Blazing Saddles, 1974. 20 weird facts you didn’t know. Welcome back to Who Remembers.
Today we’re going to saddle up, travel back in time to 1974, and explore a comedy movie that became a legend, a satirical masterpiece that dared to break all the rules, and blow away Hollywood at the time. Blazing Saddles. This wasn’t just a simple western parody.
It was a punch straight to the face of stupidity and societal prejudices. Can you believe this film was so bold that it almost never even made it to theaters? Whether you’ve seen Blazing Saddles so many times you know it by heart or this is the first time you’re hearing about it, let’s discover 20 weird and unbelievable facts about the production process and behind the scenes stories you might not have known.
The first day of filming was a complete disaster. Can you believe that the iconic role of the Waco kid, forever linked to Gene Wilder’s name, wasn’t originally meant for him at all? This role was initially given to Oscar-winning actor Gig Young.
With his suitable appearance in the studios trust, Gig Young seemed like the perfect choice, but on the very first day of filming, a terrible incident occurred. While shooting Jim’s Gene Wilders’s character later on introduction scene in the jail, a scene where the character is hanging upside down, Gig Young collapsed right in the middle of the scene. At first, the crew thought he was just acting his heart out, but the truth was much more tragic.
Gig Young was struggling with severe alcohol addiction, and he vomited all over the set. The situation was so serious that after just a few hours, Gig Young couldn’t continue and was forced to withdraw from the film completely. That was certainly a rocky start, making everyone question if the movie could even continue.
Mel Brooks’s legendary emergency call. Facing the disaster of losing his lead actor on the very first day, genius director Mel Brooks proved his medal. He didn’t panic at all.
Instead, he walked off the set, picked up the phone, and called just one person he completely trusted, Jean Wilder. Mel Brooks later described this call as a rescue mission. The strange and incredible thing was that Gene Wilder didn’t ask to see the script or ask anything about the role.
He simply replied concisely, “Yes. ” The only request Gene Wilder made was, “I’m not going to play this part for laughs. I’m going to play it completely seriously.
” Mel Brooks agreed immediately without hesitation. As it turned out, Gene Wilders’s very calm, dry, and layered acting style became the secret weapon that elevated the entire film. Wilder flew to the set the very next morning despite being tired and completely unprepared.
His timely appearance saved the situation and created one of the most memorable performances in cinematic history. Richard Prior helped write the script, but was blacklisted by the studio. Mel Brooks initially had a burning desire.
He really wanted Richard Prior, a comedy superstar with a very sharp and daring style at the time, to play the main role of Bart. Richard Prior wasn’t just a candidate for the role. He also contributed a very important part to the script writing process.
Prior brought a real danger and a biting satire to the script that Brooks needed. Prior’s involvement helped Brooks get the permission and confidence to include risky and sensitive jokes about race, which were the core of the film. However, when Richard Prior’s name was brought up, Warner Brothers studio fiercely objected.
They saw Prior as someone with a troubled history, someone who was notorious for the wrong reasons and was struggling with addiction. They were afraid and didn’t want any association with him, fearing it would affect their image and revenue. Although Mel Brooks tried his best to persuade the studio, the role ultimately didn’t go to Richard Prior and went to the talented actor Cleveland Little.
This is an interesting fact showing how pressure from the studio can greatly influence the production process and casting choices. Cleon Littlefaced Real Hate. By taking on the lead role of Bart, becoming one of the first black actors to play a central role in a major Hollywood comedy in 1974.
Cleveland Little had to face no small challenges. He paid a personal price for this breakthrough. Throughout filming, Cleveland Little constantly received hate mail, insults, and even threats.
This shows that a segment of the audience at that time didn’t distinguish between satire in a movie and real life, reacting negatively to a black actor taking on the role of a western hero. Mel Brooks recounts that Cleven Little handled all this pressure and pain with incredible grace and never let it show on set. His professionalism and resilience were truly admirable.
Another touching story involves Burton Gileiam, who played Lyall. Gileiam initially found it incredibly difficult and uncomfortable having to use racial slurs towards Cleven Little in the film because he genuinely liked Little outside of work. Cleven Little Keenly noticed Gileiam’s hesitation and pulled him aside to reassure him.
Little reminded Gileiam that those were just lines in the script, not his words. He even joked lightly. If I thought you’d ever say those words to me in any other situation than in the movie, we’d be going to Fisticuff City.
But this is just fun. Don’t worry about it. Little’s words not only helped Gileiam feel more comfortable acting, but also showed his deep understanding and how he faced racial discrimination, turning it into a moment of connection between the actors.
The studio was so horrified they wanted to kill the movie. When the powerful executives at Warner Brothers Studio first saw the rough cut of Blazing Saddles, their reaction wasn’t laughter or excitement, but absolute horror. According to Mel Brooks, during that screening, almost no one laughed.
They absolutely couldn’t believe what was happening before their eyes. The movie contained overly bold racial satire, public fart jokes, gun violence, and constant risky insults. The executives considered this an act of suicide in terms of career and finances.
They thought this movie couldn’t succeed and could even ruin the studio’s reputation. The initial plan after that horrifying screening was to kill the movie, quietly bury it in the vaults. They didn’t want to release it publicly for fear of a fierce public reaction.
This decision shows the big difference between Mel Brooks’s groundbreaking vision and the cautious conservative nature of traditional studio executives. The future of Blazing Saddles at that moment was dimmer than ever, and only something extraordinary could save it. The audience saved Blazing Saddles.
