MovieChat Forums > Three's Company (1977) Discussion > Seeing Double

Seeing Double

posted 8 years ago by soggybottom (127)
5 replies | jump to latest

Welcome to the alternate reality of Three's Company where you will find the same people popping up with different names and identities from one episode to the next...

For example, did you know that Janet's father lived a double-life as Chrissy's ass-pinching boss?

Or that Chrissy's high-school friend in California was the same girl as Janet's high-school friend in Indiana?

Or that Cindy dated the same guy as Terri did 2 years later, only he was a wealthy businessman when he dated Cindy and a dentist when he dated Terri? And right in the middle of all of that, he actually worked in Terri's hospital as a psychiatrist?

This can only happen in the wacky-wacky world of Three's Company!

Here's a list of some of the more-prominent characters with their multiple roles...

Christina Hart: Roper's Niece Karen (Roper's Niece 0103) & Angelino's Daughter Francesca (Boy Meets Dummy 0609)

Anne Schedeen: Non-Pregnant/Chicken-Souper/Janet-Replacer Linda (Will the Real Jack Tripper 0221 & Double Date 0301 & Stanley's Hotline 0315) & Interior-Decorator Lisa Page (Honest Jack Tripper 0522) & Loan-Officer Louise Prescott (Jack Gets His Own Restaurant 0705)

Michael Bell: Cult-Leader Rama Mageesh (Chrissy & the Guru 0307) & Dance-Instructor Michael (Some of That Jazz 0605)

Irene Tedrow: Much-Older-Woman Helen's Aunt Martha (The Older Woman 0314) & Church-Goer Miss Arlington (The Brunch 0709)

Macon McCalman: Chrissy's Ass-Pinching President Herbert Penrose (The Catered Affair 0316) & Janet's Father Roland Wood (Janet's Secret 0512 & Hearing Is Believing 0806)

Rod McCary: Exaltata-Lovin' Gregg Halliday (The Harder They Fall 0318) & Navy-Cook Bill Martin (Navy Blues 0721)

Ruta Lee: Real-Estate-Agent Mrs. Dawson (An Anniversary Surprise 0320) & Queen-of-the-Condo Marsha Whitewood (The Matchbreakers 0613)

Jordan Charney: Larry's Boss Mr. Layton (Jack Moves Out 0321) & Restaurant-Owner Frank Angelino (The Not-So-Great Imposter 0509 & 10 others)

Louise Williams: Larry's Girlfriend Aspiring-Actress Laura (A Camping We Will Go 0408) & Bawling Stewardess Chloe Brown (Critic's Choice 0621)

Keene Curtis: Dr. Todson (Chrissy's Hospitality 0409) & Jack's Girfriend's Widowed-Father Andrew Gainer (Make Room for Daddy 0511)

Tori Lysdahl: Fitness-Instructor Shirley (Mighty Mouth 0416) & Jewel-Thief Rita (Diamond Jack 0703)

[–] soggybottom (127) 8 years ago

Joanna Kerns: Non-Transgender Bobby Trilling (The Love Lesson 0417) & Wannabee-Mother Cheryl (Jack Be Quick 0801)

Elaine Giftos: Chrissy's High-School-Friend Call-Girl Darlene (A Hundred Dollars a What 0503) & Janet's High-School-Friend Commercial-Director Randy Buckley (An Affair to Forget 0708)

Jeffrey Tambor: Cindy's Wealthy Boyfriend Winston Cromwell III (Father of the Bride 0513) & Psychiatrist Tom Miller (Two Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 0607) & Terri's Boyfriend Dentist Phillip Greene (Jack Goes to the Dentist 0702)

Terry Kiser: Psycho Stalker Max (Dying to Meet You 0520) & Mobster Mr. Canon (A Friend in Need 0618)

Don Sparks: Non-Cheating-Hubby Bob (Bob & Carol & Larry & Terri 0713) & Jealous-Hubby Francis Kirk (Itching for Trouble 0813)

And here's the list of the smaller characters (for the hard-core fans with the keen eyes to spot them)...

Jenifer Shaw: Hot-to-Trot Veronica (Ground Rules 0201) & Hot-to-Trot Rita (Maid to Order 0615)

Sondra Currie: Party Con-Girl Sherry Lee (Alone Together 0206) & Oxnard-Girlfriend Shelley Green (Janet's Secret 0512) & Saxy Art-Teacher Arlene Price (Jack Takes Off 0817)

Sheila Rogers: Janet's Friend's Mother (The Babysitters 0217) & Desk-Nurse Marge Andrews (Jack Bares All 0601 & Two Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 0607 & Paradise Lost 0622 & Star Struck 0715 & Forget Me Not 0818)

Mickey Deems: Flower-Shop-Patron Andy Harwood (Jack in the Flower Shop 0219) & Convention-Horndog Mr. Gambel (A Hundred Dollars A What 0503) & Singing-Telegram Man (Father of the Bride 0513) & Maitre'd (Mate for Each Other 0626) & Flower-Shop-Patron Ass-Pincher Mr. Hubbard (Extra Extra 0704)

David Tress: Desk Sergeant (Days of Beer & Weeds 0222) & Defense-Lawyer Virgil (And Justice for Jack 0502)

Paul Barselou: Clarence Springfield aka Wanda X (The Love Diary 0303) & Restaurant-Patron (Star Struck 0715)

[–] soggybottom (127) 8 years ago

Wait--There's more...

