Stories

Redd Foxx said the key to Sanford and Son's success was honesty

The actor and legendary comedian had faith in the power of humor, and along with honesty, that made the show popular.

Cindy Williams loved playing the role of Shirley on Laverne & Shirley

Cindy Williams and Penny Marshall were surprised when Laverne & Shirley became one of the most-watched TV series in the country.

Donna Douglas was a ''friendly critter'' towards all animals on The Beverly Hillbillies

She had a genuine love for pets of all shapes, sizes, and kinds.

Ron Howard enjoyed living in the 1950s for his Happy Days role

Ron Howard was living in two decades at the same time.

Here's why Betty White's humor never got old

She proved that laughter really is the golden ticket!

Tim Conway said that this was one of the most important element of good comedy

The comedy legend shared this secret tip.

Vivian Vance said that ''there was no boss'' on the set of I Love Lucy

Vance also said that she and Lucille Ball balanced each other out.

Demond Wilson recalled the moment he and Redd Foxx became friends

The Sanford and Son stars' friendship began with a hilarious story about Wilson being asked to stick his head in a tire!

Lucille Ball enjoyed The Lucy Show because her fictional husband wasn't involved

No husband? No problem. Everyone already loved Lucy.

Penny Marshall enjoyed drinking milk and Pepsi as a child, long before she starred on Laverne & Shirley

Laverne and Penny shared a drink of choice.

Penny Marshall was afraid of stardom during her time on Laverne & Shirley

Penny Marshall dealt with different degrees of pressure during her time on the show. One of those pressures came from herself.

Harvey Korman on the type of chemistry it took to make The Carol Burnett Show work

Korman was proof that cast chemistry was key to comedy gold!

This was Jill Whelan's real opinion on her on-screen father, Gavin MacLeod

"It's a great show to work on," said Whelan.

At first, Norman Lear was against Sammy Davis Jr. appearing in All in the Family

The popular episode that almost never was.

The Love Boat's Fred Grandy preferred to be on land

When Grandy wasn't filming for The Love Boat, he said he would avoid boats altogether.

Susan Olsen used to get bullied at school because of Cindy Brady

Cindy Brady killed Susan Olsen's playground popularity.

Carol Burnett loved a good spoof on The Carol Burnett Show

Carol Burnett was the queen at spoofing, but not everyone wanted to be part of the joke.

Cindy Williams explained the secret to a good television series was a bit of stupidity

"We take television to its dumbest," said the actor.

Mary Frann of Newhart was inspired by Audrey Meadows of The Honeymooners

"Audrey Meadows made Jackie Gleason funnier."

Bob Saget loved working with kids for his role on Full House

He had a daughter in real life and three on the series – that's one busy dad!

Harry Truman advised The Beverly Hillbillies creator, Paul Henning, to go into politics

You know, the name Paul Henning does have a nice presidential ring to it.

Max Wright said ALF the alien made him feel more human

It took an alien from outer space to help Max Wright find his humanity in the world.

When Gilligan's Island ended, an exhausted Bob Denver got a boat of his own

The actor had worked a three-year tour with just one day off.

Here's why Norman Lear was the man behind all the hits

Get an inside look into the mind behind the man!

Marines loved Frank Sutton and he loved the Marines

Sutton's popularity in the role of Sgt. Carter had people running to sign up for the Marine Corps.

Henry Winkler didn't want his fans to only remember him as The Fonz

"When somebody calls me Fonzie, I don't let it go by. My name is Henry Winkler."

Tim Conway thought more comedy was needed in TV and film

This funny guy on TV wanted to be a funny guy in the movies, too!

Sally Struthers broke her arm on the set of All in the Family

The cast had to be removed before filming.

Here's what everyone was doing after The Dick Van Dyke Show ended

The Dick Van Dyke Show was a hard series to leave behind, but these stars had future plans!

Anson Williams responded to claims that he was a ''teen idol''

"There's a lot you have to handle besides performing," said Williams.

Buddy Ebsen predicted a ''good future'' for The Beverly Hillbillies

Buddy Ebsen wasn't just the star of the series; he was its biggest fan, too!

