Here’s another odd idea from the minds of the Married With Children writers: they insisted the cast had to refer to Bob Rooney with his full name, like all the time! Nobody ever just called him “Bob” or “Rooney,” but always “Bob Rooney.” Surely there must be something significant about this?
Thankfully, this character wasn’t named after E.E Bell, one of the actors who played a No Ma’am club member. He has one of those names that’s a mouthful to pronounce. There definitely would’ve been a whole lot more takes necessary to get that one right every time it came up.
Divine Didn't Make It
Uncle Otto was another iconic character of Married With Children . The original actor intended to play the role was Harris Glenn Milstead, aka “Divine,” who was famous for being a drag queen. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it. In a tragic turn of events, Milstead died of a heart attack before the filming of the sitcom commenced.
Divine was obese and suffered from an enlarged heart. This event was probably the saddest thing that happened in the history of Married With Children . Milstead didn’t even have a chance to showcase his acting talent, as he didn’t even get to complete a single shoot.
A Spin-Off Is Coming!
Did you hear the spin-off rumors? In 2014, there was talk about having a Bud Bundy spin-off. While it was postponed, it certainly hasn’t been terminated. Some legal issues will just have to be dealt with before the networks can schedule anything. Moreover, it has also been said that once production is ongoing, Netflix will pick up the show.
Even better than that, all the original cast members have apparently agreed to co-star the show, so you can expect to see each of them for at least an appearance. This must be very exciting for Bud's fans, but we’ll just have to wait for it to happen. The producers have been working on it, but until then, we have to rely on memories of how hilarious the quirky sitcom is.
Did You See It?
Inserting random clips between other clips on the show’s opening was sure a great way to stir some excitement in the world of the viewers. This was quite a wise move on the part of the producers. If you were savvy enough to take note of it, the show’s opening sequence included a clip from Chevy Chase’s movie, Vacation. In the opening credits, you can see a scene where cars are driving through the interstate interchange.
The movie clip was from the Griswold family’s first vacation, where they drove down to the Walley World theme park with their green station wagon, with a whole lot of luggage on the top. Yes, that was the opening of the television show, and it was just hilarious! Even though it was not an original shot, it gave a positive impact on the show.
A Great First Impression
Truly, first impressions last, and Ed O’Neill proved this. This is how the actor got the role of Al Bundy. O’Neill had appeared in a stage production as Lenny in Of Mice & Men , and a Fox executive remembered seeing how great his performance was, so he was called him in to do a reading. Having already embodied Al’s character, Ed came in with his shoulders drooped, heaved a heavy sigh, and walked lazily towards the casting judges’ seats.
Actor Ed O’Neill is well-known today for playing the role of Al Bundy on Fox’s Married with Children . The way he showed up at the audition was the reason he got the part, because that was exactly how Al Bundy was. The way he took to it so naturally was what won him the role.