PHIL MEETS THE MOVIES - QUICK LIST: CLASSIC TV CAST FLICKS MOVIES FROM THE CAST OF THREE'S COMPANY
Phil Meets The Movies on Digging Star Wars, has a new theme, which is about famous, classic, TV cast members and one theatrical motion picture, by each member on the list. I call this theme, Classic TV Cast Flicks. These lists will also be part of the PMTM Quick Lists. Quick Lists are strategically made film lists, that movie-buffs can complete, in short periods. Quick Lists can be completed in a day, a couple of days, a weekend, one or two weeks, but no more than a month. They are recommended lists for movie-buffs, looking for something they haven't seen or experienced already, that they can finish quickly. In the case of this month's Quick List, you can complete it in two weeks.
There are ten films on this list and we will be working our way through each film, in order of release date. Our classic TV show for this month, was on ABC television for eight seasons, from 1977 to 1984, and was a huge hit. It was a top-8 rated show in six of those eight seasons, being in the top-4 during four of those seasons. In April of 1977, Three's Company (1977-1984), completed a six-episode, first-season, try-out run, as a Spring replacement show and finished, at an incredible, #11 Nielson rating score. It's also cool, that Three's Company, came out the same year as Star Wars (1977). The next part of the story is history.
The story of Three’s Company actually begins in Great Britain in 1973. It is based on a British TV sitcom called Man About the House (1973-1976). It ran on the ITV Channel-3 Network and was the brain-child of British, comedy writers, Brian Cooke and Johnnie Mortimer. It too had a Chrissy character on the show. Also, the Jack character's last name was Tripp, while the Janet character was named Jo. Three's Company, went through three different pilot episodes, involving two different networks, while it was being developed in America. Jack's character started out as a filmmaking student, named David Bell, but by the time they got to the second pilot episode, he had morphed into a chef student named Jack Tripp. John Ritter was cast right out of the gate for the first pilot, however almost got cut out, before the show finally debuted. I'm so glad he wasn't removed, because history showed that he was born for the role of Jack Tripper. There is one other note to mention, about the first Three's Company pilot, which has a connection to our last PMTM blog post, about the TV sitcom M*A*S*H (1972-1983).
Larry Gelbart, who was the main creator/writer/producer of the Korean War comedy-drama, also helped develop the first pilot episode of Three's Company, for ABC. It's a nice connection between the two shows, considering John Ritter had a guest-starring role in the 1973, season two episode of M*A*S*H (1972-1983), "Deal Me Out", as a soldier, who can't deal with the battlefield anymore, but Frank Burns wants to send him back to the front. It is a much more serious side to John Ritter, that wasn't really seen, until much later in his career. Joyce DeWitt as Janet came into the Three's Company circle, during the development of the second pilot. Finally, after two unconvincing actresses appearing in the Chrissy role, went through the first and second pilots, the producers finally settled on Suzanne Somers, in time for the third pilot episode. Jack Tripper, Janet Wood, and Chrissy Snow made their groundbreaking debut on ABC on March 15th, 1977.
It's a great Quick List to tackle because most of the films picked on our list show all the different aspects of every actor's life. These films show that everyone had to start somewhere and everyone had to keep busy, during Summer breaks from the show. These movies also chronicle, that everyone had to keep working when the show ended. This list was another fun project for me to take on, considering I'm a huge fan of Three's Company. As I worked my way through this Quick List of films, I realized there were many connections between the films, the actors, the writers, the directors, and even connections to Star Wars. There is one film on this list, that also is on our Film366 movie list too. Some of the films on our Three's Company Classic TV Cast Flicks List could be considered successful, critically-acclaimed, classics, but one or two are not as great. Like I said, everyone had to start somewhere.
