Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Three's Company

Cast

Joyce DeWitt as herself

Daniel Roebuck as Ted Bergmann

Wallace Langham as Jay Bernstein

Bret Anthony as John Ritter

Melanie Paxson as Joyce DeWitt

Jud Tylor as Suzanne Somers

Christopher Shyer as Alan Hamel

Gregg Binkley as Don Knotts

Gary Hudson as Tony Thomopoulos

David Lewis as Ira Denmark

Jason Schombing as Richard Kline

Terence Kelly as Norman Fell

Barbara Gordon as Audra Lindley

Michael David Simms as Don Taffner

Brian Dennehy as Fred Silverman

Liz Crawford as Jenilee Harrison

Anne Ross as Priscilla Barnes

Plot

The movie jumps from the second season to the fifth, covering the time when conflict arose between the producers and cast versus Suzanne Somers and her management, which sought greater visibility and more money for Somers. It then jumps to season eight to cover the end of the series. The original script focused more heavily on the negative side of the production of the show before Joyce DeWitt's involvement added focus on the good times. DeWitt was helped by John Ritter, who saw the final cut of the movie before he died. Suzanne Somers was also contacted and gave some input. Somers and DeWitt were not on speaking terms with one another during the production or promotion of the film. In fact, they did not speak with each other until a February 2012 discussion on Somers' Internet show.

Events discrepancies

The movie presents multiple inaccuracies:

The show's title Three's Company was coined by Gary Markowitz, one of the first two writers who wrote the pilot. However, the producers use this name while pitching the show to the networks, long before the pilot was made.

After Suzanne Somers was cast, it seems as if the three actors are meeting for the first time on the night of the taping when they should have spent a week of rehearsals together.

Suzanne mentions to John and Joyce during a rehearsal that she had her 11-year-old son when she was 17. Her son Bruce Jr. was born on November 8, 1965 and that actually means she had him when she was 19 since she was born on October 16, 1946. Also, if what she first said was true, it would have meant that the current year would have been 1974 or 1975, and Three's Company did not start until 1977.

At the same time Suzanne misses the first day of taping, Ted Bergmann tells Don Taffner that Fred Silverman has "jumped ship to NBC". Actually, Silverman left for NBC in January 1978, long before the Suzanne contract renegotiation problems began in October 1980.

During the first season wrap party, everyone seems to know the show is a big hit. However, all six episodes of the first season were taped before the show premiered. Nobody could have known how well the show would be received.

The episode Suzanne first missed the taping of was "And Justice For Jack". Suzanne's lines were rewritten for Don Knotts.

After the missed tapings, we see the actors receiving a blue and a pink copy of the scripts; one if Suzanne shows up and one if she does not. When Suzanne comes in the room, she receives both copies as well. She should have only been given the copy with her in it, not both of them.

After the producers proposed the spinoff to Audra Lindley and Norman Fell, it actually took Norman Fell at least six months to sign on. In the movie, he agrees in less than two minutes.

Reviews

"Considering it was executive produced by DeWitt, it’s no surprise that the pic comes off as one big dig at [cast member Suzanne] Somers," Variety wrote. They also called DeWitt's appearance at the beginning and end of the film "a constant reminder of just how one-sided this gripe really is," describing the movie as "probably far from accurate" and pointing out that it was broadcast by NBC (while describing the struggles of an ABC show).