I've seen the movie 3 times and I was the only one who laughed when Norman Fell(Mr. Roper)popped up on the screen during the FBI scene. I know he had a long career before Three's Company, but seeing the face of Mr. Roper pop up made me laugh, because he always made me laugh as a kid when I would watch Three's Company.
shareI hope to go for my 3rd viewing this weekend. I must confess I missed him somehow both times. I always preferred him over Don Knotts as Mr Roper.
shareYes, Mr. Roper was much better than Mr. Furley. Fell did not want to leave Three's Company for The Ropers, so to get him to move to his own show they told him and Audra Lindley that if the show doesn't make it to a complete season they could go back to Three's Company. Unfortunately, the show lasted a season and a half and The Ropers were never seen again.
Pay close attention the next time you see the movie, Norman Fell is shown after we see James Franciscus and Rick Dalton mentioned.
I think saying Mr. Roper was "much better" is an exaggeration because I love Mr. Furley. That said Mr. Roper does edge him out if for no other reason I loved when he'd insult Mrs. Roper and almost seem to break the 4th wall and laugh at the camera.
Norman Fell definitely got a raw deal with The Ropers considering he didn't want to leave TC. If Mr. Roper wasn't going to be on Three's Company though, I can't think of a better replacement than Mr. Furley...he really did have many truly funny moments.
Yeah, Ok Furley wasn't bad, but he was still no Mr. Roper. Don Knotts was really good on Andy Griffith and some movies like The Ghost and Mr. Chicken.
shareNorman Fell was also in in Bullitt and Charley Varrick, two of QTs favorite movies
shareAnd It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World as one of the detectives in the beginning: http://aveleyman.com/Gallery/2017/F/5580-9736.jpg
Also in a pretty good movie called The Killers (1964).
shareYes, saw that movie. It was pretty good.
shareCool.
"The Killers" was intended to be the first made-for-TV movie, but was deemed too violent for TV. It was shipped to theaters(even though it looked like a TV movie) ...and was a small hit. Great little movie.
The movie was a remake of the forties film "Ernest Hemingway's The Killers" updated to 1964 LA. The 1946 original is good too.
Saw the original also. Liked the original more. Very cool movie.
shareThis was the same experience for me...as soon as I saw his face I laughed and quickly realized I was the only one! I wasn't sure if I was the only one who recognized Mr. Roper or the rest of the audience just had too much respect for him as an actor to laugh....
shareI have respect for Fell for sure, but seeing him just made me laugh. He was so good as Mr. Roper.
shareNorman Fell was shown in the shot of "guest stars" for this week's episode of "The FBI" -- "A Quinn Martin Production."
But that shot of Fell was taken from the opening credits of ANOTHER "Quinn Martin production" -- "Dan August," a short-lived 1970-71 TV series that Burt Reynolds did just before he became a big movie star with Deliverance(1972.) Norman Fell was a co-star -- not a guest star -- on "Dan August."