Facing the risk of his passion project being buried in the vaults, Mel Brooks didn’t give up. He pleaded and fought for another chance. Brooks asked the studio to organize another test screening.
This time, specifically for the studio’s lower level staff, people who were perhaps more open and closer to public taste. The result of this second test screening became a historical moment. According to Brooks, the first 20 minutes were still filled with anxious silence.
But then when the movie reached the famous campfire scene where the cowboys are sitting around eating beans and making some natural noises, the entire theater burst into laughter. What was special was that the laughter wasn’t just a few small chuckles. It echoed throughout the theater non-stop.
The laughter of the studio employees was so loud it drowned out the sound in the movie. This laughter-filled test screening succeeded in convincing the rigid Warner Brothers executives that Blazing Saddles had a special appeal. The audience’s laughter was the most powerful evidence, forcing them to take a risk and release the film publicly.
Thanks to the positive reaction from regular audiences, the movie the studio wanted to discard had a chance to shine and become a legend. Blazing Saddles is filled with unique comedic moments. Which moment or character in the film impressed you the most?
And why the first film with audible flatulence? Did you know that the noisy campfire scene isn’t just an unforgettable funny moment in Blazing Saddles, but it also made cinematic history? That’s right.
Blazing Saddles proudly holds the title as the first major film in Hollywood history, bold enough to put audible flatulence on the big screen. Mel Brooks, with his meticulous attention and unique comedic vision, argued that in the context of the Wild West, where cowboys often ate meals full of beans, making noisy sounds after eating, was completely realistic and authentic. He believed that including this detail in the film would not only increase authenticity in his own humorous way, but also create a surprising and groundbreaking comedic element.
Brooks didn’t even want the audience to miss this historical moment. He deliberately made the fart sounds in that scene louder than usual, ensuring that even when the audience was doubled over with laughter, they could still hear it clearly. This small but daring detail was shocking, controversial, but also contributed to defining the film’s dangerous and rulebreaking nature.
It showed Brooks’s readiness to push boundaries and find laughter in unexpected places. The film title was considered suggestive. Even the film title Blazing Saddles was a difficult battle.
Before the script was even completed and went into production, Warner Brothers executives immediately had a problem with the name. They thought the name sounded too sexual and risky, conjuring associations with 1970s adult films and was not suitable for a mainstream product. The executives constantly pressured Mel Brooks to change the film’s title, offering choices they considered safer and more acceptable, such as Tex X or Blackbart.
These were names that were more directly descriptive or related to the main character, sounding more serious and less controversial. However, Mel Brooks resolutely refused to compromise. He explained that the name Blazing Saddles was a crucial part of the joke.
It was bold, suggested something hot or fiery, and importantly, it defined the tone and groundbreaking spirit for the entire film. Brooks revealed he came up with the unique name while taking a bath. Finally, thanks to Brooks’s persistence, this daring and suggestive name was kept, becoming an essential part of the film’s identity.
The Hedi Lamar name gag led to a lawsuit. In Blazing Saddles, the main villain, played by Harvey Corman, has a very distinctive name, Hedley Lamar. This name was given by Mel Brooks based on the name of the real life famous actress Hedi Lamar.
Brooks used this name similarity as a source of humor in the film. However, the real actress Hedi Lamar didn’t find it funny at all. She felt her name was used without permission and sued Mel Brooks in court for using her name.
This lawsuit became a famous behind-the-scenes story. Ultimately, the matter was settled out of court. Mel Brooks had to pay a sum of money in compensation to Hedi Lamar to resolve this lawsuit.
Interestingly, the lawsuit happened while the film was still in production. Brooks, with his endless sense of humor, decided to add a humorous line to the film to reference the lawsuit itself, turning a legal problem into a meta joke right on screen. This shows Brooks’s cleverness in turning real life issues into material for his film.
Punching out a horse was partially real. One of the most shocking and unforgettable moments in Blazing Saddles is when the giant character played by Alex Carris, seems to knock out a horse with just one punch. This scene looks very real, and many people wonder if special effects were used.
The truth is, the scene was filmed for real, not entirely relying on special effects. What’s even more surprising is that this scene was inspired by a real life story. Mel Brooks had a former boss named Sid Caesar, and there’s a famous anecdote that Caesar once punched out a horse after the animal threw his wife off.
The crew recreated this story under controlled conditions on set. They used a horse specifically trained for the scene and a skilled stunt performer to execute the fall. Although the incident was carefully staged to be as safe as possible, it still involved a real punch and a real horse falling down on Q.
The scene was so shocking that the studio expressed concern and both Brooks and the studio received letters of protest from animal rights activists. Despite nearly causing an accident, the scene with the unexpected punch was still kept by Brooks in the final cut, contributing to the unpredictable nature and extraordinary strength of the character Which moment or character in the film impressed you the most, and why? The film faced intense censorship pressure.
Blazing Saddles with its sharp and daring satire faced extremely strong resistance from sensors at the time. They didn’t hesitate to express their desire to cut entire pages from the script that contained what they considered too risky. This list of things to remove included most of the racial slurs, sex jokes, religious mockery, and even jokes related to Nazis.
Sensors considered this content too sensitive and unsuitable for widespread screening. One sensor went even further by directly threatening Mel Brooks that he would never work again in the film industry if he dared to air that version. Brooks had to fight fiercely for every shocking line and every risky scene.