Quick List:
Classic TV Cast Flicks:
The Cast from the TV Series, Three's Company (1977-1984)
There were two other cast members in Three's Company, who, like John Ritter, started from the very first pilot. They too, made it to the launch of the series and became a regular part of the show, for three seasons. They were Stanley (Norman Fell) and Helen (Audra Lindley), the older, cranky landlord and his undersexed wife, who live in the apartment below Jack, Janet, and Chrissy, in Santa Monica, California. Near the end of the third season, the Ropers were spun off into a new series, simply called, The Ropers (1979-1980), and Don Knotts, was brought into the cast, to portray the kids' new landlord, Ralph Furley. A few episodes into season five, Three's Company, would begin to go through a radical change, that wouldn't be resolved until the start of the sixth season, because of a shake-up with the main cast. Skipping the details, Chrissy (Suzanne Somers), decides to move to Fresno, and her cousin Cindy (Jenilee Harrison), moves into the apartment with Jack and Janet. Cindy would stay with them, until the start of the sixth season, when registered nurse, Terri Alden (Priscilla Barnes), would become the new roommate to Jack and Janet. All of this transpired over just one season, with the third room-mate, morphing from Chrissy to Cindy to Terri, over about 17 episodes. Terri would stay with them until the series ended in 1984. We also have other cast members, such as Richard Kline as Jack's best friend, Larry Dallas, and Ann Wedgeworth, as Lana Shields, another tenant, who lives in the building.
Norman Fell was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and studied drama at Temple University. Fell started his acting career in TV and the movies, during the mid-1950s. He was in a lot of great movies, such as Inherit the Wind (1960), Ocean's Eleven (1960) and The Graduate (1967). He was prevalent in many roles on television, performing as a law-enforcement officer, of some variety or another. This eventually led him to co-star in Steve McQueen's action, crime-drama, Bullitt (1968). Fell plays the boss of McQueen's Frank Bullitt, named Captain Baker, who is no help to Bullitt at all, as Baker sides with Robert Vaughn's, politically-motivated, Walter Chalmers, every time. It is a problem for Bullitt, especially since Frank eventually becomes involved in one of the best car chase scenes in film history. It's really an amazing moment, when Frank's Ford Mustang, has to deal with a black Dodge Charger, that has been following him around San Francisco. Bullitt is well-directed, and well-shot, features Oscar-winning editing and is a theatrical smorgasbord of action and gritty cinematography, from director Peter Yates. Also in Bullitt, there is supposed to be an uncredited cameo by Suzanne Somers, which I totally missed. I hope you find it. Also, veteran actor, Vic Tayback, who was a very busy actor in our M*A*S*H Quick List, is here again, in a small role in Bullitt. The film also has an excellent soundtrack by legendary film composer, Lalo Schifrin.
PMTM Grade: B+ (8.7) = 4 Stars Letterboxd / 8 IMDB
Audra Lindley was six years older than Norman Fell. Her acting career started in theatrical motion pictures, all the way back to the early-1940s. She was on television right out of the gate too, appearing on shows as early as 1950. After her spin-off show with Fell, The Ropers (1979-1980), was canceled, a year later, both actors came back as the Ropers, for one final visit to Three's Company, during the fifth season. They were never seen again on the show after that. On her way to being Helen Roper, Audra Lindley appeared as Cybill Shepherd's mother, Mrs. Corcoran, in The Heartbreak Kid (1972). She played a different kind of wife to Eddie Albert's, Mr. Corcoran, in the Charles Grodin-driven film. The Heartbreak Kid is a well-done, romantic-comedy, with a screenplay by Neil Simon. It was directed by Elaine May, who holds the unfortunate honor of also being the director of the critically-panned, Dustin Hoffman/Warren Beatty, motion-picture bomb, Ishtar (1987). Her credits, other than Ishtar, are heralded as being much better, including The Heartbreak Kid.
