Quote:
Originally Posted by
Jack P 
I've never seen it, but I've read the story of how Sheldon Leonard purposefully got "I Spy" canceled so he could get NBC to make room for "My Friend Tony". Turned out not to be a smart move on his part.
Well, in his autobiography, he goes into detail about what happened. NBC wanted to do a 4th season of I Spy and he felt that the show had kind of run its course and another season would have been a drop in quality so he felt it best to end the series. His contract with NBC stipulated that they had to put one of his hour shows on the schedule. However, because they were pissed at him for not continuing I Spy, they took My Friend Tony, which because of the youthful appeal that Enzo Cerusico had, and instead of putting it on in an early time slot, they buried it on Sunday nights at 10PM. Just for spite. So, they honored the contract but made sure the show would fail to find the audience it was geared for.
As for the fate of the show, the master film elements are held by the Danny Thomas estate (he and Leonard were long time producing partners) with the rights controlled by Leonard's heirs. They really have no interest in pursuing any commercial avenues with the show as I'm sure they are all rich beyond belief and the minimal profits such a venture would produce certainly couldn't be worth their time or effort. Its unfortunate that Sheldon Leonard himself hadn't lived to see the DVD age as he was fond of the show and no doubt would have been happy to facilitate a release, regardless of any monetary compensation. However, his estate holds no similar sentimental attachments towards the show.
As for the series itself, I can tell you that having been a fan during its original airing, I still enjoy it. The scripting is about the same as a typical I Spy episode and even the opening credits are done in the same style. Your view of the show comes down to how you take to Cerusico and if you find him likeable and charming, which I do, then the show is enjoyable. It certainly holds up a lot better than many other 40+ year old shows which I've seen.