Even the famous up yours line that appears early in the film caused days of debate between Brooks and the sensors. Fortunately, Mel Brooks had the Final Cut privilege. This meant the ultimate decision on what the film looked like belonged to him.
Thanks to this right, Brooks succeeded in keeping the film true to his original vision, preserving the boldness and satirical power he desired. Native Americans speaking Yiddish. One of the most humorous and subtly satirical moments in Blazing Saddles appears in a flashback scene where Bart recounts his family’s journey west and meeting a group of Native Americans.
In this scene, the chief of the Native American tribe, a cameo role played by director Mel Brooks himself, communicates with members of his tribe in Yiddish. The use of Yiddish in this scene is a biting satirical joke by Mel Brooks. He wanted to mock how traditional Hollywood often inaccurately portrayed Native Americans on screen using languages, costumes, or customs that were completely unrelated to real life tribes.
By replacing indigenous language with Yiddish, Brooks created an absurd juxtaposition, highlighting the arbitrary and poorly researched way Hollywood often depicted different cultures. This is an example of Brooks using comedy to comment on the film industry itself and common prejudices. Hidden Jewish joke on the poster.
Mel Brooks’s mischief wasn’t limited to the film. He also hid a clever hidden Jewish joke right on the movie poster. If you look closely at the headband worn by the chief character, played by Brooks on the poster, you’ll see a line of text written in Hebrew.
That line reads pesar lak. If you translate it into English, it becomes pocher leesak or pocher for coassover. Sounds meaningless, right?
But this is a fun English word play called a spoonerism. When you transpose the sounds of the phrase posher for Passover, it becomes kosher for Passover. Kosher for Passover is a very familiar phrase in Jewish culture, relating to the strict dietary laws Jews must follow during the Passover holiday.
By placing this phrase on the headband of a Native American chief on a Western film poster, Mel Brooks created a multi-layered joke connecting with his Jewish heritage, satarizing random cultural mashups in the film, and challenging sharp-eyed audiences to spot it. It’s a unique touch only from Mel Brooks. Chaotic ending scene was fiercely opposed by the studio.
The ending scene of Blazing Saddles is famous for its sudden and chaotic breaking of the fourth wall. The characters suddenly escape the western setting, run through different soundstages in Hollywood, and finally join an unexpected musical performance with comedian Domoise. This was a completely unpredictable ending.
And as you might guess, this crazy ending met with fierce opposition from the Warner Brothers executives. They completely didn’t understand what was happening. They called the scene too crazy, a waste of time, and completely irrelevant to the main story.
One executive even directly asked Mel Brooks, “Why are they leaving the movie? ” Mel Brooks with his nonchalance and decisiveness simply replied because it’s over. The musical performance with Dom Delouise at the end of the film was mostly improvised.
The dancers in that scene also had almost no rehearsal time. The entire chaos and unexpectedness of this ending was pieced together in editing, creating a one-of-a-kind conclusion that, despite being heavily opposed by the studio, perfectly fit the film’s groundbreaking and satirical spirit. John Wayne read the script and found it hilarious.
Mel Brooks had a bold idea. He wanted to invite John Wayne, a living legend of the western genre and an icon of American masculinity, to appear in Blazing Saddles. Brooks sent the script to the Duke of the West, hoping he would say yes.
The good news is that John Wayne actually read the script and he found it very, very funny. A western legend laughing his head off at a movie parodying his own genre. That’s surprising.
However, despite really liking the script, John Wayne politely declined the invitation to participate in the film. The reason he gave was that he feared appearing in a satirical comedy like Blazing Saddles might tarnish the image he had carefully built in other serious and classic western films. He wanted to protect his cinematic legacy.
Even without participating, John Wayne said something very supportive to Mel Brooks. I’ll be the first one in line to see the movie. and he kept his word.
John Wayne actually attended the premiere of Blazing Saddles to watch the film. The fondness of a western icon like John Wayne for this film was a strong affirmation of its comedic value despite its satirical nature. If you’re getting lost in these unexpected and fascinating behind-the-scenes stories, don’t forget to give us a like and hit subscribe so you don’t miss the next exciting memory explorations.
Your memories are most important to us. Theme song sung by someone who didn’t know it was a comedy. The theme song of Blazing Saddles has a very sincere and dramatic western ballad feel, completely different from the film’s comedic tone.
The person chosen to perform this song was Frankie Lane, one of the most famous and respected western singers of the era. Mel Brooks particularly wanted Frankie Lane’s voice to be truly sincere and full of emotion to create a humorous contrast with the film’s content. Brooks worried that if Frankie Lane knew this was a comedy film, he wouldn’t sing the song with the conviction and seriousness he wanted.
For that reason, Mel Brooks decided to trick Frankie Lane. Brooks told Lane that this song was for a dramatic western film, a serious work about the West. Frankie Lane completely believed it and performed the song with all his sincerity and emotion.
Frankie Lane only discovered the truth that he had sung the theme song for a comedy after he went to the theater and saw Blazing Saddles himself. Fortunately, he really liked the movie. This story shows Mel Brooks’s cleverness and a bit of mischievousness in achieving the artistic effect he desired.
Toll booth brawl scene nearly caused a fatal accident. In a large-scale action scene at the end of the film involving the destruction of a toll booth, the film crew nearly suffered an extremely serious accident. The script called for an explosive charge to be set up to blow up the fake toll booth.
