MovieChat Forums > The Virginian (1962) Discussion > Betsy

Betsy

posted 14 years ago by MargannB
4 replies | jump to latest

I read on here somewhere that the show's producers wanted Roberta Shore gone and finally married her off. Watching the show for the first time on Encore Westerns, I noticed she has not been a part of the show for several episodes and neither has the judge. What were the problems there?

Also in what episode was the sheriff killed making Ryker the sheriff? In yesterdays episode he was the sheriff, but I didn't see where the old sheriff was killed off.

Thanks for your help.

Margie

[–] shandy8 14 years ago

I'm in the same situation! I'm watchng now and Betsy isn't even in the opening anymore (there's a giggling brunette with Randy in the credits whom I have yet to see in the show.

I'm not sure if Encore is showing 'The Virginian' in order of broadcast or not, but I've looked at the episode guide, and there is an episode coming up called "The Awakening" coming up that apparently features both Betsy and the Judge. Maybe that show will answer some questions.

I too am wondering what happened to the sheriff.

"What do you want me to do, draw a picture? Spell it out!"

[–] MeganCraft 14 years ago

Roberta Shore left the series because she got married and wanted a tradional mormon marrage where the wife stays home and Lee J. Cobb left because his contract was up. Hard to know if money was involved and if offered more they would have stayed with the series. Other actors who demanded too much (Gary Clarke) were let go, and overall the series had a high turn over of actors. The only two that lasted the entire series were the James Drury and Doug McClure.

[–] lzcutter 14 years ago

For some reason (hopefully explained in the book on the history of the show), Season 4 began with Diane Roter in the credits before Betsy had left Shiloh and before Roter's character was introduced.

It's a bit disconcerting, but I think an episode is coming up that explains Roter's arrival.

The Judge is still running Shiloh until Morgan Starr shows up.

[–] shelby0296 14 years ago

According to an interview that Roberta Shore gave on the DVD for the first season... She got married, without the permission of her bosses (as was stated in her contract). She forbidden to work for 3 years (for not complying with her contract), and figured her husband wouldn't let her work anyway (or wouldn't want her to).

Sheriff John Brannan got killed in The Road to Laramie.

Lee J Cobb started working on other projects, as his contract was expiring for this show. He never much cared for television, thinking it wasn't really a medium for an "actor".

After showing the program in order (with a couple of "missed episodes") Encore is now just showing episodes in some haphazard order that I have yet to make sense of.