FSM Board: R.I.P. - TANYA ROBERTS (2025)

Dirk Benedict and Tanya Roberts in BODY SLAM

Much of the script was rewritten during filming by Needham and Dirk Benedict. Writers/producers Shel Lytton and Steve Burkow - who were also attorneys - filed a lawsuit against director Hal Needham for making changes to their script. The lawsuit prevented the $5 million production from being released in theaters. After a November 1986 Las Vegas premiere, the film was put on the shelf until May 1987. Rental and billing figures from distributor De Laurentiis Entertainment Group indicate that BODY SLAM was shipped to only 24 playdates and amassed gross film rentals totaling a mere $7,367.

BODY SLAM was director Hal Needham’s final film. MCA released an LP of rock tracks from the film, but it didn't include any of the score from Michael Lloyd and John D'Andrea.

These films culminated in a regular gig on the cable erotic anthology series “Hot Line”. Each episode is a story told by a caller to “Rebecca” (Roberts), the beautiful host of a nighttime radio program about sexual fantasies. Many high-profile porn stars made an appearance on the show. Roberts appeared in from 12 to 20 episodes between 1994 and 1996. Sources differ as to whether the show appeared on the Showtime or Cinemax channels.

The teenagers were: geeky nice guy “Eric Forman” (Topher Grace); spoiled rich girl “Jackie Burkhart” (Mila Kunis); handsome dumb guy “Michael Kelso” (Ashton Kutcher); anti-establishment “Steven Hyde” (Danny Masterson); girl-next-door “Donna Pinciotti” (Laura Prepon), and horny foreign exchange student “Fez” (Wilmer Valderrama).

The adults in the cast included Eric’s father “Red Forman” (Kurtwood Smith); Eric’s mother “Kitty Forman” (Debra Jo Rupp); Donna’s father “Bob Pinciotti” (Don Stark), and Donna’s mother “Midge Pinciotti” (Tanya Roberts).

Don Stark and Tanya Roberts in “That ‘70s Show”

Midge is the sexy mom about whom Eric and his male friends fantasize when coming of age. Although often dim-witted, she later adopts some feminist ideals. Midge was written out of the series in 2001 after the third season after divorcing Bob and moving to California. She returned during the sixth and seventh seasons in a limited recurring role.

The infamous poster of Farrah Fawcett in a red swimsuit hangs in Eric Foreman's bedroom. Tanya Roberts had starred in season five of “Charlie's Angels,” the television show that launched Fawcett's career. Roberts joked that if "That 70's Show" ran through fictional year 1980, her poster would eventually hang in Eric's room.

Laura Prepon and Tanya Roberts in “That ‘70s Show”

“That ‘70s Show” never ranked higher than 49th in the ratings, but given that it was broadcast on the “fourth” network, Fox, that was considered a decent showing. Over the course of its run, the series was a consistent performer for Fox, becoming one of their flagship shows. Its eight seasons, consisting of 200 episodes, made it Fox's second-longest-running live-action sitcom ever, behind” Married... with Children,” though “That '70s Show” did not have the same ratings success.

Tanya Roberts left the series after the third season in 2001, because her husband Barry had become terminally ill. She returned for five episodes in 2004. Barry Roberts died in 2006. In all, Roberts appeared in 81 episodes of the show.

Tanya Roberts in “That ‘70s Show”

“I sort of felt like every girl who'd ever been a Bond girl had seen their career go nowhere, so I was a little cautious. I remember I said to my agent, ‘No one works after they get a Bond movie’ and they said to me, ‘Are you kidding? Glenn Close would do it if she could.’ And I thought to myself, ‘Well, you can have regrets if you wish, but what's the point?’ At the time, I didn't know what I know now, and to be honest, who would turn that role down, really? Nobody would. All you have to think to yourself is, ‘Could have I been better in the part?’ That's all you can say to yourself, because turning the part down would have been ridiculous, you know? I mean nobody would do that, nobody. I was very young, and I did what I felt was the right choice to make.”

No, she wasn’t a great actress. And being a Bond girl probably had little to do with that. But how many great actresses are there? Tanya Roberts worked in the business for 40 years. And that’s something too. Godspeed, Tanya.

Cheryl Ladd, Tanya Roberts, Patti D’Arbanville, and Jaclyn Smith in “Charlie’s Angels”

with Marc Singer in THE BEASTMASTER

as SHEENA

in A VIEW TO A KILL

Very disappointing that Bob didn't see fit to put up the poster for Inner Sanctum.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner_Sanctum_(1991_film)

Yes, my post was not meant with any disrespect.
She was a very nice looking girl and I admired that.
I know people say 'beauty is only skin deep' but I've found it to be the external one that gets people noticed or on the telly.
If somebody said 'he was fit, I'd have give him one' after my passing, I'd be 'dead' happy (though maybe a bit pissed off to be only learning it after the fact).

An excellent point, Kev.