# 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:** 9
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/161 "2011-06-21T15:15:10Z")
Ralph Furley was also the result of “We need a Don Knotts type” and, after calling the usual suspects for auditions, somebody said “Did we call Don Knotts?” The producers had assumed he wouldn’t be interested, but with his movie career in low gear and alimony payments and kids in college he was very interested in the paycheck of a hit series. He said in interviews that Barney Fife made him world famous but Ralph Furley was why he had a comfortable retirement. Abe Vigoda on how he was cast as Fish in _Barney Miller_: “I got the role because the producer thought I looked tired. But I looked tired because I had been jogging earlier that day. He said to me, ‘You look tired, Abe.’ I said, ‘I am. I was just jogging five miles.’ He said, ‘You also look like you have hemorrhoids.’ I said, ‘What are you? A doctor or a producer?’ And he said, ‘Well, I’m a producer and you know what? You’ve got the role.’ Just like that.” Of course I’m guessing his recognition from _The Godfather_ movies didn’t hurt. _Barney Miller_ inspired an Israeli sitcom in which the character based on Fish was 90 year old Yemenite. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/162 "2011-06-21T15:21:24Z")
Speaking of Betty White–She was originally supposed to audition for the role of Blanche on The Golden Girls, having just played the man hungry Sue Ann Nivens, while Rue McClanahan, having just played the air headed Vivien on Maude, was supposed to audition for Rose. While Betty was reading, Rue was reading the script and thinking “I so want to read for Blanche.” The producer came out and told her to go home because Betty had just gotten the role of Rose. She asked to read for Blanche. The producers wanted her, but said Bea Arthur did not want to play Dorothy. Rue called and asked her why. “Because I don’t want to do Maude and Vivien meet Sue Ann.” Blanche explained that she and Betty had switched roles. Bea thought a moment and replied “That could be interesting.” And TV history was made. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/163 "2011-06-21T15:32:54Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > “Friends” debuted a year after “Frasier.” I think you mean she got the call to be Ursula in “Mad About You,” which I think officially counts as her break. She was ON A BREAK! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/164 "2011-06-21T15:41:02Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Abe Vigoda on how he was cast as Fish in _Barney Miller_: > > “I got the role because the producer thought I looked tired. But I looked tired because I had been jogging earlier that day. He said to me, ‘You look tired, Abe.’ I said, ‘I am. I was just jogging five miles.’ He said, ‘You also look like you have hemorrhoids.’ I said, ‘What are you? A doctor or a producer?’ And he said, ‘Well, I’m a producer and you know what? You’ve got the role.’ Just like that.” > > Of course I’m guessing his recognition from _The Godfather_ movies didn’t hurt. > > _Barney Miller_ inspired an Israeli sitcom in which the character based on Fish was 90 year old Yemenite. A lot of people don’t realize Vigoda isn’t as old as he looks. When he was cast as Fish, he was 54. Jack Soo was four years older. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/165 "2011-06-21T16:59:07Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > “Friends” debuted a year after “Frasier.” I think you mean she got the call to be Ursula in “Mad About You,” which I think officially counts as her break. Oops - you’re correct of course. I was remembering an interview Lisa gave on a talk show about this, but forgot that it was Mad About You. Speaking of which, I believe she was in BOTH shows, Friends and Mad About You running at the same time for a brief period. Not bad for someone canned from their first show. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/166 "2011-06-21T17:43:32Z")
Gene Roddenberry wrote lyrics to the Star Trek theme. He got half of the royalty money every time that song was played, despite the lyrics never being used in the TV show. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/167 "2011-06-21T17:45:28Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > Gene Roddenberry wrote lyrics to the Star Trek theme. He got half of the royalty money every time that song was played, despite the lyrics never being used in the TV show. And they’re [terrible!](http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/trek.asp) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/168 "2011-06-21T17:47:38Z")
