The ribbon she wore on the show was black, presumably to increase the contrast. I thought she wore it in every single episode but when we watched the series last year there were some where she didn’t.
Favorite? In the immortal words of Vince Vaughn: Buddy, Buddy, Buddy. Esp. his repartee with Mel. (And another vote for Richard Deacon being underrated.)
I think my attitude was influenced by seeing Morey Amsterdam on other things like the game show Make Me Laugh with his vast library of quick jokes which only a fraction of were used on the show.
I tell you, watching those three “work” together was so much fun. And, as an impressionable kid, it was a good counterbalance to all the dreary offices of the early 60s.
I sometimes suspect that it influenced me, because I grew up to work in a fun, creative office (advertising, where we brainstormed just like they did for the Alan Brady Show).
Oh, and we had our own wisecracking Buddy Sorel, rubber chicken and all.
Funny to see this resurrected eleven years after I wrote the OP. Funny, because, I just started (re)watching this show the other day.
I’ve seen some great episodes: When Rob and Laura dog-sat Larry, Buddy’s German Shepard; when Rob’s old army buddy (Allen Melvin) showed up out of the blue (Rob did not recognize him), and when Rob and Jerry bought the boat.
mmm
ETA: Oh yeah, the one when Rob accidentally bought the painting at the auction, later thinking it may be covering a masterpiece. Alas, the artist was Artanis.
None of that posting explains why she was “a bitch.”
My favorite episodes are the ones where they put on a variety show, or perform at Rob and Laura’s house. Love this clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYbtZaoulIo. Also the one where Buddy and Sally perform as “Gilbert and Sullivan.”
It’s difficult to chose, but I suppose I would go with MTM. In addition to her looks, she was the best “fake crier” that I’ve ever seen. Her way of talking through her own background of sobs was absolutely adorable.
Trivia: I’m currently reading My Dad’s Funnier Than Your Dad, a biography of Tim Conway by his daughter Kelly. Rose Marie was Kelly’s godmother.
I’d been told when I was hired that the focus was going to be on the writers room, where my character, Sally Rogers, was a television writer, and I would be co-starring with Dick [Van Dyke]. As time went on, I realized that the focus was actually on the home life and on his TV wife, Mary Tyler Moore. I didn’t like that. I was disappointed. I wanted to work more. The situation was made more difficult because Mary was younger and prettier than me and, I’ll admit it, I was jealous of all the attention she was getting.
It sounds like another one of those situations where an actor gets told they’ll be the top-of-the-ladder star of the show, only to find out they were fed a line.* I’ve heard (sorry, no cite) that Carl Reiner finally told Rose Marie that the show was going to be split between Rob Petrie’s workplace and home, and if she didn’t like the arrangement, he’d let her out of her contract. Supposedly Rose Marie finally made peace with Mary Tyler Moore, although it’s clear from the srticle that it still hurt.
See also, Tina Louise in Gilligan’s Island, Wayne Rogers and MacLean Stevenson in MASH*, Meredith Baxter in Family Ties, etc.
The costumers also dressed Laura like Jackie Kennedy whenever they could (at least until November 1963). There’s at least one episode in which she looks almost exactly like Jackie at Love Field that fateful morning.
It should be remembered that Eve writes books about Hollywood folks, and may well have had personal encounter(s) with Rose Marie. Indeed, since she said she found out “first hand” that Rose Marie was a “bitch,” that seems likely. I do not care to speculate about what she may have been referring to.
I found the character of Sally Rogers somewhat puzzling, in that she was an early example of an independent woman, with a successful career and genuine talent. But she was also constantly in search of a husband, and pretty much every storyline about her centered on her search for a man.
Of course, one can want to get married without any sense that they must get married, but Sally often seems to veer into the latter characterization. Plus, whenever they talked about it, everyone (including Sally herself) seemed to take it for granted that if she were to get married, she would quit her job and become a housewife. It seemed like the idea of a woman being married but continuing to work was inconceivable, even though Rose Marie herself was married and working at that time.
In answer to the actual question, I think some of the biggest laughs I got from the show were from Ann Morgan Guilbert’s Millie Helper. She took was could have been a nothing-much role, the female lead’s plainer best friend, and made it very funny and memorable. Who could forget her torch song “My Heart Got a Smash in the Face” from the neighborhood talent show episode?
Ann Morgan Guilbert said in an interview that Carl Reiner offered her a contract as a regular. After figuring out what she’d make as the 7th lead in the cast, she decided she’d make more money in fewer episodes as a “guest star,” get better scenes because they would have to write something specifically for her instead of just saying “uh-huh” to Laura, and be free to take on other work, as well.
As an independent little girl, I loved Sally Rogers, because I most identified with her and her career. I’m sad to see that @Eve says Rose Marie was a bitch, and I don’t doubt Eve at all, but there might be a more nuanced slant. I highly recommend watching the excellent 2017 documentary about Rose Marie “Wait For Your Laugh” on Amazon Prime. It really tells a story of what things were like back in the day. She’s very open about her attitudes and conceptions (and misconceptions) back then.
Despite what Johnny was told, they did have one more commercial break before the show ended. They cut away right after the segment above. When they returned after the break, Johnny looked straight into the camera and said “Welcome back to Rawhide, folks!”
I agree “Wait For Your Laugh” is quite good. Anyone who survives in the cut-throat entertainment business for 9 decades must be made of tough stuff…and she was (“Uncle Al” Capone had a soft spot for her). I don’t believe she suffered fools lightly, nor should she have.
To put her career in perspective, Baby Rose Marie was a national radio star before Shirley Temple was even born. If an entertainer can be considered a national treasure, Rose Marie should be on the short list.
Hear, hear! While Rose Marie was not my favorite actor while on the show itself, over the course of her life she has become my favorite from her many appearances, including on Wings to play Roy Biggins’ mother in 1997. Incredibly, she continued working until 2015, including a pair of Dick Van Dyke show based TV movies.
According to Peter Marshall, Rose Marie wore a black ribbon in her hair in remembrance of her husband, trumpeter Bobby Guy who died at age 48. She loved him very much and was devastated by his death. She never remarried.
