Priscilla Barnes on "Three's Company"

The show ruined her career and she was totally miscast. Harrison should have been asked to stay on. However, if this happened today, producers would have crawled back to Somers. The show lost its magic when she left.

I was too young for the Suzanne Somers years but I watched the Barnes years and for years I always preferred those years.

But watching them now, they have not aged well.

Knowing now that Barnes hated her time on the show, watching it in retrospect, you can tell something is off, although I thought Barnes did a fine job and is a good actress. But I liked Jenilee on the show. She was fun, sweet and was a good replacement for Somers. She was in an impossible position. But, looking at her time on the show, she did a good job.

Harrison was actually quite funny in a physical sense.

Both her and Ritter played the klutzy physical comedy perfectly off each other.

r3 yes. She and Ritter had great chemistry as a comedy team. Klutzy physical comedy can really come off poorly but they both did it really well. Harrison doesn't get a lot of credit for that.

Somers years were the best. It’s a shame she fucked everything up so bad.

I agree with all of the above.

Priscilla was a poor choice and didn't really bring anything to the show. Occasionally I have thought that a Tanya Roberts-esque 'loose cannon' character would have been a better fit for the show at that point. Jenilee was charming; I think she was/is underrated because she was a sort of 'straight-man' who setup Ritter for some of his best work on that show, making Ritter funnier, rather than herself.

Somers overplayed her hand, but, in retrospect, she was the only one who really managed to own the stage against Ritter. The charisma the original cast had would never be reclaimed.

Somers, Harrison, and DeWitt's lack of comedic talent is tragic.

The producers were sleazy cheapskates with a Vaudevillian mentality. They probably hired Jennilee because she worked for peanuts (and worked their nuts).

Barnes brought a more mature sexiness to the show but the writers never seemed to know what to do with her character. Sometimes she was smart and sophisticated, other times dumb and wacky. I suppose you have to give some credit to Somers and DeWitt who have always maintained that they were responsible for developing whatever characterization they had beyond the lame scripts. I thought Terri was introduced to the show well and her first season or so was okay but by then the writers and producers were moving toward developing Ritter into his own show and DeWitt and Barnes were left floundering.

The show was never the same after Suzanne Somers left and the ratings suffered. ABC was making a mint off of Three's Company, it wouldn't have hurt to give Somers a pay raise. They shouldn't have fired her.

That whole time period was really strange for women on ABC. I happened on "Charlies Angels" Kate Jackson wasn't happy, was under contract for 2 more years, but ABC and Spelling let her go. They never gave her credit for grounding the show in reality. Just like they felt Somers could be replaced. They felt Kate had no worth to the franchise. And then we get stuck with Tiffany Welles & Julie Rogers.

R11 Don't forget they fired and replaced Lauren Tewes on Love Boat. Doesn't anybody appreciate making it on a hot show? Thats why I love Jaclyn Smith. She signed a contract, and she felt she had to honor her commitment.

Somers was way ahead of her time. Yes, she overplayed her hand. But in today's climate, she would have received resounding support.

True, r13. It's a whole different ball game today. Somers would've won the fight.

and Ritter and Joyce were lame. Why didn't they band together like the cast of "Friends"?

I thought she was much better than Suzanne.

R16 Um, yeah That's why she has done so much since replacing Suzanne. Barnes even has said that she wasn't really that talented in the role and that it fucked up her career. While it might be hard to live, Sommers went on to another long running sitcom Step by Step and has success in so many other area of the business. Priscilla Barnes has been heard from, no better success than Joyce.

r15 because in their eyes, they thought Somers was just looking out for herself - which, technically is true - and they didn't want to disrupt the status quo. I'm sure Ritter didn't mind being paid the most.

If I recall correctly, Somers approached DeWitt and Ritter about asking for more money but not sure how true that is.

Is Priscilla scheduled to replace Joyce in the Waffle House Christmas?

Priscilla has as much charisma as a turd in a punch bowl

We recently watched all three of the Stepfather movies (don’t judge). Priscilla played the wife in the last of the series. She did a good if bland job (Shelly Hack was the first wife and Meg Foster turned in a truly bizarre performance in the second). so that shows were her career was. The only other thing I remember her from was called Mallrats where she played a topless fortune teller with three tits.

There were a few good episodes with Barnes, but I normally don’t watch the episodes after Somers left. Kind of like Cheers and Kirstie Alley. A close second. Barnes did fine I believe but the show just didn’t have that fun watchable consistent quality anymore. I think the TC producers did their best under the circumstances. They really dumbed down Chrissy a lot in Somers last year or so. So Barnes playing opposite of that was smart.

PB was very pretty when she started on the show, but got so old looking as the show wore on. She looked completely washed out. It was sort of ridiculous that they even lived together at that point, they were pushing 40. She was a nurse, Jack owned a restaurant. Janet was the only one who would have a legitimate reason to still have roommates. I, too, like the Suzanne Somers/Ropers years. She was horrible the last few years on the show though, they really made her beyond stupid, both verbally, mentally and physically. I mostly watched the show in reruns, but from what has been said about her feud with the producers, I think they dumbed her down Intentionally.

She was a cunt!

Joyce hated Jennilee , said some unkind things about her on the E True Hollywood Story. She never mentioned her name but you knew who she meant.

Jennilee Harrison was painful to watch. She has to be one the single worst actresses ever to hit the small screen. It seemed like John Ritter was glaring at her the whole time.

Priscilla Barnes was a decent actress, I thought she was a good addition to the show. She was likeable and funny and very pretty. Barnes didn't have that three layers of foundation, five layers of eyeliner and designer jeans that were two sizes too small for her look that DeWitt and Harrison had.

Was Suzanne Sommers really the bad guy in the battle she had as far as getting paid more? I thought she had a point; she was a big reason male viewers tuned in and she wanted to be paid as much as any other lead in a sitcom.

Joyce DeWitt should have stuck with her naturally curly or wavy hair and down-to-earth good looks. Her new look just came across as desperate. Guess she was very jealous of Sommers.

It was a different time r27. Like has already been said, in today's climate Somers would have a lot of support. Back then she really didn't. She really was a huge reason why people tuned in, and she did deserve a hike in pay.

R6 Tanya Roberts seems to have a very hard time getting along with others. She, as an actress, would have been great for the show. Behind the scenes? I think she would've caused more headaches than Sommers supposedly did.

When I had surgery (millennial here) I watched so much Three's Company. The Suzanne Somers years were by far the best with the Ropers. Somers was hysterical and really made the show. She balanced Ritter and DeWitt was bland but she did her part. They had great chemistry. Somers absolutely got fucked in the salary department. She was a huge reason the show was successful. They all should have been paid the same.

HATED the other years and never finished the last year or two. I can't remember how far I made it.

DeWitt is still bitter about Somers and that was stupid. Though now that Somers is a big supporter of you know who, fuck her.

I thought she deserved a pay raise too R29. From what I understand she just wanted what all of the other big t.v. stars were getting and, at the time, Sommers was a big star. And she was great as Chrissy.

Shame the situation turned out the way it did.

R27 John was the star of the show. It was proven to Somers when the show aired for four more years that she was replaceable. All three including DeWitt frankly deserved more money considering what ABC and the producers were making off the show, but John was always going to get more. Somers big mistake was letting her husband do her negotiations. This really turned off the producers. Somers had the same agent as Farrah Fawcett but let him go after TC soared in the ratings. Plus ABC was hell bent on not letting Somers have her way after Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams were able to finagle their way to big raises.

R31 Yeah, DeWitt had a superior, "My real goal is to get back to regional theater" attitude and I guess when Sommers started getting more attention from the press that just stoked DeWitt's already simmering jealousy of her.

Sommers wanted to put things right and DeWitt just kept holding on to that grudge.

Yes, Sommers supports you know who. I don't know. Hollywood has a conservative population as well. It would be better if Sommers was one of those republicans who do not support you know who.

R33 Oh. I see what went wrong. Dumping your agent, having a spouse handle things - that kind of stuff is career suicide in Hollywood.

The cast of the 'Carol Burnett Show', which lasted 11 seasons, were talking about how a show like that just wouldn't be possible today. They basically said that between spouses and attorneys, no one would stick with a show for 11 years like they did back in the day.

Joyce Dewitt must've had one amazing business manager who invested her money, because she barely worked at all after TC went off the air, almost 35 years ago.

Pricilla Barnes said that during her time on Three's Company a male producer was really after her and it caused her a lot of stress. I think she was glad when the show finally ended.

The show lasted 4 more years but was never the same and people watching reruns like me see the difference. Had I not been hopped up on pain meds, I would have stopped after the first Barnes season if I lasted that long into it.

Yes, Ritter was the star at first but it was soon apparent the show was a 3some in every way. She had every right to go after a big raise but the sexist and greedy studios made an example out of her. Shame because I think they had their best seasons ahead if she stayed.

DeWitt's attitude towards Somers was nasty. Never let go of the grudge. Ritter did. He was very bitter for awhile but I think he knew the show had so much potential with all 3 of them.

I took a look at Priscilla's IMDB page. She is still working regularly and was in 38 episodes of Jane the Virgin. She has been married 15 years to a gorgeous actor, Ted Monte. He is 9 years her junior. You know her personality is better than Somer's personality. Suzanne is a bitch.

John Ritter overacted and mugged constantly. I don't know how he ever became a star on this show or any other for that matter. Never one of my favorites.

R36 Who knows where DeWitt gets her money?

Guess she spent a lot of time "at the feet of a spiritual master". And, no, she has not been seen since Three's Company ended.

Maybe she did invest wisely.

I’m surprised we haven’t seen any of these bitches on DWTS: Joyce, Suzanne, Jennilee, Priscilla or Mary Cadorette.

The producers went after Somers for blood. They even accused her of using the "Chrissy" character in her Vegas nightclub. Suzanne was a force to reckon with and they could not hold her back. She had the last laugh with the thigh master and all of her QVC sales. Say what you will, but Sommers constantly reinvented herself. When was the last time you heard a word about Jennilee, Joyce, or Priscilla?

Priscilla still has a career in acting.

R43 I think Jenilee is a successful house flipper and has mega bucks. I seriously doubt Joyce or Priscilla miss the spotlight and have less money but are happy. Somers sure as hell knew how to market her image and ended with up with more money than God so I have to commend her.

Isn't Jennilee married to Cybil Shepards ex?

I would love to see DeWitt on DWTS R42.

R43 Yep. You don't mess with the powerful ones in Hollywood and not pay the price.

R46 If ‎Dr. Bruce Oppenheim is Shepard's ex, then, yes she is. They've been married for twenty-five years now.

R45 Yeah, Suzanne did the best with what she had and was willing to go out there and do the infomercials and accepted the less-than-great role in a less-than-great sitcom.

As long as Jenilee will no longer try to act I'm fine with her being a house flipper.

Jenilee was cast literally right out of either high school or college. She was very young. I've heard her interviewed before and she has no ill will of being let go from Three's mainly cause she went from the no. 1 comedy on tv to the no. 1 drama, Dallas.

Both Joyce and Priscilla are very bitter.

I dont think Suzanne gives a shit nowadays. She made more money than she ever would have if she had stayed on the show.

Jennilee was actually very good at klutzy comedy. But it is weird that the show had TWO klutzes going in Jack and Cindy'.

("Klutizness," by the way, was such a 70s thing--do you ever hear the term used anymore?)

John Ritter had sexy FEETS.

You guys are making Somers sound like a saint.

She’s a known bitch on sets. Very much an entitled diva and she was not just trying to get a simple raise. The issue was she held out and stopped showing up for work cause they wouldn’t give her the EXACT RAISE she wanted, which back then were unheard of numbers for TV stars.

Larry Hagman has just began earning $100,000 an episode for Dallas, which back then was a huge deal and he was the highest paid TV actor ever at that time. Somers found out and wanted even more than that, demanding between $200k-$300k per episode.

She was being greedy. It would have been one thing to want a raise or to ask to be paid the same as Ritter (he was THE star, the others were never making the same as him) but she didn’t, she demanded to be the highest paid actor in TV History at that time and in the end she lost.

Hagman was seen as incredible important to Dallas, she wasn’t that for Threes Company, a big reason being one was a drama and the other a comedy. The two were treated very differently.

R54: You are correct, but in fairness to Suzanne, the producers treated everyone on that show like shit.

Suzanne's big demands came after they shafted Norman Fell and Audra Lindley with the failed spinoff; according to Joyce (and others), both were promised they could return to TC if the [italic]The Ropers[/italic] didn't work out. When it didn't, they manipulated the situation to avoid honouring the agreement. Later, they negotiated John's spinoff intentionally leaving Joyce out of it; Joyce found out accidentally, and didn't speak to John for years afterwards. Suzanne and Alan probably reasoned that they needed to play hardball to get anything out of them; the huge demands were likely a starting point, with the intention of negotiating down so that both sides could feel they won something.

Further, the trend of 'blonde bombshells' making huge demands was very timely (see Farrah Fawcett; Loni Anderson; Lauren Hutton and Shelley Hack (with Revlon), so Suzanne and Alan probably reasoned the timing was right.

Like a poster above said...I’m too young to fully remember the Sommers seasons and the Barnes era is really the only one that I can remember. I have been catching up on the Sommers’s seasons via LOGO (goddamn shame what they did to that channel).

Anyway, I didn’t realize they had dumbed down the Chrissy character after the first or second season (I believe) because she isn’t the “Bimbo” that I recognized from her later seasons. I was surprised at the difference. Was that because of the lawsuit?

It’s like the opposite of the Leslie Knope character in “Parks and Rec” because she was pretty dumb the first season--which is fucking awful--but they smarten her up in the second.

Anyway, Barnes was the straight man of her seasons, and I liked her way more than Harris or Sommers. Can’t explain why tho. The show was so bad towards the end, but it was still kinda funny. The physical comedy b/t the three really stood out for me.

DeWitt NEVER gets the credit she deserves tho. Janet was fucking hilarious

You all have it wrong. Harrison at first was only meant to be temporary. They still hoped to have Somers come back. And Harrison worked well for the first few episodes and would've worked out fine, had Somers came back.

However when it became evident that Somers wasn't going to return, the writers put her in more of the same situations Chrissie would be in. This caused bad reactions from the audience, because Harrison was ten years younger than Ritter and nine years younger than DeWitt.

The producers and audience said it was creepy and made Ritter look like a perverted old man, when he made the sex jokes with Harrison. So it was decided to replace Harrison but keep her as a secondary character like Larry. But Harrison didn't have much to do and left on her own.

Fun fact: Suzanne Somers starred in the first run syndicated show "She's The Sheriff." The lead role originally went to Priscilla Barnes, who backed out of it. It also reunited Somers with Don Knotts for one episode.

Harrison was a quick replacement and I think everyone soon realized it was too obvious that she was a decade younger than Ritter and DeWitt. I heard an interview where the claim was made that she was too young for the sex jokes but I think it was just a kind way of pointing out the age difference. Barnes was closer in age to the other too so the dynamic went back, in theory anyway, to contemporaries rather than older sibling / kid sibling.

Yes, the age difference was obvious and Harrison looked even younger than she actually was, so the sexual innuendo with her and Ritter was kind of creepy.

It's hard to believe now, but Three's Company was a pretty controversial show during its original run. A lot of conservative types thought the show was an amoral rauchfest because of all the sexual innuendo and they didn't think it belonged on television. When you see those old episodes now it's all so tame by today's standards, but back then people were really bothered by it.

Helen: Stanley let me suck you off till you cum in my mouth

Stanley: No, you only have one dress and it's a mumu.

Priscilla Barnes has been working steadily since then. She's had a surprisingly good career. I looked her up on IMDB after seeing her in Lords of the Deep on the new MST3K. She was amazingly awful in that by the way.

