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Read a message from Chris Mann before you watch the movie, by clicking HERE.
"Behind the Camera: The Unofficial Story of ‘Three’s Company'"
Airing Monday, May 12, 2002 9 to 11 p.m. E/P on NBC
(Below you will find a press release with cast list, an interview with Joyce Dewitt, cast bios, photos, and more)
1.) PRESS RELEASE:
NBC PEELS BACK THE CURTAIN FOR INSIDER’S LOOK AT TURMOIL
BENEATH POPULAR COMEDY SERIES
‘THREE’S COMPANY’ WITH TV MOVIE
‘BEHIND THE CAMERA: THE UNAUTHORIZED STORY OF
‘THREE’S COMPANY’’’ ON MAY 12
NBC will broadcast its insider’s peek behind one of television’s most popular
sitcoms in “Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of ‘Three’s Company’” on
Monday, May 12 (9-11 p.m. ET), a television movie event featuring original cast
member Joyce DeWitt -- who portrayed Janet Wood on “Three’s Company” and now
shares her observations on a side of comedic success on network television few
people see.
The movie takes an unflinching glimpse behind the scenes of that troubled,
turbulent and sexy 1970s series that titillated audiences as it instantly
bounced to the top of the television ratings.
In 1977, ABC Television Network President Fred Silverman (portrayed by Tony and
Golden Globe winner Brian Dennehy, “Death of a Salesman”) “greenlit” a racy new
sitcom -- “Three’s Company” -- starring three unknown actors in Joyce DeWitt,
John Ritter and Suzanne Somers who were given an actor’s opportunity of a
lifetime. The series centered on two attractive, young women – Chrissy Snow and
Janet Wood – who covered the rent on their Santa Monica beachside apartment by
taking in a third roommate – Jack Tripper, who had to pretend to be gay to fool
the suspicious landlords, Helen and Stanley Roper (later replaced by Mr. Furley).
The series rocketed in the ratings as an instant hit – despite the outcry of
critics and moralists who objected to the double-entendres and quasi-sexual
hijinks on what became the quintessential “jiggle show.” However, the true,
behind-the-scenes story of “Three’s Company” exposes a once idyllic workplace
that deteriorated into a battleground beset by backstage back stabbing and
betrayals, contract disputes, cast rivalries, clashes between producers and
network executives -- and finally, a round of cast replacements which hastened
the demise of the show.
The principal “Three’s Company” cast members are portrayed by Melanie Deanne
Moore (“Slackers”) as Joyce DeWitt, Bret Anthony (“Seinfeld”) as John Ritter and
Jud Tylor (“Ice Angel”) as Suzanne Somers. Wallace Langham (“The Larry Sanders
Show”) plays Suzanne Somer’s first manager, Jay Bernstein, and Christopher Shyer
(“Phenomenon” – TV version) stars as her husband-turned-manager Alan Hamel.
Playing the series producers Ted Bergman and Don Taffner are, respectively
Daniel Roebuck (“The Late Shift,” Matlock”) and Michael David Simms
(“Masterminds?”). The supporting “Three’s Company” cast members Don Knotts,
Norman Fell and Audra Lindley are portrayed by Gregg Brinkley, Terence Kelly and
Barbara Gordon, respectively.
Stanley M. Brooks (“Season on the Brink,” “Submerged”) and Greg Gugliotta
(“Living with the Dead”) are the executive producers of the production from Once
Upon a Time Films and ZIFF Productions Ltd. Jason Ensler (“Searching for Allison
Porchnik”) is the director and Elisa Bell (“Vegas Vacation”) is the writer.