How syndication saved Vicki Lawrence and Mama's Family

Syndication saved Mama's Family.

The Odd Couple changed Tony Randall's outlook on life

He quickly became one of the most successful neat freaks on television!

Producer Garry Marshall was surprised by Laverne & Shirley's success

The producer said Laverne & Shirley was "all about timing."

Gavin MacLeod addresses rumors that the Love Boat cast didn't get along

This is your captain speaking.

Raymond Bailey was ''the banker's hero'' after his role on The Beverly Hillbillies

His success as The Clampetts' banker was so unexpected, he wouldn't have even put money on it.

Carol Burnett loved the variety format because it gave her a place to be silly

Carol Burnett could make just about anyone laugh; she just needed the right format to become a star.

Mike Lookinland loved talking about The Brady Bunch with fans

"People call up all the time and ask if I'm Bobby Brady," said the actor.

During Cheers, Rhea Perlman was speaking out about childcare needs

She was a mom who could do it all... thanks to her advocacy for childcare!

Rusty Hamer was a child star who felt disrespected by adults during his time on The Danny Thomas Show

Most adults would have called Hamer "cute," but the child star didn't like being called anything but a professional.

Harry Anderson was essentially playing himself on Night Court

Harry Anderson's acting journey started with a little magic.

Here's a few reasons why ALF was Max Wright's hardest work

Whenever he felt on top of the world, ALF was there to help ground him.

Lucille Ball on what it was like using stilts, falling down and cracking up on her show

She used props to aid her comedy and Band-Aids to help put her back together.

Here's Marlo Thomas' reaction to ending her hit series That Girl

She carried parts of Ann Marie with her long after the cameras stopped rolling.

Here's how Mayberry and Andy Griffith shaped George Lindsey

He treated each day in Mayberry like it was his last.

Laverne & Shirley was often compared to I Love Lucy

"It's hard to find two attractive girls who will let themselves seem unattractive."

The Beverly Hillbillies was in desperate need of more writers as the series progressed

For Henning, knowing a thing or two about hillbilly history was just as important as other skills listed on a resume.

Jean Stapleton pushed All in the Family writers to develop stories about equal rights

Stapleton thought it was important to focus on issues of the time.

Harvey Korman was Tim Conway's biggest fan on The Carol Burnett Show

No matter the sketch, Tim Conway knew he already had his biggest fan right up there onstage with him.

New York City ''sewer rats'' became an important part of Art Carney's career

Carney loved the New York City sewer system just as much as the real "rats" in the city did.

Vicki Lawrence called Thelma Harper ''a lonely old lady''

"She parallels many people in everybody's family," Lawrence said.

The Monkees found success to be a little bit frightening

With thousands of screaming and adoring women in their faces per night, we'd be a little afraid too.

John Larroquette said there was ''nothing quite like Night Court''

Order in the court! Here’s why Night Court ruled TV.

Tina Louise would have picked Manhattan over Gilligan's Island

Oops! Looks like Tina Louise would have rather been stranded somewhere else.

LaWanda Page didn't allow her success on Sanford and Son to spoil her

LaWanda Page didn't care about fame, cars or money; She just wanted to play the part of Aunt Esther.

At 20, Don Grady was an actor, a writer and composer for My Three Sons

Grady became a triple threat at the age of 20!

Audrey Meadows made bank in her role on The Honeymooners

The Honeymooners made Meadows a millionaire.

Here's why Ted Bessell of That Girl wanted to leave the series

There was a lot of pressure being the guy to That Girl on the hit 1966 series.

The cast of The Love Boat reunited for this surprising reason

A Love Boat look-alike contest took place across the United States in 1997.

Just like The Beverly Hillbillies, Max Baer Jr. went from rags to riches

Max Baer Jr. was the definition of a starving artist. Before The Beverly Hillbillies, he was eating beans out of a can.

Here was Danny Thomas' advice to his daughter during her time on That Girl

"Like father, like daughter" was never truer than in Marlo's and Danny's father-daughter relationship.

Eddie Mekka loved doing a little song and dance as a second career

When it comes to singing and dancing, Mekka said he did it better than "The Big Ragoo."

