# 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:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/81 "2011-06-18T14:15:11Z")
I also want to see the Phil Hartman credits where he is by his wife. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/82 "2011-06-18T15:08:01Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > On the 1960s gothic soap opera “Dark Shadows” whenever vampire Barnabas Collins had to bite a man (Willie Loomis or Jason McGuire), he bit their wrists. Because implying a guy vampire would have been too scandalous for the housewives and kids home from school who watched it. Is that a typo? Did you mean to write “ **gay** vampire”? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/83 "2011-06-18T15:51:45Z")
In season 2 of “Grey’s Anatomy”, George is warning Meredith of her reckless behavior. That she’d end up “in a hole in some guy’s basement being ordered to ‘put the lotion on the skin or else you’ll get the hose again’.” Referring to a famous line from _Silence of the Lambs._ While he says this, the background song is Greenskeepers _Lotion_, which has SotL based lyrics The woman in the hole was played by Brooke Smith who later that season made her first appearence as Dr. Erica Hahn on GA. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/84 "2011-06-18T16:00:23Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > In season 2 of “Grey’s Anatomy”, George is warning Meredith of her reckless behavior. That she’d end up “in a hole in some guy’s basement being ordered to ‘put the lotion on the skin or else you’ll get the hose again’.” Referring to a famous line from _Silence of the Lambs._ While he says this, the background song is Greenskeepers _Lotion_, which has SotL based lyrics > > The woman in the hole was played by Brooke Smith who later that season made her first appearence as Dr. Erica Hahn on GA. That’s something I would never have noticed, the song in the background. My main reason to want to quit watching _Grey’s_ is the music component of the shows. Too loud, the lyrics are in the CC which we use to be able to catch subtle dialog, and rarely relevant at a conscious level – in short, they compete too much with what’s on the screen in the scene. If I had made the connection you just have, I might be less bitter. But I doubt it. This is the weakest show we watch in terms of background music. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/85 "2011-06-18T16:37:40Z")
It’s pretty weak in creating sympathy for the protagonists, also, IMHO, but I reckon that’s fodder for another thread. Interesting coincidence with the SotL stuff, though. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/86 "2011-06-18T16:55:04Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I also want to see the Phil Hartman credits where he is by his wife. If you have Netflix, you can actually see the intro in their “instant” section. Look for SNL season 16, and any of the episodes will have it. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/87 "2011-06-18T17:09:40Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > A similar switch happened on _Friends_. Jennifer Aniston was originally cast as Phoebe and Lisa Kudrow was cast as Rachel. Speaking of Lisa Kudrow - her first big break was being cast as Roz on the Frasier show…they were taping the first episode and then decided to fire Lisa and replace her with Peri Gilpen. Lisa was crushed, as you can well imagine, until a few days later when she got a call to join the cast for a new show called, “Friends”. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/88 "2011-06-18T17:29:19Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Ed O’Neill, who came to fame as Al Bundy on _Married With Children_ and currently plays Jay on _Modern Family_, was the first choice for the roles of Sam Malone on _Cheers_ and for Al Swearengen on _Deadwood_. I’d never heard O’Neill was up for Sam Malone. The big names I always heard were Fred Dryer (when the character was conceived as an ex-football player) and William Devane. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/89 "2011-06-18T17:49:20Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Barney Stinson was originally such a minor character in How I Met Your Mother that, when Neil Patrick Harris ws offered the role, his agent told him not to take it. But he did. And made TV history with his portrayal. I get that you, like my daughter, love NPH. But how exactly was TV history made? ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/90 "2011-06-18T17:55:31Z")
_The Nanny_ was remade in Russia as _My Fair Nanny_, and proved so popular that once they’d remade all the original scripts, they hired some of the American writers to come over and write new episodes. The Fran Drescher character was changed from Jewish to Ukrainian. [Clip](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ocKU6riQzU) The remake of _Married with Children_ was also hugely popular in Russia. [Clip](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NbuSIUKFSc) ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/91 "2011-06-18T18:09:27Z")
Originally Posted by TreacherousCretin Most interesting. All I ever “knew” about her was that she despised Andy Griffith and spoke to him only when absolutely necessary. > [@janis\_and\_c0](#): > > On her deathbead she [apologized](http://en.allexperts.com/q/Andy-Griffith-1122/2008/7/Andy-Griffith-Frances-Bavier.htm) for the way she’d treated him Really? Everything I ever read about Andy Griffith was that Andy was NOT! acting when he played Lonesome Rhodes in\*\* A “Face in the Crowd” \*\*. Everything I have read said Andy Griffith’s true personality was the same as that of Lonesome Rhodes…and that Andy Griffith was not nice to anyone and nor was Andy liked by anyone - which would explain why Francis, and everybody else, despised Andy . ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/92 "2011-06-18T18:18:03Z")
[QUOTE=Susanann] Really? Everything I ever read about Andy Griffith was that Andy was NOT! acting when he played Lonesome Rhodes in\*\* A “Face in the Crowd” \*\*. Everything I have read said Andy Griffith’s true personality was the same as that of Lonesome Rhodes…and that Andy Griffith was not nice to anyone and nor was Andy liked by anyone - which would explain why Francis, and everybody else, despised Andy . [/QUOTE] I’ve read he’s very serious but I haven’t read he’s hated. Certainly he and Don Knotts got along very well. ---
