Norman Lear originally planned for all of the dialogue on the show to be improvised as Martin Mull and Fred Willard are skilled improvisational comedians. But head writer Alan Thicke insisted that the show would be better scripted with Mull and Willard improvising occasionally. Lear threatened to fire Thicke after the first week of shows but because of the audience's positive response, Lear relented.
The members of the Mirth Makers were usually uncredited. They were Eddie Robertson as Eddie Thomerson, bass; Tommy Tedesco as Tommy Marinucci, guitar; Frank Marocco as Frankie Carbone, accordion; and Colin Bailey as the drummer. Bailey is the only member of the band who was not featured separately in a comedic bit.
An additional ten minutes of material was taped for each episode, in case an ad-libbed segment didn't work or something was deemed too offensive.
Although not a major success during its original run, the producers were flooded with over 12,000 letters demanding its return. Norman Lear noted its popularity with college students, who were overlooked in ratings. This support led to its retitled revival, America 2-Night (1978).
The show was designed to fill the summer gap between seasons of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976), later renamed Forever Fernwood (1977). While Mary Hartman aired on 120+ stations, only 43 picked up this spinoff, and poor ratings led to Forever Fernwood running on just 31.
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