However, during filming, the explosive charge detonated earlier than planned. The terrifying part was that debris and the force from the explosion flew out just seconds after the actors had managed to escape the danger zone. The distance between safety and tragedy was incredibly narrow.
After the explosion happened, everyone on set was stunned into silence by the horror. This incident was a severe warning about the risks of filming action scenes. To ensure absolute safety, after this incident, Mel Brooks issued an order prohibiting all unnecessary personnel from being near the set during scenes using explosives.
Although it nearly caused a fatal accident, the scene with the unexpected explosion was still kept by Brooks in the final cut, showing the acceptance of risk, measured in milliseconds, to get the most authentic and impressive shot. Crew laughed so much it made filming difficult. When making an excellent comedy like Blazing Saddles, sometimes the humor itself becomes a challenge.
Many scenes in the film had to be redone multiple times, not because actors forgot their lines, the camera broke, or the lighting wasn’t right, but simply because the entire crew couldn’t stop laughing. This happened especially often during the film’s peak moments, such as the famous campfire scene with all the unexpected noises, Slim Pickins monologues, and every time Mel Brooks himself appeared in his cameo roles. He played the governor and the Native American chief.
Uncontrolled laughter caused technical problems. Camera operators shook the camera by laughing, ruining the shot. Boom operators laughed so much the microphone dipped into the frame.
Even the assistant director and was supposed to maintain order had to leave the set because he was laughing too loudly. The situation became chaotic in a funny way. Mel Brooks finally had to yell at his crew, “Don’t enjoy the movie anymore.
were still shooting it. This shows the fun working atmosphere and the film’s success right from the set, ignored by the Academy. Despite being a huge box office success, a major cultural phenomenon, and making a strong impact in the 1970s, Blazing Saddles did not receive the recognition it deserved from the film establishment.
At the Academy Awards, the film received only three nominations. Best supporting actress for Maline Khan who played Lily von Stup, best film editing and best original song for the theme song. However, surprisingly, the film did not win any Oscars for those nominations.
Many people believe this is because the Hollywood establishment at the time felt that Blazing Saddles was too edgy, too coarse, and too dangerous to publicly celebrate. The film’s uncompromising satire and groundbreaking nature perhaps made it hard to swallow for some conservative members of the academy. Mel Brooks later joked about this in a humorous and philosophical way.
He said, “They didn’t give us the statues, but they gave us something better. Repeat business. ” The phrase repeat business refers to the audience’s sustained love and support over many generations.
For Brooks, the audience’s love and repeat viewings were more valuable than any award. The filming horse had a nicer trailer than the actors. This is a weird and funny behind-the-scenes fact, showing how sometimes in Hollywood, four-legged co-stars are treated better than humans.
During the filming of Blazing Saddles, one of the main stunt horses, the animal that performed its role very well in the scenes, was treated like an A-lister. This horse had its own private trailer, fully equipped like a mobile resting room. Inside the trailer, there was a plush mattress, cooling fans to ensure the horse was always comfortable, and even a personal attendant on duty constantly.
Meanwhile, on the same set, some actors faced much more modest conditions. Some actors had to change clothes behind just a makeshift curtain or squeeze into cramped shared dressing rooms. Even Gene Wilder, the star of the movie, joked that the horse had better accommodations than he did.
Mel Brooks later also confirmed that the horse truly was a star and it knew it. He praised the horse for doing a great job in the role and never breaking character like the actors who often laughed on set. This fact is a funny anecdote that adds to the enjoyment of this classic film’s behind-the-scenes stories.
And those are 20 weird facts about Blazing Saddles. A film that truly challenged every boundary, dared to satarize racial discrimination headon, and proved that laughter can come from unexpected, even shocking places. Blazing Saddles wasn’t just entertainment.
It was a powerful social statement. And as Mel Brooks himself said, “A film like this with its boldness and uncompromising nature couldn’t be made today. It’s a unique product of its time.
20 worst ‘7s TV spin-offs you probably forgot about or tried to. The 1970s were the golden age of television when families gathered around the TV and lived for every new episode. But not every show became a classic.
Behind every major hit were dozens of spin-offs trying to cash in and crashing hard. Ready to go back in time? Let’s rewind to the 70s and witness some of television’s most spectacular crash landings.
Starting with Aftermash. First up, one of the most infamous failures of all time, Aftermash. Remember that fateful night in 1983.
106 million Americans tuned in to say goodbye to the doctors and nurses of the 477 in the MASH series finale. It was the most watched TV episode in US history at the time. That’s how much people loved MASH.
But all that love couldn’t save Aftermash. CBS, clearly not ready to let go of their Golden Goose, rushed this spin-off into production. After Mash followed Colonel Potter, Clinger, and Father Mulah after the Korean War ended, working together at a Veterans Administration hospital in Missouri.
Sounds reasonable, right? Beloved characters. So, what went wrong?
MASH wasn’t just the characters. MASH was the brilliant mix of comedy and tragedy set against the backdrop of brutal war. It was the heartbreaking contrast between laughs and fear, jokes and death.
When you take those characters out of the pressure cooker of war and put them in a normal hospital, Aftermash became just a generic hospital sitcom. Without Alen Alda’s Hawkeye, without the tension and emotional stakes of wartime, the show lost its soul. TV Guide even ranked Aftermatch on its list of the worst shows of all time.
