He also had a long-term supporting role on Third Rock From the Sun.
Michael Richards worked in TV for years and years, had his own sitcom for about an hour after Sienfeld ended, went back into stand-up, and then got himself into a scandal when he blew up at an audience member and screamed some slur words.
Regarding Robert Reed, most of what I’ve heard about him comes from Barry Williams’s book Growing Up Brady (which is a great read, by the way), so admittedly it’s only a single point of view. But, from what I understand:
Reed considered himself a serious actor who had previously done mostly dramatic roles, and felt that a sitcom was beneath him. He took the job on the *Brady Bunch *pilot for the paycheck, believing there was no way the show would be picked up. When it was, he couldn’t get out of his contract, and so he never really wanted to be there in the first place.
Sherwood Schwartz was making what he considered to be simply fun family entertainment, but Reed felt there should have been more depth, and the two constantly butted heads over the scripts. Schwartz hated to have his authority questioned, and allegedly once said that if the show had gotten another season, Mike Brady would have been killed in a plane crash over the summer. I tend to believe him.
On the other hand, the rest of the actors apparenly loved him. He reportedly became a father figure to the kids, treated them wonderfully and always looked out for their interests. My take is that he was a decent guy who was just frustrated by being on a show he didn’t like much, and Schwartz was the outlet for that frustration.
I know wiki says he started as a stand up but I don’t remember it that way. I remember him coming up through the ranks of sketch and improv which are different animals altogether. I listened to Jim Norton and a few other comics talking about the Richards incident. They all seemed to agree that he was ill-equipped to deal will hecklers or other types of disruptive crowds. They all thought that if he had paid his dues in clubs he would have known how to handle the situation. Instead he panicked.
Anyway, the larger point that there are tons of sitcom actors who are regulars never seem to get much work afterward holds. That doesn’t mean they had prima donna reputations.
The other sweathogs (besides John Travolta) from Welcome Back, Carter.
Larry Linville.
Loretta Swit.
Russell Johnson.
Dawn Wells.
Herb Tarlek, Bailey Quarters (sigh), and Andy Travis from WKRP.
Norm from Cheers.
Someone who has multiple successful TV shows is a rare thing. Thats why its generally foolish to leave early just to show up on the dinner theater circuit.
As someone once said on this board (paraphrasing), “A role on a successful TV series is usually the peak of a career, not the beginning of one.”
Only 20 years later!
For what it’s worth, Linville WAS something of a prima donna - at least, in my opinion. I was able to attend one of those “An Evening With” presentations with Linville many years ago, long after his MASH tenure ended. I enjoyed the MASH stories he told, but he came across as an insufferable jerk with a highly inflated opinion of himself and his work.
I know his castmates on MASH *usually described him as kind and easygoing, and maybe he was at that time or around other professionals/actors. When talking with the plebes, though, he gave the distinct impression everyone else was beneath him.
Maybe he was in character.
And that “professional basis” was as law enforcement, right?
Come on, dish!
Considering that she and her husband were the producers of the show, I guess she could tell the director to do that.
Also, in businesses, women who were assertive during those days were fighting a hard battle. Behavior that was considered normal in men was considered bitchy when the boss was a woman.
Re: MAS*H: I’ve read that Larry Linville was considered the best actor on the lot by the other actors.
Now come on, I can’t be the ONLY person to despise that Aunt Bea/Bee character completely. She was so shrill and nannying and that woman’s voice was 1000x worse than nails on a chalkboard.
Anybody? Anybody?
It’s been a loooong time since I’ve seen an episode, but I somewhat remember little Opie seemingly being a little bit scared of Aunt Bee. Makes me wonder if that was coming more from real life than from scripted/directed acting.
It’d be interesting to hear what Ron Howard has to say about her.
<crickets/>
I’m with you, Sleeps With Butterflies. I never liked her. She had a horrible voice and what seemed like a ‘poor me’ attitude. I was ever an Aunt Bea fan either.
Well, she made you and **SleepsWithButterflies **a sack of sandwiches for the bus trip to Raleigh, so I hope you can live with yourself.
Yeah, but they have her* pickles* on them.
Well, on the subject. . . The Mayberry Rap!
Vivian Vance is another actor who also thought herself too cool for school. She, Frances Bavier, and Robert Reed, all Serious Actors slumming it, should have had their own show… My Three Divas?