**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 18, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/93 "2011-06-18T18:37:33Z")
I don’t know much about Andy Griffith’s personality, but in his long-running show “Matlock” (which I have never watched a single episode of, but have seen bits and pieces of many times when my mom was watching) it seemed like damn near every co-star and bit player from “The Andy Griffith Show” did a guest spot or two during it’s TV run. The actors who played Barney, Thelma Lou, Goober, Gomer, Helen, Ellie, Howard, and possibly Floyd were all guest stars on “Matlock” at one point or another. Maybe they all loathed Andy Griffith and just needed the work, but it seems that he was at least generous enough to give them a little work when he had the chance, 20+ years after “The Andy Griffith Show” went off the air… ---
**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:** [June 18, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/94 "2011-06-18T19:06:06Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > I get that you, like my daughter, love NPH. But how exactly was TV history made? NPH is one of the first openly gay actors to be cast as a (very) straight guy in a regular role. But I question the premise that Barney’s role was small at first. He’s very involved in the gang’s shenanigans right from the beginning and his “expanded role” only came about because the producers figured out that the show shouldn’t be about Ted and was better as an ensemble. That happened around like the fifth episode. ---
**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:** [June 18, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/95 "2011-06-18T19:21:32Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > Also, Kasem is a vegetarian, and in deference to him, for a long while, so was Shaggy. I’ve heard this before so I paid attention when I watched an episode of SD. Unless they make soy based products that look like ham and pepperoni, Shaggy DOES eat meat. ---
**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:** [June 18, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/96 "2011-06-18T19:45:36Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > I’ve heard this before so I paid attention when I watched an episode of SD. Unless they make soy based products that look like ham and pepperoni, Shaggy DOES eat meat. They do actually. They don’t taste that bad. Not like real ham or pepperoni, but not bad. But I agree with you, I think the “Shaggy is a vegetarian” thing is largely a myth because Shaggy is definitely piling meat into his sandwiches. ---
**Author:** ![brocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@brocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brocks)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/97 "2011-06-18T20:37:45Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > Some people don’t realize _My Three Sons_ and _Family Affair_ both produced by Don Fedderson were arranged around the stars. The scenes involving Uncle Bill and Steve Douglas were all shot at once for the entire season. Brian Keith and Fred MacMurray would shoot all their scenes in the first weeks of production. This freed them up to do other things. Hey, I can tie two subthreads together. The same shooting arrangement was made for Henry Fonda in “The Deputy,” a Western that ran from 1959-61. I had never heard of it, but I just started watching it a few weeks ago. And one of the episodes featured a woman who was pure evil. She would fake attacks on herself, and then stand up in church and accuse her neighbors of doing it. She bullied her son into doing all kinds of bad things, but of course he balked at killing Henry Fonda in cold blood. She wore men’s clothes and seemed tough enough to beat up any of the men in town. I didn’t recognize the woman, but her voice sounded familiar, so I checked the credits. Vivian Vance! ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/98 "2011-06-18T20:45:25Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > Speaking of Lisa Kudrow - her first big break was being cast as Roz on the Frasier show…they were taping the first episode and then decided to fire Lisa and replace her with Peri Gilpen. Lisa was crushed, as you can well imagine, until a few days later when she got a call to join the cast for a new show called, “Friends”. She appeared in the final episode of _Newhart_ as the wife of one of the Darryls. (Center, in black, [around 3:12](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McVWkGWMHKI).) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/99 "2011-06-18T20:55:33Z")
There is a rumor that Charlie Sheen can be difficult to work with and that it’s caused problems on _Two and Half Men_. Has anybody else heard this one? ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/100 "2011-06-18T21:06:41Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Another famous always contentious relationship was Robert Reed and Sherwood Schwartz. Reed hated _The Brady Bunch_ and felt it destroyed his career (whether it did or not is impossible to say; he may have been a much bigger star without it or he may have been one of a million actors who never got the big break). Schwartz had a really stinging assessment of Reed: “Bob was the sort of actor who if he bombed in Hamlet would blame the writing”. Actually, Reed was already a well-known TV star when “the Brady Bunch” began. He had starred on the controversial series [the Defenders](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Defenders_(TV_series)) from '61 - ‘66. It’s been kind of forgotten about over time, but it was a big deal in its’ day - especially one episode that dealt with the trial of a back-alley abortionist (“Mad Men” mentioned this in an episode.) Reed wasn’t the first person cast in the role. He replaced Jeffrey Hunter, whose major claim to fame was playing Captain Christopher Pike, the original “Enterprise” captain in the original “Star Trek” pilot. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833.md?page=6)