What a spectacular fall from grace for a spin-off of one of the greatest series ever. How could a show with three beloved characters from a legendary series fail so quickly and miserably? CBS spent $500,000 an episode only for it to land at number seven on the list of TV’s worst shows ever.
Sometimes beautiful memories should just be left as beautiful memories. Hello Larry, 1979 to 1980. This show became Johnny Carson’s go-to punchline for a decade.
If you needed an example of a TV disaster, you said, “Hello, Larry. ” Its parent series, Different Strokes, was a phenomenon. The story of two adorable black brothers adopted by a wealthy white widowerower made people believe in the possibility of changing the world.
It was heartfelt and meaningful. But the spin-off, Hello Larry, it took us to Mlan Stevenson as Larry Alder, a radio talk show host in Portland who gives advice to listeners while being completely unable to control his own two teen daughters. Insert a specific example of awkward, outofplace humor here, maybe related to the placeholder mentioned in the source.
How bad was this show? so bad that NBC executives forced awkward and nonsensical crossovers with different strokes, having the Drummond family mysteriously show up in Portland for no convincing reason. Johnny Carson called it the Titanic of sitcoms, and audiences knew exactly what show he was talking about without him needing to explain.
Phyllis 1975 to 1977. America’s most beloved original series gave birth to America’s most cursed spin-off. Yes, we’re talking about Phyllis.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show was a TV gem. And Phyllis Lindstöm, Mary’s selfish, neurotic landlady, played by Chloris Leechman, was a fantastic supporting character. She sparkled most when she was the foil to Mary’s sweetness and lovability.
What was CBS thinking when they thought audiences would tune in to watch this annoying character deal with being widowed in San Francisco, surrounded by her dead husband’s wealthy family? The core problem was this. Phyllis only really shown when she had Mary to balance her narcissism.
Without Mary, audiences quickly grew tired of Phyllis’s antics. Plus, there was some real behind-the-scenes tragedy with three cast members passing away during the show’s short run. Can a show succeed when it’s built on a character audiences love to hate instead of one they actually love?
Mrs. Columbbo, 1979 to 1980. Oh, speaking of disasters, let’s talk about Mrs.
Columbbo. This is a perfect example of building a show around a character you never saw. and probably shouldn’t have.
Peter Faulk’s Detective Columbo was an icon. Sloppy, slowm moving with that signature, just one more thing. He constantly mentioned his never-seen wife, which fueled the audience’s imagination.
What kind of woman could love and live with this eccentric but brilliant man? And then NBC decided to show us. They cast Kate Mulgru as the wife, now named Kate Colombo.
But there was a huge problem. Kate Mulgru was young, in her 20s at the time, and the character was an investigative journalist solving crimes herself while raising their daughter. The problem?
The original Columbo clearly described his wife as a middle-aged woman with gray hair. The audience outrage was so fierce that producers quickly changed the show’s name to Kate Loves a mystery, then pretended the character had divorced Columbbo, and then even worse, said she was married to a completely different Columbbo. Even Peter Faulk was furious, calling the show a disgrace.
And he stopped mentioning his wife in later Columbbo episodes altogether. Can you imagine a show about Batman’s parents that portrays them as Vegas circus performers who never stepped foot in Gotham? Mrs.
Columbo was like that, trying to create a character already vividly formed in the audience’s imagination and getting it completely wrong. Galactica 1980. Oh, this one is a sore spot for science fiction fans.
Galactica 1980. The original Battlestar Galactica was a groundbreaking space opera with epic space battles as humanity fled the Sylon robots across the galaxy. After it was cancelled, ABC decided to resurrect it with this sequel.
The premise, the fleet finally reaches Earth in the year 1980. Instead of continuing the epic space story, we got Galactica crew members riding inexplicable flying motorcycles, kids with superpowers, and stealth ships. Budget cuts meant most scenes were set on contemporary Earth instead of in space.
The original cast was pretty much gone, except Lauren Green as Commander Adama, reduced to explaining things from the command center. Even the Sylons were sparse due to costume costs. Can you imagine tuning in for epic space adventure and getting something that felt more like ET on a BMX bike?
Galactica 1980 replaced epic space battles with flying motorcycles. What a letdown. The Ropers 1979 to 1980.
As with fish, taking supporting characters out of their natural environment often spells disaster. The Ropers is a prime example. Thre’s company made us laugh with the innuendol laden misunderstandings between Jack Tripper and his two female roommates.
Their nosy landlords Stanley and Helen Roer were hilarious highlights, bickering about their non-existent sex life and snooping on their tenants. When producers spun them off, they moved the couple to an upscale neighborhood where Stanley’s workingclass ways clashed with Helen’s social climbing aspirations. Crucially, without Jack’s sexual antics to comment on, the Roper’s marriage jokes quickly grew staler than old bread.
Norman Fel and Audrey Lindley tried their best. But their onenote characters couldn’t sustain 30 minutes. Can a couple sustain 30 minutes of comedy based solely on we never do it jokes without Jack Trippers antics to react to?
The Ropers did manage to last two seasons, but our next spin-off was even worse. Delta House 1979. When Animal House lost its R rating, it also lost its laughter.
Delta House was a painful lesson in sanitization. The Animal House movie was a box office smash with its wild antics and unapologetically R-rated college humor. ABC thought they could recreate the magic by creating a cleaned up TV version with toned down high jinks and PG-friendly dialogue so as not to offend prime time audiences.
