Joan's Death?
How was the 1st wife's death explained? Did she have cancer? Did she have a car wreck? When Mrs. Hyland died, how was the death of her character explained?
share[deleted]
As usual with Holywood the death was never explained. All we know is she died suddenly.
"I'd rather believe what I believe and be wrong than believe what you believe and be wrong."
I liked the courtship of Tom and Abby and I also liked that she was not an original part of the family....it made for some interesting SLs as an outsider, like when the family had to pull together to make sure Nicholas was being cared for properly.
shareI agree. I like that by adding Abby to the fold you still get your nuclear fmily without it being the TYPICAL nuclear family....it became a blended family in a sense because along with Abby you got her parents who filled in as the grandparents.
Also, they depicted Abby...not as the wicked stepmom who continuously competed with her stepkids for Tom's attention. While she definitely ran into some issues with some of the kids *Joannie & Tommy*...she was also welcomed *Nicholas & Mary*...she went in not trying to be "MOM"...but Abby...and if they treated her like their mother then that was cool too. Over time it was quite clear that she was "MOM" to them.
She fit right in with them...but also, Abby and Tom made such an adorable couple.
There is a new book just released called "The Show Must Go On" from McFarland Publishing that discusses in detail Hyland's behind-the-scenes battle with cancer and how her death was handled both in-front of and behind the camera. It features all-new exclusive interviews with Dick Van Patten and Dianne Kay, as well as producer William Blinn. Several other shows are also covered in the book.
shareUntil "Eight is Enough", most stepmothers on TV (Carol Brady, Kathy Williams) were very motherly, were called "Mom", and were essentially substitutes for the deceased parent. "Eight is Enough" was groundbreaking in that Abby didn't try to replace the kids' mother.
shareIt was the right thing to do being that EIE was suppose to be a more serious type of show.
"A real man would rather bow down to a strong woman than dominate a weak one"
[deleted]
They handled it correctly. I was glad too that they did not re-cast the part of Joan.
"A real man would rather bow down to a strong woman than dominate a weak one"
My father remarried when I was about 19 or 20. I never called my Step-mother anything but by her first name.
In the kingdom of the blind, you're the village idiot.
I was reading articles and doing research. According to the John Travolta autobiography, the crew didn't want Diana to do the job, as they were worried for her health. Diana figured if she was going to die, why not do so doing something you love? And that's exactly what she did.
share[deleted]