R40 John's best work was on the Waltons.

Can anyone loan me money?

Priscilla needs to get her website finished. It's been practically blank for at least three years. Also her retrofitting doesn't quite make sense. What actor wouldn't want to be on the #1 show on TV? If she didn't want the job, why didn't she turn it down? That was when the networks were all-powerful: she was on magazine covers, tv talk shows, they gave her peak fame.

THREE'S COMPANY started in 1977, a sitcom with a real 70s ethos, a show with three people in their late 20s-early 30s playing people in their mid-20s, having what were traditionally young people's adventures: finding their way in life and work, dating/sex, worries about money.

It ended in Reagan-era 1984, with Ritter 36, DeWitt 35, and Barnes 30, playing people in their early-to-mid 30s. It's bound to be less funny and less physical, because by then--especially back then--straight people were typically more settled: married with a kid, steady job. Certainly not living with two roommates in Santa Monica. Sure, Jack had the Bistro, Janet was in the flower shop, and Terri was at the hospital, but that doesn't make for as many misunderstandings or double entendres.

I've always thought Barnes was specifically cast as the anti-Chrissie: bright, professional, etc.

Regardless of what you think about the quality of the Barnes seasons, the ratings actually went UP in S6 once she was added. Perhaps Somers mis-timed her grab for cash. Season 3 was the highest rated, but the series dipped about 10% in S4, and another 20% in S5. (Although by S5, Somers had limited appearances.) But was it really the right time for her to demand a raise when the show had started to decline?

It ranked higher in both S6 and S7, but went abruptly downhill in S8. Probably in part to the shift in becoming the Jack Tripper show, but also due to competition from NBC with The A-Team (huge hit) and Riptide (solid Top 20 hit). Meanwhile, its lead-ins on ABC were a failed sitcom with TK Carter as a genie ("Just Our Luck"), and Happy Days (the Ted McGinley years), which no one watched at that point.

She never seemed to fit...came off flat. I actually preferred Jennilee Harrison. Show was never the same, although it WAS getting tired by that time too.

[quote]It ended in Reagan-era 1984, with Ritter 36, DeWitt 35, and Barnes 30, playing people in their early-to-mid 30s.

And they all looked like they were 40-ish by then! It really was unbelievable that they would still be roommates having wacky sexual adventures by that age, when they looked even older.

[quote]Regardless of what you think about the quality of the Barnes seasons, the ratings actually went UP in S6 once she was added.

And when Vivian Vance left "the Lucy Show," and when Don Knotts left "the Andy Griffith Show," the ratings also went UP. But I don't think you would find very many people say those shows were better.

R68, what's ironic is that currently there are PLENTY of 40-ish roommates in Santa Monica shacking up together, because the average cost to buy a home in Santa Monica is now around 1.75 million and monthly rent for a one bedroom apartment is $3,350 (this figure is from Nov 2018). A three-bedroom like the Three's Company folk had--$6,139 a month. Imagine how rich the Ropers would be if they were alive today. Helen's expanded mumu collection would be off the rails!

[quote]And when Vivian Vance left "the Lucy Show," and when Don Knotts left "the Andy Griffith Show," the ratings also went UP. But I don't think you would find very many people say those shows were better.

Did I suggest that? I thought it was clear by the word "regardless" in my comment that my remarks didn't factor in opinions on the quality of the show. I was simply countering the poster upthread who indicated that ratings went down without Somers:

[quote]The show was never the same after Suzanne Somers left and the ratings suffered. ABC was making a mint off of Three's Company, it wouldn't have hurt to give Somers a pay raise. They shouldn't have fired her.

[quote]Fun fact: Suzanne Somers starred in the first run syndicated show "She's The Sheriff." The lead role originally went to Priscilla Barnes, who backed out of it. It also reunited Somers with Don Knotts for one episode.

Even 'funner' fact: Jenilee was also in that episode, too!

Personally, I always thought Priscilla Barnes, aside from her great beauty, was charming, talented and delivered a groundedness that Three's Company was sorely in need of. I think it made perfect sense for the producers/writers to shift gears when they needed to create a replacement for the two prior dimwit characters. Her normalness provided some balance to DeWitt's grating, artificial chipperness and Ritter's chronically ham-fest choices. The best part of the early seasons was actually the Ropers; as seasoned pros, Fell and Lindley knew the hell what they were doing as comedic actors. (Here's a frightening thought: a dual spinoff in 1985 in which Ann Romano and Janet Wood become roomies after their respective kids and housemates fly the coop. Paired, Franklin and DeWitt could out emote each other in an overly manned fashion until the cows came home--or the ratings dropped. It would be an exciting blend of One Day at a Time's topical gravity and Three's Company's light raunch & signature communication misunderstandings!)

In the wake of Ritter's death I cringed over and over at the flood of encomia characterizing him as an amazing physical comedian, one for the ages. All I saw was a chronic mugger, and that was apparent to me even as a child watching it. His phony, just-shy-of-winking, broad, belabored, over-the-top shtick would have been more suitable for dinner theatre in the Poconos. That he got repeated Emmy love for Jack Tripper is ridiculous. I certainly hope he got better by the time he was on Eight Simple Rules for Dating My Daughter.

I believe the show was actually called Eight Simple Rules for Fucking My Underage Daughter.

Lucille Ball was a big Three's Company fan and even hosted a retrospective of the show. John Ritter was a guest star on the horrible and embarrassing Life With Lucy.

Priscilla never fit in well, it was obvious that they were going for a different sort of character but it didn't work.

Contrast this to Alice, when they replace Flo/Belle with Jolene. This required Linda Lavin to change Alice into a much more motherly character, and she did this and it worked. It helped that Lavin could be bought off with allowing her to direct an episode (getting her out of the episode almost entirely) or by doing a song or by letting her expand her character (such as playing Sam Butler or her own elderly stereotypical Jewish landlady).

Alice was a perfect showcase for Linda Lavin's legendary talent.

^^^Linda Lavin

r78 you must've missed the DL meme. We praise Linda Lavin on this site because she is truly one of the greats. A real triple-threat talent that Barbra Streisand could only dream of having.

R73 Ritter only won one Emmy.

R76 the Jolene years on Alice make the Terri years on TC look like Shakespeare.

R79 what are you smoking? LL is the third most despised female here...following Bonnie Franklin and Rose.

[quote]Anyway, I didn’t realize they had dumbed down the Chrissy character after the first or second season (I believe) because she isn’t the “Bimbo” that I recognized from her later seasons. I was surprised at the difference. Was that because of the lawsuit?

That was Suzanne adding her personal spin to the character. And it was terrible.

The Three's Company book is excellent, and one of the best behind the scenes books out there. Suzanne held the show hostage. She was a last minute cancellation

According to the book, John and Joyce said she lied about her motives for requesting the salary. Suzanne claimed that she told them that her asking for money would benefit all of them in the long run. And that she was going in fighting for everyone. John and Joyce said no conversation ever occurred. Then when Suzanne was rejected she pulled out of an episode last minute, leaving everyone scrambling for a reshoot and having to work several days overtime. That's when the shit started to hit the fan. Suzanne went on every talk show and bitched about the unfair treatment and how her co workers wanted to do with her. That soured the relationship with Joyce.

Then word got back to John and Joyce that Suzanne was going to sue them for libel if they said one word about her to the press. Both had stayed out of the controversy, and hadn't said one word about Somers. This greatly pissed John off who up to that point had been the most sympathetic to Suzanne and it ended their friendship for many years.

It said a lot that when Suzanne announced she had cancer, John and Joyce didn't whether to believe her or not.

Honestly, it's a ownder that John and Joyce ever spoke to her again.

Bless your heart, r81.

[quote]Also her retrofitting doesn't quite make sense. What actor wouldn't want to be on the #1 show on TV? If she didn't want the job, why didn't she turn it down?

Wasn’t there a story that she was up for the role Kate Capshaw got in the Indiana Jones sequel but couldn’t get the time away to shoot because of Three’s Company? Don’t know how true that is but Barnes has said the atmosphere on the TC set was terrible the whole time she was there and she almost immediately regretted taking the part.

For all of Suzanne's faults now, she was super smart back then. She turned lemon into sweet, sweet lemonade. She bucked the misogynist HW bigwigs of the time and came out better.

As someone said, I do think she came out with an outrageous offer initially to start negotiations. I think they reacted so badly and treated her like a bimbo (and apparently the set was toxic) is it any wonder she reacted the way she did? I do think she handled a lot of it wrong and she hurt her friend John and Joyce. However, once that train left the tracks she was not going to be able to stop it without them humiliating her.

SuSu is toxic. She poisons everything she touches.

I have all 8 seasons on DVD. I rarely watch them but when I do, my favorite season is 5 with Harrison. I liked her more than Somers and Barnes. Second, I liked the Barnes years because then the focus was rightly on Jack. He was the central character, like Bea on GG. Somers was OK in the first 2 seasons but then they made her so stupid she shouldn't have been able to tie her shoes. I just never got an erection for Somers. The whole premise of the show was rooted in conservatism and homophobia. The thought that a male could not live with two females is absurd but a conservative notion. It is amazing they got away with the blatant homophobia. The producers of Three's Company did a far better job with The Jeffersons. At least that show wasn't 100 episodes about a stupid misunderstanding.

I think the set of Three's Company already had problems before Suzanne started her salary stuff.

Yes Barnes has mentioned how toxic and horrible the producers and actors were on TC. She said she wanted to leave immediately and hated her time on the show.

Wasn't her first eppy a really, almost completely uncomfortable misogynistic shitshow where her character was treated like shit? I was hopped up on pain meds after surgery so I don't know if I remember right but I seem to remember watching one of her first shows and it was brutal. I was shocked at how terrible Tripper and others treated her.

Barnes had issues with the producers but I don't think she had issues with the other actors. She's still apparently close with DeWitt and Richard Kline. The consensus seems to be that things went south with Somers with the Newsweek photo shoot in 1978. What was apparently intended to be about all 3 instead focused on Somers. I don't really blame her for that though. It sounds like just typical on-set jealousy when one cast member takes off. The whole salary dispute, from what I have read, was more about the fact that she started a sick-in in the middle of the season. It meant more work for the rest of the cast and crew as they had to rewrite and restage since they didn't know if or when she was going to show up.

Plastics, Ben. Plastics.

What went south with Somers was missing the episode with a back injury and having to have everyone come in that weekend to rush shoot an episode.

Ritter and DeWitt both admitted that Suzanne had a valid argument with wanting to get paid more and addressing the sexism with the producers , but once it got to the point where she started putting the show and everyone's jobs at risk, they felt she went too far.

And John Ritter was the star of Three's Company.

I don't think he was the jealous one.

r94 She did go too far. I think most agree. It got out of hand fast. Somers needed to save face but also she knew, I think, they would make her pay dearly if she came back. She tried to hurt them first, hurting her friends in the process. I'm sure she felt, rightly or wrongly, they turned their backs on her. If was a mess. Joyce cannot get over it even after all these years. I think she was jealous of Somers. Ritter got over it before he died.

Nuts!

Suzanne and John Ritter apparently made up and mended things not too long before he died.

Suzanne and Joyce had a super-awkward reunion on Suzanne's HSN (?) show a few years ago.

R97 I love that image cause young Ritter has great thighs and his nutsack looks like it may be nice too. Great color.

r87 It's very awkward and forced.

Oops I meant R98

I didn't find it to be too awkward or forced at all.

There may be some lingering resentment but I think for the most part they are friendly again.

Sommers def made sure to throw Ritter under the bus discussing his infidelity

Shocked no one has mentioned Sommers' personal politics yet.

Sommers once said that Joyce would spend hours studying the scripts and took ample notes, carefully constructing her character's motivation for each line. She thought this was crazy and a waste of time. Her technique was just memorizing her lines.

That's a frightening pic at R93.

I could buy that Kline hasn't had work done. DeWitt certainly has had work done, but it doesn't look too drastic, and she looks ok. Barnes certainly has had work done, and it doesn't look good. I'm assuming the woman on the right is Harrison, and she doesn't even look like herself anymore. Horrific.

[quote] Sommers def made sure to throw Ritter under the bus discussing his infidelity

Wasn't Ritter mentioned several times in a dishy book written by one of Heidi Fleiss's whores? I believe they said he liked smoking meth and would perform rough, violent sex on prostitutes, no?

I believe they said Ritter was quite a fuck machine but don't think they said anything about him being violent.

Suzanne Somers is a big Trump supporter and even dumber than Chrissy Snow so can go fuck herself.

Priscilla Barnes in r93's pic! Yikes. She's turned into one of those unfortunate older women who still dress like they're 25 and just look sad and ridiculous. Without looking up her age, I'd say she has to be well over 60 by now.

Damn who would have thought in that pic that Joyce would be the best looking one!

Joyce's nose job was a bad one and she looked better before it. She hasn't aged badly otherwise though.

Yes, Joyce looks good.

The last time I saw Jennilee she was hosting a rotisserie chicken infomercial.

Joyce looks good, and she dressed age-appropriately.

Jennilee allegedly invested her 80s money in real estate and did very well financially.

I agree with R88. My favorite year of TC was when Cindy was a roommate. I loved her & Jack's comedy. Her Janet interactions were the best Sismance of the

female roommates. My favorite episode is when the Ropers return to their old place now occupied by Mr. Furley (you just can't beat 7 cast members together).

My next favorite years were the Terry seasons. Her job as a nurse was a fresh idea & really helped out in certain scripts that Cindy or Chrissy wouldn't have

been able to. The scene where Jack gets a shot in his butt cheeks makes me laugh every time I see it. PB didn't have the best voice of the 3 but it was okay.

During the first several seasons, Chrissy was too dumb to find her way home but I didn't hate her (I can't stand the stuffed giraffe/Elmo lines she had to say).

I recall on the E True H.S. that TPTB got rid of Cindy because she reminded them (& viewers) of Chrissy & they were so over SS ever coming back.

Getting rid of Cindy Snow was another way to say to SS & all of her fans that she was never coming back.

SS & Joyce also didn't like Ann W. & reportedly joined forces to get rid of her.

I forgot that Ann W. was in the opening credits for the show for a brief time.

Lucy's retrospectives didn't show her as the 10th cast member.

P. Barnes said that the fame from the first few episodes that aired was overwhelming & that she wanted to crawl under a rock & stay.

Someone BTS made her doubt her acting skills by giving her constant retakes of simple lines like "Hello Jack" or "Good Morning" which made her self conscious

(I believe that this was a producer that she had turned down her was trying to get back at her for it).

If memory serves, TC is one of the top 3 selling DVD sets along with I Love Lucy & Friends so everyone involved did something right in the end.

Joyce looks the best BY FAR!

R80, he may have only won once but he was nominated THREE times! Three times too many.

Priscilla better be careful or she will end up looking scary like Kim Novak.

Whore!

Which one looks worse?

She played a stripper in The Crossing Guard where he character boned Jack Nicholson.

“There’s Cindy Williams 😜 and Priscilla Barnes.”

Suzanne looks worse than them all.

Yeah, Somers went downhill in the looks department.

Suzanne is still wearing the Chrissy hairdo (by now it must be a wig) 40 years later.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Remember, Priscilla also posed for Penthouse.

So she exposed the pink?

Back in the day Suzanne Somers was an extremely beautiful woman. Three's Company might not have made it as big without her.

Somers was extremely popular. She was a breakout star. And their chemistry was great. Too bad entertainment is so inequitable and actors get screwed (often literally) all the time.

Suzanne had a good figure with boobs. She was not that pretty.

R127, You can see for yourself (NSFW).

Somers was pretty. She had gorgeous eyes.

Three's Company wouldn't have been the hit it was without Somers. And that show was HUGE back in the day. Remember, there were only three networks back then. A TV star was a much bigger deal than it is today.