Josh Mosel replaced Belushi as Bluto leading the neutered Delta brothers against sanitized rivals. Without the boundary pushing jokes, the toga parties, or the iconic movie scenes, audiences were left with high jinks so mild they wouldn’t raise an eyebrow at a church picnic. Not even Steven Bishop returning for a guest spot, smashing his guitar, could save this fraternity from being expelled after just 13 episodes.
Would you watch The Godfather if they replaced all the violence with serious conversations about respecting authority? Delta House did essentially that to Animal House. Logan’s Run 1977 to 1978.
Sometimes Hollywood tries to stretch an idea way past its breaking point. Logan’s Run is one of those. The 1976 movie depicted a chilling future where the population was controlled by dying at 30, a dark dystopian idea.
And then CBS decided to turn it into a family-friendly weekly TV series. Instead of the movie’s grim atmosphere, we got Logan and Jessica escaping the dome city and just happening upon a weird new civilization each week. TV’s limited budget turned the movie’s impressive visuals into bargain basement sci-fi.
Props and costumes were recycled from other shows. The civilization of the week format quickly became repetitive. Logan and Jessica arrive somewhere, get into trouble, escape, and learn nothing that progresses their overall mission.
Do you want to watch two fugitives weekly exploring yet another weird post-apocalyptic society with questionable leaders and questionable fashion? The show died a quiet death after only 14 episodes, while in the movie, everyone died at 30. How ironic.
So, out of these TV train wrecks, do you remember watching any of these before quickly changing the channel? Your memories are important here. Fish, 1977 to 1978.
This next spin-off shows what happens when you take a memorable supporting character out of their natural habitat. Fish. Abe Vagod’s detective Phil Fish was the grumpy comic relief on Barney Miller.
Always complaining about his hemorrhoids and impending retirement. He was that keroginly coworker who somehow just worked. ABC thought audiences would love watching this canankerous detective become a foster father to five troubled street kids in his own spin-off.
This was a huge shift in context from workplace comedy to family drama. Without the great supporting cast at the precinct and stuck in domestic issues, Fish’s skepticism and complaining became less funny and more disturbing when directed at kids. Do you want to watch your favorite sarcastic coworker suddenly having to manage a classroom full of troubled children?
Fish should have stayed at the precinct where he belonged. Blansky’s Beauties 1977. Also in the Happy Days universe, our next disaster tried to shoehorn a cousin we never met into the glittering world of Las Vegas showgirls, Blansky’s Beauties.
Happy Days ruled Tuesday nights with its idealized version of 1950s Milwaukee. This spin-off took Nancy Blansky, Howard Cunningham’s cousin, played by Nancy Walker, to contemporary Las Vegas, where she managed a troop of showgirl and gave them tough love advice. The show tried hard to connect to the parent series, but the time jump gymnastics left audiences scratching their heads.
Even more confusing, a young Scott Bio appeared as a character named Chachi, but not the familiar Chachi from Happy Days. The whole thing felt like a rejected variety show concept hastily slapped with a Happy Days label to boost ratings. Mr.
T and Tina, 1976. Our next disaster made television history for all the wrong reasons. Mr.
T and Tina. It was the first American sitcom with an Asian-American lead, and it only lasted five episodes. Welcome back.
Carter gave Pat Marita a guest role that ABC thought could be a breakthrough. Insert the quote, “Cotter, up your nose. ” Mr.
T and Tina cast Marita as Tarot Takahashi, a Japanese inventor who hires Tina Kelly, Susan Blanchard, a clumsy American nanny, to help him adjust to life in Chicago. The show relied almost entirely on cultural misunderstanding jokes. Every episode featured Tina misinterpreting Japanese customs while Mr.
Takahashi struggled with American idioms. What could have been a groundbreaking moment for representation turned into an uncomfortable parade of stereotypes that neither critics nor audiences embraced. How different could television history have been if this first Asian-American le sitcom had been better written and given a chance to find its voice.
Young Maverick 1979 to 1980. Our next disaster tried to revive a classic western brand but forgot its own family tree. Young Maverick.
Maverick made James Garner a star as the charming gambler Brett Maverick in the late 1950s. Two decades later, CBS tried to revive the brand with young Maverick, focusing on Brett’s nephew, Ben, played by Charles Frank. There was just one problem.
The show couldn’t decide if Ben was Brett’s cousin or nephew, often contradicting the very relationships it established. The series tried hard to recreate the charm of the original, but lacked Garner’s charisma. Not even appearances from other Maverick family members could save this confused show.
The network clearly didn’t have much faith in its own show, scheduling it directly against NBC’s Ratings Monster Chips. Walter, 1984. This one is a spin-off so bad it never even made it to air.
Walter, an unaired pilot. A spin-off so bad even CBS couldn’t air it. MASH gave us Radar O’Reilly, the sweet unit clerk with a near psychic ability to know Colonel Blake’s needs.
This unired pilot tried to follow Gary Berghoff’s character, now using his real first name, Walter, as he left a failed marriage in Iowa and became a police officer in St. Louis. The idea was so bad that CBS refused to air it, even as a one-off special.
Turning the innocent farm boy Radar, who literally slept with his teddy bear throughout the Korean War, into a jaded city cop, sounds as absurd as casting Hawkeye as a prohibition agent. The only people who ever saw this disaster were network executives and a few unlucky test audiences. Can you imagine sweet teddy bear sleeping radar O’Reilly suddenly handling domestic disputes and urban crime?