ROLE – PLAYER:
Joyce DeWitt – Joyce DeWitt; Fred Silverman – Brian Dennehy; John Ritter – Bret Anthony; Suzanne Somers – Jud Tylor; Joyce DeWitt (young) – Melanie Deanne Moore; Ted Bergman – Daniel Roebuck; Don Taffner – Michael David Simms; Jay Bernstein – Wallace Langham; Alan Hamel – Christopher Shyer; Jeff Kline – Jason Schombing; Ira Denmark – David Lewis; Don Knotts – Gregg Binkley; Richard Kline – Lyle Baraniuk; Norman Fell – Terence Kelly; Audra Lindley – Barbara Gordon; Tony Thomopolous – Gary Hudson; PA – Fred Ewanuick; Director #1 – John Bluethner; Director #2 – Frank Adamson; Jenilee Harrison – Elizabeth Crawford; Priscilla Barnes – Anne Ross; Security Guard (backstage) – Jon Ljungberg; Security Guard (lot) – Ernesto Griffith; CBS Executive #1 (frowning) – Greg Rogers; CBS Executive #2 – Sam Katz; Suzanne’s Assistant – Matt Kippen; Silverman’s Assistant – Rebecca Gibson; Photographer – Brian Drader; Art Director – Marina Stephenson-Kerr; NBC Executive – Evan Roitenberg; Reverend Wildmond – Tom Anniko; Sitcom Actor – Yorick Parke; Actress (“Cindy”) – Elizabeth Crawford; Mary Cadorette – Ingrid Torrance; Joyce’s Boyfriend – Colin Cunningham
Joyce DeWitt, who portrayed Janet Wood in the classic
1970s comedy series “Three’s Company,” gives an insider’s perspective as she
narrates the story of how three unknown actors reached overnight stardom and how
it affected their lives.
Golden Globe and Tony Award winner Brian Dennehy (“Death of a Salesman”) stars
as Fred Silverman, the programming executive at ABC responsible for putting
“Three’s Company” on the air, and – mirroring real life – newcomers Bret
Anthony, Melanie Deanne Moore and Jud Tylor portray the three stars of the
sitcom.
Hasn’t the story of “Three’s Company” already been told? Not like this, and here
is what separates this movie from the other projects about the show:
Joyce DeWitt contributed to the movie allowing the story to be told from a
fresh perspective.
The conscious decision of the producers to cast relative unknowns in the roles
of John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt and Suzanne Somers allows the viewer to focus on
the quality of the movie instead of paying attention to the actor portraying the
characters.
The direction of Jason Ensler (“Searching for Allison Porchnik”) gives this
movie a feature film feel. So much so, in fact, that the quality of this movie
inspired NBC Entertainment President Jeff Zucker to comment at January’s Press
Tour that this is “the single best television movie that we have.”
Wallace Langham – who portrays manager Jay Bernstein – met with the real
Bernstein for an entire day in order to fine-tune the characteristics of the man
responsible for making Suzanne Somers the star she would eventually become.
Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe and Tony-winning actor Brian Dennehy follows
up his critically acclaimed role of Bobby Knight (“A Season on the Brink”) with
another non-fictional character as ABC executive Fred Silverman.
“Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of ‘Three’s Company’” is a production
of NBC Studios in association with Once Upon a Time Films and ZIFF Productions.
Stanley M. Brooks (“Season on the Brink,” “Submerged”) and Greg Gugliotta
(“Living with the Dead”) are the executive producers
2.) CREDITS
Day & time: May 12, 2003 (9-11 p.m. ET)
Starring: Joyce DeWitt, Brian Dennehy, Bret Anthony, Jud Tylor, Melanie Deanne
Moore, Daniel Roebuck, Wallace Langham, Michael David Simms
Executive producers: Stanley M. Brooks, Greg Gugliotta
Co-executive producer: Scott W. Anderson
Producer: Damian Ganczewski
Writer: Elisa Bell
Editor: Sandra Montiel
Director: Jason Ensler
Production designer: Gord Wilding
Casting (US): Susan Glicksman, Alex Wald
Casting (Canada): Coreen Mayrs, Heike Brandstatter
Makeup: Pamela Athyde
Costume designer: Noreen Landry
Art director: Gord Petersen
Set design: Ken Knight
Origination: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Produced by: NBC Studios in association with Once Upon A Time Films and ZIFF
Productions Ltd.
3.) Joyce DeWitt Interview
JOYCE DEWITT DISCUSSES HER ROLE AND INVOLVEMENT IN NBC’s
“BEHIND THE CAMERA: THE UNAUTHORIZED STORY OF ‘THREE’S COMPANY’”
Question: Can you tell me what the overall story is?
Joyce DeWitt: The overall story would be the making of “Three’s Company” and all
the people that I worked with at that period of my life. It’s a story about a
group of people dealing with extraordinary circumstances that were unexpected.
Suddenly our lives were so changed by instant success and situations which we
might have never imagined.
Q: How did the show come about?
JD: Our show was based on a very successful British show called “Man About the
House.” Our producers bought the rights to make an American version, so we
started off with a very strong base.
Q: Why do you think that “Three’s Company” was so successful?
