The Truth About Lydia Cornell’s Relationship With Ted Knight
Growing up, I really enjoyed Too Close for Comfort which debuted on ABC in 1980. After three seasons on the network, the show then became a first-run syndicated program for its final three seasons.
Part of the reason that I enjoyed the show so much was that I had always been a big fan of Ted Knight’s style of bombastic humor. In addition to his work on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, I had also loved the cartoon Super Friends, where Ted had served as the narrator during its first season. In fact, I can still hear him in my head saying, “Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice.”
But, truth be told, he wasn’t the only reason that I was watching Too Close for Comfort; I was also a pretty darn big fan of Lydia Cornell. Given my age at the time, I’d say that I was part of the target audience the show’s producers were after when they cast the then 18-year-old Lydia in the role.
Prior to Too Close for Comfort, Lydia had had just a handful of guest spots on various TV shows, and she was excited for the opportunity to work with Ted Knight. Like myself, she’d grown up watching him and now here she was, working with the comedic legend. I think we all would feel a little bit intimidated given those circumstances, and Lydia was no exception. From everything that I’ve read, Ted kind of picked up on that, and he could be either hot or cold with Lydia. There were moments when he was kind and understanding, but there were other times when his patience would run a bit thin.
Clockwise from front: Ted Knight, Lydia Cornell, Nancy Dussault and Deborah Van Valkenburgh. Credit: Jim Britt / TV Guide / Everett Collection
In an interview with Fox News in 2020, Lydia said this, “He was very strict like a dad. But I was so in awe of him because he was already an icon at this point. But he was also so funny.”
From what I understand, there were moments on the set where Lydia even had a hard time making eye contact with Ted because she knew how frustrated he’d become with her. It makes sens,e because Ted had a lot riding on Too Close For Comfort. He needed it to be successful, and working with a relative newcomer like Lydia was a bit risky.
Jim Britt / TV Guide / Everett Collection
Like many actors, I think it’s fair to say that while Ted was doing his best to keep his ego in check, it was still there. And it’s possible that he may have felt just a little bit threatened by the fact that Lydia was a star on the rise.
When Season 6 rolled around, Lydia’s TV sister Jackie, played by Deborah Van Valkenburgh, made the decision to leave the show, and for whatever reason, the show decided to drop Lydia as well.
Credit: D.L. Taffner Syndication/ Everett Collection
This decision was tremendously disappointing for Lydia, who’d really enjoyed being part of the cast. Incidentally, the program was also renamed during its final season; it was now The Ted Knight Show. In fact, for that final season, the setting was moved to Marin County, a new theme song was recorded, and a new opening title sequence was shot.
Sadly, not long after that, Ted fell ill with cancer, and production of the show came to a screeching halt. Almost a decade earlier, he had been diagnosed with colon cancer. For a long time, it had been in remission, but it was back, and this time it did not go away.
In that same Fox News interview, Lydia said, “I cried so hard at his funeral. We were all together, relying on each other for comfort. But I just couldn’t stop crying. We really loved him and he was like a father figure to us, a real father.”
Despite their highs and lows, Lydia had grown awfully fond of Ted. How could she not? He was a feller who battled his way to the top, fought like hell to stay there, and then did everything that he could to beat cancer. So, I guess you could say that the truth about the relationship between Lydia and Ted is that it was an extremely complicated one. Nevertheless, it was a relationship that both individuals found value in.
Remind
1974 (50 Years Ago)
January 2024
In this time capsule issue of ReMIND Magazine we look back 50 years ago to 1974!
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