I, too, was a fan of the radio and TV series (via recordings--I'm was born after the movie was made). The problem with this movie, the TV series, and the later episodes of the radio series was that the cast was getting too old. The story is not so disappointing. And if they used another group of actors to be the same characters, that would be disappointing.
Many years later, when the cast of the Saturday morning TV series, Saved By the Bell, became too old looking to be high school students, they graduated them and put in different students.
Maybe it's like the proverbial soap opera storyline: An egg takes two days to fry. A pregnancy lasts two weeks. A baby remains a baby for five years. And Helen Trent still hasn't found a husband.
Many years later, when the cast of the Saturday morning TV series, Saved By the Bell, became too old looking to be high school students, they graduated them and put in different students.
Maybe it's like the proverbial soap opera storyline: An egg takes two days to fry. A pregnancy lasts two weeks. A baby remains a baby for five years. And Helen Trent still hasn't found a husband.