Irene Ryan loved show business and credited The Beverly Hillbillies with her success

It was a long road that finally led to Clampett country.

Here's why the 1972 season was crucial for The Odd Couple's success

The Odd Couple's second and third seasons were titled "the most crucial seasons" for the hit-series.

Cindy Williams and Penny Marshall thought stardom was strange at first

Even though the duo became highly successful, they weren't too excited about stardom at first.

Bob Newhart was the expert of playing himself onscreen

If you ever noticed a similar theme across all of Newhart's series, there's a reason: He put himself into everything he did.

Lucille Ball didn't mind sharing her series with farm animals

Lucille Ball took "rural humor" to a new extreme!

Jean Stapleton said that the cast of All in the Family were invited to add their own ideas to the script

During the episode read-through, the actors were encouraged to share their thoughts on the script.

Despite their differences, Norman Lear said that having Carroll O'Connor as Archie Bunker was ''so worth it''

"My entire body felt, 'Oh my god. This is Archie.'"

Ted Knight's character on The Mary Tyler Moore Show was a lot like him

There were some days Ted Knight would look in the mirror and only see Ted Baxter.

Don Adams on the secret formula to Get Smart's success

Although he wasn't conducting James Bond-level spy work, his dedication to the job paid off.

Maureen McCormick actually hurt her nose the day that ''The Subject Was Noses'' aired

Sometimes Brady life imitates Brady art.

Lucy and Desi credited each other when asked who was responsible for their success

"We both believe you have to give a little and take a little to make a go of it."

Here's how Ozzie Nelson used his family's age to help his show

Fun and family first, fame and fortune second.

Henry Winkler: ''I still need much too much public approval''

An important life lesson, courtesy of The Fonz.

Mama's Family wasn't interested in bringing social issues into its episodes

The series was in the business of entertainment, not teaching.

Success caught Get Smart's Barbara Feldon by surprise

Forget money and fame; being Agent 99 was enough of a ''status symbol'' for Barbara Feldon.

One of Florence Henderson’s real-life children had a small role on The Brady Bunch

She took her role as a mother seriously, both on and off screen!

Henry Winkler ensured that The Fonz was a good influence on children

The actor wanted to keep a clean reputation.

Sally Struthers spent $40,000 trying to leave All in the Family

We almost lost Gloria!

Frank Sutton didn't like talking about politics during his time on Gomer Pyle: U.S.M.C.

Frank Sutton was only an actor, and he wanted both interviewers and his fans to know that.

Dick Van Dyke had to be reminded frequently that he was a star

The actor kept humble.

Lucille Ball missed I Love Lucy as much as viewers did when it went off the air

Ball never lost any love for her iconic character.

Carroll O'Connor would ask All in the Family writers to rewrite jokes

"They often balked and more than once threatened to quit, but I too more than once threatened to quit."

Lucille Ball: ''I'm not happy unless I'm working.''

Ball was a workaholic — and she loved it.

Here's the real reason why Laura Petrie wore pants on The Dick Van Dyke Show

Moore put on her pants just like everybody else: One leg at a time...

Carroll O'Connor was a teacher to his costars on the set of All in the Family

O'Connor wasn't just an actor.

Florence Henderson provided a calming effect on Robert Reed during tense moments on the set of The Brady Bunch

The two were close, on and off the screen.

Thanks to the Fonz, Henry Winkler had the freedom to pick and choose his roles

Many people avoid commercials, and back in the 1970s, Winkler felt the same way about appearing in them.

Buddy Ebsen was the star of Beverly Hillbillies, but Max Baer Jr. had more fan mail

Buddy Ebsen may have won the popular vote, but Max Baer Jr. still had the most fan mail.

Florence Henderson loved children as much as Carol Brady

Henderson was America's mother.

Henry Winkler shaped The Fonz, and insisted on showing what was there ''underneath the cool''

Here’s how Winkler expanded The Fonz’s character!

Carl Reiner said that this aspect of The Dick Van Dyke Show dated the series

Reiner said this aspect of the show was "sort of embarrassing."