Alice
Alice title card
Format	Sitcom
Created by	Robert Getchell
Starring	Linda Lavin Philip McKeon Vic Tayback Polly Holliday (1976-1980) Beth Howland Diane Ladd (1980-1981) Celia Weston (1981-1985) Charles Levin (1984-1985) Marvin Kaplan (1978-1985)
Country of origin	United States
No. Robert Getchell is a BAFTA Award-winning Screenwriter who was born in Kansas City, Missouri. Linda Lavin (born October 15, 1937) is an American singer and actress Philip McKeon (born November 11 1964) is an American Actor. He is known for playing the role of Tommy Hyatt, the son of the title Victor "Vic" Tayback ( January 6 1930 – May 25 1990) was a New York City-born American actor of Syrian Polly Dean Holliday (born July 2, 1937 in Jasper, Alabama) to Ernest Sullivan Holliday and Velma Mabell Holliday Elizabeth "Beth" Howland (born May 28, 1941 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American actress who has worked extensively Diane Ladd (born November 29, 1935) is an American television film and stage actress. Celia Weston (born December 14, 1951) is an American actress of stage, Film and Television, and a character Charles Levin (born March 12, 1949) is an American actor who has appeared in television and movies and on stage Marvin Kaplan (born January 24, 1924 in Brooklyn New York) is a character actor and Voice artist. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the of seasons	9
No.  of episodes	202
Production
Executive producer(s)	Thomas Kuhn David Susskind
Running time	approx. Thomas Samuel Kuhn (surname ˈkuːn July 18, 1922  &ndash June 17, 1996) was an American intellectual who wrote extensively David Susskind ( December 19, 1920 – February 22, 1987) was a producer of TV movies and stage plays and also a pioneer TV talk show host 0:30 (per episode)
Production company(s)	Warner Bros. Television
Broadcast
Original channel	CBS
Original run	August 31, 1976 – July 2, 1985
External links
IMDb profile

Alice was a popular American television sitcom series which ran from August 31, 1976 to July 2, 1985 on CBS. Warner Bros Television is the television production and distribution arm of Warner Bros CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. Events 1056 - Byzantine Empress Theodora becomes ill dying suddenly a few days later without children to succeed the Throne Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 310 - Pope Miltiades is elected 626 - In fear of assassination Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic Events 1056 - Byzantine Empress Theodora becomes ill dying suddenly a few days later without children to succeed the Throne Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 310 - Pope Miltiades is elected 626 - In fear of assassination Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. The series was based on the 1974 film, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore is a 1974 Film which tells the story of a widow who moves with her young son to Tucson Arizona to start her The show stars Linda Lavin in the title role, the widow who moves with her young son to start her life over again, and finds a job working at a diner. Linda Lavin (born October 15, 1937) is an American singer and actress

Plot

Alice Hyatt, who finds herself an unemployed widow after her husband, Donald, is killed in a truck accident, moves with her young son Tommy from their New Jersey home to travel across the country to Los Angeles so that she can pursue a singing career. New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Her car breaks down in Phoenix, Arizona and she takes a job as a waitress at Mel's Diner (the establishing exterior shots were of a real diner, named Mel's, still in operation to this day in Phoenix). Phoenix (ˈfiːˌnɪks O'odham Skikik, Yavapai Wasinka, Western Apache Fiinigis, Navajo Hoozdo, Alice works alongside Mel Sharples (the grouchy, stingy owner/cook) and fellow waitresses (and friends) sassy, man-hungry Florence Jean Castleberry ("Flo") and neurotic, scatterbrained Vera Louise Gorman.

Principal character Alice Hyatt, played by Linda Lavin.

