Sandy Duncan recently reminisced about her shocking encounter with Burt Reynolds after Barney and the Backyard Gang.
The 80-year-old actress and comedian illuminated Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia, where she opened up about playing Mom, the mother of characters Amy and Michael, in the original direct-to-video series Barney and the Backyard Gang while she was in the middle of the NBC sitcom The Hogan Family from 1986 to 1991.
Reynolds was in the three videos, The Backyard Show, Three Wishes, and A Day at the Beach, released between 1988 and 1989. Following the success of three episodes, the producers wanted her to play the role in the television series, which was moved to PBS and became Barney & Friends. Notably, she did not accept the offer but later regretted her decision.
“When I got there and saw what it was, I went, ‘Oh my God, what have I done?’ We filmed it, and it was very much a [children’s] show. It ended because I had to go back to work,” Duncan told Sibilia, referring to her show The Hogan Family.
She had a meeting with the creators of The Hogan Family, “they all had Texas accents, and they said… ‘we’re going to have plush toys and do all this.'”
It is pertinent to mention that the Pinocchio star earned huge acclaim after her appearance on the original video series and among many kids, Reynolds’ son Quinton also wore out his Barney VHS tape.
“We were at a big gathering, one of those events, and somebody behind my back creeped up and whispered in my ear, ‘I wanted to kill you.’ Because he had a toddler, and he said, ‘All we have on television is you and Barney.’” Sandy Duncan recalled.
It is important to note that HBO Max releases a new animated series, Barney’s World, in 2024, which is “set in a local playground, the show is centered around dinosaurs Barney, Billy, and Baby Bop, and their three kid best friends. Barney helps kids explore big preschool emotions and shows them how to love themselves and others.”