When Reinhold Weege was creating _Night Court,_ Judge Harry Stone was written as a huge Mel Torme fan. Harry Anderson, who won the role, is a Mel Torme fan in real life. Weege says the fact that Anderson and his character are Mel Torme fans is entirely coincidental, that Harry Stone was written that way before Anderson tried out for the part. Ellen Foley, who played public defender Billie Young, is also a singer who sang along with Meat Loaf on “Paradise By the Dashboard Light.” ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/169 "2011-06-21T18:58:45Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Also Captain Picard was supposed to have a French accent, but nobody could keep a straight face when Patrick Stewart tried one so they just had him use his native British accent. That’s good to know! > [@](#): > > And Roddenberry had originally planed for Wesley Crusher to be Picard & Crusher’s love child, but that plotline never meant anywhere. There are definite suggestions of this in various episodes. > [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > And the reason his character was added to the show at all is that people had pointed out to Roddenberry that not having any Russian characters on a “United Federation” was unrealistic, given that there were (then) only 2 nations with a space program, and Russia was first at everything (except a manned moon landing). This is somewhat contested, depending on whom you ask. Roddenberry always claimed someone pointed out the lack of a Russian to him, and he thought it was a good idea to fit his theme of a unified Earth. Others argue the main reason for the new character was because the producers wanted the young Beatles type. I think it’s probably a bit of both, with perhaps Roddenberry using the opportunity of the new character the producers wanted to add his concept of a Russian. Thus we get Chekov. What is interesting, though, is that Walter Koenig is actually _older_ than George Takei. (WK = Sept 14, 1936; GT = Apr 20, 1937). And Grace Lee Whitney (Janice Rand) is actually older than both of them and Nichelle Nichols, Majel Barrett (Nurse Chapel), Leonard Nimoy, and William Shatner. So the two “kids” of the show were older than the roles. > [@DMark](#): > > Oops - you’re correct of course. I was remembering an interview Lisa gave on a talk show about this, but forgot that it was Mad About You. Speaking of which, I believe she was in BOTH shows, Friends and Mad About You running at the same time for a brief period. > Not bad for someone canned from their first show. Yes, and they even wrote it in - the two characters were twin sisters. IIRC Phoebe was even on an episode of MAY. > [@puddleglum](#): > > Gene Roddenberry wrote lyrics to the Star Trek theme. He got half of the royalty money every time that song was played, despite the lyrics never being used in the TV show. Egads. And I can’t figure out how to make those lyrics fit the music at all. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/170 "2011-06-21T19:09:13Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > This is somewhat contested, depending on whom you ask. Roddenberry always claimed someone pointed out the lack of a Russian to him, and he thought it was a good idea to fit his theme of a unified Earth. Others argue the main reason for the new character was because the producers wanted the young Beatles type. I think it’s probably a bit of both, with perhaps Roddenberry using the opportunity of the new character the producers wanted to add his concept of a Russian. Thus we get Chekov. I might be misremembering because it’s been awhile since I read the books, but in one of the Star Trek nonfiction books written by David Gerrold, I believe it’s mentioned that both of these were factors in Chekov’s addition to the cast. Pravda actually complained about the fact that Star Trek didn’t contain a Russian character (with Russians at the time making big strides in space exploration) and Roddenberry agreed. But they also did want a young Beatles type. I believe Koenig wore a Beatle wig to his audition. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/171 "2011-06-21T19:10:45Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > When Reinhold Weege was creating _Night Court,_ And one bit of silliness from this…Dan Fielding (Larroquette’s character) was eventually revealed to be an alias to hide his embarrassing real name: Reinhold Elmore - when his first name is revealed, the rest of the characters react with incredulity. ---
**Author:** ![brocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@brocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brocks)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/172 "2011-06-21T19:14:32Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > I believe Koenig wore a Beatle wig to his audition. I remember reading that he wore a wig for his first season, while his real hair grew out. You can see a big difference in his appearance — in the early shows, he looks like a Beatle; in later shows, he looks about two years away from a comb-over. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/173 "2011-06-21T19:17:21Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > But they also did want a young Beatles type. I believe Koenig wore a Beatle wig to his audition. He’s definitely [wearing a bad wig](http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmjl3h3r1S1qjkw8oo1_500.png) in his early episodes. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/174 "2011-06-21T19:18:06Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > I believe Koenig wore a Beatle wig to his audition. I think he wore one all through season 2. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/175 "2011-06-21T20:43:47Z")
One of the amusing continuity problems of _Star Trek_ is that the episode “Space Seed,” which introduced Ricardo Montalban as Khan, was broadcast in the first season, while Walter Koenig wasn’t added to the cast until the second season. Not only was Chekov not featured in the episode, he wasn’t even in the crew. That invalidates the scene in \*Star Trek: The Wrath of Kahn \* where the two recognize each other. Not as wrong, however, as _Deep Space Nine’s_ episode “Trials and Tribble-ations” where Worf and the crew are looking at the 75 year old recording of Klingons without ridges on their heads. Worf dismisses the different appearance, saying “We do not discuss it with outsiders.” ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/176 "2011-06-21T21:00:45Z")
