I loved Norman's cute facial expressions to the camera. Priceless!

I Think Norman Fell And Audra Lindley Got A RAW Deal. They Got The Short End Of The Stick...

The Ropers and Mr. Furley both added so much to the show. It's a shame that Norman Fell was duped by the network which I'm sure was worrisome to both he and Audra Lindley but in hindsight it gave the show three great, memorable characters .

Those producers on "Three's Company" were weasels, even by Hollywood standards, to Suzanne Somers (they threatened lawsuits against anyone who tried to hire her saying she was doing the Chrissy character and they owned it), Joyce DeWitt (they out right lied to her about "Three's a Crowd"), Jenilee Harrison, Priscilla Barnes, Norman Fell and Audra Linley. Look up interviews with them or the documentary that was made about the show. The only one they coddled was John Ritter, and his spinoff show was as bad as "The Ropers".

Isabelle Sanford felt the same as Norman Fell. She'd rather keep a small part on a big hit than take a chance on a spinoff. But she had basically no choice as she was told that The Jeffersons is happening with or without you. We can just recast the part of Louise. Luckily it worked out for her and Sherman Hemsley.

Wrong on the producers to do that to Fell. Threes Company was a great show with the original cast. Knotts was good but not the same

I'm surprised that the Ropers didn't "come on knocking" on 3's company door in more guest appearances from time to time.

Fred Silvermen played him. I think he knew once he got Don Knotts on the show he wouldn't bring back the Ropers and found a loophole. The Ropers show stunk because the neighbors were not likeable and there was no chemistry. It's hard to watch.

I love Stanley Roper!! The devilish grin he had was so good & his interaction with Helen was spot on for older couples married a long time!! I do think that Norman Fell got the short end of the stick on a technically with the year & a half deal. As always, stay safe & healthy!! 😷

I'm an old timer who watched the first runs of the show. As much as I liked Don Knotts, I thought Norman Fell was far more believable in the role. They used a technicality to shaft the better actor for the role.

Audra Lindley made every scene with Norman Fell so funny, i cant imagine they are gone forever....so sad...right now am still watching The Ropers...my 3rd time...

I loved the Ropers. Sad they got the short end of the stick. Thats show biz. I really loved Don Knots. He brought a new freshness to the show. I would have been ok with the Ropers doing guest appearances. Everything happens for a reason. 💜💜❤

For such a funny, happy-go-lucky show, they certainly had their back room controversies.

Convinced he got the role of Roper the landlord after his brief scene as the landlord in the film The Graduate..it left an impression, along with Richard Dryfuss...

Three's Company went a different direction after the Ropers left, not just with the different characters, but the style changed. For example, compare Chrissy's character in season 1&2 to seasons 4&5, she went from a believable dumb blonde to a cartoonish dingbat. I felt that EVERY episode of Three's Company with the Ropers was a classic. I cannot say that about Three's Company with Don Knotts. After the Ropers, it was hit and miss with the show. Now, I loved Don Knotts, but there is no guarantee that the show would have remained ALL CLASSICS if the Ropers stayed on the show. In retrospect, I think Norman and Audra were there for the perfect amount of time. I DO think they were screwed, but that's the story of Three's Company. Television history.

I’ve heard some of Fell’s thoughts on doing the spin-off and why he wasn’t for it initially, but not condensed and precise like this. And I get it. Why leave a good thing like being on Three’s Company, that’s already successful, to do a Spin-Off? Spin-Offs aren’t always successful. There are some like The Jefferson’s and Fraiser that are just as good as their predecessors and on some occasions are better, but those are rare. I haven’t seen The Ropers, so I cant say if it’s good or not, but I’m sure Norman Fell and Audra Lindley gave it their all as they did on Three’s Company. Thanks for the video Rick, it was very interesting.

The Ropers were great as supporting characters but as a teenager at the time I was not interested in seeing a show about to "old" people. I believe that it was a mistake for them to leave the show.

