Rose Marie never had a flop, and she wasn’t about to start with The Doris Day Show
"I've never been associated with a flop," Rose Marie said in a 1969 interview with The Greenville News.
She was right. Rose Marie is perhaps best known for her role as Sally Rogers on The Dick Van Dyke Show, but she also had a long history of guest spots and roles across classic TV and film.
The closest she ever came to a flop was the 1969 series My Friend Tony. The series was a one-season-wonder, and Marie appeared in just a single episode before moving on.
"I could see the scripts were not going well so I got my release after the first show," Marie said. "Like I said, I don't like to be associated with flops."
When she took the role of Myrna Gibbons on the 1969 series The Doris Day Show, she was not about to start being associated with a flop. She did everything in her power to help the series stand out and succeed.
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According to the interview, Marie was added to The Doris Day Show to give the series a fresh spin and to "perk it up." In the first season, the ratings were "nothing to be ecstatic about," but CBS renewed it for a second season, having faith in Doris Day and Rose Marie.
Despite modest ratings during the first season, Marie said she felt the writing on The Doris Day Show was strong enough to "frighten her"—in the best way possible.
"We've also got a good group here," Marie said. "If everyone is having fun doing the show, I always feel it's going to come through."
After The Dick Van Dyke Show ended, Marie initially considered taking a few years off from television. However, with a talent like hers, it was hard to sit back. She split her time between theater and comedy clubs, and she was midway through a four-week booking at a Chicago club when she received the call about The Doris Day Show.
"On this show, it will be more of a girl-to-girl type of humor," Marie said. "This won't be that hard type of comedy we had on The Dick Van Dyke Show."
The Doris Day Show was no flop and it ran for five seasons. As Marie herself said, she would never be associated with a flop.