Was Barbara Billingsley’s cameo role in 1980’s “Airplane!” originally written for another actress?

By JACK BAGLEY
didyouknowcolumn@gmail.com
Summer is a-coming in! Next week, in fact, we will see the longest day of the year, the summer solstice.
The Sun rises at its earliest and sets at its latest. After that, days get progressively shorter until the first day of winter in December.
And the cycle renews itself.
You know, there’s something very comforting in that. Nice to know that, even in our modern confusing society, some things are constant.
Like the change of seasons.
And trivia.
Here’s this week’s edition of constant.  Enjoy!
Did you know …
… you may know someone who practices limnology? Don’t get upset, it isn’t one of the mystic arts. Limnology is the scientific study of inland water ecosystems. A limnologist studies lakes and wetlands. (So they’re all wet, right?)
… the average lightning bolt is about one inch in diameter? (That’s some electrifying information right there.)
… the average American spends about 1,600 hours per year watching television? By comparison, that same average American (whoever it is) spends 323 hours reading. (Which explains why writing for television is the best bet.)
… a very popular child’s toy initially did not come with the most important part? In 1949, toymaker George Lerner (1922-1995) invented a toy he called Mr. Potato Head™, and by 1952 the toy had taken off in popularity with children. The toy featured a set of plastic body parts to put into a potato head, but … no potato head. Kids were expected to use the body parts on their own real potatoes. It wasn’t until 1964 that Hasbro, the company which marketed the toy, added a plastic potato to the kit. (I’m still waiting for the Mashed Potato playset.)
… The Lord of the Rings is not a trilogy? Written by J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973) between 1937 and 1949, it is actually one long, long book. The publishers of that volume felt it would be cheaper to break the book into three parts and publish it as a trilogy than to publish the entire manuscript at one time. Allen & Unwin Publishers broke the story into three books: The Two Towers, The Fellowship of the Ring, and The Return of the King. (Either way, they’re compelling reads.)
… a cameo role in a 1980 comedy movie was originally written for a different actress? In the hilarious 1980 spoof Airplane!, an elderly woman offers to “translate” jive talk spoken by two men who were suffering from food poisoning. The minor part was originally written for Harriet Nelson (1909-1994), who had played the mother on the 1950s series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Nelson turned down the cameo, however, due to concerns with the language used in the script. The producers then offered the bit part to Barbara Billingsley (1915-2010), whose moment in the film is considered a comedy classic. Billingsley had played the mother on the series Leave It to Beaver. Additional trivia note: Following the success of Airplane!, Nelson said she regretted turning down the cameo. (And don’t call me Shirley.)
… most of the money spent on anti-poverty programs does nothing to help those in poverty? Economists say that if all of the money spent on federal anti-poverty programs was actually given to the poor, a family of four would have an income of around $70,000. Far more than half of the money, however, goes to fund the bureaucracies that run the programs, and what little is left trickles down to those who actually need it. (And I’m not telling you anything you didn’t already know.)
… you could end up having green blood? It can happen if you take too much of the medications sulfasalazine or sumatriptan. And the proper treatment for having green blood is a simple one – wait it out. Stop taking the medicines and your blood will eventually return to its natural robust red color. (Either that, or you grow pointed ears and become a Vulcan.)
… a classic character in literature almost had a different name? One of the most iconic characters in A Christmas Carol, written in 1843 by Charles Dickens (1812-1870), is Tiny Tim, the youngest son of the poverty-stricken Cratchit family. While writing the original story, Dickens considered other alliterative names for the character: Little Larry, Puny Pete, and Small Sam among them. (Oh, that Charles, he was a real Dickens with his sense of humor.)
… one automobile designer is responsible for some of the most iconic cars in history? If you’ve seen any of the Back to the Future movies, you’re aware of the DeLorean automobile. It was designed by John Z. DeLorean (1925-2005) and those movies made his 1982 model auto a collector’s item, though they were a flop when first made. But DeLorean designed some other cars you may recognize: the Pontiac GTO, Firebird and Grand Prix, and the Chevrolet Vega. Additional trivia note: DeLorean was arrested in 1982 on drug trafficking charges, supposedly trying to raise money for his failing auto company. He successfully defended himself against the charges by proving entrapment by Federal agents.
… the letter “E” is not used in most grading systems? Yeah, you knew that, especially if you have some of your old report cards. But did you know why? “E” was originally used to indicate a failing grade, but by the 1930s it was phased out of the A, B, C, etc., system because students were interpreting it to mean “excellent.” Additional trivia note: Some grading systems do use “E” to mean “excellent,” and in those systems “F” does not mean failing. It means “fair.” Failing grades in such systems are represented by “U” for “unsatisfactory.” (Some of my report cards had grades you won’t find in any alphabet.)
Now … you know!
Copyright © 2025 Jack Bagley