JD: I think that we got ridiculously lucky. I think that because we were basing
the show on a classic 16th century format, the form of play we were delivering
is a very tried and true form of comedic entertainment and we were trying to
contemporize that. That the strong basis gave us the opportunity to step out in
ways that at the time were unusual, certainly unexpected and had not been done
before. There were things that we were dealing with in the show that had to do
with allowing men and women to be people. Men and women who were not married had
not lived together prior to that on television and in society as well. We did
not set out to have an impact on society. We set out to try and do something
that would make people laugh. But we ended up getting letters from young people
saying, “I’m in college and I’m sharing my apartment with two girls and the only
reason my parents agreed is because we watched “Three’s Company.” So it ended up
having this sort of impact on society that we never imagined or were looking to
do.
Q: Why do you think audiences embraced the show?
JD: My favorite fan mail over the years and one that so many people had written,
said that when they first came to this country they did not speak English, or
that their grandmother who came with them did not speak English, but that they
learned to speak English through watching the show because it was so physical.
They could tell what we were saying by what we were doing.
Also, a number of people over the years who worked in surgery or emergency room
medicine would say that they dealt with death and dying all day long, very
serious issues to the human condition, and when they go home, turned on the TV
and laughed at “Three’s Company.” So I think “Three’s Company” hit a chord
within human beings where no matter how difficult things can get, if we can
laugh, we can get through it.
Q: Having a “supposedly gay” character was rather bold for the 1970s. What was
the reaction to Jack Tripper’s “faux-gayness”?
JD: I had no idea that the gay community would come out in such support of our
show and enjoy it. But indeed, the buffoon in our show did not recognize the
appropriateness of someone making a choice for their life that was private and
personal and belonged to them to make. Anyone who did not understand that
situation was made the buffoon, like Mr. Roper.
Q: What other type of people made up the “Three’s Company” audience?
JD: The audience ran the gamut of all professions and all ages and I think its
because we had one objective and that was to create humor, to create a
circumstance that, as Jonathan [Ritter] used to say, “We’re not trying to make
people laugh, what we’re trying to do is to make someone fall off their couch
laughing…and when we do that, we’re done.”
Q: How were you affected by the instant success of the show?
JD: I started working on the stage when I was 13. I hadn’t really ever thought
about going out to Hollywood or working on television. I had been working as an
actress for a very long time and all of the sudden there was all this stuff that
comes along with celebrity and being known and recognized. That was a stunning
adjustment for me because the work was the same, the work of the actor. That I
understood and knew but there’s this other thing where people are interested in
what you have for breakfast and who you’re going out with, etc.
Q: Did anything good come of the success besides the monetary aspects?
JD: When I meet people, the reason that they recognize me is because of that
show and when they think of “Three’s Company,” their hearts are so open. When
people recognize me, it’s always with this explosion of joy that really belongs
to Janet and the other characters in our show. They aim it at me as if it’s for
me. So I had to really adjust to being a known person; being famous did not come
easily to me but it has come with some very lovely gifts along the way,
unexpected.
Q: So when the show started, and the three leads began working together, you
quickly became close?
JD: We originally didn’t know each other, but we worked well together and got
along very well together right away.
Q: What about the stories of trouble on the set?
JD: Most of that is sort of a creation of the media. The work process was pretty
much always the same; we all were committed to keeping the show sacrosanct. The
rehearsal hall and the set were like church, they were precious and you don’t
bring things into that, which do not belong there. The situation of “Three’s
Company” was about doing the work. It was about this group of people getting
together every day to create a one act play every week that then would become
this episode of the show. Our time and our focus were on creating a wonderful
show. So in real life, it wasn’t such a big deal.
Q: How much input did you have on the show?
JD: You know, our producers were very controlling fellows and so there really
wasn’t any discussion in terms of having any input. We were not asked to have
input into the kinds of choices they would make regarding the cast changes and
so forth. So I didn’t have anything to do with that actual process of how the
selections would be made.
Q: You never thought there would be such a major cast change as Suzanne Somers
leaving, did you?
JD: That’s actually true. I did think that it would ultimately work out because
I couldn’t imagine that the producers and the network would let Suzanne go and I
couldn’t imagine that Suzanne would take a position and hold long enough to get
let go.
Q: Why didn’t you and John Ritter talk to the media about the Suzanne Somers
situation then?
JD: I talked to John and I said, “You know John, I think if we take this to the
press as Suzanne is choosing to do…” and that’s certainly her choice and an
appropriate choice for people to make. But I said to him, “If we do that, then
the audience becomes the victim. Then they’re in the middle like a tennis
match…he said, she said, he said, she said, then who do they believe.” And it
was my feeling that the audience and the relationship that the audience had with
the show was sacred and could not be sacrificed at any cost. So it was my
suggestion that we not talk to the press about that circumstance and we allow
the truth to give the show its strength, and in the end the show would be fine.
