FAQ

Lee J. Cobb was used to playing rough abrasive characters and felt that his role as Judge Garth was not up to his usual standards. He also hated working for television, rather than movies, so he quit. Diane Roter's character, Jennifer, was closely tied to his, so her part got cut when he left. Roberta Shore, like her character, Betsy, really did leave the show to get married and settle down. John Dehner's character of Morgan Starr was widely disliked by audiences, so they cut him in favor of a new family. The Graingers started well, but Charles Bickford (John Grainger) died suddenly and had to be replaced by John McIntire (Clay Grainger). Stacey quit the show because he didn't like the way the networks were trying to save money by cutting writing staff and recycling old plots. When the ninth season rolled around, the Graingers got cut in a wild effort to mix things up and boost sagging ratings, but then the entire show was cancelled when the networks decided to put an end to all of these rural shows.