Somers was plain to cute in terms of facial beauty, good eyes. It was her body all the teenaged boys masturbated to.

Now Somers looks like she’s being served up for the mourners at her wake. Just look at her in r122 — she doesn’t look to be amongst the living.

Barely cute.

Suzanne honey, you're 72. Nobody wants to see your tits.

Wow, so funny that Barnes said that the fame of being on TC made her 'uncomfortable', yet she had no qualms about showing her Chicken Snatchatore for Penthouse. Such a shrinking violet...

Just rewatched the E TC true Hollywood story. Barnes is mystifying. It was saying she tried out for Cindy Snow but later was cast as Teri. By the third episode she wanted off the show because she claims she was uncomfortable. They held her to her contract. I guess it’s a perfect example of be careful what you wish for because you just might get it. The producers made life hard for her too I think from the get go.

So where were John and Joyce if the set was so awful? Why didn't they do something?

[quote]SS & Joyce also didn't like Ann W. & reportedly joined forces to get rid of her.

According to Ann Wedgworth, she asked to be released from her contract and her request was granted.

[quote]In 1979, Wedgeworth was cast as divorcée Lana Shields on the hit ABC sitcom Three's Company. Her character was brought on the show to fill the void left by Audra Lindley, who had left to star in the show's spin-off, The Ropers. According to behind-the-scene reports, the addition of Lana to the cast caused tension between series star John Ritter and the show's writers. Ritter believed it would be out of character for his character, the womanizing Jack Tripper, to inexplicably turn down the advances of Lana, a sexually voracious, attractive older woman. The writers reasoned that because Lana was older than Jack, he would be turned off. Ritter did not believe that the middle-aged Lana, only meant to be in her 40s (whereas Jack was in his late 20s/early 30s), would repel Jack. Wedgeworth claimed that she asked to be released from her contract because of Lana's dwindling role in the show.

It's funny how John Ritter has been painted as this sweet, wonderful man. Yet I've never bought that. It seems he had a huge ego, particularly on Three's Company.

She’s a mess now.

R141 a lot of young actors gain huge egos with massive success. He was the face of TC and it was the #1 comedy for a few years. Millions watching it weekly.

But even his ego couldn’t outweigh Suzanne Somers

Suzanne looked her best on the first season of Three's Company. You can see it in the opening credits when Janet pours water on her and she turns around to face the camera. Then she started dyeing her hair and had that weird hairdo and that snort-laughing. I actually preferred the Cindy years over the others thought it was mistake to get rid of her. Priscilla seemed too stiff and flat with her lines and just didn't fit in.

Suzanne could play the starring role in a sequel to Leatherface...

Lana was very one note. Mrs. Roper was a more motherly figure, so if Lana was really going to be used as a replacement, they did a bad job. I felt the show went down when the Ropers left. They gave the show a warm, fuzzy feeling. Furley had some great moments, but he didn't come close to the Ropers. I think it is fucked up they didn't get to come back after they were promised. Someone posted that NF never wanted the spin-off in the first place and I guess he agreed when he was assured the Ropers could return if the spin-off bombed. Surprised that wasn't in writing.

And I think the show could've worked fine with the Ropers coming back and Mr. Furley staying on, too. It would've made for a large ensemble cast but it would've given the writers a lot to work with. Missed opportunity.

The show was based on a successful British sitcom, "Man About The House." I wonder if that influenced the producers' thinking... they may have thought the main value was the storyline and it wasn't all about the actors.

The show doesn't hold up today because it was so homophobic, Jack pretending that he was gay and Mr. Roper and Mr. Furley's reaction to him.

It was a dumb idea whose time has come and gone, thank God.

[quote]The whole premise of the show was rooted in conservatism and homophobia. The thought that a male could not live with two females is absurd but a conservative notion.

Mr Roper and Mr Furley were old conservative guys who thought a man couldn’t live with two women, and you were supposed to think they were ridiculous. It wasn’t a message the show was trying to promote.

She was my favorite. I grew up in the 80s watching reruns of the show, and Barnes had some sort of ltent melancholy that made her a more sympathetic character to me, as weird as that may be. I was too young to really get the premise of the show and so I guess I mostly just reacted to characters’ pratfalls and charisma, and I liked her. She always seemed like she needed a hug.

I am Mrs. John Ritter!!

The one I really didn’t like was that homewrecker Vicki.

Three's A Crowd was truly one of the worst pieces of crappola ever produced for national television.

Didn't Three's A Crowd only last for a few episodes before they cancelled it?

Yes, mercifully, I think TAC only lasted a season or half-season before it got canned.

True. Of all the women to have Jack end up with they pick dry, dull, lame Vicky. The final episode of Three's Company was awful too. They really treated the other characters like an after thought to set up the spin-off. What a waste. If JD had a right to mad about anything, that was it. Her being mad she wasn't in the spin-off was dumb. What would be the point of it then? They should have at least brought back the Ropers. There was zero nostalgia. They didn't even allow Janet to have a wedding. It was all about Jack and Vicky.

Good points, R157. I also thought TAC proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that John Ritter needed his two female TC co-stars every bit as much as they needed him, thereby killing the notion that he alone had been the true star of TC and that the women were basically disposable. TAC's failure showed that audiences did not want to see Jack Tripper without Janet and Chrissy (or Janet and Teri) and had zero interest in him with the dull-as-wood Vicky.

Three's a Crowd was a bad idea from the get-go. Three's Company was 8 years old at that point and the ratings had dropped significantly that last season. It was time for it to go. Plus there was little chemistry between John Ritter and Mary Cadorette.

They did have a wedding episode for Janet but it might have been the next to last episode. I think the final episode was the three packing up and moving.

I don't know who anyone thinks the 2 other women were better than Chrissy Snow. SS and the chemistry with the other 2 was unmatched. It was still watched with the other 2 (to a degree) but the original 3 was the best IMO.

[quote]They did have a wedding episode for Janet but it might have been the next to last episode. I think the final episode was the three packing up and moving.

If memory serves, this is correct.

Joyce Dewitt was pissed that the series finale was all about Jack and Vicky. Of course she had a point.

It really depressed me to see Priscilla Barnes in The Devil's Rejects for some reason.

If I remember correctly, Joyce Dewitt's main complaint was that work had been underway for some time on Three's a Crowd without informing her or the rest of the cast until they brought in Cadorette for those last few episodes. I'm sure her feelings were hurt and that she felt let down by Ritter. They certainly patched things up a lot sooner than she did with Suzanne. They were on Good Morning America or something together where they took a few swipes at Suzanne, who announced she had cancer a few days later, if I remember correctly.

Back to Priscilla Barnes, I thought she did okay but Terri definitely was more of a supporting character than Chrissy. Barnes just didn't seem to be quite as comfortable with the broad comedy. She did have her moments though.

I thought Priscilla was very pretty and added much to the show; Jenilee was obvious and amateurish, ordinary-looking, too.

Yes, technically Janet had a wedding, but it was interrupted by Vicky, her father and Jack. It wasn't a focal point, more of a backdrop to Vicky and Jack's nonsense. It was sort of fucked up since Janet was on the show from the very beginning.

Remember when Jack shot his load all over Terri? Terri took it like a champ!

[quote]I thought she did okay but Terri definitely was more of a supporting character than Chrissy.

I agree with this. Teri (nor Cindy before her) was never really made to be on a par with Jack and Janet the way Chrissy was. When Suzanne left the show, it basically became the Jack and Janet show (because all of the storylines basically revolved around the two of them) before it eventually just became the Jack show (when even Janet got pushed to the sidelines). But when Chrissy was there, they were all pretty much equal.

Yes, those last episodes of TOC were horrible. All the Jack and Vicky drama was nauseating. Vicky was a whiny cow.

I hadn't seen those episodes in a long time but it was weird to see Janet and Teri being guest stars on their own show. They were all supporting poor Vicky who was already being groomed as a lead on the spin-off. She would shriek and whine about Jack or taking some lame job. It really was terrible. The actress who played Vicky i believe does theatre now. She looks like a mug-cradling frau.

There was a nice moment between Jack, Janet and Teri, though.

I used to think Richard Kline was hot in his tight, black pants back in the TC days. Saw him a few months ago dining at an Italian restaurant here in NYC. I think he does a lot of theater now.

Mary Cadorette left the business years ago.

Good.

I wonder how long it would take to choreograph the Jack/Cindy pratfalls and slapstick.

They were both very good at it.

No, Janet.

No.

I remember watching Richard Kline on Star Games (rip off of Battle of the Network Stars) in a sexy speedo. He had a massive bulge!

Would DL favorite Barrie Youngfellow have fared better as the third roommate?

Am I the only one who liked Mr. Furley better than the Ropers? I hated Norman Fell mugging to the camera. Audra Lindley could rock a caftan but her neglected horny schtick was boring after awhile. Don Knotts brought a cartoon goofiness that was more fun.

Both Priscilla and Jennilee were snubbed by the porn parody. No Terri or Cindy!

MAN ABOUT THE HOUSE, the British show THREE'S COMPANY was based on, had two spinoffs:: GEORGE AND MILDRED (Americanized as THE ROPERS) and ROBIN'S NEST (Americanized as THREE'S A CROWD).

The 28 episodes of THE ROPERS and the 22 episodes of THREE'S A CROWD have been assimilated into the THREE'S COMPANY syndication package, with TAC retitled THREE'S COMPANY TOO, using the background track of the TC theme with no vocal.

r177 I preferred Mr. Furley, too. But I did like the Ropers. I liked the suggestion above that they could have had the Ropers return and interact with Mr. Furley.

R176-I 'm not sure she would've worked as a roommate, but she is exactly who I was thinking of that Jack could've and should've ended up with. She's sexy and smart, it would have worked better for the spin-off than boring Vicky and her annoying father.

Suzanne gave an interview once and said something to the effect that, had she stayed with the show, it would have ended with Chrissy and Jack falling in love and getting married. Don't know why she thought that but if I remember correctly that's what she said.

Suzanne ridiculously proposed that she come back and be Jack's love interest for TAC...

Ritter's ego ruined the show.He felt upstaged by Chrissie.....then the Ropers.

Got his own show and it tanked.I loved it.

Chrissy was a great comedian, i enjoyed her zanny abilities. ....tooo bad her co-star felt those antics stole their spotlight.I have often wondered if Joyce ever realized Ritter used her to get his own show.

Barnes married a wealthy man right?

Nobody suspected Ritter was a diva an wouldn't share the spotlight with anybody.

This has nothing to do with Linda Lavin, Jolene worked, Terri did not. That's it..

R181 what about Joanna Kerns? They had good chemistry.

Actually the last season had some of my favorite episodes, but once they started setting up for the spinoff (the last handful) it became unwatchable.

I think season 6 is the best (Terri’s first season), then Cindy’s/end of Suzanne just because I think some of the best Jack/Jack and Larry antics were on that season, then season 4. Always preferred the Furley years and when the show became more slapstick over the first couple of seasons. And in retrospect those are the seasons with the staying power 30/40 years later (the early seasons are far more dated).

Priscilla Barnes also happened to be beautiful and far prettier than any of the more hyped blondes of that time, but damn she was NOT 26 when the show started. She had to have shaved at least five years off her age. She was my favorite though.

Plus, she and Janet seemed like genuine friends. Even before all the trouble started, Suzanne and Joyce D could never convince me their characters were really friendly - I don’t think they ever liked each other, tbh.

[quote]The show doesn't hold up today because it was so homophobic, Jack pretending that he was gay and Mr. Roper and Mr. Furley's reaction to him.

I’m not gonna debate your opinion. But I will say that in order to appreciate something so dated, you have to be able to put it into context. I mean...this is the equivalent of saying “All In the Family” or “The Jeffersons” don’t hold up because the main characters are racist. I personally find the lack of PC fascinating in these old-ass shows because I was too young to "Get it" and we've gone full circle since they originally aired.

It's like...progression (the 70s) to regression (all of the 80s) returned to progression (early 90s) and back to FUCKING regression (Now). I just watched that episode of "Maude" when her alcoholic husband hit her. Kinda blew my mind that this was a story in a sitcom.

[quote]Priscilla Barnes also happened to be beautiful and far prettier than any of the more hyped blondes of that time, but damn she was NOT 26 when the show started.

She looked mid-30s.

I don't think Joyce liked Suzanne from day one. Joyce, if you remember, thought rather highly of herself as a SERIOUS actress - she was allegedly classically trained. Then this big-titted blonde with very little acting experience and no training whatsoever comes along and becomes the breakout star of the show.

it's stupid to stand like you're a fucking flamingo.

I think that Chrissy’s cousin was written to be a straightforward replacement for Chrissy—essentially the same character. Terri was not the same character. She was an intelligent and mostly serious nurse, not a bimbo. It’s kind of weird to me that people are holding Barnes responsible for not being as good a Chrissy as Suzanne Somers given that Chrissy was not Barnes’s role at all.

[quote]I think that Chrissy’s cousin was written to be a straightforward replacement for Chrissy—essentially the same character.

Chrissy was THE quientessential ditzy, dumb blonde.

Cindy was a klutz.

They both had totally different comedy styles. Mannerisms vs, physicality.

R191, I don't think people are blaming Barnes for not being as good as Somers, rather that the show simply wasn't as good once Somers was gone. It's like those who say that "Charlie's Angels" was never as good after the first season -- it's not necessarily a swipe against Farrah's successors, just that the chemistry of the original three could never be repeated, and for many people I think it was the same with "Three's Company." It's not anything personal against Barnes.

R193 See OP. He put it on Barnes’s performance and appearance, not the direction of the show.

“Jennilee Harrison was only temporary because she was not as sexy nor as good a comedienne as Suzanne Somers (the former is easy to say, even though the latter does seem a bit mind-boggling). But at least as she was cute and incredibly appealing. i just don;t understand at all what the producers saw in Priscilla Barnes--she was attractive, but in a very sophisticated way that was wrong for the show; and she was completely unfunny. Why did they cast her?”

I thought Harrison came because Barnes was leaving to marry a wealthy dude???

Barnes came after Harrison.

I thought Teri was the best of the blond roommates. She was smart and sarcastic, the opposite of Chrissy (who got annoying and unbelievable after awhile). Priscilla was no Bea Arthur but she was good delivering the sarcasm lines. The writers insisted that Teri be sexy, but Priscilla was still able to bring a down-to-earth quality to the character so she was more relatable than intimidating.

[R196]

Oh....didn't realize that....

Priscilla Barnes is married to actor Ted Monte for 15 years, and is now officially known as Priscilla Barnes-Monte. After years of renting, they bought their first home together in Glendale for $689K in 2012.

Interesting about PB's birthdate: internet sources can be found saying dates as early as 1952 and as late as 1958, though most say 1954 or 1955. The earlier date makes sense to me, it would make her 28/29 when she started on TC.

Joyce DeWitt is a trained actor. She has a BFA in theatre from Ball State and a Masters from UCLA, both obtained before she started TC.

Chris Mann's THREE'S COMPANY book, COME AND KNOCK ON OUR DOOR, is highly recommended. The only person out of the entire cast who wouldn't talk to him was Priscilla. He also has interviews with the show's production staff.

R191, that's true -- OP does make it rather personal with regard to Barnes, so I'll leave him/her out of it and say that I don't think the majority of others are doing that, but I don't think it's an unfair criticism to say that Barnes wasn't a comedic actress (I think she had been known more for drama prior to joining TC). Even so, she was still not personally responsible for the show's eventual decline, which had everything to do with it morphing into the Jack Tripper Show more than anything to do with Barnes.

And R197, I totally agree -- Barnes' strength was her sarcastic line deliveries. She had that down pat.