I think Fred Silverman collaborated with ABC (and other higher up executives) and set up Normal Fell/Audra Lindley. The Ropers' second season started on September 15, 1979 and Mr. Furley's pilot episode "The New Landlord" aired on September 25, 1979 (ten days later) and only three episodes into the fourth season. I think the test audience showings during the summer of '79 went so well with Mr. Furley that the decision was already made to cancel the Ropers before the second season started. The only reason it went on for half a season is so Norman and Audra could not return to Three's Company. The timing just seems too suspicious to me. Keep the Three's Company (and subsidiary series') videos coming please. I liked all three series and even their British counterparts (though not as much).

Norman got a bad deal. i think once Don Knotts cemented his role on the show, there was no way Norman would be back.

Norman Fell was absolutely hilarious on 3's company.His smile,laugh was so perfect on that show! The Ropers was ok at best .3's company had the perfect chemistry with the five of them together ,Ropers was missing that ,but in Regards to Norman Fell being screwed by management yes he was, but you leave a very popular series to go make your own with out the supporting cast it was destine to fail and it did !

Rick: Good job on the video. I was wondering how did Norman Fell came up with laugh because it does put a smile on my face every time I see Norman Fell doing his famous laugh!

Unfortunately I think that is part of Show Business which is really never fair. But I am glad to now know the reason why things went down the way it did. Thanks Rick Nineg!

It was a business decision, pure and simple. And sometimes in business decisions the people involved are treated as pawns. The production company and the network make more money by creating more hit shows. And it's certainly easier, and cheaper, to create a new show with a spinoff. After all, the characters are already established and are familiar to the fans of the parent show. Norm Fell's instincts were right: He was very hesitant about giving a pair of supporting cast members of a hit show their own series. But the producers pressured him, the network pressured him and his castmate, Audra Lindley, pressured him and, despite his better judgement, relented.

Producers and networks are cut throat as long as the ratings are good.

Thank you for the video Rick first off. Secondly yes they screwed Fell. If I remember The Ropers was a midseason replacement and that is why it ran for a year-and-a-half. Fame is fleeting and Fell knew it.

The Ropers were OK in small doses on Three's Company but really tough to take for a whole show. The writing wasn't as good, the neighbors terrible. The relationships in The Ropers were all tense, there was no fun in it.

Hollywood always playing dirty. They can sell $1.00 for $10.00 to some people. sad way to end it. However being a big Don Knotts fan it was cool seeing him. Still should have waited until after Threes Company ended to spin off. Thanks for posting Rick. Be hopeful and stay cool. It’s hot out there.

The look on his face when Mrs Roper felt romantic. 🤣😂👏 lol!

First. Keep up the good work Rick. Love the trivia.

Actually, the deal was made that if the Ropers didn’t last more than a year, Norman and Audra could come back to TC, but the executives were ready to cancel the show long before that. However, with Mr. Furley already being established and the stated difference in cost of two actors compared to one, the execs purposely let The Ropers linger on so that they’d hit their year deadline and the comeback would be void

Norman Fell got a bad deal from producers who have more money than they know what to do with. Another interesting commentary with facts that makes us want to go back & see these shows again.

can't remember the title of the Episode but it was after Susann sommers was gone but the Roper's did come back to three's company as s guest appearance

I was just watching another video about this same subject. You both did a great job with it. My only disagreement is about Fred Silverman's involvement with the spinoff. Silverman left ABC for NBC mid-1978, and THE ROPERS didn't become a series until almost a year later. Norman Fell & Audra Lindley did get to make a final THREE'S COMPANY appearance in Season 5, and they both still had good careers in movies & tv.

For me, Don Knotts was great as Barney... not so much as Mr. Furley.

I think you hit the nail on the head with your comment about them wanting to be the lead actors so made a decision they might have regretted. Same situation with Suzanne Somers. I admired Joyce DeWitt and Don Knott's overall career is pretty much legendary. It's like the show wasn't big enough for all of them.