He agreed with that choice and so that’s what we did. And I think it was a good
choice, I do, I stand by that.
Q: After all that, did it surprise you when the network finally cancelled
“Three’s Company?”
JD: It was surprising because the show was in the Top 10 and I don’t think
anyone in the history of television had retired a Top 10 show. Their choice to
retire it caught us all off guard and there were feelings that were bruised. We
all do things in life that we think, “Oh God, I could have done it better, I’m
sorry,” but it’s important to remember that and the next time think longer and
harder and do it in a kinder, gentler way. It’s a good idea.
Q: What do you hope they take away from this?
JD: I hope that they find that it’s a fun movie. That they spent a couple of
hours watching a TV movie that was a good reason to stay home at night and turn
on the tube. And I hope, hope, hope, that the joy and the excellence that the
show was sharing is there and the human hearts that shared and created that joy.
I hope that the audience finds that there as well.
Q: How do you think John Ritter and Suzanne Somers will feel about the movie?
JD: Well, I hope that my cohorts at “Three’s Company” will feel that their voice
was represented. That they feel that even though there is dramatic license taken
when you make a film and not a documentary in order to create a good story and a
good film that’s pleasant to watch; even though that’s true. I hope that they
will feel that there’s a resonance to the story that carries through the thrust
of what they felt and what they experienced.
Q: What was it like to see your life played out and performed?
JD: It’s a very strange experience, particularly when it’s not your choice to do
it. I called John Ritter and said, “Look, they’re making this movie and right
now there’s nobody who actually lived it involved, and therefore it’s kind of
like a ship without a rudder.” It took me a number of weeks to decide that I
would participate in it simply because, I didn’t think that this was a story I
wanted to make a movie about. But as long as it was happening, I felt that it
was really important that someone who had lived through the experience
participated in putting it together.
And that was what they had in mind, which is why they asked me to come in on it.
It’s not my story. Elisa Bell, an extremely talented screenwriter wrote it. I
perceived my job to be keeping it on course, that I had to keep anchoring
accuracy and appropriateness.
And weirdly enough, it occurred to me, that’s exactly what I did during the
show. I was what anchored reality. In the middle of all this hysteria and
craziness, Janet anchored it all the time saying, “Let’s have some sanity here!”
Q: Do you have any stories that aren’t in the film?
JD: There’s tons of stuff that’s not in the film that I can’t share. If you saw
what went on in that rehearsal hall as we would try to create things that we
thought would make America laugh; things that you couldn’t possibly say or do in
public or would make your mother not speak to you the next day. John recently
said in an interview that what he would really like to see the outtakes exposed,
because they’re pretty humorous. We’d embarrass ourselves, because really we
were willing to do anything to get our crew to laugh.
4.) Cast BIO's
JOYCE DEWITT
AS HERSELF
Although Joyce DeWitt, who narrates the story behind the hit sitcom from the
1970s, “Three’s Company,” in the new NBC movie “Behind the Camera: The
Unauthorized Story of ‘Three’s Company,’” is the only member of the original
series cast involved in the movie, she hopes that her “cohorts at Three’s
Company will feel that their voices are well-represented [and] that they will
feel that the storyline resonates with their remembrance of what their
experiences were.”
Most recognized for her work on “Three’s Company,” DeWitt also has an extensive
background on the Stage, having starred in numerous theatrical productions
including most recently the Canadian premieres of both the 2000 Pulitzer
Prize-winning play "Dinner With Friends" and Alfred Uhry's Tony Award-winning
play "The Last Night of Ballyhoo," and the north American premiere of the
Australian comedy “Daylight Savings,” the British farce “Noises Off," the
revival of Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes,” and the Broadway musical “Olympus on
My Mind,” for which she completed the cast recording, her first record album.
DeWitt’s other Theater credits include starring roles in “Chapter Two,” “Sweet
Charity,” “Damn Yankees,” “The Boyfriend,” “Middle of the Night,” “Star Spangled
Girl,” “The Crucible,” “Medea,” “Tartuffe,” “A Hatful of Rain,” “Desire Under
the Elms,” “Macbeth,” “The Mikado,” “L’il Abner,” “South Pacific,” “The Man Who
Came to Dinner,” “Peter Pan,” “Brigadoon,” “All the Way Home,” “A Month in the
Country,” “The Tempest,” “The Impossible Years,” “Dracula: An Original Rock
Musical,” “Stop the World, I Want to Get Off" and "Same Time, Next Year."