Ma 1972 to 1978. This next spin-off proves that being best friends or related to a famous main character doesn’t guarantee you can carry a show on your own. Mod the liberal cousin survived Archie Bunker but couldn’t survive.
CBS All in the Family gave us Archie Bunker’s conservative rants, but his liberal cousin, sister-in-law, Maud Finley, played by Be Arthur, had equally strong progressive opinions. CBS thought be Arthur’s commanding presence deserved its own show. The spin-off followed Ma and her fourth husband, Walter, in suburban Tuhaho, New York.
Unlike most other spin-offs, Ma initially succeeded by tackling controversial topics Archie would never touch. This included the first TV storyline about abortion. But as the 70s wore on, ratings dropped as audiences grew tired of what they felt were increasingly like political lectures rather than comedy.
Even a season 6 revamp with Ma running for Congress couldn’t save it from cancellation. Tabitha 1977 to 1978. Our next spin-off committed TV’s ultimate sin, messing with a beloved supernatural series in a way that bent time itself.
Tabitha bewitched charmed audiences for eight seasons with Elizabeth Montgomery’s nose twitching witch Samantha and her mortal husband Darren. This spin-off focused on their daughter Tabitha, now grown up, working at a TV station and trying to hide her magical powers. Basically, it was the same plot as the original series.
But the problem was the timeline made no sense. Tabitha had aged like 20 years, while everyone else seemed not to have aged at all. Even more confusingly, Adam, Tabitha’s younger brother in Bewitched, was suddenly older than her.
Lisa Hartman brought charm to Tabitha, but without the original cast’s chemistry, the magic just seemed to vanish. Fun fact, there were three different actresses who played Tabitha as a child on Bewitched, but none of them were cast as the grown-up Tabitha in the spin-off. This completely broke the continuity that might have saved the show.
If you could twitch your nose and make any spin-off disappear forever, would this one be on your list? We’ve covered some ground, seen shows trying to live off a catchphrase, angel disasters, and show girls who should have stayed in Vegas. But hang on to your wooden box TV sets.
The next 12 are even worse, especially the top five, which network executives probably still can’t talk about without twitching. Do you have any memories of these shows or any other failed ‘7s spin-offs I missed? Let us know in the comments below.
Out of the blue, 1979. Staying in the Happy Days universe, our next disaster tried to connect itself to the parent series through a weird intervention from heaven, making audiences just pray for it to be cancelled. Happy Days dominated Tuesday nights with its nostalgic feelgood vibes.
This bizarre spin-off, Out of the Blue, started when Random, an Angel in Training, appeared in a Happy Days episode, and somehow Random got his own show, despite not leaving any impression on audiences whatsoever. The plot centered on Random living with the Schaffer family while doing good deeds to earn his wings. Basically, it was a blend of Charles in charge and touched by an angel, but without the charm of either.
ABC’s desperation showed when they scheduled this heavenly mistake head-to-head against 60 Minutes, the highest rated show at the time. Basically sacrificing their own show before it even had a chance. Who’s Watching the Kids?
1978. Our next disaster dipped into the Happy Days universe yet again, but focused on a seemingly random teen babysitter, Who’s Watching the Kids? This spin-off was so forgettable, even Scott Bio denies it happened.
Happy Days and Lever and Shirley apparently hadn’t rung enough spin-off potential out of the 70s sitcom universe. So NBC created this weird spin-off featuring Scott Bio as the life of Chachi before he appeared on Happy Days. Confused yet?
The plot followed two teens, Frankie and Angie, working at a Vegas nightclub while babysitting their younger siblings. The show changed its plot, names, and characters multiple times over its short 11 episode run. Most confusingly, the Chachi from Happy Days clearly had a completely different life in Vegas before moving to Milwaukee.
A continuity nightmare that even the most loyal fans couldn’t reconcile. Would you trust Happy Days future heartthrob to babysit your kids in a Vegas apartment while he works nightife at a disco tech? Probably not.
Gloria, 1982 to 1983. Our next spin-off disaster tried to capitalize on one of All in the family’s most beloved characters after she left the nest. Gloria.
When Archie Bunker’s daughter left the nest, she fell. All in the family gave us Gloria Stivik, Archie Bunker’s liberal daughter, whose clashes with her father made for golden television moments. This spin-off picked up after she divorced Mike Meathead Stick following her new life as a vets’s assistant in upstate New York with her young son Joey.
Without Archie’s bigotry to push against or Mike’s intellectual sparring, the character of Gloria just lost her purpose. Sally’s brothers tried her best, but the show struggling to balance single mom drama and workplace comedy never found its footing. Even Carol O’Connor’s appearances as Archie only highlighted what was missing.
Joanie loves Chachi 1982 to 1983. This next entry takes us back to the Happy Days universe again because apparently four spin-offs weren’t enough torture. Joanie loves Chachi.
The power of love couldn’t save this musical misstep. Happy Days gave us the adorable romance between Joanie Cunningham and Chachi, the Fonza’s cousin. When producers spun them off, they sent the young couple to Chicago to pursue their rock and roll dreams.
A plotline that required Scott Bio and Aaron Moran to perform songs despite limited vocal abilities. Every episode featured awkward performances of forgettable songs. Scott Bio later admitted they had to use heavy audio processing to make the songs listenable.