> [@alfonzos](#): > > First, the show that stars Mary Tyler Moore as a producer of local newscast is called “Mary Tyler Moore,” _not_ “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” is a short-lived variety hour. > [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Tell that to the DVD makers: [Amazon.com: The Mary Tyler Moore Show - The Complete First Season : Mary Tyler Moore, Edward Asner, Gavin MacLeod, Valerie Harper, Ted Knight, Michael Callan, John Amos, Sidney Clute, Richard Libertini, Slim Pickens, Richard Roat, Paul Micale, Alan Rafkin, Bruce Bilson, Herbert Kenwith, Jay Sandrich, Peter Baldwin, Allan Burns, Bob Rodgers, David Davis: Movies & TV](http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Tyler-Moore-Show-Complete/dp/B00005JLIC) As [this title shot](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MTM.jpg) shows, the program was (at least at first) called simply “Mary Tyler Moore”. However, many sources (including the [**Wikipedia**](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Tyler_Moore_%28TV_series%29) article on the series) use the elongated name as well. There was a short-lived variety hour, [_Mary_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_%281978_TV_series%29), which featured such future notables as David Letterman and Michael Keaton in the company of players. Then there was the awkward hybrid [_The Mary Tyler Moore Hour_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mary_Tyler_Moore_Hour), and later a sitcom called [_Mary_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_%281985_TV_series%29). ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/177 "2011-06-21T21:17:50Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > One of the amusing continuity problems of _Star Trek_ is that the episode “Space Seed,” which introduced Ricardo Montalban as Khan, was broadcast in the first season, while Walter Koenig wasn’t added to the cast until the second season. Not only was Chekov not featured in the episode, he wasn’t even in the crew. That invalidates the scene in \*Star Trek: The Wrath of Kahn \* where the two recognize each other. And many fans would argue that just because Chekov wasn’t on the bridge, it doesn’t mean he wasn’t on the Enterprise. He could have been assigned to various departments around the ship to further his training to become one of the bridge crew. Koenig himself joked that the real reason Khan recognized Chekov was because he had to use the head and Chekov kept him waiting. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/178 "2011-06-21T23:24:55Z")
Speaking of Reinhold Weege and _Night Court_, somebody on their writing staff had a beef with Milwaukee. It was used as the butt of jokes many times: Yakoff Smirnoff’s character described Communist Russia as being thousands of miles of Milwaukee (a description that reduces Bull to screaming); a really stupid hooker says she’s from Milwaukee and everybody goes “Ohhhhh” (as in, ‘that explains it’); a rock star gives away all of his property including a shopping mall which nobody wants when they learn it’s in Milwaukee. Several others as well. [Brent Spiner’s first appearance](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6lm__xmapQ)on _Night Court_: “Never sweetheart. Never in a million years.” ---
**Author:** ![gatorslap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gatorslap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gatorslap)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/179 "2011-06-22T00:04:15Z")
Wesley Crusher saving the Enterprise was originally planned for only one episode. A writer’s strike prompted them to split their different ideas for the episode into multiple episodes. A Mary Sue was born. > [@kunilou](#): > > Not as wrong, however, as _Deep Space Nine’s_ episode “Trials and Tribble-ations” where Worf and the crew are looking at the 75 year old recording of Klingons without ridges on their heads. Worf dismisses the different appearance, saying “We do not discuss it with outsiders.” That was eventually explained away in an episode of _Enterprise_ as being some sort of DNA-altering disease that came about as a result of failed Klingon experiments with gene therapy. The Klingons kept the details under wraps because they found it embarrassing. ---
**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:** [June 22, 2011, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833/180 "2011-06-22T00:56:14Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > And one bit of silliness from this…Dan Fielding (Larroquette’s character) was eventually revealed to be an alias to hide his embarrassing real name: Reinhold Elmore - when his first name is revealed, the rest of the characters react with incredulity. I recall some point during the series where there were TV cameras in the courtroom or cafeteria from station WEGE. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-television-facts/585833.md?page=10)