HarryCarter Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 I dun't thin it was Cara who was Mary's show, it was Pat, sharing that hospital room with her. I dun't remember what Cara was on, but she looked exactly the same, just gorgeous, it was so nice seeing her again. On Pete and Gladys, i never missed her as she played Harry Morgan's wife, she had started as an unseen character on December Bride. Cara Williams made about three appearances during the first season of RHODA as the bookkeeper in Joe Gerard's office. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 Cara Williams made about three appearances during the first season of RHODA as the bookkeeper in Joe Gerard's office. I thought so, Rhoda just came to me as i was typing that last post but i just didn't remember who she played on there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 Cara Williams made about three appearances during the first season of RHODA as the bookkeeper in Joe Gerard's office. OFF COLOR POST, I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE BUT IT'S TRUE! I would have preferred to make three appearances in Joe Gerrard's shower, God i had the hots for that actor, I would have made David Groh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 I read an interview with Kaye Ballard last year when she mentioned she had never won or been nominated for any of the major awards. Just unbelievable - especially when you think of all the undistinctive no-talents who are regularly honored these days. That's really unfortunate for a performer with the on-stage magnetism of Kaye Ballard. In the years of her Broadway triumphs in "Golden Apple" and "Carnival" the categories were skewed against her. There weren't nominees, only winners in 1954. In 1961, what would have been the supporting category in a musical was called 'featured' which they defined as any name below the title--that year it was won by the star of "Unsinkable Molly Brown" Tammy Grimes. Kaye's one starring role on Broadway: "Molly" closed after a short run. While most critics appreciated Kaye's efforts, it was a flop that got no Tony nods. Some television shows are ignored by the Emmy nominating boards and "Mothers In law" was one of them. If the show could have had one nomination, it should have been Kaye. As much as I like Eve Arden, Kaye is the energy that made that show as good as it was. Unlike other filmed-before-audience shows, Desi decided against laugh track sweetening so the response you hear on an MIL episode is the real thing--even when joke flopped and got no laugh. The audience responds warmly to everything Kaye does. Even though Eve is the bigger star, all the big laughs go to Kaye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 Cara Williams made about three appearances during the first season of RHODA as the bookkeeper in Joe Gerard's office. And was given nothing funny to do. I'd like to know the story of casting that role. After "The Cara Williams Show" she disappeared from the tube. I assumed she had retired from show business. Evidently she was still looking for work, because the role of "Mae" is a giant step down. Such a nothing part, it could have just as easily been played by Vanda Barra. The word from all who worked with her was that she was 'difficult'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 And was given nothing funny to do. I'd like to know the story of casting that role. After "The Cara Williams Show" she disappeared from the tube. I assumed she had retired from show business. Evidently she was still looking for work, because the role of "Mae" is a giant step down. Such a nothing part, it could have just as easily been played by Vanda Barra. The word from all who worked with her was that she was 'difficult'. Yeah, i read that too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 And was given nothing funny to do. I'd like to know the story of casting that role. After "The Cara Williams Show" she disappeared from the tube. I assumed she had retired from show business. Evidently she was still looking for work, because the role of "Mae" is a giant step down. Such a nothing part, it could have just as easily been played by Vanda Barra. The word from all who worked with her was that she was 'difficult'. She is profiled in the ninth edition of the Whatever Became Of...? book of series along with Gale, Bob Cummings, etc., and she implies (or, rather, the authors imply on her behalf) that her "absense from the screen" was due to her belief she was 30 pounds overweight. As for her being difficult, here is a choice catty quote from her interview that just might sum up her attitude pretty well. On being considered "the heavy" on the set of both Pete & Gladys and The Cara Williams Show: "I complained constantly about scripts that made no sense and a leading man who had no feeling for comedy. Was I wrong? Pete & Gladys began with a large following who left us as the writing worsened. And I haven't seen or heard of Frank Aletter since The Cara Williams Show went off the air. Any woman who dares to make waves in the business is disliked. Ask Barbra Streisand." :rolleyes: (Personally, I was very familiar with both Harry Morgan and Frank Aletter years before I ever heard the name Cara Williams.) In Jamestown in 2005 or 2006 someone said to Bob Schiller outside the Reg Lenna Civic Center, "Oh, I always liked Cara Williams." Without missing a beat, Bob said, "Well, you were the ONLY one!