PMTM Grade: C+ (7.3) = 3 1/2 Stars Letterboxd / 7 IMDB
When the Ropers left Three's Company, that left a huge void in the cast, that needed to be filled. What better way to fill most of that void left over by the Ropers but was to bring in a veteran of comedy television, to play the new landlord, Mr. Furley (Don Knotts). But that was only one part of the void. Another hole that needed to be filled, was the one left by Mrs. Roper herself, because not only was there a missing female cast member now, but it was also decided, that Furley would be single, so there wasn't a wife or love interest for old Ralph either. So, when Furley joined the cast at the start of the fourth season, another veteran actress in film and television, joined the show, to be a counter-balance between Jack and Ralph. Ann Wedgeworth joined the show as Lana Shields, as the older, sophisticated cougar, who couldn't keep her hands off of younger Jack. On the other side, 60-ish Furley takes an immediate attraction to Lana. So, there are many hilarious stories with Ralph chasing Lana, while Lana is chasing Jack, in between all the chaos happening to Janet, Chrissy, and Larry. Ann Wedgeworth was already a busy actress, by the time she did half of season four and finished out her 13 episodes on Three's Company. One of her theatrical films, has her playing the wife of Carroll O'Connor's, cabdriver Willie, in Law and Disorder (1974), opposite Ernest Borgnine's Cy, the hairstylist.
Carroll O'Connor and Ernest Borgnine were two of the biggest stars in 1974. Even though Borgnine was ever-enshrined as Lt. Commander Quinton McHale, on his hugely successful TV sitcom, McHale's Navy (1962-1966), since then, he had been more prevalent and busier, with his successful film career up to this point. O'Connor was, of course, enjoying the success of his hugely popular TV sitcom, All in the Family (1971-1979), which was beginning its season five, when Law and Disorder (1974), was released in theaters. This film utilized those popular aspects, that made these two guys famous, especially Archie's parenting/husband skills and McHale's ability, to lead miscreants into battle. Also, both actors are synonymous with comedy, so Law and Disorder immediately establishes itself as a comedy-drama, about two New York City guys, Cy, the hair stylist (Borgnine), and Willie, the cab driver (O'Connor). Even though Ann Wedgeworth was only in 13 episodes of Three's Company, what qualifies her for this Quick List is the fact, that every time she was in an episode, her name appeared during the beginning credits. She would only be on the show for one season (Season Four - 1979), before the Lana experiment was stopped. Another set of big changes was coming to Three's Company, so things were about to get shaken up.
PMTM Grade: C- (6.7) = 3 1/2 Stars Letterboxd / 7 IMDB
Suzanne Somers finished out her run on Three's Company, credited with exactly 100 Episodes, after she was slowly written out of the series, during the fifth season. It was a slow process. She was in a few of the early episodes of season five, but as things went on through that season, the viewers noticed a change in how her character was being handled on the show. By episode seven of that season, her cousin Cindy (Jenilee Harrison), had moved in with Jack and Janet. Chrissy is seen only in split-screen, while on the phone with Jack or Janet, at random parts of the remaining season, in six different episodes. She would be seen, for maybe, two minutes per episode. It was now the Jack, Janet, and Cindy show. Somers was still credited in the beginning credits, even in the episodes she wasn't in, while Harrison's credits were saved for the final credits. Harrison wouldn't be seen in the beginning credits until the start of the sixth season. So, Suzanne Somers was in a total of about 87 episodes by the time she left.
Fans would eventually hear why all these changes were happening, as the news came out about Somers' infamous feud with the producers of Three's Company. She was looking for more money, was slightly jealous of John Ritter's huge fame on the show, and didn't like how the writers dumbed down Chrissy's persona over the last five seasons, which eventually led to her leaving the show in 1980. A year before she left the show, she was busy working on a film in England, performing as a pop singer, in Yesterday's Hero (1979). Her famous pop singer, Cloudy Martin, and an aging pro soccer player (Ian McShane), who hooked up years before, find themselves crossing paths again, in England, in this drama, that has a hard time getting started, but end up being good enough, for an "E For Effort". Somers gets top billing in Yesterday's Hero. Her Cloudy Martin is one-half of a pop-music duo, known as Martin and Simon (Paul Nicholas). It's one-half music-drama, one-half sports-drama.
