# Odd television facts **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 17, 2011, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833 "2011-06-17T14:18:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/321 "2011-06-28T23:13:07Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Does anybody know if she was a heavy drug user? I know she’s written a book but I never read it. Judy and John used to get high on reefer together when they first started dating in high-school, and later Judy would occasionally smoke a J binder, maybe snort a little coke or drop a few hits of 'cid with John (and his pack of famous friends) as they got older, but by-in-large, once he hit the Big Time on Saturday Night Live, his occasional use had turned into at least a minor league addiction (especially if compared to the full-blown drug addict he ended becoming in his last couple of years) and so then Judy decided to quit all her own casual drug use, feeling she didn’t have the moral authority to confront John on his self-destructive behavior if she was right there doing the same thing he was, even if it was just once in a while. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/322 "2011-06-28T23:29:27Z")
Jeopardy was off the air for 3 years with it’s original host Art Fleming. Then after 5 years off it returned with Alex Trebek. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/323 "2011-06-29T00:45:33Z")
> [@CanvasShoes](#): > > I read somewhere that Vance also had it in her contract that she would remain at least 15 pounds heavier than Lucille Ball. That’s a myth, but as I mentioned upthread Vance was dressed in clothing 2 sizes too small to make her look fat. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/324 "2011-07-02T02:04:52Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro;13963790_Sanford_’s return as a 1 season show abd the continuations of _The Brady Bunch_ have been mentioned. Were there any other U.S. shows that were revived after a hiatus of a few years?[/QUOTE] There was a new version of [The Untouchables](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106165/) that ran for two seasons (syndicated, I think) in 1993-94. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/325 "2011-07-02T03:12:58Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > Judy and John used to get high on reefer together when they first started dating in high-school… Wife hung out with the local (as in, “where the Belushis are from”) potential-Second-City crowd and at parties people kept telling her she needed to stick around until the Belushi brothers showed up, but she always missed them. She’s still funnier. Mid-80s, seeing Roseanne standup on TV: “Honey, you need to see this. This woman is using all your material, but her delivery is shit.” ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/326 "2011-07-02T03:58:26Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > …[Craig Bierko](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Bierko) turned down the role of Chandler for _Friends_. I see this assertion from the wikipedia article lacks a cite, and it doesn’t jibe with what the creators of _Friends_ (Marta Kaufman, David Crane, and Kevin Bright) said on the commentary track for the pilot episode in the DVD collection of season one. They said they auditioned a zillion actors for Chandler – the character they’d assumed would be the easiest to cast, since he’s the “funny guy” – and nobody was nailing it, to the point they started to doubt the material; then Matthew Perry read for it and they knew right away he was the one. There was some concern about casting Perry because he was already cast in another pilot, but when they found out the other pilot was about garbagemen in outer space, they decided to chance it. 🙂 Anyway, at no point in the commentary did Bright, Kaufman and Crane ever mention offering the role to Bierko or anyone else before Perry was cast. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/327 "2011-07-02T07:56:08Z")
> [@Chef\_Troy](#): > > I see this assertion from the wikipedia article lacks a cite, and it doesn’t jibe with what the creators of _Friends_ […] said on the commentary track for the pilot episode in the DVD collection of season one. [Horse’s mouth](http://newyork.timeout.com/arts-culture/25007/craig-bierko): > [@](#): > > **Is it true you were the original choice for Chandler on _Friends_?** > Yes, that’s true. You only get to see the pilot for these things. Nobody walks into the room and says, “You know, this thing is going to replace Christianity.” You just have to go with your instincts. I got the part, but I chose another show. > > **What show was that?** > Hilariously enough, it was called _Best Friends_. See, _Friends_ wasn’t called _Friends_ back then. It was called _Six of One_. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/328 "2011-07-11T21:15:23Z")
So we’re supposed to take the word of an actor who could get some publicity/attention out of “I turned down _Friends_” over the creators of the show? I don’t know, maybe he’s telling the truth, but it seems like a weak cite. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/329 "2011-07-11T21:32:01Z")
If I had known that Gilligan was Gilligan’s last name, I would have posted that, hey, I bet y’all didn’t know this, but Gilligan was Gilligan’s _last_ name, and not his first! ---
**Author:** ![Mewl\_Dear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Mewl\_Dear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mewl_Dear)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/330 "2011-07-11T22:47:11Z")
To the long ago op. Garry Marshall wanted Mickey Dolenz to be Fonzie but was much taller than the rest of the cast. Not reading the whole thread to see if it is mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/331 "2011-07-12T03:00:25Z")
> [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > [Horse’s mouth](http://newyork.timeout.com/arts-culture/25007/craig-bierko): Too lazy to do nested quotes, but Bierko says in that article that _Friends_ was originally called _Six of One_ – and any _Friends_ fan worth his salt knows that the show was originally called _The Insomnia Café_, not _Six of One_. I call shenanigans. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/332 "2011-07-12T12:45:54Z")
> [@Mewl\_Dear](#): > > To the long ago op. Garry Marshall wanted Mickey Dolenz to be Fonzie but was much taller than the rest of the cast. Not reading the whole thread to see if it is mentioned. According to the Imdb Henry Winkler and Mickey Dolenz are both the same age. For some reason I figured Mickey Dolenz was at least 10 years older. I guess it’s just because he’s been around longer (as an actor). ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/333 "2011-07-12T13:20:48Z")
> [@Chef\_Troy](#): > > Too lazy to do nested quotes, but Bierko says in that article that _Friends_ was originally called _Six of One_ – and any _Friends_ fan worth his salt knows that the show was originally called _The Insomnia Café_, not _Six of One_. I call shenanigans. Hold back your shenanigans. “Six of One” was a real working title for Friends. [http://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/09/arts/the-conception-and-delivery-of-a-sitcom-everyone-s-a-critic.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all](http://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/09/arts/the-conception-and-delivery-of-a-sitcom-everyone-s-a-critic.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all) ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/334 "2011-07-12T13:44:26Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Hold back your shenanigans. “Six of One” was a real working title for Friends. > > [http://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/09/arts/the-conception-and-delivery-of-a-sitcom-everyone-s-a-critic.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all](http://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/09/arts/the-conception-and-delivery-of-a-sitcom-everyone-s-a-critic.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all) I stand corrected. Guess I need some more salt. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/335 "2011-07-15T13:15:10Z")
I [just read](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Inspector) that Pat Harrington Jr, aka Dwayne Schneider from _One Day At A Time_, was the voice of the Inspector in the _Pink Panther_ cartoons. Well, I’ll be jiggered. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/336 "2011-07-16T16:59:18Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I [just read](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Inspector) that Pat Harrington Jr, aka Dwayne Schneider from _One Day At A Time_, was the voice of the Inspector in the _Pink Panther_ cartoons. > > Well, I’ll be jiggered. Did either character talk? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/337 "2011-07-16T23:44:48Z")
Yes, [a lot](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq29haRLT08). ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/338 "2011-07-18T12:00:40Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > Did either character talk? _Oui_. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/339 "2011-07-18T12:22:12Z")
> [@CanvasShoes](#): > > I read somewhere that Vance also had it in her contract that she would remain at least 15 pounds heavier than Lucille Ball. This is [false](http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/vance.asp). It was a joke created by Ball herself that took on a life of its own. The only person Vance really hated was Frawley, BTW. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833.md?page=16)