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 She is profiled in the ninth edition of the Whatever Happened To...? book of series along with Gale, Bob Cummings, etc., and she implies (or, rather, the authors imply on her behalf) that her "absense from the screen" was due to her belief she was 30 pounds overweight. As for her being difficult, here is a choice catty quote from her interview that just might sum up her attitude pretty well. On being considered "the heavy" on the set of both Pete & Gladys and The Cara Williams Show: "I complained constantly about scripts that made no sense and a leading man who had no feeling for comedy. Was I wrong? Pete & Gladys began with a large following who left us as the writing worsened. And I haven't seen or heard of Frank Aletter since The Cara Williams Show went off the air. Any woman who dares to make waves in the business is disliked. Ask Barbra Streisand." :rolleyes: (Personally, I was very familiar with both Harry Morgan and Frank Aletter years before I ever heard the name Cara Williams.) In Jamestown in 2005 or 2006 someone said to Bob Schiller outside the Reg Lenna Civic Center, "Oh, I always liked Cara Williams." Without missing a beat, Bob said, "Well, you were the ONLY one!" Oh wow, a little full of herself huh? The pretty ones usually are. I had such a crush on her, but not after reading that, LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 But wait a minute...she's right about the P&G scripts; and women in the biz who make waves. She carried the "Pete and Gladys" show and was much funnier than the scripts which did indeed lack logic much of the time. She deserved much better. Schiller and Weiskopf were not the only writers on the show but even theirs were a bit lacking. I'm assuming the "man who had no feeling for comedy" she's referring to is Frank Aletter and not Harry Morgan. I only know Frank from "Music Lover" and he does a great job with the comedy in that. I have no memory of "The Cara Williams Show". I think it was on later than I was allowed to stay up. Has anyone ever seen it? She is profiled in the ninth edition of the Whatever Became Of...? book of series along with Gale, Bob Cummings, etc., and she implies (or, rather, the authors imply on her behalf) that her "absense from the screen" was due to her belief she was 30 pounds overweight. As for her being difficult, here is a choice catty quote from her interview that just might sum up her attitude pretty well. On being considered "the heavy" on the set of both Pete & Gladys and The Cara Williams Show: "I complained constantly about scripts that made no sense and a leading man who had no feeling for comedy. Was I wrong? Pete & Gladys began with a large following who left us as the writing worsened. And I haven't seen or heard of Frank Aletter since The Cara Williams Show went off the air. Any woman who dares to make waves in the business is disliked. Ask Barbra Streisand." :rolleyes: (Personally, I was very familiar with both Harry Morgan and Frank Aletter years before I ever heard the name Cara Williams.) In Jamestown in 2005 or 2006 someone said to Bob Schiller outside the Reg Lenna Civic Center, "Oh, I always liked Cara Williams." Without missing a beat, Bob said, "Well, you were the ONLY one!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 But wait a minute...she's right about the P&G scripts; and women in the biz who make waves. She carried the "Pete and Gladys" show and was much funnier than the scripts which did indeed lack logic much of the time. She deserved much better. Schiller and Weiskopf were not the only writers on the show but even theirs were a bit lacking. I'm assuming the "man who had no feeling for comedy" she's referring to is Frank Aletter and not Harry Morgan. I only know Frank from "Music Lover" and he does a great job with the comedy in that. I have no memory of "The Cara Williams Show". I think it was on later than I was allowed to stay up. Has anyone ever seen it? I never missed it, i just loved Cara, thought she was so Lucyish, but not in the same class of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leenorman Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 Yes, of course, i'd kill to meet either Pat or even Cara anywhere. Cara had a later comeback, now it's time for Pat to do the same. I meant Kaye Ballard and Pat Carroll = do remember Cara, though JK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 Yes, of course, i'd kill to meet either Pat or even Cara anywhere. Cara had a later comeback, now it's time for Pat to do the same. I meant Kaye Ballard and Pat Carroll = do remember Cara, though JK Well then, all three as i've always loved the wonderful Kaye Ballard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 I never missed it, i just loved Cara, thought she was so Lucyish, but not in the same class of course. So what was "The Cara Williams Show" like? Do you know who the producer/writers were? The general impression I get is that it was not as overtly comical as P&G. CBS gave it one of the best timeslots: 9:30 Wednesdays following Beverly Hillbillies and Dick Van Dyke, preceding Danny Kaye's Variety Hour. It was moved mid-season. We've veered off the Pat Carroll topic, but I'm going to upload a bit of her "Pandora" pilot to youtube this weekend to get us back on track. In the few "Danny Thomas" episodes I've seen, she (like Kaye in MIL and Cara in P&G) brings a lot of much-needed energy to the show. I'm wondering why she wasn't used more. Seems like there were more episodes featuring husband Sid Melton without Pat. Pat, Cara and Kaye: three peas in a pod*, all fondly remembered and under-employed. *or with Cara's 30 pound weight gain: 3 watermelons in a patch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 So what was "The Cara Williams Show" like? Do you know who the producer/writers were? The general impression I get is that it was not as overtly comical as P&G. CBS gave it one of the best timeslots: 9:30 Wednesdays following Beverly Hillbillies and Dick Van Dyke, preceding Danny Kaye's Variety Hour. It was moved mid-season. We've veered off the Pat Carroll topic, but I'm going to upload a bit of her "Pandora" pilot to youtube this weekend to get us back on track. In the few "Danny Thomas" episodes I've seen, she (like Kaye in MIL and Cara in P&G) brings a lot of much-needed energy to the show. I'm wondering why she wasn't used more. Seems like there were more episodes featuring husband Sid Melton without Pat. Pat, Cara and Kaye: three peas in a pod*, all fondly remembered and under-employed. *or with Cara's 30 pound weight gain: 3 watermelons in a patch. To answer your question, i have no memory of any part of the show except Cara's beauty, which proves that it was not that great to