"The Hogan Family" (was "Valerie"?)
EJs Net
I started watching a show recently called "The Hogan Family." It starred
Valerie Harper as the mom of the house while raising her 3 boys. Well, I missed
a few shows due to the hectic pace of the holidays. Now when I tune in, Sandy
Duncan is the mom of the house but there's no explanation as to where Valerie
Hogan (Valerie Harper's on-screen character) is.
A friend of mine said he thinks she *died* on the show but I really can't see
how this is likely since the Hogans act as if nothing has happened and all is
well. Besides, the show is supposed to be a comedy. Was she killed off? How did
she die? In what episode was she killed off? Also, he says he thinks the show
was originally called "Valerie." Why kill off the character that the show was
named after? If she did die, why does the family act like they couldn't care
less? No pictures of her are around and she is NEVER mentioned. I remember an
early episode that I saw last November where the family mourned their dog
Murray's passing as if he was a member of the family; then they turn around and
act like their mother never existed? Wouldn't they at least mention her if she
did indeed die?
In any case, I think Sandy Duncan replacing Valerie Hogan was a mistake.
Nothing against her, but so far the shows I've seen with her are really silly
and don't come close to the clever humor that the show had with Valerie Harper
(though the show took a while to tap into that humor). Had the show continued
to be written the way it was with Harper, it would've done Sandy Duncan justice
(even though I prefer Valerie in the role as mother of the house). Anyone?
E.J.
Matt Ackeret
In article <19980105011...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
EJs Net <ejs...@aol.com> wrote:
>I started watching a show recently called "The Hogan Family." It starred
>Valerie Harper as the mom of the house while raising her 3 boys. Well, I missed
>a few shows due to the hectic pace of the holidays. Now when I tune in, Sandy
>Duncan is the mom of the house but there's no explanation as to where Valerie
>Hogan (Valerie Harper's on-screen character) is.
I cut out the rest of your post..
Here's a basic explanation of what happened:
The show was originally called "Valerie" in 1986.
It became "Valerie's Family" in 1987.
It became "The Hogan Family" for the rest of its run, 1988-1991
(Dates come from The Internet Movie Database, www.imdb.com, a slightly
mis-named web site that is *THE BEST* source of entertainment [TV/movies]
information on the web. In fact, I think it's probably the best site
on the web overall.)
Valerie Harper was only on the first year of the show (even though it has
3 names, it really is the same show).
Someone may be able to give a more detailed description of exactly what
happened, but my understanding is that Valerie Harper got into a contract
disagreement with the studio. (Hmm, I just realized _one_ missing thing from
the IMDB is production info for TV shows.)
I believe she simply wanted more money, and was annoyed that Jason Bateman
basically _was_ the show. (He definitely was the funniest on the show, and
always had the best lines.) As you can see, if the show is named after
her character, you'd think she would be the focus!
So she left after the first year. I *BELIEVE* that the reason for the
naming in the second year was the hope that Valerie Harper may come back.
After that was obvious that it wasn't going to happen, they the renamed
the show again.
I am *virtually* positive that they did in fact talk about her death a few
times. (I want to say it was a plane crash, but I may be thinking that
since the father on the show was a pilot.)
--
mat...@area.com
Richard
Matt Ackeret wrote:
> Here's a basic explanation of what happened:
> The show was originally called "Valerie" in 1986.
> It became "Valerie's Family" in 1987.
> It became "The Hogan Family" for the rest of its run, 1988-1991
>
>
>
> Someone may be able to give a more detailed description of exactly what
> happened, but my understanding is that Valerie Harper got into a contract
> disagreement with the studio.
>
> I believe she simply wanted more money, and was annoyed that Jason Bateman
> basically _was_ the show. (He definitely was the funniest on the show, and
> always had the best lines.) As you can see, if the show is named after
> her character, you'd think she would be the focus!
>
She was in negotiation with the network for a raise in salary. She
publicly
denied that she was jealous of Jason Batemen, however I can't say for
sure if
that also was a factor in her dissatisfaction with the show.
>
> So she left after the first year. I *BELIEVE* that the reason for the
> naming in the second year was the hope that Valerie Harper may come back.
> After that was obvious that it wasn't going to happen, they the renamed
> the show again.
>
Actually she left the show because she was fired. She then instigated
a lawsuit in which she claimed that she had been "wrongfully fired" from
the show, which she eventually won.
Lorimar did not rename the show "Valerie's Family" because they hoped
that Valerie Harper would return to the show. They had fired her, and
they
didn't want her back. The show retained the name "Valerie" to preserve
some
sort of continuity.
Joe Applebaum
I know this is pathetic but I remember what happened both off the screen
and on with the "Valerie" situation...
Off the screen it was true, there was a contract dispute that caused
Valerie Harper to leave the show.
On the screen Valerie was killed off in a summer rerun time car
accident. When the new season started Sandy Duncan arrived as the
husband's sister. She lived with them and I think she was a counselor at
the local high school....
freddyand...@gmail.com
The Network 'Biggie' shoukd have given her what she wanted because this started as a really enjoyable show. Valerie...you made this show!