PMTM Grade: E+ (5.2) = 2 1/2 Stars Letterboxd / 5 IMDB
Jenilee Harrison’s Cindy Snow was on Three's Company, for seasons five and six. Her character was just a band-aid for the loss of Suzanne Somers' Chrissy Snow. Jenilee only appeared in half of those episodes over that two-season span. She did finally make it into the beginning credits for season six. As season six began, it was evident though, that she would be replaced by a third roommate for Jack and Janet, because Cindy got accepted to UCLA and had to move out of the apartment. At the end of season six, Cindy would be gone and Jenilee left the series in 1982. She would find an even better acting gig, a few years later, as Jamie Ewing, on the successful, prime-time soap opera, known as Dallas (1978-1991). Her successful, three-season run, from 1984-1986, on Dallas, proved Jenilee was much better at dramatic roles compared to comedy. She had a few funny moments on Three's Company, but her delivery wasn't that great.
Just before Jenilee started on Dallas, she tried again at comedy, in the James Garner, military-comedy, Tank (1984). She should have avoided this one too. James Garner plays an aging Army soldier, named Sergeant-Major Zack Carey. He has to rescue his son Billy (C. Thomas Howell), from a corrupt, southern sheriff, named Sheriff Buelton (G.D. Spradlin). Buelton is enraged at Zack because Zack beat up one of the Sheriff's sleazy deputies. After all, the deputy (James Cromwell), beat up a call-girl named Sarah (Harrison). To get back at Zack, Buelton takes Billy into custody, using fake drug charges, and puts him in prison. It's a good thing Zack has access to a tank because it's time to break his kid out of jail. Tank is supposed to be a comedy and all through the film, I was wondering where all the laughs were. Also, beware, Tank, is a much more mature film, for a PG rating, however, it was 1984. The year 1984 was the year that the PG-13 rating was created, but Tank made it in before the change. The PG-13 rating's implementation was also influenced by the questionable content, that was found in the George Lucas/Steven Spielberg classic, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984).
PMTM Grade: F+ (4.0) = 2 Stars Letterboxd / 4 IMDB
The new roommate, who would move in with Jack and Janet in the season six opener, would be Terri Alden R.N. - played by Priscilla Barnes. Terri would be the final roommate, to move into the apartment, for the rest of the series run. Cindy (Jenilee Harrison) would pop up now and then while attending college, but she would be written out of the show by the end of season six. Three’s Company was now the Jack, Janet, and Terri show. Priscilla Barnes had a reasonably busy career, leading up to her role as Terri, guest starring on other TV shows and playing small parts in about half a dozen theatrical films. Her biggest moment was with Three's Company, which fueled her ability to get larger roles in movies after the show ended. She has kept a steady flow of film/TV work since the days of Terri Alden. Five years after the show ended, Priscilla was cast as the bride to James Bond's best friend, Felix Leiter, in the Timothy Dalton, 007 film, License to Kill (1989). This was Dalton's second Bond film and it takes a serious turn at the beginning of the film. It is Priscilla, Della Churchill's character, that fuels the direction that this film ends up going in. It's an interesting, character contrast for Priscilla, which allows Della to have a moment of badassery before her fate is spelled out. It's a nightmare for Felix and the first, of many times, that Bond has to go rogue in a movie. We get to see exactly what a License to Kill, is supposed to be.
