Hers And Hers And His: The Three's Company appreciation thread

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three's_Company

Yes, it's a very silly, tacky, unsophisticated show that often went for the cheap laugh. Yes, a lot of the humor is based on outdated gay stereotypes and sex jokes.

And I love it.

John Ritter is a laugh riot in pretty much every episode. And you can't go wrong with Norman Fell. And later, the amazing Don Knotts.

Towards the 5th or 6th season it started to Jump The Shark for sure, but those first couple of seasons really are great.

It's not anything close to a "smart" sitcom, and that's part of its charm for me.

 

I love Three's Company! It was a great show, I could never understand why people seem to dislike it so. Sure it was repetitive and juvenile but it was funny and had a certain charm to it. It's definitely a fond childhood memory of mine.

 

I like the season, when the opening show credits had Chrissy (Suzanne Somers) laying face-down on a cot on the porch, wearing a black swimsuit, and water is poured onto her back...of course she rises, startled; Suzanne finally demanded too much money, and the replacements were pretty enough, but lacked Chrissy's naive charm

that show wouldn't get production in today's social climate

 

I despise the sitcom format, but because of the times, how it felt, this is the one show that really worked for me.

Miss John Ritter - great guy and great talent. Met Richard Kline a few years back and was talking about a play he directed (Neil Simon's "Rumors"). I'm able to shove the "holy **** I'm talking to Larry" aside when I'm talking to people like that. But he was the BEST.

The show was perfect for the times. I miss the Regal Beagle.

EDIT: I think their official website is from 1979, also!

http://www.threescompany.com/

Jeff

 

I have to admit I have a fondness for this show. The earlier seasons were definitely better and the way it ended certainly felt rushed.

Was it the best sitcom ever? No. But it certainly had some great moments which were fun.

 

I loved it then (I was a teenage boy) and I still love it. I have seen some of those episodes 20 times and they STILL make me laugh. Sure it's not highbrow but who cares? It wasn't intended to be anything but funny and it is certainly that!

 

The first two seasons or so before Suzanne Somers left were sweet, stupid and charming. Ritter did carry the show, but that original ensemble worked really well with him.

 

I never cared for the show after they forced the Ropers off. The whole dynamic changed when Knotts and the other minor characters got involved.

By forced - the were insistent to do a spinoff to capitalize $$$. Fell was totally against it. They gave Fell and Lindley a clause that if the show tanked within a certain time, they could return. They missed the clause by a few days....hence the force out. The brass had NO intention on letting them back on the show.

 

Anybody remember or have seen the "offending testicle" I think Ritter called it? I only heard of him joking about it about a year prior to his untimely passing.

So sad to realize it's been almost 10 years since he's passed away. So sad. So glad he was around and did this show and more.

Am I the only who thought Janet was the hottest/most attractive/cutest of the girls? The blondes had their roles, came and went, and of course, Suzanne Sommers was a stunner. But in the end, the most attractive was always spunky, intelligent, and often-misinformed Janet.

Jeff

 

To me Janet was always the turn on. You don't need jiggle to be hot.

 

Oh yes, I was so hoping that Jack would end up with Janet.

The episode with Jack "medicated" at a party was a laugh riot.

 

Yeah; it helped that she seemed to be the smartest one in the bunch.

 

I always wondered why they got their own show. Although I am a Don Knotts fan and did like his character I did prefer the Ropers and it would have been more interesting had they stuck around. A shame they were forced off the show. I wonder why the network thought they would do well with their own series? I never did!

 

One of my favorite shows. I like Pricilla Barnes more than Suzanne Sommers. And I like Knotts over the Ropers.

The episode where Jack took some valium and mixed it with Alcohol was the best in the whole series.

 

I remember watching a show where they interviewed Norman Fell and he disclosed what I posted earlier. He stated that the show worked best as an emsemble and it wouldn't be long before the jokes ran out(and story lines) centered around the Ropers. Forced might have been the wrong word, but the way he said it, they(the brass) waited just long enough to ensure they didn't come back. That REALLY sucked.

 

Chrissy is pretty sorely missed in the later episodes. The producers should have done what was needed to keep her happy.

The show has great writing, especially the episodes that involve misunderstandings. The ones that do rely upon misunderstandings are probably the lion's share of the episodes, though. Usually there is one crucial piece of information that one character mishears or misinterprets that causes hilarity through the rest of the episode.

Janet should not have undergone plastic surgery either. Her nose was fine.

 

Norman Fell was right about that. I just never saw their characters as being lead characters. A shame really. But I guess they wanted them out and they got their wish. I wonder why they the producers decided to go with that instead of just leaving them in the show though.

Yup. I never liked that cousin of hers character. I thought the Terri character was good though and she was very easy on the eyes but it would have been better I think if Susan Summers stayed.

 

The DVDs of the show are pretty cheap.

Now if only we could get Shout Factory to release The Ropers and Three's A Crowd on DVD- I've never actually seen either of those series.

 

But he ended up with Diane.

 

I've heard a little story about that...

 

According to the episode of E! "Hollywood Stories" on Three's Company, the contracts for the 3 main characters are somewhat connected. The girls are paid the same and John Ritter has to be the highest paid. Therefore, if Suzanne Summers gets a pay increase, Joyce DeWitt and John Ritter would automatically get pay raises as well. I don't remember the exact amounts, but it would have been something like half a million dollars, if SS had received her pay raise, just for the 3 main chararcters' pay for one episode. And this was in the mid 70s.

 

Meanwhile, Don Knotts enters a room:



Jeff

 

Well...what is it?! Enquiring minds need to know.