Original Pilot
In the show's original pilot, written by Billy Van Zandt, and Jane Milmore and based on a dramatic script by Clyde Phillips, Susan worked at a publishing house editing children's books. After breaking up with her live-in boyfriend Ted (Brian McNamara), Susan finds herself "single" for the first time in years. Concurrently, Susan faces even greater challenges at work when her boss Eric, (Philip Casnoff), assigns her the task of working as an editor with Charlotte (Elizabeth Ashley), a hugely successful and highly opinionated romance novelist. Thankfully, always on hand to provide support is Susan's grandmother, Nana (Nancy Marchand); her co-workers; acerbic best friend Marcy (Maggie Wheeler), and Neil (David Krumholtz), who has a crush on Susan.
The main office set retained most of its features when it became The Gate in the show; the most noticeable difference was that the elevator was to the right. The actual location for the exterior shots of the office was the Newhall Building at 260 California Street in San Francisco. The building, designed by architect Lewis P. Hobart, was built during 1908-1910 and enlarged in 1917.
A cardboard cut-out of Elizabeth Ashley which is featured in the pilot appears throughout the first three seasons of the show - it can be seen briefly behind Susan's desk, near the filing cabinets along the back wall. Brian McNamara later went onto play the part of Cooper Elliot, who took Susan to Italy at the end of season one. Nancy Marchand played Nana in the pilot; however, the part later went to Barbara Barrie.
Read more about this topic: Suddenly Susan
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