Melinda Culea doesn’t act much anymore – her final credit is the 2001 movie “Dying on the Edge” – but she’s been in a number of pretty big shows, including “The X-Files” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”
She’s become an executive producer, which earns her plenty to live comfortably. She’s been the executive producer for “Odds Are,” a low-budget horror, mystery, and thriller movie that came out in 2018. She’s also proven herself as a writer, releasing her first novel (“Wondago: An Illustrated Mystery Novel”) in 2016. The book is technically a graphic novel (according to Amazon, at least), and reviews have been quite positive.
Respect Takes Time
When Melinda Culea herself opened up to "Radio Times" magazine in 1983 about her role on the show, she admitted to desiring a bigger role. She said that gaining respect from her male coworkers was slow and difficult and that she was often ignored.
Her big idea was for Allen to find herself in the middle of the team's fights every once in a while – but since she didn't have any firearms experience, she would get in the way and add some comic relief.
Animosity on the Set
The male cast members all privately believed that the show never needed a female character. George Peppard was even thought to dislike Culea enough to want her off the show.
They reiterated this idea in "Bring Back The A-Team." The show was about Vietnam veterans (so, obviously, all men), which was the big reasoning behind the train of thought. While times have changed – women now serve in the military alongside men, for one thing – we have to admit they kind of had a point. For one reason or another, Culea was fired from the show after filming only a handful of episodes. She continued to appear in the title sequence, however.
The Leader of the Team Himself
George Peppard was the leader of the A-Team as Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith. He was the brains of the group, the tactician, and a master of disguise. His tan safari jacket and black leather gloves were his constant mission outfit, and his constant cigar-chomping painted him as the guy in charge.
Peppard, however, wasn't much of a leader behind the camera, as he didn't get along with cast members that much he feuded with Melinda Culea, and it's been reported that he didn't get along very well with Mr. T, either. He explained it all to the host of the TV show "On The Jazz."
B.A Bacarus Had Some Unreasonable Demands
According to Peppard, Mr. T made a lot of demands about firing members of the crew that upset him in one way or another. This included a certain British wardrobe lady that Peppard was fond of. The cast members were eventually let go, which angered the older actor.
He told Terry Wogan from "On The Jazz" that he wouldn't speak to him for as long as 16 weeks. He then added that they did eventually lay the conflict to rest and get on with the show. Peppard had good reason to get on with the show.