Fun fact, to get even a listenable sound, they had to record Scott Bio and Aaron Moran’s vocals over and over, then layer them, sometimes even piecing together individual words. Without the FS’s cool or the warmth of the Cunningham family, the romance that looked so charming in a few minutes on Happy Days just couldn’t carry its own series. If you’re struggling to remember any songs from this musical sitcom, you’re not alone.
The cast probably doesn’t remember them either. Flo 1980 to 1981. Our next disaster tried to leverage a beloved waitress’s catchphrase, but quickly found out that kiss my grits isn’t enough to sustain 30 minutes of comedy.
Those four words made America laugh. CBS executives thought those four words could carry a whole series, giving Polly Holiday a spin-off following her character Flo back to her hometown of Cowtown, Texas, where she opened a roadside diner called Flo’s Yellow Rose. The first episode had an impressive 40 million viewers, but then viewership dropped weekly as fans realized that Flo’s outspoken, rebellious personality didn’t work as well when she was the boss instead of a rebellious employee.
Without Alice in Mel’s diner as the backdrop, Flo’s country sayings became repetitive instead of revolutionary. Checking in. 1981.
Our next disaster tried to give a supporting character from the Jeffersons a chance to run her own luxury hotel. Checking in. The Jefferson’s maid checked out after just four episodes.
The Jeffersons had moved on up with Florence the Maid charming audiences with her sharp remarks aimed at George Jefferson. CBS thought Mara Gibbs deserved her own show. Insert a typical Florence George exchange here.
They spun her off into this show where Florence became the executive house cleaner managing at the St. Benedict Hotel. Problems started immediately when a writer’s strike delayed production.
By the time the show premiered, audience anticipation had faded. After just four episodes, the hotel conveniently burned down, allowing Florence to move back into the Jefferson’s apartment right where she belonged. The entire failed experiment was retconed away with a single line of dialogue in the original series.
Anos 1980 to 1981. Our next disaster shows what happens when you take a charming southern deputy out of Hazard County and leave him a drift in the big city. Enos, the deputy who should have stayed in Hazard County.
The Dukes of Hazard introduced us to Deputy Enos Strait, a good-hearted lawman who always pined for Daisy Duke. CBS thought his country charm and naive would play well as a fish out of water in Los Angeles. Partnered with a streetwise LAPD detective.
Without Boss Hogs Schemes, the Duke Boys jumping creeks, or Daisy’s short Shorts, poor Enos was stuck in generic police procedural territory. The show tried to maintain connections to Hazard County through dream sequences and infrequent visits, but audiences clearly preferred their country cop to stay in the country. Would you watch a show about Batman’s butler Alfred fighting crime in Miami without any connection to Gotham City?
That’s what Enos tried to do. Fun fact, Enos was cancelled and production stopped so abruptly that even the cast and crew didn’t know. They found out when they showed up to film and saw their set being dismantled.
The Brady Brides, 1981. Our next disaster tried to give one of the Brady kids a chance to shine on her own with predictably disastrous results. The Brady brides, two Brady sisters, zero humor.
The Brady Bunch defined blended family harmony for a generation. When older sisters Marca and Jan grew up and got married in this short-lived spin-off, audiences discovered that even Brady nostalgia couldn’t save the extremely dated humor about newlyweds. The plot had neat freak Jan and her fidious husband living in the same house as messy Marsha and her jovial husband.
Each week brought predictable conflicts about chores and bills, making audiences. Long for the simpler days of saying, “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha. ” Even occasional appearances from Florence Henderson as Carol Brady couldn’t save the ratings.
The Bionic Woman, 1976 to 1978. Our next spin-off proves that even $6 million in the 1970s couldn’t make a perfect spin-off. The Bionic Woman.
When the $6 million man’s girlfriend got her own show, the networks still paid the price. The $6 million man made us believe a man could be rebuilt with biological parts. This spin-off gave us Lindsay Wagner as tennis player Jamie Summers, Steve Austin’s girlfriend, who also received bionic upgrades after a skydiving accident, though seemingly at a discount since her cost was never mentioned.
The show initially connected directly to the parent series through crossover episodes and sharing a common villain, the Fimbots. When ABC canled the show after two seasons, NBC bought it but cut all ties to the original show due to rights issues. Without the connection to Steve Austin or familiar villains, audiences quickly lost interest.
Would you watch Batman without Robin, the Batmobile, or any of his familiar villains? That’s basically what NBC asked audiences to do. The Practice 1976 to 1977.
Speaking of things audiences refused to watch, our next spin-off tried to recycle a famous comedian in a medical setting, The Practice. When Danny Thomas tried playing doctor, audiences asked for a real one. The Mary Tyler Moore Show universe expanded yet again with this forgettable spin-off, starring Danny Thomas as Dr.
Jules Bedford, a grumpy doctor running a clinic in Queens with his daughter and son-in-law. While Thomas was a legend from Make Room for Daddy, audiences didn’t warm to his grumpy new character. The show struggled between workplace comedy and family sitcom, failing at both.
Shelley Fibares, later famous for her role on Coach, tried her best in the role of his daughter. But the plot of a doctor who seemed to dislike his patients made for unpleasant viewing in the mid70s. Would you trust your health to a doctor who treats every appointment like an unwelcome interruption to his day?
Fun fact, the practice was so quickly forgotten that when CBS tried to reuse its premise and setting a year later for Doc, a nearly identical show starring Barnard Hughes, many audiences didn’t even realize it was essentially a remake. Hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane and learned some new things about this classic film. Was there anything on this list that surprised you the most?
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