Her television credits include singing and dancing in numerous specials, having
had the good fortune to appear with such wonderful talents as Greer Garson, Ann
Miller, Perry Como, Bill Cosby, Anne Murray, Tony Randall, Rich Little, Cheryl
Ladd, John Ritter and Steve Martin. She has also made numerous guest-starring
appearances on television in programs including "The Love Boat," "The Osmonds,"
"Hope Island," "Cybill," ""Twitch City" and "Living Single," as well as starring
in the television films "With This Ring" and "Spring Fling."
DeWitt holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Ball State University and a Master
of Fine Arts Degree from UCLA where she was awarded the Master of Fine Arts
Fellowship as well as the Clifton Webb Scholarship.
Born in Wheeling, WV on April 23rd, DeWitt is one of four children. Her
childhood years were divided between West Virginia and Indiana.
Having had the good fortune to work with such wonderful human beings as Valerie
Harper and Dennis Weaver, whose dedication to ending hunger and homelessness in
our world and support of environmental issues is boundless, DeWitt participated
with members of the House and Senate at the Capitol Hill Forum on Hunger and
Homelessness and has hosted presentations for the Family Assistance Program of
Hollywood. She is most grateful for having been allowed the privilege of hosting
the International Award Ceremony at the White House for the Presidential End
Hunger Awards and co-hosting with Jeff Bridges the World Food Day Gala at the
Kennedy Center.
BRET ANTHONY
JOHN RITTER
Bret Anthony stars as a young John Ritter trying to break into Hollywood as the
leading male character in the groundbreaking 1970s sitcom “Three’s Company.”
While Anthony has had several other acting roles in the past, he says this role
is perfect for him because, like Ritter, he uses “overreacting” to achieve his
style of comedy, which he characterizes as “witty, off-the-cuff and physically
funny.”
Anthony shares an entertaining story of how he got the part as John Ritter: His
friend actually auditioned for the part, but realized about halfway through the
audition that he was not doing very well so, instead of continuing on what he
considered to be a fruitless audition, he told Stanley M. Brooks (executive
producer) that he MUST audition one more person for the part – himself. Anthony
said that he was hitting golf balls at a driving range when he got the call to
audition.
Knowing he wanted to be an actor since the day he graduated from Costa Mesa High
School in 1990, Anthony’s acting career dates all the way back to when he
attended the Tupper Gallegos Commercial Workshop as a child. This led to his
first role: a Sunny Delight commercial, in which he informed all of the people
in the kitchen what there was to drink in the house: “Orange Juice, soda, purple
stuff, Sunny D…”
Since that first commercial, Anthony has had guest-starring roles on the series
“Seinfeld,” “Diagnosis: Murder” and “The Wonder Years,” to name a few.
Anthony’s feature-film credits include “The November Conspiracy” and “Shade,” a
Merv Griffin production featuring Jamie Foxx and Gabriel Byrne due for release
within the next year. His acting training has consisted of theater workshops and
instruction by Arthur Mendoza and Cameron Thor over the past eight years.
Anthony was born in Orange, California, and raised in nearby Costa Mesa. He was
the second of three sons born to a narcotics police officer, a fact that has
always influenced his lifestyle. Although his parents are divorced, he considers
himself lucky as he gets along very well with his stepfather.
In addition to acting, Anthony enjoys playing golf, eating pizza and hanging out
with his friends down in Orange County, California, the place he still calls
home today. He also enjoys writing short stories and sitcoms.
Anthony birthday is February 8.
BRIAN DENNEHY
FRED SILVERMAN
As one of America’s most recognizable actors, with a forceful presence in film,
theater and television, Brian Dennehy gained further acclaim for his recent
multi-media performances as the tragic Willy Lohman in Arthur Miller’s “Death of
a Salesman” – which earned him a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors’ Guild
Award, an Emmy Award nomination for his TV work and a Tony Award for his star
turn on Broadway.
Dennehy returns to television portraying ABC’s outspoken programming chief, Fred
Silverman, in “Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of ‘Three’s Company.’”
Silverman, says Dennehy is an “extraordinary guy” who was “very fun to play.”