Rick, Thanks for sharing this interesting story. I do think it was unjust of what happened to Norman Fell, but what's fair and just is not always the same as what's legally enforceable. Read the fine print! As someone who works with legal contracts all the time, I believe Fell's lawyers should have picked up on that loophole. Perhaps the contract should have defined terms to reflect how a hit TV show is understood, something like "3 full seasons" or "at least 100 episodes." Well, that's show biz... Personally speaking, I was never a fan of "Three's Company." Never thought it was really funny. I liked Fell in his movie performances, like "Ocean's 11" and "It's a Mad Mad...World." Best always, Rick. Hope you're doing well. Paul

Norman Fell's apprehension on doing "The Ropers" was perfectly understandable. He was one of those character actors that just sort of drifted from role to role in movies during the 1960s. In fact, during the 1970s, when affiliate networks used to run old movies in the afternoons and late nights, you'd find Norman Fell's face in there quite a bit. Big movies too, like "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad World" and "The Graduate." The characters of the Roper''s worked so well in THREE'S COMPANY that, why would you want to leave? I'm sure that everyone thought that the Ropers would springboard in to something wonderful, but it was just a dud. Not because of Fell or Audra Lindley, it was just the "premise" of the show itself. Plus, I've never liked Jeffrey Tambor. And at this time, he was an unproven talent and an actor who could only perform as "the uptight, agitated guy," so that was his one trick. Almost every show he's been in...dies. On the other end of the spectrum, THREE'S COMPANY had picked up Don Knotts in the role of Mr. Furley. For Knotts, not only was he a beloved actor in TV history, he was enough like his character of Barney from THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW, and enough of the polar opposite. His character just "clicked" with Joyce DeWitt and John Ritter. To let him go would have been disasterous, but to have Mr. Furley AND the Ropers on the same show might switch THREE'S COMPANY's demographic way down. Face it, the eye candy that sold THREE'S COMPANY was that late 20s to early 30s age group. Outside of Norman Lear's shows, there wasn't very much room for TV show casts with people in their 50s to early 60s.

Hi Rick! Hey - are the sets from Three's Company the same sets used for Lavern & Shirley (when everyone moved to California?) Worth a look...Thank you for all the fun tidbits!!

Around the same timeframe as 'The Ropers', Polly Holiday, who played waitress Flo on the hit show Alice, got her own show via the spinoff "Flo". Ditto for the Happy Days spinoff, "Joanie Loves Chachi. There were many spin offs in the 1970s; not all had the success of "Laverne and Shirley'.

You nailed it Rick, that’s exactly what I’ve heard about Norman Fell and the situation with Three’s Company. I watched The Ropers a few times but just couldn’t get into it, the scripts were lackluster and overly cheesy. They don’t call it show BUSINESS for nothing.

The issue was that the "year and a half" was really a "first season" of six episodes to establish the show (as they did with Three's Company) and then a second full season. They never had any intention of honoring that deal, period. The TC producers were pretty shady guys when it came to dealing with talent. Norman got screwed royally.

makes me glad I'm not an actor..... The Studio or network or who ever gave them a Raw Deal... thy couldn't come back but ended up making a return for one episode. so you see the Ropers and Furley together.

The ropers love the show air from March 79,to July 80, my generation my favourite show on ch7 at 930pm.

The network totally gypped Norman Fell and Audra Lindley! I used to LOVE it everytime Norman would break the fourth wall!!

...Actually, Jeffrey Tambor played a total of four different characters between Three's Company and The Ropers, including a dentist, a psychiatrist, and a rich man who is obsessed with Cindy in Three's Company.

