Changing the Actors and Hope No One Notices
In 1966, the television show, Batman premiered. The first Catwoman was played by Lee Meriwether. She was a tall brunette with a big smile. Catwoman had to hide her identity so you never got to see the actress' face through most of the show. She did remove the mask to entice Bruce Wayne, but those scenes were rare.
In season 2, Lee Meriwether was replaced by Julie Newmar. Julie Newmar was shorter and blond. As noted, Catwoman wore a mask so she could slip into the character and hold the role for two years. She is often cited as a favorite among all the actresses that have played Catwoman by Batman fans.
This is an instance where an actress left a role and the show producers decided to recast the role and hope no one notices. People noticed, but Julie Newmar did such a good job that the switch was forgiven by television viewers.
It happens in shows where an actor or actress decides to leave a role. Should the producers recast the role or eliminate the role? Should they end the show?
In the cast of Batman, everyone wore masks. The switch was easier to make. Writers will point to Bewitched as a case where the switch was obvious and difficult to believe.
Dick York began the role of Darren Stephens and played it for five seasons. He had to leave the role due to medical reasons and the producers had to make a choice. The show was still popular and it was really Elizabeth Montgomery that viewers wanted to see. The producers recast the Darren role with Dick Sargent who continued the role for three years. He was funny and the show stayed popular. Viewers that saw the show in syndication became torn as to who played the role better. The show may have been on the air, but people noticed that the tone of the show changed.
We can go through scores of shows, bands, or movies where the role was recast. How many actors played Felix Lighter in the James Bond series? James Bond?
When the popular person leaves, the replacement can change the show to fit the new person.
Curly had to leave the Three Stooges and they brought back Shemp. Shemp didn't replace Curly; he played his own character and changed the complexion of the act.
David Lee Roth was replaced by Sammy Hagar, who made the band Van Halen more pop oriented.
Here's when it goes bad:
When Howard Stern left radio for satellite radio, the radio stations that carried Howard Stern thought they could just replace him. Some stations hired David Lee Roth and some hired Adam Carolla. Neither were edgy enough to replace Howard Stern and the listeners left those stations. The New York station that carried Howard Stern thought they just needed another edgy or raunchy comedian and no one will leave. The radio station forgot that it took Howard Stern twenty years to get the following he had and he could not just be swapped out. Today that radio station is totally different, different music, different deejays and no remnants of the radio station that Howard Stern worked for.
I'm writing this blog because there was a change in a recent show and it went really bad.
Joan Rivers was one of the founding members of Fashion Police. When she passed away last year, the producers of the show had to make a choice. The show was popular and there were other members of the show, so they thought they could just slip someone else in her chair. Much the way radio stations thought they could slip another comedian in Howard Stern's seat, the producers looked to fill Joan Rivers' seat.
They looked for another edgy comedienne that hadn't been funny for twenty years and plopped her in the Rivers' seat. That lasted seven episodes. There were other issues involving other cast members so the whole debacle can't be put on one person. It can be put on the producers who should have changed the tone of the show completely or ended the show. Joan Rivers had a following that it took years to find.
Dick York changed the tone of the show. Shemp changed the Three Stooges. Sammy Hagar changed Van Halen. Fashion Police thought they could leave things the same with another person.
It didn't work. Hopefully it doesn't curse the career of the replacement person because it wasn't her fault.
They should've hired someone more like Shemp or Sammy Hagar.
This information came from various websites.
Wikipedia
leemeriwether.com
julienewmar.com
In season 2, Lee Meriwether was replaced by Julie Newmar. Julie Newmar was shorter and blond. As noted, Catwoman wore a mask so she could slip into the character and hold the role for two years. She is often cited as a favorite among all the actresses that have played Catwoman by Batman fans.
This is an instance where an actress left a role and the show producers decided to recast the role and hope no one notices. People noticed, but Julie Newmar did such a good job that the switch was forgiven by television viewers.
It happens in shows where an actor or actress decides to leave a role. Should the producers recast the role or eliminate the role? Should they end the show?
In the cast of Batman, everyone wore masks. The switch was easier to make. Writers will point to Bewitched as a case where the switch was obvious and difficult to believe.
Dick York began the role of Darren Stephens and played it for five seasons. He had to leave the role due to medical reasons and the producers had to make a choice. The show was still popular and it was really Elizabeth Montgomery that viewers wanted to see. The producers recast the Darren role with Dick Sargent who continued the role for three years. He was funny and the show stayed popular. Viewers that saw the show in syndication became torn as to who played the role better. The show may have been on the air, but people noticed that the tone of the show changed.
We can go through scores of shows, bands, or movies where the role was recast. How many actors played Felix Lighter in the James Bond series? James Bond?
When the popular person leaves, the replacement can change the show to fit the new person.
Curly had to leave the Three Stooges and they brought back Shemp. Shemp didn't replace Curly; he played his own character and changed the complexion of the act.
David Lee Roth was replaced by Sammy Hagar, who made the band Van Halen more pop oriented.
Here's when it goes bad:
When Howard Stern left radio for satellite radio, the radio stations that carried Howard Stern thought they could just replace him. Some stations hired David Lee Roth and some hired Adam Carolla. Neither were edgy enough to replace Howard Stern and the listeners left those stations. The New York station that carried Howard Stern thought they just needed another edgy or raunchy comedian and no one will leave. The radio station forgot that it took Howard Stern twenty years to get the following he had and he could not just be swapped out. Today that radio station is totally different, different music, different deejays and no remnants of the radio station that Howard Stern worked for.
I'm writing this blog because there was a change in a recent show and it went really bad.
Joan Rivers was one of the founding members of Fashion Police. When she passed away last year, the producers of the show had to make a choice. The show was popular and there were other members of the show, so they thought they could just slip someone else in her chair. Much the way radio stations thought they could slip another comedian in Howard Stern's seat, the producers looked to fill Joan Rivers' seat.
They looked for another edgy comedienne that hadn't been funny for twenty years and plopped her in the Rivers' seat. That lasted seven episodes. There were other issues involving other cast members so the whole debacle can't be put on one person. It can be put on the producers who should have changed the tone of the show completely or ended the show. Joan Rivers had a following that it took years to find.
Dick York changed the tone of the show. Shemp changed the Three Stooges. Sammy Hagar changed Van Halen. Fashion Police thought they could leave things the same with another person.
It didn't work. Hopefully it doesn't curse the career of the replacement person because it wasn't her fault.
They should've hired someone more like Shemp or Sammy Hagar.
This information came from various websites.
Wikipedia
leemeriwether.com
julienewmar.com