After two failed attempts to adapt the classic British comedy series Fawlty Towersfor American television – Snavely (1978) with Harvey Korman (which never made it beyond a 30-minute pilot) and Amanda’s with Bea Arthur in 1983 – CBS tried again in 1999 with Payne (surely a spelling mistake!).
John Larroquette took on the John Cleese role as the hotelier afflicted with bottled-up anger and frustration and his sardonic, tyrannical wife, Connie (JoBeth Williams). The lead character was rechristened Royal Payne rather than the original Basil Fawlty, and – although the set was almost identical to the one in the original British series – the hotel was now called Whispering Pines and was located along the California coast.
Polly the maid became Breeze O’Rourke (Julie Benz), while Manuel from Barcelona mutated into a cowering and dusky if rather indeterminate foreigner called Mohammed (Rick Batalla).
There were even new personas for Fawlty Towers‘ two resident old ladies, Miss Tibbs and Miss Gatsby. Now they were marijuana-taking senior citizens, Flo (Ellen Albertini Dow) and Ethel (Dona Hardy).
The US production also toned down some of the original’s manic energy.
The pilot borrowed directly from two Fawlty Towersepisodes (and immediately highlighted that Larroquette – struggling to find a way to be both arrogant and funny – was no John Cleese) while using original storylines for the subsequent episodes.
The series was cancelled after only three further laughless episodes aired.
Royal Payne
John Larroquette Connie Payne
JoBeth Williams Breeze O’Rourke
Julie Benz Mohammed (Mo)
Rick Batalla Larry Ming
Raymond Ma Flo
Ellen Albertini Dow Ethel Perlmutter
Dona Hardy Chef Henry Jambon
Roy Brocksmith
Episodes
The J. Edgar Hoover Pin Story | Sexual Intercom | What Ever Happened to Baby Payne? | Gossip Checks in and a Cat Checks Out | Pacific Ocean Duck | Trouble in Room 206 | I Never Forget a Face-Lift | Wedding Fever | Uncle Royal and Aunt Connie
Polly the maid became Breeze O’Rourke (Julie Benz), while Manuel from Barcelona mutated into a cowering and dusky if rather indeterminate foreigner called Mohammed (Rick Batalla).