Dennehy’s previous television credits include hardheaded patriarch in the comedy
“The Fighting Fitzgeralds” and NBC’s “Jack Reed” movie franchise about a Chicago
police investigator, in which he portrayed the title character and served as
director, co-writer and executive producer on all four installments. He also
appeared in such TV movies as “Burden of Proof,” “To Catch a Killer (The John
Wayne Gacy Story),” “Murder in the Heartland” and “A Killing in a Small Town,”
all of which garnered him Emmy nominations. His other television appearances
include the live-action drama, “Fail Safe,” and guest-starred on NBC’s “Just
Shoot Me” as Red Finch, father to the wise-cracking assistant played by David
Spade.
In 1986, Dennehy first appeared at the Goodman Theater in Chicago in the Robert
Falls production of “Galileo” and continued the relationship with Falls in 1992
in “The Iceman Commeth” and in 1996 in “A Touch of the Poet.” His additional
theatrical credits include Peter Brook’s “The Cherry Orchard” at the Brooklyn
Academy of Music, “Rat in the Skull,” “Says I, Says He,” and “Translations” on
Broadway.
Dennehy’s feature-film credits include “Tommy Boy,” “Gorky Park,” Baz Luhrmanns’
“Romeo + Julliet,” “Presumed Innocent,” “First Blood,” “Cocoon,” “Silverado” and
“10.”
MELANIE DEANNE MOORE
JOYCE DEWITT
Melanie Deanne Moore considers herself similar to the person she is portraying,
Joyce DeWitt – the actress who gets caught up in the whirlwind as a hit
television sitcom she is starring in begins to fall apart – in the NBC movie
“Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of ‘Three’s Company.’” “[DeWitt]
never wanted the success, and I don’t either,” says Moore. “Experiencing
everything she went through would be very strange.”
Having received a bachelor of arts degree in theater performance at the
University of Missouri, Moore specialized in satire in various regional
theatrical performances, including “Morning Star” and “Playboy of the Western
World” at the prestigious Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago.
Moore has made various television appearances including a recurring role in the
comedy series “Cupid,” as well as a guest starring spot on “Early Edition”.
Moore’s feature-film credits include “Slackers” and “Ready to Rumble,” as well
as a starring role in the critically acclaimed independent film “The Opera
Lover,” which won the Newport Film Festival’s Audience Choice Award.
Moore’s special skills include yodeling and tumbling.
Click here for a fan page on MELANIE DEANNE MOORE.
JUD TYLOR
SUZANNE SOMERS
Jud (pronounced “Jude”) Tylor plays a young, unknown Suzanne Somers who pursues
ultimate stardom through the portrayal of clueless yet lovable Chrissy Snow on
“Three’s Company” in NBC’s unauthorized look at the groundbreaking 1970s sitcom.
Describing the experience of playing a real person is a big challenge, Tylor
says. “I watched a lot of ‘Three’s Company’ -- and now I have a whole new
appreciation for it.”
Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, Tylor’s first taste of stardom came when
she was a young competitive figure skater. At 16, she signed with a Japanese
modeling agency and has since appeared in such magazines as Bazaar,
Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire and Flare. Tylor’s experience in print work sparked
her interest in acting and soon thereafter Tylor added Canadian and Japanese
commercials to her list of credits.
Tylor returned to the ice in her first leading role in the television movie,
“Ice Angel.” She followed this up by starring as a regular on the Canadian TV
series, “Edgemont Road.” Her additional television series credits include guest
appearances on “The Outer Limits” and “Smallville.”
WALLACE LANGHAM
JAY BERNSTEIN
Wallace Langham calls legendary talent manager Jay Bernstein a “starmaker” and
he plays Bernstein who was Suzanne Somers’ super-manager as he drove her rise to
fame – and ultimately misfortune – on the set of the 1970s sitcom “Three’s
Company.”
In preparation for the role, Langham spent an entire afternoon with Bernstein.
“It gave me a sense of purpose,” says Langham. “It also gave a depth to the
script and the project in a way that I probably wouldn’t have considered.”
Langham, an only child, grew up in Los Angeles, where his mother was a costume
designer on the variety series “Donny and Marie.” He became interested in acting
at a young age and took his first acting class when he was 10. At 13, he
appeared in his first commercial for an English yogurt. Upon graduation from
high school, he enrolled in Los Angeles City College to study business and later
transferred to California State University at Northridge.
