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Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 15 general entries.
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Somers, Suzanne
Suzanne Marie Mahoney. Suzanne Marie Mahoney was the third of four children born to her parents, Marion and Frank Mahoney. Her father was a blue collar laborer, and her mother was a housewife. Suzanne took the last name of Somers in 1965 when she married her first husband, Bruce Somers. Their marriage ended in divorce after three years, and produced Suzanne's first child, son Bruce Jr.
Suzanne has been very open and forthcoming about her troubled childhood. As a girl, she was forced to endure an abusive, alcoholic father. She also suffered from dyslexia and enuresis (bedwetting). Her childhood experiences caused her to form the Suzanne Somers Institute For the Effects of Addictions on Families, and she has also been an active supporter of the National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACoA).
| Although best known for her television work, some of Suzanne's earliest roles were uncredited motion picture appearances. Very early in her career, Suzanne appeared in one of the "Dirty Harry" sequels. Her entire performance consisted of frolicking topless in a swimming pool, and then being randomly shot. Which sequel did she appear in? | Suzanne Somers - Challenges and Triumphs
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Magnum Force. "Magnum Force", released in 1973, was the first of several sequels to Clint Eastwood's 1971 classic "Dirty Harry". In "Magnum Force" (memorable for Harry Callahan's famous line, "A man's got to know his limitations") Dirty Harry was up against a squad of rogue vigilante cops from inside of his own department. Suzanne's unnamed character was one of several victims who didn't survive the pool party scene.
| Suzanne first found regular television work in 1969 as the prize girl on a game show called "Anniversary Game". The program was hosted by a Canadian who would later play a large role in Suzanne's life. Who was the show's host? | Suzanne Somers - Challenges and Triumphs
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Alan Hamel. Suzanne Somers was the eye candy on "Anniversary Game", and Alan Hamel was the show's host. After meeting on "Anniversary Game" Suzanne and Alan began dating, despite the fact that he was already married at the time. Following Hamel's divorce from his first wife, Suzanne and Alan were married on November 11, 1977. He had two children from his first marriage, Steven and Leslie, who became Suzanne's step-children.
| The classic sitcom "Three's Company" debuted on ABC in 1977, and Suzanne's role as Chrissy Snow turned her into an overnight sensation. Her character's name "Chrissy" was short for what? | Suzanne Somers - Challenges and Triumphs
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Christmas. Christmas "Chrissy" Snow was, of course, the first of the "dumb blonde" roommates on "Three's Company". Suzanne played the role of Chrissy - an innocent airhead with a heart of gold - to near perfection, earning herself a 1979 Golden Globe Award nomination for Best TV Actress - Musical/Comedy. Of her character, Suzanne once said, "Chrissy wasn't dumb. She just had a circuitous route to logic."
Unlike the other two roommates, Janet Wood (Joyce DeWitt) and Jack Tripper (John Ritter), the role of the blonde roommate would change three times during the show's eight-year run. Suzanne played Chrissy Snow for the first four seasons, but she was largely written out of the show during the fifth season, and then fired outright when the season ended, due to a contentious contractual dispute over her financial compensation. Chrissy's klutzy, accident-prone cousin, Cindy Snow (played by Jenilee Harrison), was introduced as the second blonde roommate for season five. Jenilee was replaced by Priscilla Barnes (in the role of Terri Alden, a nurse and more intelligent, less ditzy blonde roommate) at the start of the sixth season. Terri stayed as the third roommate for the remainder of the series, with Cindy becoming a recurring character.
Yes. After three seasons on "Three's Company", Helen and Stanley Roper (Audra Lindley and Norman Fell) moved off to their own 1979 series, "The Ropers". Their spinoff lasted only two seasons and 28 episodes. Suzanne and her "Three's Company" co-stars Joyce DeWitt and John Ritter all made crossover guest appearances for the second season premiere episode, "The Party". It was only appearance that Chrissy, Janet or Jack ever made on "The Ropers".
In the 1984 series finale of "Three's Company", Janet married Philip Dawson (David Ruprecht) and began her new married life. Jack also moved out of the apartment, into new digs with his girlfriend Vicky Bradford (Mary Cadorette). Jack and Vicky returned in their own spinoff, "Three's a Crowd", which debuted one week after the final episode of "Three's Company" aired. "Three's a Crowd" lasted only one season and 22 episodes, and Suzanne Somers - by then long estranged from the "Three's Company" family of programs - never made an appearance on the show.
| Throughout the 1970s, Suzanne was a frequent guest performer on many popular television series of the era, including "Starsky & Hutch", "The Rockford Files", and "The Six Million Dollar Man". Did Suzanne ever sail on "The Love Boat"? | Suzanne Somers - Challenges and Triumphs
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Yes. Not only did Suzanne sail on "The Love Boat", she sailed on the maiden voyage of the Pacific Princess: Suzanne appeared as Lorraine Hoffman in the first regular episode of the series, "The Captain and the Lady/One if by Land/Centerfold", which was originally broadcast on ABC on September 24, 1977. Her fellow passengers included Meredith Baxter ("Family Ties") and Bonnie Franklin ("One Day at a Time").
| Several years after "Three's Company", Suzanne enjoyed another popular television success as the star of the family series "Step by Step". The show ran for seven seasons from 1991 to 1998 on ABC and CBS. What character did Suzanne portray? | Suzanne Somers - Challenges and Triumphs
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Carol Foster Lambert. "Step by Step" was essentially a modernized remake of "The Brady Bunch". Suzanne starred as a beautician, Carol Foster, and Patrick Duffy co-starred as a construction contractor, Frank Lambert. During the debut episode of the series, Carol and Frank impulsively married while vacationing together in Jamaica. Their marriage abruptly formed the Foster/Lambert clan of six children: Carol's daughters Dana and Karen, and her son Mark, together with Frank's sons JT and Brendan, and his daughter Alicia ("Al"). Carol and Frank had a seventh child of their own, daughter Lily Foster Lambert, during the fifth season.
