They did a good job casting the sisters, who were all attractive in their own way, and were all spirited and independent. They seemed like people you’d live next door to. It was a shame Mary got that old lady hairdo in the last season or two.

1 hour ago, Chris 2 said:

They did a good job casting the sisters, who were all attractive in their own way, and were all spirited and independent. They seemed like people you’d live next door to. It was a shame Mary got that old lady hairdo in the last season or two.

That hairdo aged her 10 years. She also seemed to be struggling with her off screen issues and at times looked zoned out during season 5. Susan started bleaching her red hair blonde and it looked awful. 

Yeah, the blonde was not a good look for Susan.

It’s too bad that ABC forced the producers to have Tom remarry so quickly. The producers wanted him to be single for a longer period, and that would have opened up more story for Mary. In the first season episode where Tom sister Vivian first shows up, there’s a conflict between her and Mary, who thinks V is too flighty and pushing the kids in the wrong direction. It was clearly a story written for Joan, but Diana Hyland was absent in that episode, so they gave the story to Mary. Lani O’Grady did a nice job with it.

16 hours ago, Chris 2 said:

Yeah, the blonde was not a good look for Susan.

It’s too bad that ABC forced the producers to have Tom remarry so quickly. The producers wanted him to be single for a longer period, and that would have opened up more story for Mary. In the first season episode where Tom sister Vivian first shows up, there’s a conflict between her and Mary, who thinks V is too flighty and pushing the kids in the wrong direction. It was clearly a story written for Joan, but Diana Hyland was absent in that episode, so they gave the story to Mary. Lani O’Grady did a nice job with it.

It was sad about Hyland's premature death, but Betty Buckley fit seamlessly into that show, it's hard to imagine what it would been like without her.

Lani did do a great job with the material she was given. It was sad that her mental health struggles effected her role by season 5 that she was pretty much just making cameos. Susan was falling apart by season 5 as well. 

Eight Is Enough: A Family Reunion (1987).

 

An Eight Is Enough Wedding (1989)

 

A scene from "Cage Without A Key" (1975) with Susan Dey and Lani O'Grady.

 

A new interview with Willie Aames. 

 

On 2/4/2024 at 9:23 AM, SoapDope said:

I agree. Beck always came across as a pretentious snob in her roles.  

Can you possibly give a specific example, SoapDope?

@Chris 2 How about you, Chris 2?  Can you possibly give an example of Kimberly Beck being a limited actress during the 1970s or 1980s?

Edited September 20, 2025Sep 20 by FlyRightOrchestraGuy

23 hours ago, FlyRightOrchestraGuy said:

Can you possibly give a specific example, SoapDope?

@Chris 2 How about you, Chris 2?  Can you possibly give an example of Kimberly Beck being a limited actress during the 1970s or 1980s?

What I have seen of Beck's work she always plays kind of aloof characters. She played Linda Blair's preppy friend in the 1979 film Roller Boogie. She just comes across as frosty. I could easily picture her being a ringleader mean girl in a sorority or private girl's school. Like Blair on Facts of Life in the first few episodes.

4 hours ago, SoapDope78 said:

What I have seen of Beck's work she always plays kind of aloof characters. She played Linda Blair's preppy friend in the 1979 film Roller Boogie. She just comes across as frosty. I could easily picture her being a ringleader mean girl in a sorority or private girl's school. Like Blair on Facts of Life in the first few episodes.

@SoapDope78 Have you seen the 1976 movie Massacre at Central High?  Kimberly Beck's in that one.  I hope to properly watch that flick myself someday.

