In a message dated 2/15/2009 11:01:41 A.M. Central Standard Time, [email protected] writes:
I've always considered there were 2 casting mistakes made by the producers, I guess that would be on the head of Aaron Ruben. What's the Bernard Lee story? I've never heard it. As for Jerry Van Dyke, there's only such much the producers could've done to talk him out of taking a job as the headlining, top billed star of a TV show; to match that offer they might've had to pay Jerry as much as Andy and rename the show the "Andy Griffith/Jerry Van Dyke Show." Jerry had no clue his show was going to bomb so badly; the ridiculous premise (mom reincarnated as a car not even as old as she was) seems like it would've been a giveaway. But keep in mind there were already hit comedies about witches, monster/gothic families, Martians, shipwreck survivors and a talking horse, and new comedies about a genie,a bumbling secret agent and a Nazi prison camp. Of course hindsight says Jerry made the mistake of his career but back then I can see where he could've been blindsighted by promises from NBC, promises the TAGS producers couldn't have matched by offering him a supporting role. Jerry might have even used the TAGS offer to leverage more out of NBC in fact. That's one's definitely on Jerry, although like I said, it might've looked like a better deal at the time. Here's an idea that did get by the producers and I've mentioned it before: when Warren didn't work out, they could've hired Tim Conway to be the new deputy at the start of the 1966-67 season. They couldn't do it earlier because of "McHale's Navy," which co-starred Conway and ended its run on ABC in 1966. Dixon **************Need a job? Find an employment agency near you. (http://yellowpages.aol.com/search?query=employment_agencies&ncid=emlcntusyelp00000003) _______________________________________________ WBMUTBB mailing list [email protected] http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