I know they let The Ropers back one last time after the Ropers were canceled- Night of the Ropers when Stanley wanted to go to a bowling banquet on their wedding anniversary leaving Helen to leave him, and coming back to the kids for comfort, only to find herself in bed with Furley. My question Does anyone know if Norman and Audra were asked to return in the final episodes when Janet marries Phillip. As far as anything was mentioned they still lived in Chevot Hills about 6 miles away. And Like in another 80’s show Different Strokes when Phillip Drummond got married both his past housekeepers, Mrs.Garrett and Adele returned for the wedding episode even though they both had left. Or were Norman and Audra done and moved on and didn’t want to return for the Janet & Phillip Wedding (series end) or maybe nobody thought of inviting them to return. As well loved to see Jenilee Harrison- Cindy Snow return again for the wedding.

They should have stayed with Three's Company. They Owed them a Spot and should have Gotten an Attorney.

I always felt like Threes Company was the two older cast members big break and it was taken away from them . Their chance to go out big and into retirement.

I have heard this before. I think Norman Fell got a raw deal. That was just plain wrong! I loved the way he’d look into the camera and smile! That was genius. I will always like Don Knotts but this was a rotten thing to do. That’s Hollywood for you. Norman Fell should have gotten it in writing and made it a deal if the show was ever canceled. Oh well.

Norman Fell was an Oscar calibre actor

I loved Three’s Company and Norman Fell. I also love Don Knotts but, IMO, his character was terrible on this show. The Ropers also just didn’t have the magic of a hit show. Too bad they couldn’t/didn’t reincorporate the Ropers back into Three’s Company.

From what I read (and seen), the producers and network bosses alike did some shady stuff, to create and perpetuate dissension on the set of Threes Company. I’m not surprised that Fell and Lindley got shafted.

Love Don Knots , but they did the Ropers wrong.

That’s a hard question. However, it was a tricky dice to roll. It seems to me that the deal was made with the devil. If they hadn’t taken the chance they would have never known what would have happened. They took the chance and look at what happened.

Norman knew that the Ropers was not fleshed out enough for a spin off. To me the Ropers were like surrogate parents to Jack and the girls and Mr Furley was like an uncle. The show dynamics changed when the Ropers left , the show was focused on John but it did not lose enough when the Ropers left. However when they did Three's a Crowd you see how important it is to have the right cast for a good show with a good script.

To me the show was never the same without the Ropers. Norman fell and Audrey had such a chemistry with John Ritter and the girls. It is something Don Knott's could not replicate. They were not treated fairly by the studio. In watching the earlier episodes, the Ropers had as much screen time as the other actors.

Overall, they had a good several years playing those characters. However it definitely is sad because of how popular they were. It almost seems as if they cancelled them after the year so they couldn’t return to TC. They did have their own series for 22 episodes, but they came back like one last time to guest star, I think on TC and that was it. They should have returned for the series finale and been invited to Janet’s Wedding.

They did not deal professional with Norman fell, he got strewed. Both of the ropers, sad.

Yes. I liked the actor that played MR. Roper. I agree with you about him starring at the camera. And laughing. Priceless. My Dad was a big fan of Three's company too. I saw the episodes that led up to the Ropers series. But not that series. My parents told me about it though. I always like Mrs. Ropers hair and long dresses. Felt that it was a wig. No. It was not fair that they broke the contract on them! No one can predict how long a series will last. Not fair. My opinion. They have better contracts now days. I think. So sad. I saw Norman Fell in a TV series after Threes company called Crazy like a Fox. He played a police detective. That knew Harry Fox(Jack Warden) on the show. Mrs. Roper, I saw her on a mystery movie one time too. She looked very different. But it was her. They did come back on one episode of Three's company after they had left. Don Knotts was in the episode too. He went to bed with Mrs. Roper by accident. When she had borrowed his room. Very funny. Good video. Take care.

