3 Girls 3

3 Girls 3 is a 1977 American variety television show that ran for four episodes on the NBC network, starring Debbie Allen, Ellen Foley, and Mimi Kennedy.[2] All three were unknown talents at the time, and this "overnight stardom" line was the premise of the show.[2][3]

3 Girls 3
Created byKenny Solms, Gail Parent
Written byKenny Solms, Gail Parent, Ed Scharlach, Ann Elder, Pat Proft, Tony Peyser and Don Hinkley[1]
Directed byTim Kiley
StarringDebbie Allen, Ellen Foley, and Mimi Kennedy
Opening theme"3 Girls 3"
Ending theme"Can We Get Together Again?"
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producerGary Smith and Dwight Hemion
ProducersKenny Solms, Gail Parent
Running time60 min
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseMarch 30, 1977 (1977-03-30) –
June 1977 (1977-06)

Creation

Television writer Kenny Solms came up with the concept of the show in about 1973, wanting to highlight the "Cinderella" aspect of overnight stardom using unknown actors. He collaborated with writing partner Gail Parent, which whom he had many writing credits for shows including The Carol Burnett Show, and had created The Tim Conway Show. They came up with a script called Chorus Line, and pitched it to ABC. ABC wanted to use established stars instead of unknowns, which was counter to the premise of the show, so the project went dormant. In April 1976, CBS demonstrated interest in the show, but wanted to retool it for one actress (Diahann Carroll) instead of three. Solms and Parent then went to the remaining United States television network, NBC, who bought the proposed show in September 1976. Solms and Parent auditioned over 250 women in Los Angeles and 50 more in New York for the lead roles.[4]

Run and reception

The one-hour show debuted on March 30, 1977, and television critic John J. O'Connor of The New York Times and other critics gave highly positive reviews of the show. O'Connor called it "easily the freshest, liveliest and most exciting premiere of a series that television has concocted in years."[2]

The opening episode also received respectable ratings. Moreover, the episode announced that the show would be returning, but NBC had already decided it would pull the plug. The second episode was not aired the following week, reportedly because the network did not like the show's concept, or alternatively because NBC claimed that improved ratings for C.P.O. Sharkey, a show the network had originally intended to replace, led to the cancellation.[5][6]

After getting many complaints, NBC announced that the three remaining episodes would be aired in June.[4][7][8][9] The summer-season ratings were not good, and the show was not picked up for further episodes.[10]

References
  1. (28 March 1977). Show Features Hope, Provo Daily Herald
  2. O'Connor, John J. (30 March 1977). TV: It's Instant Stardom for '3 Girls 3', The New York Times
  3. Ess, Ramsey (17 April 2015). Steve Martin Tries Prime-Time Variety with '3 Girls 3' Archived 2017-12-01 at the Wayback Machine, Splitsider
  4. Considine, Shaun (12 June 1977). How '3 Girls 3' Almost Didn't Make It, The New York Times
  5. (14 April 1977). NBC Tells Why It Cancelled '3 Girls 3', Jet
  6. Hanauer, Joan (14 June 1977). 'Unknowns' Star in NBC Show, Waukesha Daily Freeman (Associated Press)
  7. (20 June 1977). Picks and Pans Review: 3 Girls 3, People (short negative review: " Pour on plenty of publicity and then heat. Alas, this overdone soufflé never rises.")
  8. (25 June 1977). "3 Girls 3" Gets Return Shot Due to Ratings, Indiana Gazette
  9. (2 April 1977). Did anyone else notice ... Archived 2017-12-01 at the Wayback Machine, Detroit Free Press
  10. (4 July 1977). Reruns, experiments take over networks, Broadcasting, p. 33 ("NBC received confirmation in the ratings that its 3 Girls 3 comedy-variety show (which John J. O'Connor of The New York Times, echoing many other TV critics, called the freshest pilot in years when it made its debut as a one-shot a couple of months ago) doesn't have mass-audience appeal. It managed only a 9.7 average rating and 19 share in two telecasts last month (June 15 and June 22, 9-10 p.m.)")
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