Friday, April 26, 2024

What Might've Been: Everything Money Can't Buy (1973-4)

 Thanks to correspondent Mike Doran for the tip on this next item.

You might recall Carl Reiner's failed 1976 sitcom, Good Heavens, an anthology sitcom about an angel granting wishes to average folks. A couple of years earlier, Reiner directed a pilot for the series under a different title.

Everything Money Can't Buy was the pilot in question, with Jose Ferrer as Mr. Angel, and the concept was a little more serious, which might explain why it didn't sell for some odd reason. It was one of the last projects under the familiar Screen Gems banner before the studio was rechristened Columbia Pictures Television in May 1974. Bernard Slade's Thornhill Productions was attached, with writer-creator Slade also acting as executive producer. Slade had flopped at NBC with The Girl With Something Extra, which paired Sally Field with John Davidson.

Money's ensemble cast included Brenda Vaccaro, Bert Convy (The Snoop Sisters, Tattletales), and two supporting players from The Bob Newhart Show, Peter Bonerz & Jack Riley.


This could've been a hit on another network, but viewers weren't ready for a concept like this. No rating.

4 comments:

Ann Bennett said...

It sounds like a good feel good show. My older brother was the rugged sort and a Vietnam veteran. His favorite show was "Touched by an Angel". As he said, he liked something that made you feel good.

hobbyfan said...

I think for viewers in the 70's, Everything Money Can't Buy belonged with the likes of Insight & This is The Life on Sunday mornings, and thus ignored Good Heavens.

Ann Bennett said...

Well, I have scrolled through your blog. You are not doing A to Z. But you have a lot of dynamite content. I'm not a big sports fan. But I enjoyed reading about the personalities in sports.

hobbyfan said...

Thanks, Ann.