Wonder why Barnes won't discuss the show

I bet Ritter was really mean to her and Dewitt turned a blind eye

Joyce co-produced the “behind the scenes” TV movie about TC in which Suzanne was portrayed as a fame/$$$ whore. Which is basically true.

They didn’t re-create the ‘exposing nutsac’ scene.

The Newsweek cover that John and Joyce were so upset about.

Barnes will discuss the show, she just didn't participate in the book. She does these panels and cons, sometimes with DeWitt and Richard Kline, fairly often.

Plus all the living major cast members including Barnes were interviewed for the E True Hollywood Story In 1998. On YouTube. Highly recommended.

R201 she does discuss the show. And her biggest issue were the Execs at ABC and the Production team of the show. Not the actors.

She said misogyny and sexism were rampant behind the scenes with the crew/Production/Execs and the blonde women in particular were treated as nothing but objects for all the men.

Priscilla Barnes and Lynda Carter were roommates when they were struggling actresses in the early 70s. Carter was born in 1951. Barnes has to be around the same age.

Even in the late 70s the premise was dated. I was in high school and many of us had older siblings, relatives, etc. who had mixed gender roommates.

Also, the show pretending that Ritter had to put on an act to appear gay when he had gay voice (even though he was straight) and was kind of queeny was weird.

A comedy about a straight man that everyone assumes is gay would have been less dated in the late 70s. (If TV could have handled it.)

Barnes was in a short-lived drama series a few years before joining TC called The American Girls. She had to have been around 25 then so I'd also guess she was born closer to '52 than '58.

r208 network television is always behind the times, even today. I was in diapers back then, but I think in the late 70s opposite-sex roommates and unmarried couples living together was a fairly common thing, esp. in cities like LA. But for network tv, that was still a pretty taboo subject.

Mary Cadorette said in the True Hollywood Story people were having a cow about Jack and Vicky shacking up before marriage on Threes A Crowd. Lol much ado about nothing.

The reason that Priscilla didn't enjoy her time on Three's Company was because of the sexist "boys club" atmosphere of the producers. In an interview, she said that sometimes she'd have an idea and make a suggestion to the writers and producers, but they didn't want to even listen to her. So, she'd share her idea with John Ritter and ask him to pitch it to the writers. The writers cared about what John had to say, and they liked Priscilla's ideas when they came from John's mouth. This was very frustrating for her. It did lead her to bond closely with Joyce DeWitt; they became great friends.

Cheryl Ladd (Like Celia Weston and Kirstie Alley) worked, Barnes did not.

It's no mystery, most replacements do not work, but some do work. DeWitt was just bitter and still is that she was not the star, and while she can accept 2nd place to Ritter she couldn't accept a fourth place (Behind, Ritter, Somer and The Ropers). Sorry but even Meredith Baxter-Lesbian accepted the fact she was no longer the star of her show. Jaclyn Smith, wisely knew that Charlie's Angels was the best gig she'd ever be capable of, and she sat quietly and collected her paycheck. (which is a shame because one look at her on Becker you can see Smith has a real, but unexploited gift for comedy.)

By 1984 when TAC started, nobody was having a cow that a couple was shacking up without being married. I think she's doing some revisionist history because the show was terrible, and there was no audience. John Ritter's hijinks as Jack had worn thin, which showed in the last ratings of TC, an audiences had moved on to other comedies that were considered "quality" which was a buzzword back then.

I did not know that, r207.

IMDB has Priscilla listed as ‘Amazon (uncredited)’ in the Wonder Woman pilot. Too bad she never returned to do a guest spot on the show. She would have made a fun Cheetah! Or a new character - The Flamingo!

[quote]I remember watching Richard Kline on Star Games (rip off of Battle of the Network Stars) in a sexy speedo. He had a massive bulge!

I always thought Kline was much hotter than Ritter.

Richard Kline committed career suicide when he TV married the worst excuse for a "and / as credit" ever

Huh? Who did he marry?

R209 Priscilla was most likely born in 1954. She graduated from High School in 1972. Most people are 17 or 18 when they graduate. It looks like she tried to shave some years off her age later on, but that's not uncommon for people in show business.

Here a cap of her yearbook. She was very attractive then (unlike some celebs in their YB photos) .

Crazy that Richard Kline was only in his early 30s back then. He looked 50 by modern standards.

According to Wikipedia, Priscilla Barnes was born in 1954. She will be 64 this coming Friday.

I’ll admit I found John kind of hot as a young gayling.

I never thought Richard Kline was handsome or sexy.

R212 are you sure it was Priscilla? Joyce told the exact same story on the True Hollywood Story regarding the producers. I do think in Priscilla’s case it was the producers were the reason she hated it there practically from day one. She also said they penalized her the last two years of her contract with threes company by giving her less money.

Stupid to pose like that, Pricilla in op’s pic.

Penalized her for what?

I love you, R24!

Whatever happened with Richard Kline's Liberace show?

IIRC, after TC, Richard Kline played Barrie Youngfellow's husband in the syndicated "It's A Living."

Ritter had a fairly nice ass.

Just imagine how I feel, r217/r228!

According to Suzanne, she and John made amends and got back on speaking terms not too long before he died. Who knows if that's true or not.

I think it may have been, R231, only because I recall seeing a picture of them talking with one another at some event shortly before he died.

Show me the receipts, r232!

In addition to Jack Tripper, I will also always remember John Ritter for the great guest turn he did on a fabulous episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" as a man who was dating Buffy's mom. Let's just say he was not exactly the man that he pretended to be.

Sorry, Joyce. The only specific thing I remember about the pic was that I saw it in the Life section of USA Today. I would assume it's out there on the 'Net somewhere.

Yeah, R231. According to Suzanne Amy Yasbeck came barging into a bathroom where she was taking a dump and announced "I am John Ritter's wife" (I do the same thing, though) and all was forgiven. But, she also tells how John hunted her down at a hairdressers in Hollywood and wanted to make amends, so who knows.

Kline could wear super-tight pants like nobody’s business. He also looked great in those open shirts with his chest pelt showing.

I’ve had a couple of people mention to me that they though John was gay. Something about the mannerism in his voice.

Suzanne Somers can vividly recall the last time she ever spoke to John Ritter.

The actor, who starred alongside the 71-year-old in the hit 1970s sitcom “Three’s Company” as the lovable, closeted heterosexual Jack Tripper, died in 2003 at age 54 from an aortic dissection, a break in the main artery that carries blood from the heart.

Somers was shocked when Ritter unexpectedly reached out to her a month before his sudden death. Since she was famously fired by ABC in 1982 after she asked for a pay hike, Somers never heard from any of her co-stars, including Ritter.

She reflected on that moment, as well as the many lessons she learned in Hollywood, in a new memoir, titled “Two’s Company.” She described getting a surprise phone call from Ritter while getting her hair done at a beauty parlor.

“I go to the phone. I said, ‘John?’” Somers told Fox News. “He said, ‘Hey babe,’ and I knew his voice right away. And then he said, ‘I forgive you.’ I had a moment of, ‘Uh, you forgive me?’ And then I thought, ‘Be the grownup.’ And so I said, ‘Thanks.’

"And he said, ‘I’m doing a show called ‘Eight Simple Rules’ and there’s a dream sequence and I want to have a nightmare, and in my nightmare, you... are in the dream.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I’d love to work with you again, but… This isn’t the way I want to come back, a nightmare. Really?’”

Their brief conversation would spark a possible collaboration that never came to be.

“I said, ‘Why don’t we find an actual project?’” said Somers. “‘Why don’t we do something together?’ He said, ‘All right. That’s a good idea. I’ll look.’ I said, ‘I’ll look.’ And a month later, he died. So there was resolution, which feels good. We probably would’ve found a project, which would’ve worked. I always thought Jack Tripper should’ve married Chrissy Snow anyway and that should be the spin off. I’m glad I had that resolution with him. Really glad.”

Sorry about the Fox News link, but that was the only article I could find.

[R239]

A nightmare about Chrissy,John Ritter was a diva....god love em

Kline's tight pants looked painful

Suzanne lies a lot. You never know she's telling through, or just just twisting something to make herself look better.

If I were Suzanne, I'd lie about everything. Like say the sky is green and the grass is red and then when challenged, I'd produce a blade and hold it against my oppressor's throat in a threatening manner.

How's that for company?

Suzanne's...."truth"

Suz tells the fraus who buy her lifestyle items that she’s never had any work done.

Suz says her vitamins will prevent menopause.

Too bad there aren't any vitamins for making her skin not look leathery.

Suzanne also claims because of her diet she hasnt passed gas in 30 years.

Ms. Somers claims she has sex at least once, if not two or three times a day too. Bio-identical hormones, HGH, and a cocktail of life extension crap apparently causes her to be unbelievably horny and go unsatisfied!

[R246-249]

Is that you Joyce Dewitt

Suzanne also claimed she got pregnant the first time, "Immaculate Conception" style.

Virgin pregnancy!

I've never understood the claims by DeWitt that she was shocked about the spin off for Ritter, or the claims that Ritter used Joyce for it. How does that make sense considering they based the entire concept for the show and all its spin offs on the British version. They all knew where it was headed.

I always wondered: Did Joyce really turn her back on Hollywood, or was it actually the other way around? After TC ended, did no producers want to deal with her and that's why she didn't have any work. (Would explain why she held such a long grudge against SuSom.) I remember seeing her on an infomercial around 1994 for something called "The California Diet" with other washed-up 70s sitcom celebs. Hmmm

R253 I would imagine nobody wanted her. She wasn't that remarkable on Three's Company and it must have really (probably still does) piss her off that every single other person on the show was able to move on and be seen as something else rather than their Three's Company character.

[quote]every single other person on the show was able to move on and be seen as something else rather than their Three's Company character

Never really thought about it before but this is very true: even Richard Kline and Jennilee Harrison were able to land regular roles on other shows.

Didn’t Joyce retire from show business and and travel after the show ended. She lived in a cave or something.

I chose to take a seven year spiritual sabbatical from Hollywood! Haters begone!

spiritual sabbatical = sitting on couch watching tv all day eating bags of oreos and potato chips

I'll defend DeWitt a liitle bit. I really don't think she was all that ambitious for stardom. She didn't do much outside work while Three's Company was on and even if she wasn't a spectacular actress or drop dead gorgeous, she still would have been a hot commodity due to the series' success. I think she's actually in her element now doing regional theatre. I kind of admire her ability to still be working as an actress 35 years after that show ended, with a lengthy absence. There aren't too many other TV actresses her age, from that era, who still seem to act on a fairly regular basis. It's obviously small-time in comparison, but work is work.

Reading between the lines, r252, it seemed like they deliberately kept the spinoff a secret as long as possible because they knew DeWitt would react badly. Ritter claims the producers and network had been coming to him at the end of every season after the second or third wanting to do the Robin’s Nest spin-off but he resisted saying Three’s Company was still a hit so why make a change. He finally relented the last season when they were repeating storylines and starting to look too old to be believable as roommates. Maybe he was waiting for the producers or network to announce the spinoff but if you read that Three’s Company book both he and the producers speak as though they were all avoiding DeWitt’s reaction as long as possible.

I will admit I do find it a little hard to imagine that no one was open to the idea of working with DeWitt after TC went off the air. I'm sure some producer somewhere could've built a sitcom around her. Even if it hadn't been something on a major network, it could've been something done for first-run syndication (which was really hot back in the '80s), so maybe it's true that she really was just not interested.

Oh fuck off, loser. She was destined to be a low life nobody like you.

R262 = DJT, bored in Argentina

[quote]She didn't do much outside work while Three's Company was on and even if she wasn't a spectacular actress or drop dead gorgeous, she still would have been a hot commodity due to the series' success.

Or that tells us that she wasn't considered much of a commodity even during the height of the series.

R262 Eat a Snickers. You aren’t yourself when you’re hangry. If that doesn’t work, eat shit and die.

Joyce didn't even do any miniseries or guest roles on tv shows after TC ended. After being on a big hit sitcom, that was kind of odd. Most tv actors back then managed to get a miniseries or steady guest work after their shows ended, and quite a few got cast on another series. Joyce just seemed to disappear.

Guys, she wasn’t a stand out and she wasn’t as hot as the other ladies of the show. The general public saw her as there vs Jack, the landlords or the blondes.

R266 JD did disappear for about 7 years (as noted above). Joyce went around the world learning various religious beliefs to heal from the disrespect she said she received on the TC set. All of this was mentioned in her big tv comeback interview in 1991 on Joan Rivers morning talk show (with DL fav Robert Reed & Donna Douglas). If I recall, she didn't have an agent at the time (which basically means you have turned your back on acting roles).

R114 here responding to R140. What you said is true but behind the scenes SS & JD pushed her out the door. Ann W. has said this in interviews about the show. It probably doesn't surprise anyone that greedy SS wanted Ann W. gone so she could end up with more $$$ in her bank account.

R267 Wrong . The general public loves JD & she probably has recent Q scores to back it up. JD (for whatever reason) loves a lower public profile with the exception of the occasional convention appearance for some extra $$$. The TC DVD set is in the top 3 selling sitcoms evah. With 8 seasons under her panty hose, she probably made a couple million from that project alone. Some seasons have exclusive content with her (like interviewing John's wife during the show for TC stories).

No Black characters except for the female doctor who treated Stanley.

A racist uncle used to tell me, as a kid, that DeWitt dated/married a black man.

He knew I loved 3s reruns and I guess he thought he'd ruin it for me but I never cared one way or another.

R269 wasn’t that common? It’s still sorta common. Look at Friends. They hardly had black characters and NYC in the 90s and 2000s was majority minorities. Whites were the minority. But you wouldn’t know that watching Friends, Seinfeld or Sex and the City.

Yeah, your racist uncle was right. She dated Levar Burton.

Even on Dallas though they had the hot bosomy Black waitress..

R269 There were black characters in the background at various apartment parties (Teri's TC debut I believe).

JD dated LeVar Burton for awhile in the 70s if I recall correctly.

.

R271, WINGS was perhaps the Whitest ensemble ever.

They could have Terri be played by a sistah. Maybe Debbie Allen.

R275 without a doubt. Although I wanted to fuck Steven Weber.

Let’s be real, with the way Foley and Roepers reacted to Jack living with women, they wouldn’t be much different to a black woman living there. It would probably make matters worse.

R277, I can see why.

R278 but the same producers did The Jefferson's! Where diversity was the name of the game.

R279 yup. He was quite nice to look at.

About 8 years ago my friend and him connected on Twitter. I was 23 and she was 20. Big tit pretty blonde. He followed her back randomly and slid in her DMs. They were talking for a while and I know when he was in nyc they met up. She never told me if they did anything and I don’t ask. But I was jealous as fuck cause I always wanted to reenact Single White Female on him without the murder lmao.

PS he was married at the time. He was very secretive.

R281, I am weirdly shocked about this. But thanks for the story!

R280 I can only imagine the outrage the network would get and amount of hate mail for moving a black woman in with a white man and white woman. You know how ignorant people can be. When this show was on MTV still wouldn’t even show black artists cause white america didn’t want them to until Michael Jackson broke barriers.

R282. Yup. Her name is Candace (won’t say her last lol) and we don’t speak much now. She’s married with kids now. But then she had a few celebs trying to pick her up and the casting people for Big brother and MTV contacted her. She was hot.

Steven Weber, George Lopez, and a few football players all hit her up.

I know she turned down Lopez (who was also married) but she met up with Weber and Mark Sanchez who was a Quarterback for the Jets at the time. She fucked him a few times. She told me about him.

Candace had good taste turning down Lopez. He is just awful for betraying the wife who saved his life like that.

R283, I see your point.

Yeah. Back then Mark Sanchez even tweeted a Happy Bday to her. Idk if it still there but it was in like 2011 or 2012 ... I was always jealous as fuck of her 😂 she got hot dick. And her hubby is a cutie too. Trust fund kid. But he works.

