And The John Forsythe is one of the most bizarre TV obscurities. For decades. whenever the subject of television has come up in person or on line, this sitcom-turned-spy-show is one of my favourite trivia bits. Many folks insisted that I was making it up.

I confess to being bemused by John Forsythe’s success as an actor. He had the looks, sure enough. But I always found his presence, particularly in his voice, to be terribly bland—too unexciting to be funny in comedies or dynamic in dramas. (Let’s face it—we all know the funny guy in Bachelor Father was Sammee Tong.) That’s why I was sure that The John Forsythe Show, the sitcom version, would tank. The last thing I expected was the extreme refit of turning it into an espionage show. Even if one could swallow the format change, Mr. Forsythe’s acting was too casual to convey any real sense of drama or menace.

Thanks for putting this one on the board, sir.