We have three of them for you today. As I'm sure you know, John Cleese starred in and co-wrote the smashingly-successful situation comedy, Fawlty Towers. There were six episodes made for broadcast in 1975 and six more that aired in 1979 and that's all there ever were. Maybe it was inevitable that something that popular would be purchased for an American remake…but three times?
The first was a pilot called Snavely and it starred Harvey Korman as the U.S. version of Basil Fawlty and Betty White as his wife. It was done in 1978 and it did not become a series. Here is that pilot…
The second was a short-lived series that turned Basil into a woman named Amanda who ran an inn with a lovely ocean view. Bea Arthur starred in Amanda's by the Sea which debuted in 1983, Thirteen episodes were made but the show was terminated before the last three were broadcast. Here's the first one…
And then there was Payne which starred John Larroquette, who played hotel owner Royal Payne with JoBeth Williams as his wife. This one came on in 1999 and they shot nine episodes but only eight ever aired. Here's the first episode…
I don't have much to say about any of them except that if there had to be an Americanized version of Fawlty Towers — and there didn't — Harvey Korman was not a bad choice for the lead. And I suppose I'm curious if any of the importers thought that the secret of Fawlty Towers' popularity was what all three versions kept from the original — the concept of someone operating a small hotel. Me, I think John Cleese might have had a little something to do with the triumph of the Brit version.