I remember watching Terri's first episode (in reruns) and being horrified. I don't even remember exactly what was going on in the episode (Jack obviously didn't want Terri living there (again, I don't remember the details), but I'll never forget the scene where mascara is running down Terri's face and she tells him he might as well keep going. It seemed like such a dark, gross, scene that didn't match up with the vibe of Three's Company at all.

She had given him a tetanus shot in his ass at the hospital and he hated her.

All these nearly 300 posts and no one has mentioned Janet always had to share a bed with the other female?

R289 should Jack share with a woman? It’s appropriate that the two women share and he have his own. And if it were two men and one woman she get her own room.

R289 Well it's not like they were sleeping together!

Jack should've been paying more rent than the women since he got his own bedroom. I don't know how women that age could still share a bedroom.

From Terri's first ep she was very different than the other blondes. She was a little obnoxious and no nonsense when she gave Jack the shot. See, that was so backwards, he wasn't afraid of the shot, he was embarrassed that Terri would give it. How stupid? Jack was supposed to a stud and progressive, but in some ways he wasn't much different than Roper? Jack seemed all talk and no action, so I can believe he wouldn't make a move on Lana. The first season was definitely more risqué and a lot more innuendo.

R288- it wasn't mascara. Larry put ink on the glasses, but Jack didn't know. Then he was supposed to spray her, but he felt bad and sprayed himself.

They shared a bedROOM not a bed, r289.

I remember hearing Suzanne talk about her reconciliation with Ritter on a talk show. I think it was a cable news show the day Ritter died. She used the word "I" about twice a sentence. It was so bizarre.

However, one part of her story in R239 is curious. Ritter did do a nightmare dream sequence on his show "8 Simple Rules", and it did feature one of his Three's Company cast members. Not Suzanne, though. It wouldn't have worked as well with her.

Joyce and Levar!

Joyce, Suzanne, John...with Kate Jackson. And Cher?

Joyce, Brooke Shields and SJP!

[quote]However, one part of her story in [R239] is curious.

I don't find it curious! I find it exactly along the lines of what Suzanne seems to do. Take a piece of information after the fact and then insert a story about her in it which is totally fabricated but in her mind comes off as realistic because there was someone else's truth in it!

[quote]Jack should've been paying more rent than the women since he got his own bedroom.

While TC was still on the air, John Ritter tried to capitalize on his TV success by briefly pursuing a film career ("Hero at Large") and I remember reading that there was talk amongst the producers of changing the format of the show by having Jack move out and into his own apartment upstairs. The reason given was so that Ritter would have extra time away to make movies, but after his attempts at becoming a film star fizzled, that was the end of that and Jack stayed put.

Wow, R296. Interesting pic. What's frustrating is that I can't figure out what '70s talk show that could have been. It obviously wasn't Johnny Carson nor was it Mike Douglas, Dinah Shore or Merv Griffin. I have no idea what "CP" could have been (unless it was something local in Los Angeles).

R300 I think it was this:

I remember my grandmother getting National Enquirer and Star magazines and those other supermarket tabloids when I was growing up. The big story in the late 70s after Three's Company debuted was Suzanne Somers past arrest for passing bad checks. They liked to splash her mugshot in there week after week.

Tee hee.

R293, the girls always shared one full size bed.

Why not two twins or even a bunk?

R303 is a senile Mr. Roper.

R122, I'm no fan of Rubberface, but to say Somers looks the worst, well, I'd get your prescription checked. Barnes looks like Amy Sedaris's melted-faced Jerri on Strangers with Candy.

At 14:20 into this clip.

[R295]

So the racist ball balled Dewitt for being with Levar. I can see it,racial shyyt was deep in the 70s,early eighties.....quiet as they try to keep it

So many impassioned responses to a thread about a replacement sitcom ensemble cast member!

[quote]Jack should've been paying more rent than the women since he got his own bedroom. I don't know how women that age could still share a bedroom.

I always wondered why they didn't make that a three-bedroom apartment. I thought that was odd. And yes, why would two adults share a bedroom? Especially in the later seasons when they were all in their 30s.

Great pic 296. I love the ashtray on the table, just in case they wanted to light up a cig and puff away on national television lol!

R308 Females are insatiable when it comes to masturbation so having to do it every day with a roomie? How lame.

[quote]Why not two twins or even a bunk?

they did have twin beds.

Joyce and Suzanne had some sort of reunion on an webcast that Suzanne had. I know there is a lot of joking about Joyce being bitter, but she came off pretty grounded and down to earth. Suzanne did not exactly come across as a genuine human.

I remember Joyce and John appearing on the Today Show (or something similar) not that long before he died. They seemed very comfortable with each other and on good terms. Suzanne was mentioned - it was when she was seen coming out of a liposuction facility which she later claimed was related to a cancer recovery - and at that time John and Suzanne had not reconciled. I am a little skeptical of Suzanne's touching reconciliation story.'

I think Joyce was actually prettier than Suzanne, whose looks were a bit overrated, esp. after season 1. Ritter was the key to the show, but part of it was how he worked with both Joyce and Suzanne. The chemistry among the roommates was important.

"When they sat down it sounded like a round of applause."

I think a good comparison to where Joyce was career-wise at the end of TC is with Garbo at the end of her time at MGM. Both had reached the zenith of stardom, both had been in high-profile relationships (Garbo with John Gilbert and Joyce and Ray Buktenica were Brangelina before Brangelina was even a concept) and both had begun to see the writing on the wall in terms of age. I really think after all the hubaloo and the insane level of stardom she was at while on TC, Joyce wanted some peace and quiet and 'to be left alone'. When she came back she came back on her own terms at a much lower profile and with quality projects that she did for the sake of her craft and not for the money or fame.

Ah, okay. Thank you for that, R301, because I was truly stumped.

[quote]Suzanne was mentioned - it was when she was seen coming out of a liposuction facility which she later claimed was related to a cancer recovery

For some reason that made me laugh out loud.

Suzanne's rack got all the attention, but Joyce had a nice pair of tits too.

Joyce also had a nice round ass, too, and great legs. Who could forget those L’eggs commercials?

I think DeWitt was attractive enough in a "cute" girl-next-door sort of way, especially the first couple of years the show was on, but she was always going to be overshadowed by Somers, Loni Anderson, the Angels, Lynda Carter, etc., who were sexier and had posters out or whatever. Had that American Girls show taken off in '78, Barnes and her co-star also would have overshadowed DeWitt.

The Barnes years weren’t funny at all. I can’t believe the show lasted as long as it did.

Love you, R297, that photo is awesome!

Joyce had more junk in the trunk than Suzanne.

[quote] So many impassioned responses to a thread about a replacement sitcom ensemble cast member!

Nah, babe. It’s been more like this:

Joyce - 35% Suzanne - 30% Priscilla-20% John/the show - 15%

THREE'S COMPANY was actually quite a frightening show when it came to discarding so-called love ones and friends and moving on as if they didn't exist.

Chrissy was beloved by her two roommates, years of declaring the three couldn't live without one another. Then one day, Chrissy was gone and never seen or mentioned again. Nice friends.

The Ropers made an appearance after Furley took over landlord duties, but after that one visit, was never mentioned again.

The removal of Cindy was even more sinister. They chose to keep her on for an extra half year, relegated to the sidelines so she could stay and watch Terri replace her and be embraced by Jack and Janet as their new BFF. Sadistic. When they decided Cindy had been tormented enough, they refilmed the scenes at the LA zoo for the opening credits of that first Terri season so that Cindy - who was seen walking and laughing along with the "gang", walking with Larry and Furley a few steps behind the starring trio - was not seen anymore with Larry and Furley, or sitting with them in the traveling cart in the closing credits. It was if Cindy never existed. Ever.

Cold-hearted. A cruel little world THREE'S COMPANY could be ...

[quote] When they decided Cindy had been tormented enough, they refilmed the scenes at the LA zoo for the opening credits of that first Terri season so that Cindy - who was seen walking and laughing along with the "gang", walking with Larry and Furley a few steps behind the starring trio - was not seen anymore with Larry and Furley, or sitting with them in the traveling cart in the closing credits.

Oh, honey. We didn’t go back to the zoo to re-film...we filmed it on the same day! We sent the poor girl to craft services to fetch us sodas and quickly filmed it as we didn’t want to hunt her feelings. Notice how the rest of us look exactly the same!!!

I rather enjoyed Priscillas character compared to a stupid blond bimbo. She was rather talented comically.

r53 - yes, Ritter had the all-time sexiest feet on prime-TV. And he loved showing them off - even sexier. The Camping episode will always be my favorite.

r56 - I agree, DeWitt had great comic timing. Very underrated. Loved Janet during the Chrissy years - she was the grounded one, the straight one, the smart one, and her reactions were always on. As the years went on, it seemed whomever they paired her with determined who Janet was going to be that episode, instead of the other way around. I never quite "got" Janet and Terri's friendship other than plot purpose. The show never lost that special connection between Janet and Jack, though - probably more to do with the actors than the writing.

Even creepier, r324 - the same exact clothes, the same exact moves and choreography ... Cindy never existed. It was all a dream.

Joyce and Ray the Brangelina of their day, R313???? What the fuck are you on?

Was Janet ever mentioned on that fucking spin-off?

I ❤️ r313 and r329!

Without THREE'S COMPANY, Priscilla Barnes would not have made her way into TV pop culture. She'll always be a part of that. Syndication will keep her in the present forever. She has TC to thank for that.

True, r332. Though I remember really liking her in this short-lived pre-TC show.

Found an episode on YouTube! Probably pure crap but I was only 9 years old.

People tend to forget that Suzanne Somers was once arrested pre- TC for passing bad checks. She always been good for a con if it means $$$$.

R297 this is gold. But what’s scary about that pic is they are both the same age - and they would have been 15 at the time. Almost every kid in the biz is the size of SJP, which is freaky to me - anyone that age who is that much of a skinny midget (and remember how short Joyce is) looks malnourished.

I know not enough Brooke threads lately but I think that’s the prettiest picture of her I’ve ever seen. And I love what’s she’s wearing - it looks like Ralph Lauren.

And Only on DL can a thread on Priscilla Barnes max out (because it will) and that’s why I love it.

I always found that shot of Cindy in the opening credits funny - standing way off in the distance with a giraffe in the foreground, waving frantically. It was if the producers were making fun of her behind her back.

Priscilla always reminded me of Kim Cattrall. She could’ve totally played Samantha’s sister in SATC.

[quote]The show never lost that special connection between Janet and Jack, though - probably more to do with the actors than the writing.

The original trio really did seem like they cared for each other. Initially as a trio of friends, although as Crissy got dumber, it was almost like Jack and Janet were parents of a special needs child. Every once in awhile there would be an episode with a bit of subtext that there might be potential for Jack and Janet as a couple in other circumstances. I remember an episode where they ended up matching in a computer dating scenario (more disturbingly - I think a similar thing happened to Kieth and Laurie Partridge). . The show had run its course and I think a Jack and Janet show would have been a mistake, but prior to the Three's a Crowd - it would not have shocked me if a series finale would have ended with Jack and Janet. They certainly would have been a more believable couple than the one he ended up with.

LARRY (at the door at midnight): Is Jack around?

CINDY: He's in the bedroom with Janet.

LARRY (walking in, then stopping midtrack, eyes pooping out of his head): WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!

Cue audience laughter ....

Priscilla once showed bush in Penthouse

Mother, r338 ... mother.

Jenilee was the only one of the girls to be in a music video.

R323 I see no problem with any of that.

r341 ...

Why is a Don Knotts GIF labeled as “Ruth Wilson GIF?”

[quote] And Only on DL can a thread on Priscilla Barnes max out (because it will) and that’s why I love it.

No. r336 - see r322. To quote Shirley MacLaine in Terms of Endearment, “this is MY moment”.

Suzanne tried getting into Playboy, but they rejected her test photo shoot. After she got Three's Company and became famous, they ran the photos then (Hugh Hefner saved everything). She posed again in 1984 when her career was on the skids.

I totally understand why audiences loved Joyce. People laughed at Chrissy and Jack, but they identified with Janet.

R335 - don’t judge. Nobody’s perfect!

ABC thought John Ritter was very effeminate in his performance in the TC pilots (there was two or three of them) and wanted him replaced with a more masculine actor - Barry van Dyke and Michael (One Day at a Time) Lembeck were two choices brought forward to the producers. Producers stuck to their guns. TC wouldn't have gone anywhere with those anyone else but Ritter in the role.

Fraud and DUI's are two different things.

Joyce looked much better with her original "Italian nose".

R353, when do you think she had a nose job?

I just watched the episode, "Some of that Jazz", where Janet takes up dancing and her sleezebag instructor convinces her to quit her job and pursue dancing full-time (even though she's not great) so that he can try to get her into bed. The episode ended with Janet near tears and then a very sweet scene between Jack and Janet. It made me feel that the show could have ended with them falling in love and announcing their engagement.

I also noticed that a lot of things that would never fly today. The women's clothing was inexplicably revealing, and the men often acted as neanderthals, leering at the women. To be fair, even Jack was manhandled by a few aggressive women, too.

Towards the end of her Three's company run. I think she may have had it redone again a time or two.

Before the nose job.

After her first nose job.

After yet another revision.

R354 it was the last season. But yeah maybe she had it done against because it looks even more ridiculous now.

R355 Ritter was very good at those moments. And TC was smart not to have too many of them so when they did I actually appreciated them.

Lot of people feel that Jack and Janet should have fallen in love for the spin off. Wouldn’t have made sense. If after seven years of living together on TC it didn’t happen, why would it magically happen for TAC. They were as close as a man and a woman could get without being romantically involved or fucking even once.

Joyce looked like she was 40 years old from the very beginning of the show.

R360, I kind of agree, plus if people remember, during the first season, Jack and Chrissy also had a few moments like that, plus I felt it was implied that Jack actually was interested in Chrissy romantically before they decided to not let it go too far. (Perhaps this is what Suzanne was thinking of when she said they should've let Chrissy come back so that she and Jack could marry, though I think it would've been pretty ridiculous to do by then.)

[quote]plus I felt it was implied that Jack actually was interested in Chrissy romantically before they decided to not let it go too far

I meant to say "before I assume that they decided to not let it go too far"

Barnes even had plastic surgery face in her youth.

Jack and Chrissy might have worked the first season or so (would have been a bad idea for the show - but could see them a s a couple), but after that she was so child like it would have been creepy.

So how many of you bitches participated in the Million Mrs. Roper March?

Jack defintiely liked Chrissy the first season. Then when she became mentally impaired, he and Janet were more like her parents. She was pitied for her lack of intellect. Big mistake dumbing her down. Janet and Jack together made as much sense as Jerry and Elaine ending up together. Which some people actually wanted to see.

Terri really never had the chemistry with the other characters. It was as if she would never associate with them if they weren't roommates. Even then, the relationships weren't convincing.

They did forget about everyone. I mean would Chrissy really miss Janet's wedding? When she left, zero ever mention of her once Terri came on. They did it with the Ropers too, I remember the ep where they went to their house and they spoke about them like they were distant acquaintances instead of longtime friends and neighbors. Even when Eleanor came back, the girls hadn't spoken to her in ages. That ep showed an inconsistency because I think she was said to be pregnant in the first ep, then when she came back the whole ep was about Jack worrying she was leaving her husband to move back in, no mention of baby. Even on the spin-of, Jack no longer spoke to Larry as per his guest spot. I don't think he ever even mentioned Janet. They barely ever mentioned their parents.