begin with. Then, you have to remember that i was just a young teen at the time, sho who remembers? It wasn't rerun to death like Lucy's shows were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 Back to Pat Carroll: Here's a shortened version of the pilot that ran as an episode of "The Ann Sothern Show" in the spring of 1961. Pat was 34. This didn't sell but she joined "The Danny Thomas Show" in the fall. I don't know how close "Pandora" came to being a series, but I think it deserved a chance. Those "criminently" and "gee-willikers" might have gotten old, but Pat is a wonderful and warm comedienne. ALL 6 of the new sitcoms CBS opted for in the fall of 1961 were canceled at the end of the season. One of them got a reprieve and went on to a successful run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 Back to Pat Carroll: Here's a shortened version of the pilot that ran as an episode of "The Ann Sothern Show" in the spring of 1961. Pat was 34. This didn't sell but she joined "The Danny Thomas Show" in the fall. I don't know how close "Pandora" came to being a series, but I think it deserved a chance. Those "criminently" and "gee-willikers" might have gotten old, but Pat is a wonderful and warm comedienne. ALL 6 of the new sitcoms CBS opted for in the fall of 1961 were canceled at the end of the season. One of them got a reprieve and went on to a successful run. Wonder why a wonderful character actress like her never worked with Lucy? Did she ask gary for too much money? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leenorman Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 Back to Pat Carroll: Here's a shortened version of the pilot that ran as an episode of "The Ann Sothern Show" in the spring of 1961. Pat was 34. This didn't sell but she joined "The Danny Thomas Show" in the fall. I don't know how close "Pandora" came to being a series, but I think it deserved a chance. Those "criminently" and "gee-willikers" might have gotten old, but Pat is a wonderful and warm comedienne. ALL 6 of the new sitcoms CBS opted for in the fall of 1961 were canceled at the end of the season. One of them got a reprieve and went on to a successful run. Anyone identify the telephone secretary and the two male actors??? Thanks....JK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 The telephone secretary is Fay Baker . She played Bette Davis's sister in "The Star". Her husband in that movie was Herb Vigran. They have the best scene in "The Star" when they visit Bette to pick up their 'monthly check' ignoring the fact that Margaret is now flat broke and in a fury, throws them out. Anthony Bardot was played by Guy Mitchell. Gabby was played by Luke Anthony. At first, I thought it was Lucy's friend Ross Martin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryCarter Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 The telephone secretary is Fay Baker . She played Bette Davis's sister in "The Star". Her husband in that movie was Herb Vigran. They have the best scene in "The Star" when they visit Bette to pick up their 'monthly check' ignoring the fact that Margaret is now flat broke and in a fury, throws them out. The scene ends with one of my favorite movie quotes of all time, Bette grabbing her Academy Award and saying, "Come on, Oscar, let's you and me get drunk!" Lucy was originally slated to be the star of The Star. I wonder how different the movie would have been. Thanks for the Pandora segment, Neil! Looking forward to watching it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 The telephone secretary is Fay Baker . She played Bette Davis's sister in "The Star". Her husband in that movie was Herb Vigran. They have the best scene in "The Star" when they visit Bette to pick up their 'monthly check' ignoring the fact that Margaret is now flat broke and in a fury, throws them out. Anthony Bardot was played by Guy Mitchell. Gabby was played by Luke Anthony. At first, I thought it was Lucy's friend Ross Martin. Thank you, i was wondering who that actor was reminding me of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 The scene ends with one of my favorite movie quotes of all time, Bette grabbing her Academy Award and saying, "Come on, Oscar, let's you and me get drunk!" Lucy was originally slated to be the star of The Star. I wonder how different the movie would have been. Thanks for the Pandora segment, Neil! Looking forward to watching it. Really? I own The Star but had no idea Lucy was slated to play her, what year was that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeySanJoaquin Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 One of them got a reprieve and went on to a successful run. The wundaful (and Desilu, of course!) Dick Van Dyke Show, I'm guessin'?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MONALISAISMONALUCY Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 The telephone secretary is Fay Baker . She played Bette Davis's sister in "The Star". Her husband in that movie was Herb Vigran. They have the best scene in "The Star" when they visit Bette to pick up their 'monthly check' ignoring the fact that Margaret is now flat broke and in a fury, throws them out. Anthony Bardot was played by Guy Mitchell. Gabby was played by Luke Anthony. At first, I thought it was Lucy's friend Ross Martin. Th trailer has that scene: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryCarter Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 Really? I own The Star but had no idea Lucy was slated to play her, what year was that? Lucy was supposed to do it in 1950, but it was an independent production and they couldn't get financing. It was done with Bette in 1952. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Lucy was supposed to do it in 1950, but it was an independent production and they couldn't get financing. It was done with Bette in 1952. Oh, so she couldn't have done it THEN anyway as she was the new QUEEN of television and not the down and out has been played by Bette, LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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