PMTM Grade: D+ (6.3) = 3 Stars Letterboxd / 6 IMDB
Don Knotts’ Mr. Furley ended up being in 117 episodes of Three's Company. From my perspective, after John Ritter, Furley was my favorite character on the show, and no wonder. Don Knotts came almost from television's roots. He appeared in many guest-starring roles, all through the 1950s, until he landed the role, that made him famous. In 1960, he was cast as Andy Griffith's deputy, Barney Fife, on the hugely successful television sitcom, The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968). He also had a thriving film career going on too. He made a bunch of comedies in the 1960s and 1970s. So, it was a no-brainer, when he was cast as the Ropers' replacement, as the new landlord, during season four of Three's Company. Ralph was hilarious. Knotts was able to generate comedic results, by channeling Deputy Barney Fife, channeling janitor/astronaut Roy Fleming, from The Reluctant Astronaut (1967), and attaching those aspects to Abner Audubon Peacock IV, from the rom-com, The Love God? (1969). Ralph Furley would be Don Knott’s second most famous character ever, which helped propel him to comedy-history, hall-of-fame status, plus he kept on working, even after Three's Company, was over.
Almost 15 years later, his legendary, comedic appeal, was called on again, to play a magical being, who controls a world, found in a 1950s, black-and-white, TV sitcom, in the Gary Ross-directed, fantasy-comedy, Pleasantville (1998). Known just as the TV Repairman, Knott's character, imprisons David Wagner (Tobey Maguire) and his sister, Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon), into a 1950s television show. In this B&W TV show, known as Pleasantville to David, their modern, full-color, 1990s values, begin to collide with the black and white, almost sterilized, proper 1950s attitudes, of the other people on the show. It is the hope of the Wagners that the TV Repairman will have a change of heart and let them out after he gets over having his feelings hurt by them. Don Knotts goes from a landlord to a magical, Oz-like, TV repairman.
PMTM Grade: A- (8.9) = 4 1/2 Stars Letterboxd / 9 IMDB
Richard Kline’s Larry Dallas was in 131 episodes of Three's Company. He was an original cast member through most of the show's run. Larry appeared in only episode four, of the shortened six-episode, first season. He returned during the second half of season two and was there, until the end of the series. It was always implied that Larry was the same age as Jack, but as the show went on, it felt like Larry might be a little older than Jack. By the time we got to the end of the series run, Richard Kilne's hair had a gray/white sheen on it, in between dye jobs, that made him look, like he was a lot older than Jack, Janet, and Terri. The mystique of all of that, only helped fuel the idea, that Larry was that con man, used car salesman, that we all knew and loved. Richard Kline worked his way up to Three's Company, appearing in bit guest-starring roles on TV shows through the 1970s.
It worked, however and helped him on his way to becoming enshrined in television history, especially since, Three's Company, was so beloved. Richard Kline's career continued on and he has been busy, ever since. He even appeared on one episode of the Three's Company, spin-off series, Three's a Crowd (1984-1985). More on that show later. Richard is the only male, cast-member from the show, still alive, and at the time of this writing, he just turned 80. 15 years later, after Three's Company ended, Kline appeared in the Barry Levinson-directed, comedy-drama, Liberty Heights (1999). He is an associate to Joe Mantegna's, burlesque-joint owner, Nate Kurtzman, in a story, that takes place during a tumultuous part of American history, in 1954 Baltimore.
PMTM Grade: B- (7.8) = 4 Stars Letterboxd / 8 IMDB
What can you say about John Ritter, that hasn't been said many times already? He was a great and unique talent, who was able to utilize those frail human mannerisms that we all have, solely for improvised comedy, to enhance the punch to the punch lines. Fans of the show weren't there for the dialogue or the ridiculous (in a positive way) plot lines, which used misdirection and miscommunication (something the writers of the show were masters at). They were there to see John do his thing. John Ritter was one of the last great actors to use physical comedy well, in a way, that it got huge laughs and it worked every time. He was joined by just a few other brave, physical-comedy actors, by the end of the 20th century, like Chevy Chase, Michael J. Fox, and Michael Richards. Physical comedy is non-existent in the 21st century. John was born to be Jack Tripper, the bumbling, jittery, cooking student, who had to hide his heterosexuality from the landlords, for eight seasons of Three's Company, so he wouldn't get kicked out of the apartment. What was really cool about Jack, was he could hide his secret from Mr. Roper (Mrs. Roper kept Jack's secret from Stanley), or Mr. Furley and at the same time, date some of the most beautiful women in California. It was always an interesting contrast between the two sides of his character. This could never be more true, about John's approach to comedy, until after seeing the 25th episode of season six, called, "Up in the Air", featuring "The Rocket". It is one of the funniest moments in TV sitcom history.