Candid Camera. Allen Funt developed the idea for "Candid Camera" while he was serving in the U.S. Army. He secretly tape-recorded his fellow soldiers, and then broadcast some of their funny, candid remarks on Armed Forces Radio. His original idea spawned a nationwide radio show, "Candid Microphone", which ultimately evolved into television's "Candid Camera". Suzanne was one of many co-hosts on "Candid Camera" over the years, including Arthur Godfrey, Durwood (Durward) Kirby, Phyllis George, and Jo Ann Pflug.
Suzanne did co-host a single broadcast of "Battle of the Network Stars", but that appearance was two decades before her stint on "Candid Camera". She co-hosted the fourth installment of ABC's popular celebrity competition, which aired on May 7, 1978. Howard Cosell and Bruce Jenner were Suzanne's co-hosts.
Venus. Suzanne played Venus, the Roman Goddess of Love. Venus dispatched her son Cupid (Costas Mandylor) to Earth, to restore Emily Vale's faith in love. Unfortunately, Cupid's archery skills left something to be desired; rather than striking Emily (Cynthia Gibb) with his magic arrow, he managed to shoot himself instead. Naturally, his errant shot caused Cupid to fall in love with Emily himself, resulting in the obvious complications.
Executive Producer. In addition to her lead role as journalist Marcy Singer, Suzanne was the co-executive producer of "Exclusive", a title she shared with her husband, Alan Hamel. They collaborated with a team of four other producers. The film was directed by Alan Metzger; Geoffrey Erb was the cinematographer, and Mark Conte handled editing duties. Suzanne's son Bruce Somers, Jr. was the film's assistant location manager.
| Suzanne has authored a number of books, including a 1988 autobiography later made into a TV movie. Suzanne played herself in the movie, in addition to sharing writing credit. What was the title of both the book and movie? | Suzanne Somers - Challenges and Triumphs
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Keeping Secrets. "Keeping Secrets" was a frank and very telling autobiography, in which Suzanne candidly addressed her troubled childhood, and the abuses she suffered from her alcoholic father. The TV movie of the same name was released by Warner Bros. in 1991. Suzanne starred as herself, with Holly Fields portraying Suzanne as a girl. Ken Kercheval and David Birney co-starred.
Suzanne is the author of several other books, including a follow-up autobiography which focused on the professional aspects of her life, "After the Fall", and a collection of her own original poetry, "Touch Me". She has also written numerous self-help and diet books, including "The Sexy Years", "Eat Great, Lose Weight", and "Get Skinny on Fabulous Food".
| Beyond her performing roles in episodic television and TV movies, Suzanne has also been a very familiar face on the commercial marketing circuit. Early in the television "infomercial" era, Suzanne endorsed an exercise product that she has since become synonymous with. What product was it? | Suzanne Somers - Challenges and Triumphs
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ThighMaster. The ThighMaster was one of Suzanne's earliest marketing efforts, and it has generated other related products, including the ThighMaster Gold and the ButtMaster LBX. Suzanne has since become a successful entrepreneur, focusing on diet, health, and fitness products, in addition to a line of ladies apparel, jewelry, and beauty items. Suzanne's signature marque, "Somersize", is a diet and health regimen with an emphasis on preparing and eating healthy food. Suzanne operates a web site showcasing her various products and lifestyle tips at www.suzannesomers.com.
| In 2001, Suzanne created headlines by revealing that she had chosen a non-traditional treatment method to battle cancer. What type of cancer was Suzanne fighting? | Suzanne Somers - Challenges and Triumphs
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Breast cancer. During a March 28, 2001 appearance on CNN's "Larry King Live", Suzanne publicly revealed that she was fighting breast cancer, and had declined to undergo traditional chemotherapy as a treatment method, opting instead for homeopathic medicines. Suzanne cautioned other women not to follow her lead, stating that her choice was a personal decision: "I don't want anyone to do what I'm doing. I don't know if it works. I'm hoping it does, and I believe that it does. But I'm not advising any other women to do this. It's what I chose for myself."
| Suzanne Somers overcame many personal challenges and professional setbacks on her journey toward becoming a popular entertainer. By any measure, she has enjoyed a very successful television career. In what year did Suzanne receive her star on the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame? | Suzanne Somers - Challenges and Triumphs
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2003. Suzanne received her star (in the Television category) on January 24, 2003. She shared the date of her honor with - among others - director Martin Scorsese, actress Susan Sarandon, actors Robert Duvall and Beau Bridges, and Jim Henson's famous puppet Kermit the Frog. Suzanne's star is located on Hollywood Boulevard near the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, where the first Academy Awards ceremony was held in 1929.
Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame are awarded annually by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce in five different categories: Motion Pictures, Television, Radio, Recording, and Live Theater. At the time Suzanne was honored, over 2,200 stars had been awarded. For more information regarding the Walk of Fame, visit the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce web site at www.hollywoodchamber.net.
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