# The most famous non-existent people on TV
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-famous-non-existent-people-on-tv/389340
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [January 24, 2007, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-famous-non-existent-people-on-tv/389340 "2007-01-24T23:53:42Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Valteron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valteron)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2007, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-famous-non-existent-people-on-tv/389340/1 "2007-01-24T23:53:42Z")
There is a huge number of “characters” on television who are household names but who never really existed in the sense that you never once saw them. Right off, some of my favourites are:
Maris Crane, wife of Niles Crane on _Frasier_
Phylis’ husband Lars on Mary Tyler Moore
Pete Porter’s wife Gladys on December Bride (if you remember that you are really dating yourself).
Norm’s wife Vera on Cheers
Anyone here have any other favourites?
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### Author:  [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2007, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-famous-non-existent-people-on-tv/389340/2 "2007-01-25T00:06:36Z")
Peg Bundy’s mother, from **Married with Children**
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### Author:  [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2007, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-famous-non-existent-people-on-tv/389340/3 "2007-01-25T00:07:23Z")
Bob Sacamano, Kramer’s friend - _Seinfeld_.
From the funny books - the Things’ ‘Sweet Aunt Petunia’ in _the Fantastic Four_ (okay, so John Byrne ruined it by showing her during his run), and the Yancey Street Gang (who tormented the Thing, but always ‘off-panel’, so to speak.)
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### Author:  [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2007, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-famous-non-existent-people-on-tv/389340/4 "2007-01-25T00:09:10Z")
Charlie of Charlies Angels. His voice was in every episode, but he never made a physical appearance.
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### Author:  [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2007, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-famous-non-existent-people-on-tv/389340/5 "2007-01-25T00:12:12Z")
Al Borland’s mom from _Home Improvement_. That is, _I_ never saw her appear in any episodes.
Carlton the Doorman from _Rhoda_.
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### Author:  [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2007, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-famous-non-existent-people-on-tv/389340/6 "2007-01-25T00:14:08Z")
I maintain that Carlton and Charlie _did_ exist, as they could be heard.
[QUOTE=The New and Improved Superman]
Bob Sacamano, Kramer’s friend - _Seinfeld_.
[/QUOTE]
And Art Vandelay, of Vandelay Industries.
Also, Mr. Dennehy, who Jackie Gleason always talked to in his bartender sketch, and Crazzy Guggenheim always said hello to.
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### Author:  [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2007, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-famous-non-existent-people-on-tv/389340/7 "2007-01-25T00:43:18Z")
Captain Tuttle from MASH.
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### Author:  [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2007, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-famous-non-existent-people-on-tv/389340/8 "2007-01-25T00:52:38Z")
Weren’t Art Vandelay and Captain Tuttle invented persons within the Seinfeld and MASH universes? George invented Vandelay for some reason, and Hawk and Trap invented Tuttle to bamboozle Henry (IIRC…been forever since I saw the episode).
That puts them in a completely different realm that Maris, Vera, Lars, or Mrs Wanker, all of whom ‘existed’ within their worlds, but never actually appeared on-screen,
(I’m actually 99% sure Peg’s mom is actually in the same group as Carlton or Charlie - heard but not seen. But I’ll keep her with the others, since I’m not 100%.)
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### Author:  [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2007, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-famous-non-existent-people-on-tv/389340/9 "2007-01-25T00:56:23Z")
[QUOTE=NicePete]
Captain Tuttle from MASH.
[/QUOTE]
Now that you mention this one… Peg & Erin Hunnicutt (wait, they were shown in a home movie, scratch that), Laverne Klinger, Mrs. Potter, Honoria Winchester, Mr, Pierce, Radar’s mom…
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### Author:  [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2007, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-famous-non-existent-people-on-tv/389340/10 "2007-01-25T00:58:32Z")
Columbo’s wife
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### Author:  [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2007, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-famous-non-existent-people-on-tv/389340/11 "2007-01-25T01:25:20Z")
Number One on Cool McCool.
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### Author:  [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2007, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-famous-non-existent-people-on-tv/389340/12 "2007-01-25T01:27:58Z")
[QUOTE=The New and Improved Superman]
Bob Sacamano, Kramer’s friend - _Seinfeld_.
