They recycle actors a lot in this show - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Tankeryanker · 01-18-2026, 09:52 PM

Maybe more so than in other shows I have watched.

Do you think it was comon to do this in this era or is it something Hollywood just does?

Alan Brady's Hair · 01-19-2026, 04:44 AM

It was remarked at the time that Jack Webb had a "stable" of guest actors that he would use again and again. Many turn up on Adam-12, too.

Tankeryanker · 01-20-2026, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan Brady's Hair

It was remarked at the time that Jack Webb had a "stable" of guest actors that he would use again and again. Many turn up on Adam-12, too.

and they trapes over to Walton's Mountain too.

Duster76 · 01-20-2026, 11:11 PM

[QUOTE=Tankeryanker;6448704]Maybe more so than in other shows I have watched.

Do you think it was comon to do this in this era or is it something Hollywood just does?[/QUOT

If an actor did well on a series it was not uncommon to see him/her brought back to play other characters on the same series. Allan Melvin is a classic example of this, he appeared in 8 different episodes of The Andy Griffith Show playing 8 different characters.

That said, Webb was an extreme practitioner of this type of casting. There were 98 episodes of Dragnet between 67-70, Virginia Gregg appeared in 14 of them, playing everything from a sales clerk, to an alcoholic wife, to a reporter, to a con woman. Peggy Webber was in 8 episodes, Stacy Harris 8, Jack Sheldon 7.

Jack Webb liked his actors to read their lines from a teleprompter, he felt it made it seem more real so he liked working with people who understood his way of doing thigs.

To me Dragnet was a hybrid, a continuing drama that in some sense played like an anthology series. Friday and Gannon were the same people but different people in each episode. One week they were in personnel, next week homicide, next week bunco, next week community affairs. Each week seemed like a new situation, the audience was starting over so the fact that the same actors were used over and over again never bothered me.

Chocolate Moose · 01-22-2026, 04:06 PM

hOLLYWOOD USED TO DO THIS A LOT. I guess it had something to do with SAG card?

stevea · 01-22-2026, 05:07 PM

Virginia Gregg was everywhere; these character actors of that time worked a lot. And, yes, multiple roles on the same show. Allan Melvin is another great example. Occasionally, they would take top billed roles, such as the adult regulars on Dennis the Menace. When that show ended, Gloria Henry and Herbert Anderson went back to bit parts.

Then there were shows like Highway Patrol and Sea Hunt. To make up for expensive on-location shooting with lots of action, they would use no name actors. Some of these actors went places, such as Leonard Nimoy.

Tankeryanker · 01-22-2026, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevea

Virginia Gregg was everywhere

She was one of the ones I was thinking of. She went to Walton's Mountain and became that backwoods herb specialist, Ada Corley.

01-18-2026, 09:52 PM	#1
Tankeryanker Do you like my monkey picture? Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 22, 2014 Posts: 3,041	They recycle actors a lot in this show Maybe more so than in other shows I have watched. Do you think it was comon to do this in this era or is it something Hollywood just does?

01-22-2026, 04:06 PM	#5
Chocolate Moose Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 21, 2007 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 4,881	hOLLYWOOD USED TO DO THIS A LOT. I guess it had something to do with SAG card?
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01-19-2026, 04:44 AM	#2
Alan Brady's Hair Member Senior Member Join Date: Aug 30, 2014 Posts: 1,822	It was remarked at the time that Jack Webb had a "stable" of guest actors that he would use again and again. Many turn up on Adam-12, too.

01-20-2026, 11:11 PM	#4
Duster76 Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 01, 2008 Location: New jersey Posts: 1,639	[QUOTE=Tankeryanker;6448704]Maybe more so than in other shows I have watched. Do you think it was comon to do this in this era or is it something Hollywood just does?[/QUOT If an actor did well on a series it was not uncommon to see him/her brought back to play other characters on the same series. Allan Melvin is a classic example of this, he appeared in 8 different episodes of The Andy Griffith Show playing 8 different characters. That said, Webb was an extreme practitioner of this type of casting. There were 98 episodes of Dragnet between 67-70, Virginia Gregg appeared in 14 of them, playing everything from a sales clerk, to an alcoholic wife, to a reporter, to a con woman. Peggy Webber was in 8 episodes, Stacy Harris 8, Jack Sheldon 7. Jack Webb liked his actors to read their lines from a teleprompter, he felt it made it seem more real so he liked working with people who understood his way of doing thigs. To me Dragnet was a hybrid, a continuing drama that in some sense played like an anthology series. Friday and Gannon were the same people but different people in each episode. One week they were in personnel, next week homicide, next week bunco, next week community affairs. Each week seemed like a new situation, the audience was starting over so the fact that the same actors were used over and over again never bothered me.

01-22-2026, 05:07 PM	#6
stevea 22 Years On Sitcoms Moderator Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 13, 2003 Location: Indy Posts: 44,217	Virginia Gregg was everywhere; these character actors of that time worked a lot. And, yes, multiple roles on the same show. Allan Melvin is another great example. Occasionally, they would take top billed roles, such as the adult regulars on Dennis the Menace. When that show ended, Gloria Henry and Herbert Anderson went back to bit parts. Then there were shows like Highway Patrol and Sea Hunt. To make up for expensive on-location shooting with lots of action, they would use no name actors. Some of these actors went places, such as Leonard Nimoy.