Eve Whitfield or Fran Belding ?
I would like to know which girl you prefer.
Eve is my favorite. I love the way she stood up to the chief from time to time. I find her personality more interesting than Fran's.
Barbara Anderson has a movie star Grace Kelly-ish persona. Eve is an intriguing character.
I relate more to Fran and her less privileged background. I like the spunk and spontenaity in Elizabeth Baur's performance.
When Barbara left, I think they made the right choice in not trying to replicate the character, but bring a different sensibility to the group. It was particularly nice that both characters took part in "The Return of Ironside".
"It's as red as The Daily Worker and just as sore."
I agree when you say they were right to introduce someone completely different from Eve.
And yes, it was nice to see both of them in "The Return of Ironside", but how do they know each other ? Where and when did they meet ? It should have been mentioned in the movie.
How was Eve's departure explained in the series?
sharesweet1310452: There was no explanation of any kind, just the absence of Eve in a few episodes followed by the introduction of Fran.
shareThat's right: no explanation for her departure, and no explanation for her relationship with Fran. The reunion movie was the perfect opportunity to do some explaining though...
In the reunion movie didn't they say that Eve's late husband had been in law enforcement? I simply assumed that in that imaginary world outside the cases (episodes) that the core group kept in touch and that was Eve and Fran's introduction.
"It's as red as The Daily Worker and just as sore."
One thing that is refreshing about this show in retrospect is that although Eve (and Fran less so IMO because she was less glamorous looking) were very attractice young women the producers didn't focus on their looks in ways that were exploitive. They dressed them in nice, fairly conservative and flattering dresses and suits- they were attractive, not sexy. The women in the more recent police procedural shows are portrayed in a much more sexual manner that is unrealistic- then again maybe it is a matter of perspective. Barbara Anderson in her dresses, stockings and heels would not be a serious match for some vicious criminal. You get the sense that she and Fran needed the guys to rescue they if it were ever really on with a male criminal.
Then again, when you come right down to it modern TV and perhaps society in general is more focused on looks of both women and men. Don Galloway and Don Mitchell were fairly average looking fellows, not ravishing studs. I don't recall any comments on women screaming and carrying on over the male actors in this show. There's one scene in a show where Mark is digging up a gravesite and he removes his polo shirt, the camera is careful to show him from the back and from the neck up but he looks like an ordinary guy, not some guy who's at the gym for hours because he's obsessed with his physique. Also, in the earlier seasons those guys had very limited wardrobes- they seem to wear about maybe 4 or 5 different outfits each tops. A far cry from today's media.
My opinion? Elizabeth Baur. Because she was fine on that show! Beautiful Burnette!
Barb Anderson was ok! Typical Blonde!
Elizabeth Baur rules!
"SG"
I found Fran more attractive. I recall she was always in business attire, but there was one episode where some guy was stalking her, and there was a scene of her at a swimming pool in a bikini. Which was fairly erotic to see, after wondering how she would look through so many episodes. It was erotic in the eyes of a teenage boy at the time, at least.
shareI identify with Fran, since her background was similar to mine. Her father was a policeman, not a banker. She was able to give her opinion to Ironside, but really was concerned about his welfare. Ironside seemed to consider both women as friends, but he seems to have more interaction with Fran than Eve.
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