Something tells us that the VIPs were trying to get rid of Norman and Audra for a good while, because of the money issue. But they were better for the show than Ralph. They wanted to can The Ropers after 7 episodes, but Norman's clause ensured the show lasted as long as it did. Do you suppose Disney buying ABC from Capital Cities had something to do with the 1986 plans nixed?

They should have kept The Ropers on Tuesday nights, right after Threes Company. Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley were successful when they were paired up.

I was disappointed they did not appear in the finale episode I made sense that they would be invited to Janets wedding

As with any great shows it’s the supporting cast that makes it. 3 big stars sitting on the couch alone wont make it past the 1st season. Think Seinfeld, King of Queens, The Office, etc where the supporting cast often outshined the stars of the show. The Ropers were just as important (and funny) to the success of the show as were the 3 main characters. The network got greedy and lost the bet. Don knots wasn’t enough to help carry the show. Besides, the Ropers had an entire subplot running along side Jack, Chrissy, and Janet. The comedic timing of John Ritter was spot on!

They were going through a thing with Somers at the time when the show got canceled, The Ropers ran 5-6 episodes for one season, and did about 20 or so for the second season, and by the time Fell wanted to come back to the show, the fifth season had begun and that’s when Somers wanted more money, in which if they paid her, her and her supporting characters would have to get the same, as well as Fell and Lindley, and a little bit more for Ritter, because he was the star, if that went through, the show/ABC would’ve been in some financial trouble.

One thing to remember was that this trios of shows, Threes Company, The Ropers & Threes A Crowd followed the pattern set by the original British shows, Man About the House, The Ropers & Robin's Nest.

The Producers Lied to Norman Fell. Simple as that. The Procers also screwed Joyce deWitt.

Never liked Don Knott's in this show. Would have been awesome to have had the Ropers come back.

That's really messed up. They should've found a way to include all 3 characters.

Any idea if Norman Fell was angry with Audra Lindley afterwards ? It sounds like he would have been happy to stay on Three's Co and keep getting a payday. Any idea how much they got paid on Theee's Co and how much for The Ropers ?

If they agreed on a year, then fair is fair. It might not have been a great situation for Norman, but that was the agreement.

The Ropers did fine but they can't compare to Don Knotts! But the Ropers was a great show that should've lasted 4 to 5 seasons. The rivalry between Roper & Brooks was HILARIOUS!

The producers treated Norman Fell anf Audra Lindley poorly. They should have gottentheir roles back.

I personally liked both Don Knotts and Norman Fell. Although Norman may have gotten a raw deal in the end he still decided to take that chance.

Saw every episode of both shows. ❤️

Definitely feel for Norman Fell here. He got screwed.

I loved threes company

I feel bad for Norman

They should have let them make special appearances.maybe even have a rivalry with mr furley

Ropers were great but Knotts was unbeatable. his contribution to the lasting success of threes company was tremendous imo

It's a shame they didn't have something going on like when Charlotte Rae went onto Facts Of Life, but had it locked in that she'd be returned to different strokes if the show had failed. After loosing the Ropers for Season 4-Susanne Somers obvious loss of interest which really shows on screen latter in that season, and attempts to replace with furley and cindy (S5 is easily the worst season), it suprises me to this day the show even made it to Season 6 to make a recovery with Priscilla Barnes, and jack's boss and future wife breathing life back into the series (in my opinion).

Why couldn't they have had them move back and rent one of the apartments? They could have still been apart of the show. They lost two good characters!

If it was anyone other than Don Knotts,the Ropers had a very good chance of coming back

I warched Man About The House and George & Mildred in the UK, but don't think the American versions of these shows were shown in the UK 🤔

That was very enlightening 🤔

I liked both Mr Furley and the Ropers.

I think Norman got the shaft. He knew being in the business for so long to be cautious about such an offer. I think by the time The Ropers was canceled, the producers found a way to not bring them back to Three's Company because they liked Don Knotts so much. Plus it was cheaper because they didn't have to pay two actors anymore.