Langham put his studies on hold when he won a role in the feature film “Weird
Science.” His additional feature film credits include “The Chocolate War,” “Soul
Man” and “Vital Signs.” He also played opposite John Travolta and Bob Hoskins in
the hit “Michael.” He recently finished production of 20th Century Fox’s “Daddy
Day Care” with Eddie Murphy and Jeff Garlin, in which he played the role of Jim
Fields.
On television, Langham has starred as a series regular in comedy series such as
“Veronica’s Closet,” “What About Joan?” and the Emmy Award-winning “The Larry
Sanders Show.” In addition, he guest-starred as a departing surgical resident on
NBC’s “ER” as well as on “NewsRadio,” “Twilight Zone,” “The Tracey Ullman Show”
and “Murphy Brown.” He can currently be seen as recurring character David Hodges
on “CSI.”
Langham currently resides in Los Angeles. He is the proud father of two young
children. His birthday is March 11.
DANIEL ROEBUCK
TED BERGMAN
Daniel Roebuck, who first received acclaim while portraying a disturbingly
unforgettable teenaged killer by the name of Samson in the feature film “The
River’s Edge,” plays Ted Bergman in the NBC movie “Behind the Camera: The
Unauthorized Story of ‘Three’s Company.’” Ted Bergman was a hopeful producer who
pitched a new show to all the networks that was so racy, none of them were
willing to put it on the air. Until, that is, ABC Programming Chief Fred
Silverman (Brian Dennehy) decided to take a chance on what would soon become one
of the biggest hits on television in the 1970s.
Born and raised in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Roebuck first performed in local
events at age 9. His teenaged years were filled with enchantment; Roebuck
performed magic under the stage name of “The Count” at club dinners and birthday
parties. He later returned to acting as he performed in several local community
theatre productions at “The Pennsylvania Playhouse.”
Fans of the hit TV series “Matlock” recall Roebuck best as legal assistant,
Clifford Lewis, a role he played for three seasons. He also made guest
appearances in the series “The King of Queens,” “Early Edition,” NBC’s “The West
Wing,” and “NYPD Blue,” just to name a few. Roebuck also portrayed Jay Leno in
the made-for-television movie “The Late Shift.”
Roebuck’s feature-film credits include portraying Agent Weine in “Final
Destination”; the Medivac commanding officer in the Mel Gibson hit “We Were
Soldiers;” and Detective Williams in “Money Talks.”
Despite his extensive acting resume, Roebuck found the time in 1997 to make his
directing and producing debut in the feature film “Halloween…The Happy Haunting
of America!”
Through the years, Roebuck has accumulated a huge mask and toy collection. His
birthday is March 4.
5.) CREW BIO's
STANLEY M. BROOKS
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
A veteran of over 15 years of TV production, Stanley M. Brooks' career began
when he served as the Vice-President of Development for Centerpoint Productions.
While there, he produced NBC's five-part documentary miniseries, "OceanQuest,"
which garnered five Emmy Award nominations.
Brooks has always wanted to make a movie about "Three's Company." As a childhood
friend of Don Knotts' son and after attending several tapings of "Three's
Company," Brooks saw some of the series backstage drama firsthand.
As president of Guber-Peters Television, one of the most successful independent
feature-film companies in the industry, Brooks got an opportunity to help some
of the more prominent writers and producers in television to move into features.
The foremost example being Barry Morrow and "Rain Man," which was originally
developed by Brooks, who brought it to executive producers Peter Guber and Jon
Peters. Morrow and the film won Academy Awards.
At the end of 1989, Brooks left Guber-Peters Television and started his own
production company, Once Upon a Time Films, an independent production company
for television movies, TV pilots and feature films. Once Upon A Time Films has
now produced 31 films. In the past year alone, in addition to producing “Behind
the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of ‘Three’s Company,’” Brooks produced "A
Season on the Brink"; "Submerged," starring Sam Neill for NBC; the miniseries
"Living with the Dead"; "Atomic Twister"; "Moms on Strike" and "Mary Christmas."
He is currently shooting "Defending My Children," with Academy Award winner
Diane Keaton.
Brooks has produced a variety of acclaimed television movies, including the
comedic western tales "Dollar for the Dead," starring Emilio Estevez and William
Forsythe; "Outlaw Justice," starring Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson; and
"Too Close to Home," starring Judith Light and Rick Schroder, "Angel of Death";
"Without Consent"; "Falling For You"; "Nothing but the Truth" and "A Dream Is a
Wish Your Heart Makes: The Annette Funicello Story," with Annette Funicello and
Frankie Avalon.