R367 I mentioned this before but I actually disagree with one thing - yes Jack and Chrissy has better chemistry over Jack and Terri, certainly, but I never really bought the friendship between Janet and Chrissy, they always seemed like two actresses competing. And then later JaNet would just look at Chrissy like she was fking retarded. Janet and Terri I bought as friends from day one - they had a very natural chemistry together and they’re two characters I believed would have actually hung out.

I could see Janet and Chrissy being friends before Jack moved in. It might’ve started out more as strictly roommates living with each other for economic reasons but they became friends. Huge mistake in making Chrissy dumber as the show wore on but somehow the original threes chemistry made up for it all. The premise of the three 30ish characters after Barnes joined the show did wear thin, but the show amazingly stayed a strong hit for ABC so they didn’t wanna rock the boat.

[quote]Janet and Jack together made as much sense as Jerry and Elaine ending up together.

I agree. Excellent point.

[quote]They did forget about everyone. I mean would Chrissy really miss Janet's wedding?

Another excellent point. As close as Janet and Chrissy were supposed to be, Chrissy missing Janet's wedding would've made about as much sense as Mary missing Rhoda's.

They should have brought a new male roommate on instead (maybe Barry van Dyke or Perry King), and hilarity ensues week after week when Jack and his new live-in rival would find themselves "klutzing" around in the shower, on the sofa, in bed ... imagine Furley eavesdropping and thinking the worst, and how amusing it would be for him to come into the living room through that perennially open front door to see Jack's face buried in the guy's crotch after Tripper clumsily trips into the living room from the kitchen carrying some appetizers and lands straight between his new roommate's legs. "Nuts anyone ...?"

That front door was always open ... that apartment must have been full of flies.

For many years I thought the show was set in San Diego and not Santa Monica.

Which was your favorite opening? My ranking: 1) the pier 2) the zoo 3) original

R374 1 = zoo, 2 = original 3 = pier

R368 I agree about Janet & Terri.

R371: I don't think two male roommates with Joyce would have worked, because the (hetero)sexual innuendo wouldn't be there. Two males with Suzanne, Jenilee or even Priscilla would have, but not Joyce.

I nominate Dennis Cole and/or Tom Wompat.

Here's a KC Star story about Joyce from 2009. She was in town doing a play.

In good company: From sitcom to spiritual journey to theater, Joyce DeWitt feels the love.

The Kansas City Star Saturday, March 14, 2009

The second you hear Joyce DeWitt, that bubbly voice, coming down a hall, it’s like it’s 1979 again and somehow you’ve found yourself in a "Three’s Company" episode.

What would the smart, sensible Janet Wood be doing backstage at the New Theatre Restaurant? Oh, maybe her horndog housemate Jack is running the kitchen -- and hoping to do a little, uh, cooking with a hottie who works there. Some crisis is probably afoot, so Janet is here to save the day, and she dragged Mr. Furley and Larry from upstairs along, too, and ...

But no. "Three’s Company" has been off network TV 25 years. So, too, Joyce DeWitt.

Not that she looks a whole lot different from the way she did back then, when the sex-crazed sitcom about two girls and a guy living together was a huge ABC hit. DeWitt’s hairstyle and color are very Janet.

Here in a tiny conference room at the Overland Park dinner theater, between a Wednesday matinee and an evening performance of "Hats! The Musical," DeWitt is in a crisp, untucked red shirt, blue jeans and white Reeboks. This is dressy for her. She usually favors T-shirts and black jeans, she says.

In "Hats!" she plays a woman confronting a change of life -- from 49 to the big 5-0. In real life DeWitt, who makes her home in Santa Fe, N.M., turns 60 in April.

She is friendly, a hugger, and not long after meeting you is likely to call you "dear heart." She tries to expend her energy on positivity -- she spent 15 or so years after "Three’s Company" traveling the world on a spiritual quest. What she discovered, she says, was that all we need is love.

What DeWitt does not need are questions about Suzanne Somers.

About 30 minutes into our interview, following queries about "Three’s Company’s" 1980-81 season -- when the blond, jiggly Somers demanded a huge pay raise and was ultimately booted off the show -- DeWitt looks as if she’s about to bolt from the room. She is angry. This is not what she expected to talk about.

Most of "Three’s Company’s" eight-season run was pure joy, she adds. Half a season was not.

Ultimately, DeWitt rides out the interview. By the time the goodbyes are said -- with another hug from her -- everything seems fine. Later she’ll call to say she’d like to talk a little more. And in that later conversation, a calmer DeWitt acknowledges that she and Somers aren’t speaking, although DeWitt says she has reached out to her.

Cathy Barnett, one of DeWitt’s six female co-stars in "Hats," says DeWitt wears her emotions on her sleeve. And "she doesn’t have a cynical bone in her body. She believes very much in what she believes in."

The cast will get together for wine and a bite to eat Sunday nights after the show, and Barnett remembers DeWitt saying one time, "I can’t tell you how much I love all of you. You’ve all been so wonderful. You’re all so dear."

DeWitt told us, too, how much she admires her cast mates. "My character watches a lot of the play, so I just watch these extraordinary women night after night after night, and I’m amazed that I’m this lucky to be in this cast."

Though DeWitt returned to show business -- regional theater -- around 2000, she is also a self-described hermit.

Excerpts from our interviews:

Q. Did you notice we have Don Knotts looking down on us today (from the walls of the New Theatre)?

A. Yes, I did. This was Don’s favorite theater to work in. He would always say, "Joycie, you have to work there!" He totally loved it.

Part 2

I always thought he was really funny on "Three’s Company."

I did, too. He was marvelous. "Little Donny Knotts," as I always called him. He was -- is, in heaven -- the most unassuming, exquisite man you could imagine. I call him Little Donny Knotts because I would have to take care of him; he would never ask for (things for) himself. Just this precious, unassuming, extraordinary talent.

In "Three’s Company," we would do a producers’ run-through on camera on Thursdays, not with makeup or hair but in costumes so they could see them on camera. Heaven forbid if you were the one who had to open the door to see what Mr. Furley was wearing for the first time, because there was just no chance you were going to keep it together.

A guy I talked to earlier today said to tell you that you were way hotter than Suzanne Somers, and all the guys who watched "Three’s Company" were in love with you.

(Laughs) Well, thank you. I’m sure he must like brunettes. I have discovered over the years that men tend to be drawn to one hair color or the other. That’s their predisposed prejudice, which is very sweet.

I’ve read that when Somers made her salary demands, you and John Ritter felt threatened, that the show’s future might have been in jeopardy. Was that true?

You know what, this is, like, such old news. Do we have to talk about this? I mean ...

I just want to talk a little bit about it. I think people are fascinated with that show.

But I think the whole reason people are fascinated with the show is the complete opposite of that question. People love that show because it was a place of joy and celebration. And the fact that we survived the negativity. ... "Three’s Company" was eight seasons. So you have eight years of your life. There was half a season where this battle went on. ...

(I’ve gotten) thousands of letters from ER nurses or doctors who say, "I live with death all day, and I come home, warm up my dinner and sit down in front of ‘Three’s Company’ and I forget everything. Thank you." And still to this day, people stop me on the street to say they learned to speak English by watching the show. ...

I can’t go to New York without being stopped by young women who say that Janet was the one thing that made them feel that (even with) not being beautiful they could still have a life and be happy, or that they went to law school because here was this woman who was standing up in the middle of the world when it wasn’t happening.

So they’re telling you they didn’t think you were beautiful?

Well, the way the show was played out, she was not supposed to be the pretty one.

Part 3 (final)

You wouldn’t disagree that Suzanne Somers played a big role in the success of the show, right?

I think that Suzanne played an equal role in the success of the show, and I think the reason she was no longer on the show was that she ... thought that without her the show wouldn’t survive. But the show was an ensemble. John is the only one who couldn’t have been replaced. The rest of us all were replaceable. But (Somers) has gone on to have a wonderful life and become very wealthy and very happy. ...

(The soundstage where "Three’s Company" was taped) was the best place to play that you could imagine. Until she got into a battle with the producers, which is really the truth of it. There was no battle between she and I ever, no battle between she and John. It was she and her husband and the producers -- that’s it.

What was your relationship with John Ritter (who died in 2003)?

To begin with, from the first moment that we met, we could communicate kinesthetically, we could feel what the other person was going to do or was thinking, which is why doing physical humor together was just so joyful. And of course to do physical humor with someone like John, who was brilliant at it ...

Honestly, there were days you’d go home from the studio and your face would hurt from laughing all day.

Tell me about the 15-year period after "Three’s Company" ended.

I traveled the world and studied with different spiritual teachers around the world and studied all the great religions of the world.

What conclusions did you come to?

(Laughs) That the Beatles were right: Love is all you need. After a period of working in Hollywood, which can be a very ruthless town, including some of the things we’ve talked about, I said to myself, "If this is the way the game is played, I don’t know if I want to play anymore." Because I was never looking for fame or fortune. I was a theater actor; I just wanted to be a working actor.

I thought I was just going to take six months off, and it evolved into all those years. But I was looking for a philosophical perspective that could include the good things that happened to you and the bad things that happened to you, or the beautiful things and the ugly things. I was looking for a philosophy that was large enough to contain all of those.

You like to say, "What’s the gift?" So what are you giving people who come to see "Hats"?

Pure joy. "Hats" is, honest to golly, a delicious evening or afternoon at the theater because it allows human beings to laugh about their own humanity. One of my greatest spiritual teachers said the sound you hear at the center of the universe is the sound of laughter. Now, I don’t know if it’s true, but I like it. Human beings can talk about things that they’re uncomfortable about or their differences, but if humor is added in, it takes the heat out. A good laugh opens the heart. It opens the soul.

I didn’t realize before this that you were a singer, too.

I do it in the theater. I don’t think you’d want to go to a nightclub and listen to me. The other women in the show, you sure as heck would. When you hear their voices -- when they each have their own solo in the show, wowski!

What do you want to do careerwise down the road?

I don’t have a specific framework on how it would look. But I just could feel in my being it was time to participate again. ... It’s terribly important, I think, that people in their 50s and 60s and 70s and 80s and on have an impact on the world and on society again -- make a contribution. That’s how I feel about my work. It’s time to contribute again in a larger way. And it took me a long time to be willing to have a public life again.

I’m assuming you never had a rehab phase.

(Laughs) No, I haven’t. But when I first started going back to work and would go to meetings, people would say, "Joyce, you look great! Wow! You look great!" Because they assumed that nobody walks away from that kind of success, so I must have been at Betty Ford for a decade!

Part 3 (final)

You wouldn’t disagree that Suzanne Somers played a big role in the success of the show, right?

I think that Suzanne played an equal role in the success of the show, and I think the reason she was no longer on the show was that she ... thought that without her the show wouldn’t survive. But the show was an ensemble. John is the only one who couldn’t have been replaced. The rest of us all were replaceable. But (Somers) has gone on to have a wonderful life and become very wealthy and very happy. ...

(The soundstage where "Three’s Company" was taped) was the best place to play that you could imagine. Until she got into a battle with the producers, which is really the truth of it. There was no battle between she and I ever, no battle between she and John. It was she and her husband and the producers -- that’s it.

What was your relationship with John Ritter (who died in 2003)?

To begin with, from the first moment that we met, we could communicate kinesthetically, we could feel what the other person was going to do or was thinking, which is why doing physical humor together was just so joyful. And of course to do physical humor with someone like John, who was brilliant at it ...

Honestly, there were days you’d go home from the studio and your face would hurt from laughing all day.

Tell me about the 15-year period after "Three’s Company" ended.

I traveled the world and studied with different spiritual teachers around the world and studied all the great religions of the world.

What conclusions did you come to?

(Laughs) That the Beatles were right: Love is all you need. After a period of working in Hollywood, which can be a very ruthless town, including some of the things we’ve talked about, I said to myself, "If this is the way the game is played, I don’t know if I want to play anymore." Because I was never looking for fame or fortune. I was a theater actor; I just wanted to be a working actor.

I thought I was just going to take six months off, and it evolved into all those years. But I was looking for a philosophical perspective that could include the good things that happened to you and the bad things that happened to you, or the beautiful things and the ugly things. I was looking for a philosophy that was large enough to contain all of those.

You like to say, "What’s the gift?" So what are you giving people who come to see "Hats"?

Pure joy. "Hats" is, honest to golly, a delicious evening or afternoon at the theater because it allows human beings to laugh about their own humanity. One of my greatest spiritual teachers said the sound you hear at the center of the universe is the sound of laughter. Now, I don’t know if it’s true, but I like it. Human beings can talk about things that they’re uncomfortable about or their differences, but if humor is added in, it takes the heat out. A good laugh opens the heart. It opens the soul.

I didn’t realize before this that you were a singer, too.

I do it in the theater. I don’t think you’d want to go to a nightclub and listen to me. The other women in the show, you sure as heck would. When you hear their voices -- when they each have their own solo in the show, wowski!

What do you want to do careerwise down the road?

I don’t have a specific framework on how it would look. But I just could feel in my being it was time to participate again. ... It’s terribly important, I think, that people in their 50s and 60s and 70s and 80s and on have an impact on the world and on society again -- make a contribution. That’s how I feel about my work. It’s time to contribute again in a larger way. And it took me a long time to be willing to have a public life again.

I’m assuming you never had a rehab phase.

(Laughs) No, I haven’t. But when I first started going back to work and would go to meetings, people would say, "Joyce, you look great! Wow! You look great!" Because they assumed that nobody walks away from that kind of success, so I must have been at Betty Ford for a decade!

R35 She looks harrable!

Funny enough, there’s actually a John Ritter documentary running on Reelz this month and I watched it a couple days ago. ITs pretty good - at least Reelz has dispensed with the cheesy reenactments.

The whole way he died still makes me very sad. The one thing I take away from any show or write up I’ve ever seen or read on him is how incredibly liked within the business he was - like Betty White level we’ll liked - I don’t think that happens unless you earn it by being consistently nice and generous with all your cast, crew, fans, etc. (unless you are holding everyone’s secrets, ha)

It also reminded me of some good work he did post-TC that I had forgotten about, like Hooperman and the TV movie Unnatural Causes. I also love him in the Buffy episode (and I’m not a fan of the show) but they don’t mention that or most of his guest work (and he did a TON).

Also do you know he was almost cast in The Last Picture Show? Talk about what if’s.

And yes, Joyce and Suzanne (and Richard Kline) are In the commentary.

Speaking of Kline, I think the best chemistry by far was between Jack and Larry. That’s actually a big reason why i prefer the later seasons.

Damn all of you. Spent a whole day reading this thread now I'm obsessed with this show. Did they ever show or refer to any family or parents or any backround of the roomates? I only remember Chrissy's father, the pastor. Growing up a pastor's kid should have given the Chrissy character some kind of perspective. She would have been super conservative or super rebellious. She was neither.

Jack's father was played by Dick Shawn, and he had an older brother played by John Getz, best known for his starring role in the short lived MacGrouder and Loud, with Kathryn Harold. (It debuted one year after the Super Bowl, got huge ratings, so ABC promoted the hell out of it and it immediately sank like a stone.)

Janet had a sister appear once, and there was a misunderstanding about Jack trying to sleep with her (Imagine that!), but no recollection who played her.

I know the Rogers had a bunch of family members once they got their spinoff.

You just know that Mrs. Roper was the biggest fag hag in Santa Monica. All the boys loved her!

I watched some of the repeats on Antenna TV a few years ago. Mr. Roper and Mr. Furley were both pretty homophobic, but Roper was particularly nasty. Furley you at least felt liked Jack and the girls, but Roper really seemed to look at Jack with disdain. Also his view of the girls was much more leering than Furley. He really was an unlikable character with no redeeming values, where you managed to feel sorry for Furley from time to time.