I'll be in the scarce bunch for writing this, but times were changing. I think the Ropers were not a good example for the 80s and beyond. Women wanted to leave the home and have equal support from men and women for doing so. "Stanley" gave so many misogynistic jabs, which were the writer's fault, not Norman Fell's. I preferred Don Knotts over the married pair. His physical humor matched John Ritter's. Anyhow, this was so many, many years ago. Each found other work in other shows and movies.

I have a little different take than some do on here. I actually liked the Ropers and thought anything with Norman Fell playing Mr Roper was funny. The first shortened season had really good ratings but the second season they put it up against 60 minutes I believe and that was bad news for any sitcom to hear and looking back at it now I wonder if it was done on purpose to get ride of the show just as soon as the agreement he made with Silverman was more than 1 season.

Norman Fell & Audra Lindley got screwed! I was 5 yrs old & loved it the show was funny. I liked Mr Furley but loved the Ropers !! Once Suzanne left it wasn't the same.

For me the Ropers (Norm and Audra) really gave a great balance to Three's a Company, Knotts on the other hand was a very good second choice but it wasn't quite the same although the show was still as strong. I think Norm and Audra both got a bad deal but as they say.. "that's show biz". :(

I've seen Norman Fell in movies in his younger days. He could put down some serious dramatic performances and as we know was just as awsome in comedy. I think both he and his counterpart got gypped in the normal Hollywood thing of saving money. That's not to diminish Don Knotts' ability to make people laugh as well. Years went by and the show had two or so original characters including supporting cast. New shows came about and it didn't in my mind go off the air in the way I thought it should. I know it happens. Actors get bored and worry they're getting in a rut.

Does anyone know where exactly that overhead shot of the beach and bike path was shot? I know it’s around the SM pier but where exactly?

I think Norman Fell was shortchanged. It makes me wonder what was told to Don Knotts when he started on the show.

This was awesome

They should have brought them back.

They did return briefly to “Three’s Company” in season 5/episode 18 “Night Of The Ropers”. But yes, the producers did them wrong.

If you follow the British show Man About The House which is what Three's Company was based off of, you'll discover that there were also 2 spinoffs , George and Mildred and Robins nest which in the US became the Ropers and Three's a Crowd. However the US versions of these spinoffs did not fare as well , The Ropers did get good ratings since they were such popular characters and during the first season the show came on right after Three's Company which helped tremendously. However with Three's Compan still a hit even with the imo unfunny Don Knotts replacing them, the producers had to make sure that the Ropers lasted more than a year which would void the clause in their contract that they could return to Three's Company if the show was cancelled before that year was up. I believe that the execs had tricked Fell into leaving when he initially didnt want too and Lindley who actually was excited to do the Ropers later revealed that she was shocked when they show was cancelled. In fact the producers had already made the decision to cancel the show less than a year into it but according to Fell they weren't told until after the year went by and By then they were already into the 2nd season. Trickery ? deception most likely. Also the show was moved to a different day and time competing with a very difficult lineup of popular shows which hurt its ratings some. Fell didnt want it moved but no avail . Sounds like they did the lineup move on purpose because they wanted the show to fail yet it managed to recoup a little . When it was cancelled it was still a top 20 show. And the fact that the stars werent told it was cancelled until their clause was void make it one of the because screwed over moments in TV history. Fell begged ABC to let he and Lindley return but they obviously werent going to pay 2 salaries when they already had Knotts and Three'a Company was still a hit without them. So Fell and Lindley came back for one episode of Three's Company as guest stars after their own show was cancelled. And the episode was a hit , i for one wouldve welcomed them back and had Furley written out of the show.

It was too late Don Knotts was already cemented in there. Norman also has said that he did the spin off because Audra wanted it so badly so he did it for her too. They did come back for a few episodes after cancellation because the producers felt bad but in the end good business decision

👍

I liked em on 3’s Co, but the writing on The Ropers was less than top notch.