Could anyone have made a better replacement for Roger C. Carmel than Richard Deacon?

[jehobden]

I've been watching The Mothers-in-Law on DVD in order, and I've gotten through Disc 6, 10 eps into Season 2. Evaluating Richard Deacon as Roger Buell, I see that he has the cheap moocher part of Roger Buell's personality down, but I don't see much more of Roger Buell, as Roger C. Carmel established the character. Deacon had the right to his own interpretation of Roger Buell, but I wonder if anyone else could've done better in the part. The first actor that I think of comparable with Carmel is Avery Schreiber, probably most for their somewhat simliar physical appearances. From what I saw of him on My Mother the Car, he had a good knack for broad comedy. Another contemporary actor who could've filled the bill maybe is Stanley Adams. I thought of him probably because, like Carmel, he played a comic character once on Star Trek. Does anyone else have any thoughts about this or anyone else who could've played Roger Buell better? Was Deacon adequate in his own interpretation? I'd love to know anyone's thoughts here.

[retroTVfan4ever]

I agree Avery Shreiber would have been a better choice to replace Roger Carmel. Richard Deacon wasn't right for the role, he played it too bland and dull.

As far as the series goes, it started off good with the first half dozen or so episodes being pretty funny, but after that the laughs come less frequent. The episode The Great Bicycle Race was wasted, there was potential for that to be a great episode but the writers tanked it. Flaws aside I'm glad the show is out on DVD, I hadn't seen it since the original run and it brings back memories from a time I am fond of.

[dakert]

You can tell Kaye Ballard enjoyed working with Roger Carmel. I wish he would have just done one more (2nd) season :confused: The guy from Law And Order SVU doesnt want to do a 13th season!!!

[Marvo301]

I think anyone would have made a better replacement for Roger C. Carmel than Richard Deacon. Don't get me wrong. I'm a fan of Richard Deacon and I thought he was great as Fred Rutherford On LITB and as Mel Cooley on TDVDS. I just think he was completely miscast as Roger Buell.

[McGillicuddy]

Wasn't Avery pretty much know for commercials for Doritos or Fritos or something??

[Marvo301]

Wasn't Avery pretty much know for commercials for Doritos or Fritos or something??
Avery Schreiber was a nightclub comedian who was part of a comedy team with Jack Burns. He was also an actor who had a regular role on "My Mother the Car" and also guest starred on dozens of other TV shows in the 60's, 70's, and 80's. He was also a frequent celebrity guest on game shows. And yes he did commercials as well. Including the Doritos commercials you mentioned.

[jehobden]

Avery Schreiber was a nightclub comedian who was part of a comedy team with Jack Burns. He was also an actor who had a regular role on "My Mother the Car" and also guest starred on dozens of other TV shows in the 60's, 70's, and 80's. He was also a frequent celebrity guest on game shows. And yes he did commercials as well. Including the Doritos commercials you mentioned.

I just watched the MiL S2 ep, "And Baby Makes Four", recently, and Avery Schreiber made a guest appearance as a father of 6 girls expecting his 7th child. His character reminded me a bit of Charles Lane's expecting dad from ILL, but there was a different result this time. ;)

[m60tankdriver]

Avery Schrieber as a replacement would have been interesting -- probably would have worked better than Richard Deacon. I vaguely remember the comedy team Burns & Schrieber, maybe from one of the variety shows of the day, such as the Smothers Brothers(?). And wasn't Jack Burns on the "Andy Griffith Show" for one season as a pompous deputy named "Warren"? Maybe the season after Don Knotts left the show?

I also remember Avery Schrieber in a Carefree Sugerless Gum commercial from the mid-70's, playing Abner Doubleday (the supposed inventor of baseball). He's in an old-tyme baseball uniform, and a gal says "Abner Doubleday -- you've discovered baseball!" to which he replies, "No, but something that's sure to be a hit" and holds up a pack of Carefree gum. I remember others from this ad campaign featured Ben Franklin (electricity), Isaac Newton (gravity), the Wright Brothers (flying), etc. -- and they always downplay their discovery in favor of discovering how great Carefree Sugarless Gum is!

[jehobden]

Avery Schrieber as a replacement would have been interesting -- probably would have worked better than Richard Deacon. I vaguely remember the comedy team Burns & Schrieber, maybe from one of the variety shows of the day, such as the Smothers Brothers(?). And wasn't Jack Burns on the "Andy Griffith Show" for one season as a pompous deputy named "Warren"? Maybe the season after Don Knotts left the show?

I also remember Avery Schrieber in a Carefree Sugerless Gum commercial from the mid-70's, playing Abner Doubleday (the supposed inventor of baseball). He's in an old-tyme baseball uniform, and a gal says "Abner Doubleday -- you've discovered baseball!" to which he replies, "No, but something that's sure to be a hit" and holds up a pack of Carefree gum. I remember others from this ad campaign featured Ben Franklin (electricity), Isaac Newton (gravity), the Wright Brothers (flying), etc. -- and they always downplay their discovery in favor of discovering how great Carefree Sugarless Gum is!

I remember Burns & Schreiber appearing as a comedy team in the 70s as well, most likely as guests on other peoples' variety shows. One bit that I remember had Burns feeding information into Schreiber, who made computer noises, then pulling out one of Schreiber's moustache whiskers for the answer. Jack Burns did replace Don Knotts as Deputy Warren Ferguson for the 1965-66 (first color) season of TAGS, but he was gone by the end of that season and never replaced.
I remember that exact Carefree Sugarless Gum commercial as well including the girl's words there, though I did not remember that Schreiber played Doubleday or Doubleday's answer to her. I do not remember any of those other inventor commercials for Carefree though.