Someone mentioned never hearing the Ropers mentioned after they left. I think they would have missed Helen, but am not sure they really would have thought of Stanley as someone they would want to remain in touch. It was actually pretty common for TV shows to completely ignore previous cast members. Aunt Clara was a key part of Bewitched and she was never mentioned again (although that would have been trickier because sitcoms did not bring up death often). Larry and Louise had a son Tabitha's age that after the third season or so was never seen or mentioned again. Chuck disappeared on Happy Days and Doris Day completely forgot she still had minor children.... (although that was more of a reboot). Sitcoms tended to ignore what had happened in previous seasons. Some of those were minor characters, but a big one would be My Three Sons had the oldest son move away, and he was probably mentioned once or twice afterwards and the show was on a number of years after his departure. I remember reading once that when Shelley Fabares' character left for college on the Donna Reed Show she was never really mentioned again.

Didn’t Terri have a little sister who had a crush on Jack? And was she played by one of the daughters from ‘Gimme A Break’?

R387, I thought that was a neighbor rather than Teri's sister. And Teri ended the girl's crush on Jack by finding her a more age-appropriate love interest...the kid who would eventually play rebellious Eric on Head of the Class.

R386, I also prefer Furley. When I was younger, I preferred the Ropers, but now having rematched the show as an adult, I appreciate all the humor that Don Knotts infused into Furley. I especially liked his scenes with Lana. Mr. Roper was a mean landlord, a horrible husband, and a bad neighbor. Completely unlikeable, especially when he insulted his wife in front of their friends. Mr. Furley was obnoxious, but Don Knotts brought warmth to Mr. Furley. He was kind and respectful towards his tenants.

Watching the show as an adult, I notice so much more subtext that I didn't get as a kid. Every Wednesday (or was it Tuesday?) night, as an 8-year-old, I'd cry when I had to go to bed at 9 p.m., the show's start time. It was my favorite show, even though three quarters of the jokes went over my head. My dad wasn't against the content of the show, but we only had one TV, and he wanted to watch sports.

I recently watched the first several episodes of season 7 after getting caught up in this thread.

Episode 4 "Extra Extra" has Jack & Terri's moms both trying to take them back home after reading a false story in the newspaper. I recall Janet had a younger sister who she was overprotective of in a Chrissy season.

Episode 3 - "Diamond Jack" has black people in the skating rink background & episode 2 - "Jack Goes To The Dentist" has a black son & mom giving Jack the side eye after his antics in the waiting room (which is pretty funny).

Jeffrey Tambor played the dentist in that episode, played a shrink/friend of Terri in the previous season & made his TC debut trying to marry Cindy as a millionaire. When you add his time on the Ropers spin off to the mix, I wonder if the TC producers knew how he treated women & looked the other way. Has anyone on TC came out to defend/condemn Tambor in any way since his scandal came out?

Atrocious theme song!

Is the SCTV sketch with Andrea Thomas as “Joyce De Half Wit” available to view online? Or even a photo?

I had to go to bed at 9:00 pm, there was no question though about staying up late. Three’s Company “was not for me” my mother would say. To her it was adult content and not appropriate for 8-9 year olds.

[quote]To her it was adult content and not appropriate for 8-9 year olds.

It is funny what my Mom did not want me to watch -- 3's Company while in prime time (I was able to watch it a few years later in syndication), MASH in the early years (extramarital affairs - although was considered old enough to watch by the end), and Love Boat when it was first on. Most of these shows I caught in syndication, at least there earlier episodes.

Jeffrey Tambor was on several episodes of Three's Company as well as had a co starring role on The Ropers. The producers must have loved him.

Terry Kiser (Weekend at Bernies) also appeared a couple of times.

R389, "Three's Company" came on Tuesday nights. I grew up in Texas, so it was on at 8 p.m. -- not that it mattered, though, since my mother did not make us go to bed at a certain time. She also did not restrict us from watching "adult" shows like TC, so I can recall watching episodes the nights that they originally aired in primetime on ABC. (I was 11 when TC premiered in 1977.)

As I type this, I'm watching the episode "Downhill Chaser," one of my favorites from season 5. I think it may have been the first post-Chrissy episode and one or two episodes before they introduced Cindy as her cousin.

This was the funniest Chrissy episode. It gets really serious for a few minutes but then a misunderstanding (no!) leads to hilarity. Chrissy fell and hit her head; knowing that, you can start watching the video at 19:00.

By the way, I forgot to mention that I thought Richard Kline looked sexy as fuck in his ski outfits in the "Downhill Chaser" episode. The girls were crazy because Larry definitely could've gotten it.

R397, I liked that episode a lot, too. A nice balance between the serious and the silly.

Thanks for posting Richard (R396/R398).

John came from a show business family. His father, Tex Ritter, was a big Country singing star with the famous song, I Dreamed Of A Hillbilly Heaven.

John was a very good looking guy, which opened doors for him, but I felt that he was really not overly talented. He had comedy skills but depended on mugging and over the top slapstick too much.

John looking pretty gay here. No wonder they chose him for the male lead on TC.

Terri's little sister appeared with Terri's mother and father in an early Terri episode to see where Terri was living. The young girl who had a crush on Jack (played by the Gimmie a Break girl) was an episode during the Chrissy years. Terri's little sister was just a brat who had no story whatsoever except a brief appearance. The "Head of the Class" guy (whom everyone thought Janet was initiating into manhood) was in a totally different episode with an older teenage girl who had a crush on Jack.

Fucking hated Janet's ugly ass annoying sister. That was single handedly the worst TC episode.

Ritter could be good in dramatic roles also. He received good notices for Sling Blade (playing a gay character) and for his guest appearance on Law & Order: SVU (and often "name" guest stars chew scenery there).

I agree, R404. That was not an episode I cared for either.

I loved it when Kari Michaelson played Jack's older sister who had a crush on Mrs. Angelino!

Patricia Morill (Mrs. Lou Grant on the MTM show) played Chrissy's mother in the the second episode of the series (which was a remake of the second pilot). Peter Mark Richmond played her minister father in many episodes. Chrissy's mother and father never appeared in an episode together. Cindy wasn't the only cousin of Chrissy's who appeared; in one episode, another cousin appeared who was a cop that left his handcuffs in the apartment, leading Chrissy and Jack to accidentally handcuff themselves together.

Janet's sister visited, as did her father and mother during the Cindy season (in which Jack and Janet pretended they were married).

Jack's con artist uncle Fremont was the first family to visit; followed later by his smooth-talking brother, who romanced Chrissy; his overbearing mother once appeared during the Terri years (locking horns with Terri's mother). His grandfather also paid a visit in the episode where Jack pretended he was a doctor. His father visited during the show's last season.

Cindy's father appeared in the episode where Jack and Janet feared she had been kidnapped.

Terri's mother, father and little sister appeared for a visit; her mother came back for another appearance later.

The Ropers' niece had a romantic involvement with Jack, as did Furley's niece in that ridiculous Austin the twin brother episode. Furley's brother appeared a couple of times. Larry's sister stayed with the trio in an episode that repeated the early Janet's sister episode, in which Larry jumped to conclusions Jack slept with his sister.

r408 ugh that Austin the twin brother episode was ridiculous. Even Ritter couldn't sell that shit.

R408 I loved the Austin twin brother episode. A real hoot!

R409 Yes he could!

Wow, R408. You've got one helluva memory. Very impressive.

R411 A good memory or a bookmark for a fan site of the show.

This show had the habit of using many actors over and over in different roles. Jeffrey Tambor, who started on the spin-off THE ROPERS as their snobby neighbour, appeared THREE times as 1) an overbearing millionaire pursuing Cindy; 2) an overwrought doctor who Terri brings home from the hospital; and 3) a dentist whom Terri wants to break up with.

Anne Schedeen appeared over the years not as one, not as two, but three different women paired with Jack.

Terry Kiser appeared as the thug who wanted to kill Jack because he thought he was fooling around with his girl; later he appeared as the mobster who wanted Jack to be his personal chef.

Before reappearing as Angelino, Jordan Charney first played Larry's boss whose wife tried to seduce Jack when Jack moved in with them to be their personal chef.

General Hospital's Shell Kepler appeared a couple of times as a bubble-headed girlfriend of Larry's.

The woman who played Larry's actress girlfriend in the Camping episode was brought back a couple of seasons later as a stewardess girlfriend of Jack's.

The actor who played the hippie guru who tried to lead Chrissy astray into his cult reappeared seasons later as the dance instructor who tried to lead Janet astray with dreams of a dance career.

I find John Ritter's son Jason Ritter completely cute. John was certainly handsome, but Ritter 2.0 is off the charts devilishly handsome IMHO.

Useless trivia: the brunette woman that Jack looks at in the original opening credits and causes him to fall off his bike was Suzanne Somers in a black wig.

More useless trivia: the little boy who runs up to Janet during the opening zoo credits is little Jason Ritter.

Billy Crystal auditioned for the role of Jack Tripper; Barry van Dyke and Michael Lembeck were ABC's choices for the Jack role. The producers stuck with John Ritter despite objections by the top brass that he was too "effeminate".

Loni Anderson auditioned for the role of Chrissy. She later guest-starred as a former girlfriend of Jack's.

Heather Locklear auditioned for the Cindy role.

.........

Richard Kline was fug and looked like he was 50 years old. And he was supposed to be the "hot guy!" I guess standards of hotness were much different back then. Today, Larry would be played by a Chris Evans lookalike.

R414, both of his sons are cute and look just like their father. They're also quite talented like him, too. Tyler Ritter was just on "The Good Doctor" last week and gave a very affecting performance.

Yeah I never found Kline sexy but he played off Ritter great.

Kline wasn't a conventionally pretty boy, but he was ruggedly handsome, and he has a lot of charisma. The camera loves him. He did mature into a very handsome older man.

r419

I agree, but the whole show was not realistic. I mean Ritter was fat, he had a beer gut, yet no woman could get within 100 feet of Jack without coming on to him sexually? Even Brad Pitt wouldn't have been hit on so much as Jack. Yet we're supposed to believe a fat, average looking man is someone a sex stud?

True r423. It's funny to think if Three's Company were made today how different the cast would look. Everybody would be super-hot, even Janet.

If you're in NYC you can take Kline's comedy class. Didn't know he served in Vietnam and has a Master's from Northwestern. Looks like he's continued to work, he was the Wizerd in WICKED on tour.

R413, was so turned on by the actor who was the guru and dance instructor. What a sexy man!

R426 He played character voices on the Super Friends/Super Powers show (Zan/Gleek/Riddler).

Duke/Major Bludd on G.I.Joe.

Bruce Banner on the '82 I. Hulk cartoon.

Quackerjack on Darkwing Duck.

Handy on The Smurfs.

Other shows such as Transformers & Jana Of The Jungle.

He was born in 1938.

The best looking male guest star that I remember was Janet's high school crush. I don't really know what was considered hot in the 70s but he was universally attractive.

The actor who played Janet's sleazball dance instructer was white hot. Those pecs, that bod!

It's odd that a lot of people thought Ritter was femme. I've known a couple of people over the years who've said that he seemed "sweet" (i.e., gay).

Ritter seemed stereotypically gay to me. Even as a child, I picked up on it. Of course by all accounts he was a straight pussyhound and never had any rumors.

Reb Brown gave me instant wood as Chrissy's himbo boyfriend Elmo. I particularly loved it when he jacked up Larry like it was nothing and when Jack jumped on his back.

.....

R432 the original Captain America!

^yep!

John Ritter was NOT fat.

R436 Just before one of the seasons of Three's Company the producers told John to lose some weigh as he chubbed up some pounds. He did have a tendency to be a bit flabby at times.

It's funny to see movies and tv shows back then and see how "normal" actors and actresses' bodies looked. Today actors and actresses are all required to look like they live at the gym if they want to work. Even the character actor/actress types. Of course you'll always get an exception to the rule like Melissa McFatty but that's not the reality for most of them.

R438, in the 70s, you didn't have to be a model to be an actor in those days. For most shows, the leads were average Joes: All in the Family; the Jeffersons, Maude, Alice, Taxi.

What R439 said. I remember someone making the remark once that had "Laverne & Shirley" been made today, Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams would never have been cast in those roles. Today L&S would look like Victoria's Secret models dressed in clothes from JCPenney to make them look more "normal."

Barry Williams was pretty hot when he appeared as a friend of Janet's.

Julie Pierkarski from the Facts of Life made an appearance as well.

Agree about L&S. Two Broke Girls was basically two working class odd-couple female roommates -- in some ways kind of a modern L&S but the leads are much more two hot girls we can parade around in tight short uniforms and focus on jokes centering around sex.

[quote] I remember someone making the remark once that had "Laverne & Shirley" been made today, Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams would never have been cast in those roles.

Untrue. If Laverne & Shirley were being made today, no one else but Penny would be cast... as long as her brother was still the Producer/Creator!

R443 Well said!

How is the Laverne and Shirley reboot coming along? I can’t wait to see Cindy and Penny swinging from chandeliers again.

Touche, R443. I can't argue with you about that.

I think that's why I prefer watching these old shows from the 70s and 80s rather than most of what is churned out today. I wasn't even around when TC ended and yet I love the show; TAXI, L&S, CHEERS, MTM, RHODA, etc ... everyone just seems so normal and uncomplicated. Today, you have plastic dolls and sculpted robots.

Ritter was paunchy in the first season, but you can tell he was put on an exercise regimen for most of the seasons. He didn't have bulging biceps or six-abs or model looks, but he had a great toned tanned body when he took care of himself - he was at his peak during Don Knotts first season. He had AMAZING legs, and I love the furry chest. After TC, he started to let himself go. He did not age well at all.

Speaking of TC and L&S, that was quite the lineup ABC had on Tuesday nights back in the early '80s:

Happy Days -- 8 p.m. EST / 7 p.m. CST

Laverne & Shirley -- 8:30 p.m. EST / 7:30 p.m. CST

Three's Company -- 9 p.m. EST / 8 p.m. CST

Nine to Five -- 9:30 p.m. EST / 8:30 p.m. CST

Hart to Hart -- 10 p.m. EST / 9 p.m. CST

A lot of those 70s tv stars wouldn't get arrested in Hollywood today because standards for looks have changed so much in the industry.

DeWitt gossiped in that reunion show with Somers that Ritter fooled around alot with the guest stars - he obviously drew a line with his co-stars.

Reading R447's post, I'm always heartened to see millennials talk about how much they love old TV shows. I guess I say that because we're always led to believe that young people would never give the time of day to anything that isn't "hip" (and old shows aren't considered hip). It's nice to see them talk about liking old favorites like I LOVE LUCY, HONEYMOONERS, TWILIGHT ZONE, BEWITCHED, MTM, ALL IN THE FAMILY, SANFORD & SON, GOLDEN GIRLS, etc. It's just proof that the greats never go out of style.

Interesting to see how beauty standards have changed for men. Back then, it was all about attitude. Richard Kline wasn't a knockout, but if a guy had long hair, unbuttoned his shirt to reveal his hairy chest and swaggered and did the talk, he fit the bill of the archetypal swinger. Most importantly, though, Kline had charisma and timing and skill. Today, what is expected of actors is much less.

Do actors train in the theater anymore?

Tyler Ritter was adorable on “The McCarthys” a couple of years back.

[quote]I wasn't even around when TC ended

You're a baby!

Richard Klein may not have been Tom Selleck, but he was definitely not chopped liver.

Tyler Ritter looks a lot like his father.

Sorry, here's Tyler Ritter....

Going back to the original topic of the thread, I think the reason (for me at least) that the Priscilla Barnes years weren't as good as the Suzanne Somers years just had to do with Terri herself -- Barnes was fine and did a good job but she just wasn't given a very interesting character to play. It was painfully obvious when they created the character of Terri that their only objective was making sure she wasn't Chrissy -- because they were so pissed off at Somers and wanted to erase all memories of her -- but in so doing all they did was make you miss her (and what she brought to the show) that much more.