Brooks also gave first time directing opportunities to Arnold Schwarzenegger and
the late John Candy with the comedies "Christmas in Connecticut" and "Hostage
for a Day."
Brooks is a former member of the board of governors of the Academy of Television
Arts and Sciences, who has won numerous awards, including the Gold Special Jury
Award; the Golden Reel Award; and a Cable ACE Award nomination for "Christmas in
Connecticut." He was also recognized by the Los Angeles County Board of
Supervisors for founding the Hollywood Indies Little League Foundation, a
charitable organization that brought Little League back to two parks in
South-Central Los Angeles.
In 2000, Brooks was awarded the Michael Landon Lifetime Achievement Award from
the California Governor's Committee for Employment of the Disabled for his
numerous film projects employing and about the mentally and physically
challenged. The award was presented to him by Donald Sutherland and NBC’s "The
West Wing" star Bradley Whitford.
Brooks holds a bachelor of arts degree from Brandeis University and a master's
degree in fine arts from the American Film Institute. In addition, he is
currently a member of the faculty at the American Film Institute Center for
Advanced Film & Television Studies. He is the proud father of three boys.
SCOTT W. ANDERSON
SUPERVISING PRODUCER
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, Scott Anderson
began his career in the entertainment industry as an assistant at Creative
Artists Agency. He then secured a position in the creative affairs department at
New Visions Pictures run by the director/producer team of Taylor Hackford and
Stuart Benjamin, where he worked on such feature films as “The Long Walk Home,”
“Mortal Thoughts” and “Queens Logic.”
Anderson next landed a position as story editor at the Italian financed
PentAmerica Pictures, which produced “Man Trouble,” starring Jack Nicholson and
Ellen Barkin, among several other films. He then rejoined his former boss Stuart
Benjamin and partner, Alise Benjamin, as a vice president at Benjamin
Productions, where he co-produced “The Abduction” for Lifetime and “Safe House”
for Showtime.
Anderson currently serves as Senior Vice President, Development and Production
at Stanley M. Brooks' Once Upon A Time Films where he supervises a varied slate
of over 50 hours of longform television and cable programming. He was a producer
on the company's hit television film “Jailbait,” which aired on MTV and garnered
the highest ratings in the network's history. In addition he supervised
production on “Quints,” “The Ultimate Christmas Present” and “Blackout” starring
Jane Seymour.
Most recently, Anderson produced the highest-rated basic cable movie of the
year, “Atomic Twister” His additional production credits include the television
films “Submerged” starring Sam Neill for NBC; “Season on the Brink,” starring
Brian Dennehy; and “Moms on Strike.” He also produced the highest-rated
miniseries in the past two years – “Living with the Dead,” starring Ted Danson
and Mary Steenburgen.
JASON ENSLER
DIRECTOR
A graduate of Brandeis University, Jason Ensler attended the USC Film School,
where he edited the Emmy Award-winning “Walking with Giants,” and the short film
“12 Stops on the Road to Nowhere.”
After graduating from USC, Ensler wrote, directed and edited a series of
independent short films and documentaries, including “Searching for Allison
Porchnik” with Woody Allen and Carol Kane, before joining NBC as producer,
director and editor of promotions and special event productions.
While at NBC, Ensler directed and developed several national network campaigns,
including the “Scrubs” launch campaign, the “snap.com” song campaign and the
“Black & White” fall launch campaign for 2000 and 2001. He also wrote, directed
and produced three upfront sales presentations, including a celebration of NBC's
75th Anniversary and “The Zucker Follies,” a musical “mockumentary” starring
Megan Mullally and a host of NBC stars.
In addition to his work at NBC, Ensler was a creative consultant and editor on
the independent feature “Kissing Jessica Stein,” and is in development on a
national television campaign to raise awareness on the state of the Earth's
oceans.
ELISA BELL
WRITER
Elisa Bell attended the USC film school, where she won the Dean’s Award for her
novel “Try, Try Again.” After graduating with a bachelor of fine arts degree in
screenwriting, she landed the job of assistant story editor at TriStar Pictures.
Bell has also sold seven television pilots, and authored six movies of the week,
including: “Sex and Mrs. X,” “Jitters” and “The Surrogate,” in addition to
“Story of ‘Three’s Company.’” Bell is currently authoring the features “Little
Black Book” for Revolution/Shoelace and “Sleepover” for MGM.
In her spare time, Bell refers to herself as “Chairperson of the Nap Society”
and serves as a “jungle gym” for her son while amusing her husband with her
magic tricks.
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