Lois Areno Hamilton: Good-to-Go Rita Murray (The Crush 0310) & Good-to-Go Katy Williams (Jack's Other Mother 0510)

Jenny Sherman: Larry-Kissin' Diane (The Best Laid Plans 0317) & Larry-Lovin' Ginger (Hair Today Gone Tomorrow 0720)

Paul Kent: Burglar-Alarm-Salesman Alvin Morell (Jack Moves Out 0321) & Terri's Boss Dr. Anderson (Professor Jack 0604)

Daniel Trent: Jack's Cooking-Date's Roommate Elliott (Triangle Troubles 0322) & Chrissy's Cousin Policeman Jay Garfield (Handcuffed 0418)

Alan McRae: Chrissy's Roller-Skating-Date Phil (Triangle Troubles 0322) & Tattooed-Hand Robber (Eyewitness Blues 0608)

Taaffe O'Connell: Poker-Playing-Hussie Lulu (Snow Job 0404) & Ready-Willing-&-Able Ellen Simmons (Jack's Double Date 0717) & Model-in-Need-of-a-Ride Barbara Howard (Forget Me Not 0818)

Ruth Manning: Nurse Engel (Chrissy's Hospitality 0409) & Cindy's Boss's Wife Harriet Hadley (Jack to the Rescue 0508)

Alan Manson: Mike the Cop (Handcuffed 0418) & Cindy's Father Mr. Snow (The Case of the Missing Blonde 0521)

Joe George: Master Billy's Chauffeur (Jack's Bad Boy 0420) & The Waiter (Make Room for Daddy 0511) & The Crook (Baby It's Cold Inside 0814)

Stephen Johnson: Non-Admirer Phil Durkin (Secret Admirer 0423) & Looney-Seeking Police Officer (Two Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 0607)

Frank O'Brien: First Waiter (Room at the Bottom 0506) & TV-Show Director (And Now Here's Jack 0623)

[–] soggybottom (127) 8 years ago

We're almost done...

Karen Austin: Larry's Girlfriend Jennifer (Chrissy's Cousin 0507) & Control-Freak Denise (Jack's Ten 0619)

Barbara Stuart: Apartment-Seeker Mrs. Medford (Chrissy's Cousin 0507) & Furley-Lovin' Martha (Jack's Double Date 0717)

Rod Colbin: Cindy's Boss Charles Hadley (Jack to the Rescue 0508) & Janet's Company-President Mr. Franklin (Hearts & Flowers 0616)

Britt Leach: Husband of the Woman that David Miller Ran Off With (The Not-So-Great Imposter 0509) & Bar-Owner Chuck (Oh Nun 0614) & Frank the Bartender (Jack Takes Off 0817)

John McCook: Cindy's Boyfriend Fashion-Photographer Doug Cooper (And Baby Makes Four 0517) & Non-Jealous-Hubby Alan Buckley (An Affair to Forget 0708)

Shell Kepler: Larry's Girlfriend Aspiring-Model Luanne (Honest Jack Tripper 0522) & Larry's Girlfriend Aspiring-Singer Didi (Jack Bares All 0601-0602)

Jacque Lynn Colton: Wrong-Girl Bernice (Strangers in the Night 0612) & Plump Work-Out Lady (Janet Shapes Up 0812)

Glen Ash: Charity-Hater (Opening Night 0706) & Orderv-Hound (Now You See It Now You Don't 0810)

William Cort: Building-Inspector Bill Sneef (Going to Pot 0714) & Dr. Porter (Jack's Tattoo 0816)

Fran Ryan: Grumpy Restaurant-Patron Hilda (Like Father Like Son 0808) & Deceased's Sister Grace (The Heiress 0819)

And there it is--That's a total of 43 people who served multiple roles. How many did you know of before reading this? If you're like me, probably not very many.

So let me know what you think. Is it a good thing or a bad thing to keep having the same people cast over and over? I think it's sad for those who missed out on roles to people who had already been on the show before.

On the other hand, it's fun to go back and watch some of these and say "Oh, that IS the same person--I've seen that episode so many times, and I never even noticed that!"

It's like Where's Waldo "Three's Company-style"!

So the next time that you watch an episode and wonder if you've seen that person before, the chances are that you probably have...on another Three's Company episode!

[–] Enigmatic-Ocean (73) 8 years ago

This happened on The Love Boat constantly as well.

[–] Cookie.L.A. (2117) 8 years ago

On Law & Order, I read they try not to recast a performer in a new role for three years.