joyce dewitt | THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT!

Welcome to a new Wildcard Wednesday! This week, I’m sharing a real sitcom rarity — a copy of the original Revised Final Draft script for the second aired episode from Three’s Company‘s fifth season, entitled “… And Justice For Jack,” which was written by George Burditt and originally broadcast by ABC-TV on November 11, 1980. What’s notable about this draft is that it includes Chrissy Snow, who was then hastily written out of the as-shot version when Suzanne Somers failed to show up on the day of the taping, during her now-legendary contract dispute.

Here’s a quick recap of what happened. The fifth season of Three’s Company was delayed by the 1980 SAG and AFTRA strike. Instead of production beginning in July, it started in October. The first episode shot for the season was “A Crowded Romance,” which Suzanne Somers missed because she had a pre-established Vegas booking. Everything was fine when she returned the following week and taped the second episode of the season, which ended up airing as the premiere, “Upstairs, Downstairs, Downstairs” (one of my favorites). During this time, she and her husband/manager Alan Hamel were re-negotiating her contract. She was making approximately $30,000 an episode. They wanted $150,000 and percentage points, comparable to what some stars on other hits got. But John Ritter was making only about $50,000 at the time, and with Joyce DeWitt contractually obligated to receive the same as Somers, a huge pay bump for all three to the $150,000 level was unlikely. An immediate $35,000 rate (with annual step ups) was proposed, but Somers and Hamel were holding out for more. After rehearsing “… And Justice For Jack” for a few days, Somers called in sick the morning of the taping, October 19. This was the first day she strategically missed amid her negotiations, citing terrible back pains that precluded her from working. The cast and crew were livid and did the show without her.

Because of the strike, the company was making up for lost time by rehearsing and shooting on a streamlined schedule. The next episode, “A Hundred Dollars A What?,” was supposed to be quickly rehearsed and then taped on October 21. When Somers called out again, the taping was canceled, and following a production hiatus, rescheduled for October 31, after one previous rehearsal day. Somers showed up and completed her assignment those two days, despite frosty tensions on the set. She asked for the next day off and was granted it. But after she didn’t show up the day after, when work was supposed to begin on “Downhill Chaser,” it was considered the last straw. When she came to set on November 3, Somers was told her services were no longer needed. From there, she was written out of every script, replaced by Jenilee Harrison as temporary third roommate Cindy Snow, and forced to maintain her contract by shooting seven “phone call” scenes between November 1980 and February 1981, taped away from the main sets and with no other actors. She was phased out of the show and terminated at season’s end.

It’s a sad story — Season Five was obviously strained because of this backstage drama, and Cindy Snow was a weak substitute for Chrissy. Of course, Somers’ absence gave other members of the ensemble more chances to shine — Joyce DeWitt, Richard Kline, and, especially, the great Don Knotts. Indeed, several of the show’s best episodes in terms of sheer comedy come from Five. Unfortunately, “… And Justice For Jack” is not one of them. With a story about Jack going to court to sue his female boss for sexually harassing him, the whole idea is unpleasant, attempting to satirize what women go through in the workplace by swapping the genders in a Norman Lear-ian idea-driven way, further evidencing Nicholl-Ross-West’s pedigree and how Three’s Company itself descends more from that camp than any other. But it’s all kind of smarmy in practice and has nothing to do with the main characters, their interactions with each other, or the series’ basic premise. So, it’s not one of my favorites. And with Chrissy, I’m afraid the text was no better. In fact, it’s quite the same — only Chrissy’s lines got divvied up to everyone else — Larry, Furley, and Janet (in particular). I imagine this was done to the original “Downhill Chaser” as well — a script I don’t have but would love to read. (Do you have it? Please let me know!) In the meantime, this is a fun curio from a fascinating moment in sitcom history — the first episode plagued by Suzanne Somers’ contract negotiations. See the sample below.