[/QUOTE]
Also, his friend Lomez.
And yes, Art Vandelay was just a pseudonym George made up because he thought it sounded cool - although, in the last episode, the judge’s last name was Vandeley (I don’t remember if it said his first name was “Art” or not).
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### Author:  [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2007, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-famous-non-existent-people-on-tv/389340/13 "2007-01-25T01:37:03Z")
[QUOTE=Bippy the Beardless]
Columbo’s wife
[/QUOTE]
Didn’t she appear in her own series at one stage?
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### Author:  [@threnodyangelfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threnodyangelfire)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2007, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-famous-non-existent-people-on-tv/389340/14 "2007-01-25T01:38:44Z")
[QUOTE=NicePete]
Captain Tuttle from MASH.
[/QUOTE]
[hijack]
I just have to say: I love MASH.
That is all.
[/hijack]
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### Author:  [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2007, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-famous-non-existent-people-on-tv/389340/15 "2007-01-25T02:05:37Z")
Robin Masters on _Magnum PI_, unless you buy the Higgins as Masters theory…
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### Author:  [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2007, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-famous-non-existent-people-on-tv/389340/16 "2007-01-25T02:36:14Z")
[QUOTE=Cunctator]
Didn’t she appear in her own series at one stage?
[/QUOTE]
She did, _Kate Columbo_- although her last name was later changed and the title changed to _Kate Loves A Mystery_ to remove the link to Columbo.
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### Author:  [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2007, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-famous-non-existent-people-on-tv/389340/17 "2007-01-25T02:45:33Z")
[QUOTE=LifeOnWry]
Now that you mention this one… Peg & Erin Hunnicutt (wait, they were shown in a home movie, scratch that), Laverne Klinger, Mrs. Potter, Honoria Winchester, Mr, Pierce, Radar’s mom…
[/QUOTE]
We saw home movies of Peg and Erin and Mrs O’Reilly (as well as Henry’s wife), and Peg even sent a tape narrating her movie. Peg was a beautiful woman (as was Henry’s wife, when they showed a home movie of her), and Mrs O’Reilly looked a lot like Radar (Burghoff played her). I don’t think we ever saw or heard any of the others, aside from the picture of Mildred Col. Potter had on his desk.
I was going to mention Frank’s wife, but I remembered they showed a movie of his wedding at one point, too.
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### Author:  [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2007, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-famous-non-existent-people-on-tv/389340/18 "2007-01-25T02:48:42Z")
[QUOTE=Tengu]
We saw home movies of Peg and Erin and Mrs O’Reilly (as well as Henry’s wife), and Peg even sent a tape narrating her movie. Peg was a beautiful woman (as was Henry’s wife, when they showed a home movie of her), and Mrs O’Reilly looked a lot like Radar (Burghoff played her). I don’t think we ever saw or heard any of the others, aside from the picture of Mildred Col. Potter had on his desk.
I was going to mention Frank’s wife, but I remembered they showed a movie of his wedding at one point, too.
[/QUOTE]
We do hear Honoria Winchester in one episode. Charles was inexplicably (to everyone else) defending a soldier who had a bad stutter, and later he is seen listening to a taped letter his sister sent, in which she demonstrates a pronounced stutter.
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### Author:  [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2007, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-famous-non-existent-people-on-tv/389340/19 "2007-01-25T02:58:04Z")
[QUOTE=LifeOnWry]
We do hear Honoria Winchester in one episode. Charles was inexplicably (to everyone else) defending a soldier who had a bad stutter, and later he is seen listening to a taped letter his sister sent, in which she demonstrates a pronounced stutter.
[/QUOTE]
That episode had completely slipped my mind, until you mentioned it. It was a good one, too. I love the Humanizing Charles episodes.
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### Author:  [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2007, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-famous-non-existent-people-on-tv/389340/20 "2007-01-25T03:13:44Z")
I watched an episode of Becker today, and his nurse’s husband Lewis (Louis?) was always “in the next room drying his pants” throughout the episode, so I assume he’s one of the phantoms, too.
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