"In her Carson-show appearance with Bob Newhart [on 8/5/71, Suzanne Pleshette] read a rather poignant poem about being well into her 30s but wanting more than anything to give birth to a baby. This was the show that was seen by [producers] David Davis and Lorenzo Music, who really had tuned in to watch their star (The Bob Newhart Show by that time had been sold to CBS).
"'Suzanne started talking,' Davis told me, 'and I looked at Lorenzo and Lorenzo looked at me. There she was, just what we were looking for. She was revealing her own frailties, talking freely about being over 30. She was bubble-headed but smart, loving toward her husband but restless about his imperfections.
"We were trying to get
away from the standard TV wife and we knew that whoever we picked would have
to be offbeat enough and strong enough to carry the show along with Newhart.
We didn't dream Suzanne would accept the part, but after we had negotiated
the pregnancy clause, she did. Mostly, I think, because we film with three
cameras and a live audience one night a week, and she can get home to Tom
[Gallagher, her husband] by 6 o'clock on all the other days.'"
—TV Guide, Bill Davidson (12/16/72)
| Suzanne Pleshette: "In the pilot, I was supposed to show what I'd consider normal wifely affection by taking the initiative, but such sexual interest on the part of a woman isn't the kind of thing you generally see on television. I suggested that maybe we had enough time to 'do it.' That wasn't the phrase, but it was implied. CBS wanted to take it out, and the producers had to come in about it. It was ludicrous, because there are some times when a wife wants to make love and a husband has a headache!" —The Philadelphia Inquirer TV Week, Harry Harris (6/10/73) |
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Suzanne Pleshette: "There have been circumstances when I've gone to the producers and told them I will not pour another cup of coffee. Then we'll sit down and discuss philosophically what this woman is. They've worked very hard to make her a real person." —St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Jerry Buck (7/7/74)
One of TV's Most Romantic Couples—Bob and Emily Hartley:
"If a balding, hesitant little guy like Bob could wind up with
a woman who possessed a growly-sexy voice like Emily's, well, there was
hope for us all." —Entertainment Weekly,
Mark Harris and Ken Tucker (2/15/91)
Distinctly Dallas—Endings We'd Like to See:
"J.R. wakes up in bed with Suzanne Pleshette. It's all been a dream."
—Entertainment Weekly (3 or 4/91)
"Then there's Emily. As played by Suzanne Pleshette, she is one
of the most confidently sexy sitcom wives ever to come along." —Harry and Wally's Favorite TV Shows, Harry Castleman
& Walter Podrazik