Other than Three's Company, John Ritter had a consistent, steady career in film and television, before and after, he was done with Jack Tripper. As he got older, the physical comedy began to fade, but the improvisational skills were still there. It was a horrible loss, when he died suddenly in 2003, six days before his 55th birthday. His last film was the adult, R-rated, Billy Bob Thornton-starring, anti-Christmas comedy, Bad Santa (2003). Even though John is a supporting actor in the film, his jittery, stressed-out store manager, Bob Chipeska, still lit up the room. John Ritter is quite funny in Bad Santa and it's because of him that Bad Santa, is one of my, top-10 favorite Christmas movies.
PMTM Grade: B (8.1) = 4 Stars Letterboxd / 8 IMDB
Joyce DeWitt finished, two shows shy of John Ritter, appearing in 171 episodes of Three's Company. That's if you count the one pilot episode she wasn't in and one other, unknown episode. She pretty much had the same run, that Ritter did, who was credited for all 173 episodes of the show. If you add in the 22 episodes from Three's a Crowd (1984-1985), Ritter had a heck of a run. DeWitt's film/TV credits are a lot smaller than the others, mostly because she landed the role of Janet, fairly quickly, after starting her career. Also, after Three's Company ended, Joyce took a break from acting, for over a decade, returning in the mid-1990s, for more television work. In fact, Joyce DeWitt's first theatrical film appearance didn't come until 2009, for the film, Call of the Wild (2009). However, back in 1984, Joyce got the best endorsement ever, on an episode of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson (1962-1992), when the king of late-night television revealed, that they were close friends and that she was a very, unfairly, underrated actress. At the time of this writing, just like Richard Kline, Joyce DeWitt also just celebrated a milestone birthday, as she turned 75. She is still busy acting and two years ago, she appeared in a small role, in a low-budget rom-com, that's sprinkled with some music and dancing entitled, Ask Me to Dance (2022). I warn you. It's not her best work, but the film isn't a total loss.
PMTM Grade: E (4.5) = 2 1/2 Stars Letterboxd / 5 IMDB
This was a fun Quick List to do. One problem I do face sometimes with these articles/lists is the availability of the films to see. Sometimes, I have to modify my list, because I can't locate a film that I originally picked for the post. For some bonus action, I wanted to note one more actor from Three's Company, who never made it into the beginning credits of the show, but still was in the same number of episodes, as Ann Wedgeworth (13). Jordan Charney played Jack's boss, Mr. Angelino, who was a constant pain to Jack but also ended up being the man, who gave Jack his dream job of owning his restaurant. Jordan Charney's theatrical credits include Network (1976) and another film from 1984, Ghostbusters. Also, I have included the bonus films, The Reluctant Astronaut (1967), Skin Deep (1989) and Stay Tuned (1992), for some extra, Don Knotts and John Ritter. Stay Tuned, is a film starring John Ritter, that has, somewhat, the same basic premise as Pleasantville (1998), which as mentioned earlier, has Don Knotts in it. Phil Meets the Movies on Digging Star Wars, will be back later in 2024, with a new Quick List, featuring another cast, from classic television, in our Classic TV Cast Flicks. There will be more great cinema chat, in our next installment. As always, go enjoy the movies, new or old, as much as you can.
About the Author
Phil Congleton is a lifelong film buff, who worked in television for 30 years and produced a few, small independent films in the 1990s. He is the co-creator of Film366 with Chris Mich and the curator of Phil Meets the Movies. Now retired, Phil commits his time to promoting the movies and the art of film. You can read more about Phil's film reviews on Letterboxd.
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