing)! They could air the pilots of "Gilligan's Island", "Three's Company", etc. instead of those often seen ones!

Pavan · 10-26-2001, 05:36 PM

Lucy I understand why, Get Smart because it was the only B&W episode, and Hogan's pilot is rare.
But Brady Bunch I don't understand! They should have aired one of the 2 unaired Three's Company pilot and 1 of the 2 All in the Family unaired pilots.

Sean Snow · 10-26-2001, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by pavanbadal:
They should have aired one of the 2 unaired Three's Company pilot and 1 of the 2 All in the Family unaired pilots.

I Totally Agree With That! That Would Rock! Wished They Had a Pilot Marathon, where they showed the pilots to their shows and others. ("Three's Company" Pilot 1 & 2, "Justice For All" and the Other "All in the Family" Pilot, Etc)

The Obsolete Man · 10-30-2001, 02:52 AM

If only they would air the Head of the Family pilot.... that's only been seen, like, three times on air.

Twice in 1960 on CBS, And once on Nick at Nite in the early 90s.

Otherwise, this lost piece of Dick Van Dyke lore is, well, lost.

TV Guy · 10-30-2001, 01:54 PM

How about airing the "Laverne & Shirley" demo pilot? It's about 15 minutes long, and the apartment set is the same one used for the Fonz's apartment on "Happy Days". It would also be nice to see the original version of the "Partridge Family" pilot, where Shirley Jones' character is named Connie, and she has a boyfriend played by her real-life husband, Jack Cassidy. And the original version of the "Designing Women" pilot, where Suzanne is played by Lorna Patterson from "Private Benjamin", rather than Delta Burke.

I'd love to see the two unaired "Three's Company" pilots as well. TV Land aired one of the unaired "All in the Family" pilots a couple of years ago, but I understand that the other one is lost.

BUNDYBOY · 11-05-2001, 05:09 PM

Thats gunna be great seeing that new TV Land Special I loved all the other ones they made so far, and I hope thiks one will be great too!

10-26-2001, 11:56 AM	#1
Pavan SO News/Reviews Director Administrator Forum Superstar Join Date: Feb 17, 2000 Location: Linden, NJ (Where Hal Linden got his last name from!) Posts: 26,821	Inside TVLand: The Pitch, followed by I Love Lucy pilot and more pilots... Inside TV Land: The Pitch Debuts Friday, November 16 at 9:00 PM Followed By Rarely Seen Pilots of I Love Lucy, Hogan's Heroes, Get Smart and The Brady Bunch. Creators, Network Executives and Stars Tell Their Stories in Newest Installment of Inside TV Land as Series Explores the Creative Evolution of Classic Sitcoms. From brainstorm to broadcast, TV Land will explore the development of some of the most popular sitcoms ever seen on television when the network presents Inside TV Land: The Pitch on Friday, November 16 from 9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT. The newest installment of Inside TV Land, produced exclusively for TV Land by Gay Rosenthal Productions, will feature in-depth, interviews with numerous television creators, stars and well-known network executives as they re-trace the development of various hit shows from the original pitch to their broadcast premieres. Then, immediately following from 10:00pm-Midnight ET/PT, TV Land will telecast the rarely-seen pilots of I Love Lucy (not seen on television in six years), Hogan's Heroes, Get Smart, and The Brady Bunch. Before these ground-breaking comedy series ever made it to air, they had to make the often perilous journey where at any point the show could be scrapped. TV Land will illustrate this trip from the writer's initial vision -- to the network boardroom -- to the casting call -- to the production set-- to the research focus group -- and finally to the television screen. This pressure-filled process is highlighted by the infamous 'pitch' -- the indelible moment when the idea of a series is presented and is either accepted or rejected. Among the Hollywood notables sharing their experiences are: Garry Marshall (Happy Days, Mork & Mindy); Phil Rosenthal, Ray Romano, and Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond); Gary David Goldberg and Meredith Baxter (Family Ties); Diane English (Murphy Brown); Eric McCormack (Will & Grace); Les Moonves (President of CBS); Carl Reiner (The Dick Van Dyke Show); Allan Burns (The Mary Tyler Moore Show) and Warren Littlefield (former NBC President). In this 60-minute original special, creators, television stars and network executives re-count their experiences in clearing the many, often hilarious hurdles between having a great idea and getting it on the TV screen. TV Land has selected four classic sitcom pilots to air following the premiere of The Pitch, all of which served as the launching pad for some of the most acclaimed series in television history. The rarely seen I Love Lucy pilot will air at 10:00 ET/PT, Hogan's Heroes at 10:30 ET/PT, Get Smart at 11:00 PM ET/PT, and The Brady Bunch at 11:30 PM, ET/PT.

10-26-2001, 03:27 PM	#2
TV Guy Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 25, 2001 Location: Boston, MA, USA Posts: 3,419	I wonder why "The Brady Bunch" pilot is considered rarely-seen? N@N shows it all the time, and I've seen it run in local syndication as part of the regular rerun rotation. The only time it seemed to be missing (to me) was in the late 80s, when I noticed a few local stations skipping it. As far as the "Hogan's Heroes" pilot goes, I've also seen this rerun on several local stations as part of their package. Maybe some stations skipped over it because it's not in color, but not the ones where I've lived.

10-26-2001, 03:48 PM	#3
Sean Snow moo Forum Fanatic Join Date: May 06, 2001 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,408	They could air a lot better show pilots (Only Like "I Love Lucy" Pilot Airing)! They could air the pilots of "Gilligan's Island", "Three's Company", etc. instead of those often seen ones!

10-26-2001, 05:36 PM	#4
Pavan SO News/Reviews Director Administrator Forum Superstar Join Date: Feb 17, 2000 Location: Linden, NJ (Where Hal Linden got his last name from!) Posts: 26,821	Lucy I understand why, Get Smart because it was the only B&W episode, and Hogan's pilot is rare. But Brady Bunch I don't understand! They should have aired one of the 2 unaired Three's Company pilot and 1 of the 2 All in the Family unaired pilots.

10-30-2001, 02:52 AM	#6
The Obsolete Man Member Forum Regular Join Date: Nov 18, 2000 Location: Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, Earth Prime Posts: 567	If only they would air the Head of the Family pilot.... that's only been seen, like, three times on air. Twice in 1960 on CBS, And once on Nick at Nite in the early 90s. Otherwise, this lost piece of Dick Van Dyke lore is, well, lost.

10-30-2001, 01:54 PM	#7
TV Guy Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 25, 2001 Location: Boston, MA, USA Posts: 3,419	How about airing the "Laverne & Shirley" demo pilot? It's about 15 minutes long, and the apartment set is the same one used for the Fonz's apartment on "Happy Days". It would also be nice to see the original version of the "Partridge Family" pilot, where Shirley Jones' character is named Connie, and she has a boyfriend played by her real-life husband, Jack Cassidy. And the original version of the "Designing Women" pilot, where Suzanne is played by Lorna Patterson from "Private Benjamin", rather than Delta Burke. I'd love to see the two unaired "Three's Company" pilots as well. TV Land aired one of the unaired "All in the Family" pilots a couple of years ago, but I understand that the other one is lost.

11-05-2001, 05:09 PM	#8
BUNDYBOY Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Nov 05, 2001 Location: Mansfield, MA United States Posts: 69	Thats gunna be great seeing that new TV Land Special I loved all the other ones they made so far, and I hope thiks one will be great too!