Did Ted Knight appear frail in later episodes? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Schmo · 08-25-2020, 02:25 PM

I never saw the syndicated version of TCFC. Did Knight look sick toward the end of the show’s run?

Heenan Fan · 09-04-2020, 05:24 PM

Yes. He lost a lot of weight in the final syndicated season.

SitcomsHeydayfan · 09-07-2020, 02:53 AM

I never noticed anything! There certainly wasn't any DRASTIC weight loss because that would've been very noticeable.

To me he looked good enough to come back for another season or MORE!

Heenan Fan · 09-07-2020, 04:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SitcomsHeydayfan

I never noticed anything! There certainly wasn't any DRASTIC weight loss because that would've been very noticeable.

To me he looked good enough to come back for another season or MORE!

He clearly lost a lot of weight and it was very noticeable. He had a big gut when he was on TCFC. In the last syndicated season, he was very skinny and pale. He usually wore a jacket (even though he was indoors in California) to make himself look bigger.

SitcomsHeydayfan · 09-07-2020, 05:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heenan Fan

He clearly lost a lot of weight and it was very noticeable. He had a big gut when he was on TCFC. In the last syndicated season, he was very skinny and pale. He usually wore a jacket (even though he was indoors in California) to make himself look bigger.

You need to post pics from the different seasons so we can judge the difference. A drastic change would be Chadwick Boseman's last video from April off this year where it's clear he lost weight in his face & looks gaunt.

Ted Knight never looked THAT bad nor did he have a big gut. A big gut means pot belly but Ted Knight never had a pot belly. You can say he was stocky but don't act like he was Chris Farley or something!

michelala · 04-28-2023, 10:37 PM

Yes I recently streamed episodes from Tubi and noticed it too.

Ted was never overweight but was noticeably thinner during the last season.

TMC · 07-17-2023, 02:00 AM

I don't want to stray too far off topic, but I just learned that Ted Knight's daughter Elyse has been battling stage IV uterine cancer.

TMC · 07-21-2023, 02:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michelala

Yes I recently streamed episodes from Tubi and noticed it too.

Ted was never overweight but was noticeably thinner during the last season.

Like you said, Ted was never really an overweight guy so if he looked noticeably thinner, it probably wouldn't have been instantly obvious unlike say Dolph Sweet and his final season on Gimme a Break. You could clearly tell that in the fourth season of Gimme a Break (1984-85) that Dolph Sweet was really ill.

With that being said, I wonder what the production schedule for Season 6 of Too Close for Comfort (or The Ted Knight Show) was.

As you can see, this is from February 1986, which is about seven months before Ted Knight's death from cancer.

TMC · 07-24-2023, 02:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SitcomsHeydayfan

I never noticed anything! There certainly wasn't any DRASTIC weight loss because that would've been very noticeable.

To me he looked good enough to come back for another season or MORE!

Admittedly, there are (especially with the benefit of hindsight) parts in there where you can kind of tell that Ted is sick. Like in the final episode to be broadcast, "Lisa Goes Lottery Loco", Ted does give off a bit of a malnourished, gaunt look in his face.

Maybe because Ted Knight always gave off the impression that he was much older than he actually was and he was never really a heavy-set guy, it's much harder to immediately notice that he was really ill.

TMC · 07-24-2023, 02:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michelala

Yes I recently streamed episodes from Tubi and noticed it too.

Ted was never overweight but was noticeably thinner during the last season.

I don't mean to sound morbid but I've been streaming the episodes from Tubi too and the Season 6 episode "The Late, Great Herbert Maxwell" is another one where it's quite apparent or obvious that Ted is really sick. It's kind hard to explain it without seeing it yourself, but you can instantly tell that Ted looks frail and rundown. I mean, it isn't necessarily impairing his energy or overall performance per se. But it none the less, still feels like Ted has to push himself further or harder than usual.

michelala · 09-07-2023, 10:20 PM

I agree TMC that he did look more frail or even run down. I think Tubi has the episodes in the order they were actually taped (Pluto has them in the order they were aired). The last few episodes on Tubi where he's trying to find a date for the old man thru the classifieds and the final episode where Monroe prints that critical review of the singer you can really tell that Ted is looking frail. He's also sitting alot in those episodes which you never saw with Ted on TCFC or The MTM show. I think you are the one who also posted the article from the gentleman who was his stand in for the final show. Ted was a trooper but he definitely looked gaunt at the end.

My guess is the show wrapped production by March? That ticket was definitely from one of the very last shows.

08-25-2020, 02:25 PM	#1
Schmo Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 24, 2013 Posts: 466	Did Ted Knight appear frail in later episodes? I never saw the syndicated version of TCFC. Did Knight look sick toward the end of the show’s run?

09-04-2020, 05:24 PM	#2
Heenan Fan Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Oct 19, 2016 Posts: 6,001	Yes. He lost a lot of weight in the final syndicated season.

09-07-2020, 02:53 AM	#3
SitcomsHeydayfan Member Senior Member Join Date: Apr 19, 2018 Location: The Show Me state Posts: 2,966	I never noticed anything! There certainly wasn't any DRASTIC weight loss because that would've been very noticeable. To me he looked good enough to come back for another season or MORE!

04-28-2023, 10:37 PM	#6
michelala Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Apr 08, 2023 Posts: 68	Yes I recently streamed episodes from Tubi and noticed it too. Ted was never overweight but was noticeably thinner during the last season.

07-17-2023, 02:00 AM	#7
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 124,453	I don't want to stray too far off topic, but I just learned that Ted Knight's daughter Elyse has been battling stage IV uterine cancer.

09-07-2023, 10:20 PM	#11
michelala Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Apr 08, 2023 Posts: 68	I agree TMC that he did look more frail or even run down. I think Tubi has the episodes in the order they were actually taped (Pluto has them in the order they were aired). The last few episodes on Tubi where he's trying to find a date for the old man thru the classifieds and the final episode where Monroe prints that critical review of the singer you can really tell that Ted is looking frail. He's also sitting alot in those episodes which you never saw with Ted on TCFC or The MTM show. I think you are the one who also posted the article from the gentleman who was his stand in for the final show. Ted was a trooper but he definitely looked gaunt at the end. My guess is the show wrapped production by March? That ticket was definitely from one of the very last shows.