I think what "Three's Company" actually needed more than anything was another zany, blonde bombshell -- someone who brought the sexy and the danger, perhaps a little bit of Chrissy and a little bit of Lana all rolled into one. In fact, think Ann Jillian and her brassy, sassy Cassie character from "It's a Living": THAT is who should've taken Chrissy's place, not a boring, sensible, intelligent xerox of Janet, which is essentially all Terri was. (This is why I think they should have made Cindy the permanent replacement for Chrissy, not Terri. She wasn't sassy but she was just as attractive and Jenilee Harrison was a better comedic actress than Barnes.)

I agree with the above posters that today, they would've kept Suzanne Somers on. Salary disputes are not the end-all be-all that they used to be.

R450 yeah I remember that. My guess would be Joanna Kerns and I’m not sure who the couple others would have been - anyone I guess.

Another repeater was the actress who played Darlene the call girl (whom I’m surprised hasn’t gotten her own thread here yet) - she also played some commercial director who was married and (of course) was putting the moves on Jack.

I never had any kind of crush on Larry but I thought he was great on the show and a major reason I prefer the later seasons. And I agree he aged very well.

Ritter was also really good at what I guess would be called a “verbal slapstick,” like when he says things like “don’t go away blender, I mean Brenda.” He also did a lot of dramedy type work in his career that I always thought he did really well. I thought he was very talented.

Barnes' only real "own" moment was when she was humiliated by Jack in front of the party members, truly the most awkward moment in TC's history. She was funny when Jack and the girls appeared on television together and Terri was frozen dumb with stage fright. Other than that, there really was no real potential for her to be a stronger character.

Elaine Giftos, who played Darlene the call girl, has her own feng shui consulting service. She is the widow of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION writer/producer Herbert Wright, who is kind of a cult figure among fans of that show.

Do you think she feng shui'd John Ritter?

Giftos appears on Real Housewives of Orange Country helping the rich feng shui themselves to peace and happiness:

r462, I always that was Diana Canova playing that character.

An interesting newspaper article on Priscilla and Jenilee's casting and problems Suzanne's departure caused. They really didn't give them much to worth with at all and didn't really have either role really defined very well.

Second half the article.

A Feng Shui consultant is SUCH a "former actress in LA" kind of career.

I got drunk before seeing "The Producers" on Broadway and sat out the entire first act in the lobby talking to the ushers. They universally agreed that Richard Kline was the biggest jackass they ever dealt with. He was very "don't you know who I am" with them.

I can totally believe that. Great dish, r468!

TC’s companion piece to the Barbara Thorndyke episode, Jack’s 10, is on now on logo.

R461, it was also interesting because it allowed Don Knotts a real reaction. After Janet scolds Jack about Teri's dress, Furley says, appalled, "you ruined it". A line and a reaction Mr. Roper never would have given. Knott's reading was in contrast to Jennilee's wooden "that was mean, Jack".

All my reactions were real, r471!

R461 Terri had plenty of real reactions/moments for her character. Her scenes with her family members are the best out of all the female roommates in my opinion.

My fav Terri scene overall was when the soap actor wanted to marry her because his tv character might get killed off due to focus group opinions.

Soap guy: "Terri, You don't understand. They're going to kill off my character!"

Terri: "You don't have any character!" He storms out & then she cried while Jack tried to comfort her (if I recall correctly).

She did physical comedy, made jokes, told people off, cried, comforted friends (also people she barely knew) & was smarter than the characters she replaced.

She was a really beautiful (inside & out) three dimensional character brought on to stabilize, entertain & close out the show's final seasons.

What more did you want from her?

R473=Priscilla Barnes

Back in the '90s Jenilee Harrison appeared on The Psychic Friends Network infomericals starring DL legend Dionne Warwick. Jenilee talked about how her Psychic had predicted that she would soon have an opportunity to appear in the 'legitimate' theatre, and wouldn't you know it she was now starring in a production of 'Sheer Madness' with none other than Mr. Richard Kline. They never mentioned where the production was going up, though I imagine it was 'somewhere in the regions'. I believe--but could be wrong--that Kline than appeared on a later one. It's all very fuzzy, but Jenilee might have taken over 'hosting' duties from Dionne, but I'm not quite sure.

I thought Priscilla was the best actress of roommates easily. She's taken on some challenging, not-so-glamorous roles after Three's Company many actresses wouldn't dare to. Granted, she probably needed the work, she's still a gutsy actress.

Jenilee was the infomercial queen for a while. Her Ultimate Chopper and Infinite Dress (which got a thread here on DL) are infomercial classics.

Jenilee is a real estate mogul. She has a lot of those minimalls in LA and has made millions.

I don't think Suzanne's plan would have gone over any better now. Shows like Friends and Big Bang got their hefty paychecks because they banded together as a team and negotiated. Other co stars of big shows negotiate around what the lead actor is getting AFTER it has become obvious that their character is just as integral to the show. Terrance Howard was making the most on Empire when it started, but once Cookie took off, Taraji was able to re-negotiate so that she was making the same amount, but not more, than Terrance. You don't overshoot your load, so to speak.

Suzanne wanted to be paid more than the designated star AND wanted a piece of ownership in the show. She wanted to be one of the top moneymakers in television, period. It still wouldn't fly today, and she'd be getting iced out in the media in a similar manner that the SATC gang is treating Kim Cattrall.

The reason they fired Suzanne was not because she asked for more money but because she started going on all the talk shows and not only talking about it but badmouthing the network and producers. They really had no choice but to handle things the way they did. If she had kept things professional, things would have been worked out because they really understood her importance to the show, but as we know, Suzanne doesn't know how to keep her mouth shut.

And also, Suzanne is not known for telling the truth.

Suzanne should've had a clue not to pull what she did after what happened to Farrah Fawcett after she bailed on Charlie's Angels after the first season.

She also sued ABC for 2 million but only collected 30 grand for one episode she wasn't paid for. She did deserve more money, but she got greedy and unreasonable.

R476 - how dare you omit the Sobakowa Pillow???

There've been recent cases of actors losing out when they try to get more money mid contract. The actress from Monk got replaced when she made demands. The ahi was called Monk only Tony Shalub was irreplaceable. Some of the CSI actors got put on suspension after a sick out during a negotiation. They went back to work a week or two later, probably without a big raise .Suzanne thought she was more valuable than her co stars. Her money demands were way over the top. The show was already on the down slope when she made the demands. She also breached contract by failing to show up for work. She claimed her back was out and then performed in Vegas. She also went on an ill advised publicity campaign. I remember her bad mouthing Ritter during that time. I don't think that would go over well today. The difference is that most actors would know better than to try and pull what she pulled.

It still doesn't make sense after all these years that Jenilee Harrison was hired by the producers of DALLAS to play a new nemesis for J.R. Ewing.

What was the reason for that one Janet-less episode in which Anne Scheeden filled in for her?

Apparently, alot of Chrissy's lines were given to Furley during that Cindy season.

R485, I always wondered about that, too. Perhaps DeWitt was sick that week?

I already said this in another thread a few months back, but here is one of my favorite Teri lines:

Jack unknowingly gets caught up with a jewel thief. She shows up at the apartment with her boyfriend, who has a gun, and they demand a large sum of money. The three roommates go into Jack's bedroom to "get the money". They work on planning an escape. Janet and Jack send Terri back into the living room to try to stall the guy with the gun. A few minutes later Teri returns to the bedroom.

Janet (to Terri): How are things going out there? Terri: (Softly with calm hand gestures) We're having a lovely time, I'm about to serve tea. (Shouting) What do you MEAN how are things going out there?!

R485 and R487 I just did some research on it and apparently it was a "sick out."

The producers wanted to take a part of Joyce's salary and give it to Norman Fell for, "The Ropers." She had a verbal agreement with the President of ABC that they wouldn't touch her salary, but her Agent told her not to report to work until they had it in writing so they hired Ann to replace her for that episode.

The show had some great episodes after Chrissy left but before Cindy moved in. They should have just had Larry move in and Janet, Jack and Larry be the 3 roommates.

I also wish they'd brought back the Ropers after their spinoff went bust. Have Stanley and Helen lose their house somehow and then come back as tenants. Stanley vs. Ralph Furley would have been fun, especially with Helen trying to use Ralph to make Stanley jealous.

Interesting, R489. Thank you.

I was just reminded of DeWitt's sick-out episode the other night when I was looking at TC's Wikipedia page and it said "John Ritter (172 episodes)" and "Joyce DeWitt (171 episodes)."

R490 they did appear in a 1981 episode. It pretty much happened that way, Not losing their house. But Helen was left on her anniversary by Stanley. She went to sleep in their old bed when Ralph was out of town. Ralph gets into bed not knowing Helen is there and then Stanley walks in.

R492, yes I know. Part of the fun of that episode was Ralph and Stanley "fighting" over Helen.

Actually, I just realized some of the episodes that I thought were between Chrissy and Cindy actually happened after Cindy came along. I still think replacing Chrissy was an unnecessary mistake.

Some of the episodes I was thinking of were The Not-So-Great Imposter (when Jack pretends to be David Miller for a chef job with Mr. Angelino and nearly gets himself killed) and Jack's Other Mother (when pain in the ass Gladys inserts herself into Jack's life.)

R413 "Jeffrey Tambor, who started on the spin-off THE ROPERS as their snobby neighbour, appeared THREE times as 1) an overbearing millionaire pursuing Cindy; 2) an overwrought doctor who Terri brings home from the hospital; and 3) a dentist whom Terri wants to break up with."

I love the episode when he played the psychiatrist so much.

Tambor was dreadful on The Ropers and he was also on the TV version of 9to5 and was so disliked that they replaced him with Peter Bonerz.

Between Three's Company and Dallas Jenilee Harrison landed a role in the early 80s miniseries Malibu.

Wow - that Malibu cast was like a combination of Love Boat and Murder She Wrote guest stars.

R497 More like really old men & younger women.

Same old. Same old.

Thanks for posting that R496.

Jenilee made a lot of money in the early years of infomercials when you could make a lot of money off those. After a while, the companies got smart and restructured deals for host talent and infomercials.

I've heard that Jenilee is VERY rich from her real estate and infomercials.

Its ancient history now, and isnt really Priscilla Barnes specific.... but what happened to threes company at the time it was in production was pretty eye opening. The show had been on for 2 seasons and rocketed to the #1 spot. Ritter was a known entity and was happy with his compensation. Sommers was the 3rd banana and suddently became the main focus/ she wasnt making as much money as ANY of the male co stars on the show. SHe also got no participation in future residuals. She wanted what she was worth and the studio decided to make an example of her and fired her. SHe got no help from either of her 2 main costars. They sided with the studio. Now a days actors usually bind together and all strike for alot more money and strong arm the studios into much more lucrative deals.

The execs miscalculated and after Suzanne left..... the show was never the same again and none of her replacements clicked with the audience So everybody lost. I dont know that Sommers ever worked on tv again or in films. I think the industry in general blackballed her. She made a fortune in marketing herself tho with infomercials and qvc and. books she authored etc. If you look at net worths, Sommers today is worth over 100 million. Ritter when he died was at like 10 million and joyce dewitt is at 3 million, give or take. I find that very illuminating. Suzanne treated her career as a serious business. She had a classic case at the time of sex discrimination. It must have been a maddening situation for her. Certain aspects of show business are brutal and not for the feint of heart/

Jennilee is very rich from fucking my ex-husband!

Suzanne Somers is wealthier than many A-Listers.

R501 Suzanne was on Step by Step with Patrick Duffy for years.

Suszanne was on a sitcom, Step by Step, with Patrick Duffy that actually was on 7 years. It was basically an updated version of the Brady Bunch with Suzanne and Duffy marrying and their respective kids not getting along (they did not instantly blend like the Bradys).

Joyce is worth 3 million? I wouldn’t have thought 3 thousand.

Joel Brooks was hot too, with his super hairy chest and bulge in tight pants as the sleazy Dr. Mark Prescott. He appeared in two episodes.

R504 and R505, don't forget about "She's the Sherriff".

Interesting that Barnes showed muff for Penthouse and not Playboy. Lots of 'relatively' legitimate actresses posed for Playboy to jumpstart their careers or remake their image, but posing for Penthouse was pretty 'low-rent', the only thing worse was when Linda Blair posed for Oui, which was pretty bottom of the barrel.

...also covered in here:

That doesn't look like Priscilla Barnes in R341, and if it WERE Priscilla Barnes, betcha Penthouse would've run them under her real name at some point.

It is definitely Priscilla, she admitted it was in her in the press and sued Penthouse and won when they tried republishing it during when she was on Three's Company. Apparently she amended the model release that they would only use the pictures in the initial pictorial and not reuse them later and that would credit her under a pseudonym (apparently the photographer suggested Joann Witty, because he found Priscilla to be witty). Penthouse didn't object to the amendment to the model release and ran the photos in 1976 with the Joann Witty name, so she won the lawsuit.

She also dyed her hair a darker shade and had a nose job between then and Three's Company. Penthouse had a glossy photography style that could make the models look different than their actual appearance. Here's a photo from the shoot where she looks more like herself.

Priscilla kind of overplayed the part in the beginning and settled down nicely and became likable and fit in nicely with the ensemble.

DeWitt went the other way and just ramped up the mugging and hyperactivity to compensate for the loss of Somers presumably.

[quote]DeWitt went the other way and just ramped up the mugging and hyperactivity to compensate for the loss of Somers presumably.

She probably thought it would put her on par with Ritter.

Joyce also showed pussy, but not in Penthouse. It was in one of her L'eggs pantyhose ads.

I can't even imagine Joyce's bush! It must've been so hairy, it probably looked like the Commodores were eating her out.

That most assuredly is Priscilla in Penthouse Magazine. Google is your friend, R511.

Was it Joyce or Deirdre Hall who they found nudie pictures of that wound up in the now defunct adult periodical 'Fur Burger'?

Johnny Carson pursued Joyce DeWitt relentlessly.

Actually, R519, it was his accountant Bushkin who Joyce ended up with.

Today is Priscilla's birthday.

That elderly lady who played Helen's Aunt Martha - the one the girls thought was the older woman Jack was romantically involved with - appeared another time as a Church board member who patroned Jack's Bistro when a Reverand threatened to close down the restaurant.

[quote]Actually, [R519], it was his accountant Bushkin who Joyce ended up with.

And yet Johnny pursued her even to the point of firing the guy. Bushkin was an asshole, as Johnny did exactly to him as he did to Joan Rivers but Bushkin says it's different, which it wasn't.

R523 - is this for real? What are you talking about?

I actually did see an old Carson with DeWitt (from around the time TC was coming to an end), and she was weird as f - not only acting painfully shy but in a way that it seemed like she was really On something.

Also why would Leggs pick an actress who had such short legs to be their ambassador? Of all the people they could have picked?

What's a Priscilla Barn?

Some okd washed up barn?

I don't know her...

Priscilla has that same affectation that Kim Cattrall has, self consciously sexy and sophisticated. It worked for Kim in SATC, Priscilla, not so much.

R524 L'eggs wasn't selling to tall leggy models. It's a drug store brand not a department store brand. They were selling to average women. Average women can relate to Joyce. Joyce also had very nice well proportioned legs. They just aren't long.

Does Joyce Dewitt's pussy still stink?

Any of you gays have her DUI mugshot arrest picture?

I need a good laugh about now!

Why did Joyce have such a strange accent in that L'eggs commercial?

English is her second language. She is Swiss and speaks only Swiss when not performing.

DeWitt is Italian and Dutch descent, born in West Virginia, brought up in Indiana.

DeWitt is DeShitt!

LOL, "speaks Swiss"

I speak only Swish