Can you imagine Beck as an angry, troubled young woman who is questioned by the cops about a serious crime of some kind?  I personally find it disappointing that Beck never made a guest appearance on a Quinn Martin TV series such as Barnaby Jones or The Streets of San Francisco?  Even though Beck was a Universal Studios contract player during the 1970s, she curiously never appeared on Kojak, The Rockford Files, Baretta, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, McCloud, Columbo, Battlestar Galactica, The Incredible Hulk, or Quincy, M.E.  Even though her famous singer-stepfather Tommy Leonetti appeared in one episode of the original Hawaii Five-O TV series, Beck herself never appeared in any episodes of the original Hawaii Five-O TV series.

It's possible for a gal to be a good actress without being star material.  Do you think that was the case for Kimberly Beck?  Did she qualify as a character actress in your book?

Edited September 21, 2025Sep 21 by FlyRightOrchestraGuy

15 hours ago, FlyRightOrchestraGuy said:

@SoapDope78 Have you seen the 1976 movie Massacre at Central High?  Kimberly Beck's in that one.  I hope to properly watch that flick myself someday.

Can you imagine Beck as an angry, troubled young woman who is questioned by the cops about a serious crime of some kind?  I personally find it disappointing that Beck never made a guest appearance on a Quinn Martin TV series such as Barnaby Jones or The Streets of San Francisco?  Even though Beck was a Universal Studios contract player during the 1970s, she curiously never appeared on Kojak, The Rockford Files, Baretta, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, McCloud, Columbo, Battlestar Galactica, The Incredible Hulk, or Quincy, M.E.  Even though her famous singer-stepfather Tommy Leonetti appeared in one episode of the original Hawaii Five-O TV series, Beck herself never appeared in any episodes of the original Hawaii Five-O TV series.

It's possible for a gal to be a good actress without being star material.  Do you think that was the case for Kimberly Beck?  Did she qualify as a character actress in your book?

I may have seen Massacre years ago but can't recall the details. I would have to go back and see it again. There are a lot of actors that came out of the Universal contract system but never became major stars. Tom Selleck was there for years before he finally broke out with Magnum P.I.  Bill Bell would never sign him to a Y&R contract in the mid 70's and regretted it when he hit stardom.

Beck I would qualify as a character actress. She fit certain types of roles. 

Another actress that I could picture in the role of Julie on Capitol is Amanda Wyss. 

Go watch Beck’s episode of “Fantasy Island” when they were testing it out as a Sunday show aimed at younger viewers, airing in an earlier time period. Beck played Cindy, Rourke’s assistant. She was so artificial it was painful to watch her scenes. And she didn’t appear in the second Sunday special, not surprisingly.

54 minutes ago, Chris 2 said:

Go watch Beck’s episode of “Fantasy Island” when they were testing it out as a Sunday show aimed at younger viewers, airing in an earlier time period. Beck played Cindy, Rourke’s assistant. She was so artificial it was painful to watch her scenes. And she didn’t appear in the second Sunday special, not surprisingly.

@Chris 2 I know that the proposed Fantasy Island spinoff in question was supposed to be aimed at youngsters.  However, was the spinoff series in question supposed to air on Saturday mornings?  During the 1975-76 television season, Kimberly Beck co-starred on Westwind, a live-action TV series filmed in Hawaii that aired Saturday mornings.  It's my understanding that Beck did a lot of her own scuba diving for Westwind.  It's also my understanding that Westwind did all right in the ratings but was canceled after 13 episodes due to high production costs.

@SoapDope78 Which types of roles do you think Kimberly Beck fit?

Edited September 22, 2025Sep 22 by FlyRightOrchestraGuy

1 hour ago, Chris 2 said:

Go watch Beck’s episode of “Fantasy Island” when they were testing it out as a Sunday show aimed at younger viewers, airing in an earlier time period. Beck played Cindy, Rourke’s assistant. She was so artificial it was painful to watch her scenes. And she didn’t appear in the second Sunday special, not surprisingly.

That's the first I've heard of this.

When did that happen?

I know FI aired on Friday @8 for a few weeks in 79 but flopped and was quickly moved back to Sat @10.

I hated that brat Nicholas. And Susan Richardson got on my last nerve.