In the middle of the 1979-1980 season, Polly Holliday left the show to star in her own spin-off series, Flo. Media spin-off is the process of deriving new Radio programs Television programs or Video games or even Novels from already existing ones Flo was an American sitcom television series which ran from 1980 to 1981 on CBS. In the storyline of Alice, Flo left to take a hostess job in Houston, but then decided to buy and run a failing bar while visiting her hometown of Cowtown, Texas. Polly Holliday was never to make a guest appearance on Alice after beginning Flo, although flashbacks including Flo were included in the final episode of Alice. Diane Ladd, who received an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of Flo in the film version (she lost to Ingrid Bergman), joined the cast as Isabelle "Belle" Dupree, a hard-edged but kind-hearted woman who was one of Mel's first waitresses after he opened his diner. Diane Ladd (born November 29, 1935) is an American television film and stage actress. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. (ˈbærjman in Swedish but usually ˈbɝgmən in English (August 29 1915 &ndash August 29 1982 was a Swedish three-time Academy Award -winning and two-time Emmy In spite of Ladd's Golden Globe-winning performance as Belle, the character never gelled with most fans. The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and Television programs given out each year during a formal dinner For the main article see Golden Globe Award. Best Supporting Actress in a Series Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television It has also been said that Ladd clashed with her co-stars, and no flashbacks including Belle were shown on the final episode of Alice. In early 1981, Ladd exited the series. In the storyline of the show, Belle left to take a job as a backup singer in Nashville. Theatre actress Celia Weston then joined the cast as good-natured, boisterous truck driver Jolene Hunnicutt. Celia Weston (born December 14, 1951) is an American actress of stage, Film and Television, and a character

Jolene's character arrives as she and her male truck-driving partner are in the midst of a disagreement over her partner's unwelcome advances while on the job. Before the episode ended, Mel agreed to hire Jolene "temporarily" to pay for damages she had created, and the character lasted until the end of the series more than four years later. Jolene often mentioned that she was a distant relative of Jefferson Davis "Boss" Hogg, which was Sorrell Booke's role on The Dukes of Hazzard; Jolene also frequently mentioned her grandmother who was known to her family as "Granny Gumms" since she only had three or four teeth in her mouth. JD ( Jefferson Davis) Hogg (better known as "Boss" Hogg) is a Fictional character featured in the American Sorrell Booke ( January 4, 1930 – February 11, 1994) was an American Actor The Dukes of Hazzard is an American Television series that originally aired on the CBS television network from 1979 to 1985.

As the series progressed, it began to focus more on character development, such as the courtship and marriage of Vera and lovable cop Elliot. By the 1984-1985 season, many of the more plausible situations imaginable had been exhausted and Lavin seemed uninterested in continuing the character of Alice (Alice was absent several times in the last year due to Lavin directing a number of episodes or playing another role such as Mrs. Walden, Vera's wizened landlady). The storyline began its end in the early summer of 1985, when a country singer Travis, discovering that he's falling for Alice, "kidnaps" her to take her to Nashville, telling her its time to follow her dream and she can do it there. Bewildered at the thought of her dream finally becoming true, Alice agrees, but not without extracting a promise from Travis to drive her back to Phoenix so she can get her affairs in order.

The series concluded on July 2, 1985. Events 310 - Pope Miltiades is elected 626 - In fear of assassination Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) In the last episode, typical of sitcoms of the era, news of several life-changing events was revealed within a matter of minutes. Alice finally got a recording contract (after nine years of trying) and was moving to Nashville. Vera had become pregnant and decided to be a full-time mother, thanks to Elliot's success as a policeman. Jolene's "Granny Gums" finally passed away and left her enough money to open her own beauty parlor in her hometown. But what would become of Mel's Diner with all three waitresses suddenly leaving simultaneously? By an amazing coincidence, Mel had just sold the diner for a large amount of money to a real estate developer and had to close within days. Mel surprisingly gave each of his waitresses a $5,000 farewell bonus. The remainder of the episode showed many flashbacks to humorous and major events in the series, including many of the big stars who had appeared on the show, including Polly Holiday. When cleaning out her things, Alice finds the "Waitress Wanted" sign that drew her to the diner nine years earlier. The series' regular customers said their farewells, followed by Elliot, and finally the principal characters Tommy, Jolene, Vera, and Alice. The last thing we see is Mel putting up the "Closed" sign and locking up.

The final episode seemed to highlight all the characters more or less equally, and it seemed by this point that the series might have been more aptly titled "Mel's Diner. " In fact, many people who were not devoted fans of the series do not immediately recognize the reference to the title "Alice" until followed up with something like: "You know, Mel's Diner". . . "Oh, right. "

Mel's mother was played by Martha Raye: she was featured in many episodes, as was Mel's girlfriend Marie. Martha Raye ( August 27, 1916 &ndash October 19, 1994) was an American comic actress and standards singer who performed A number of other characters appeared on a semi-regular basis, including Alice's meddlesome mother Mona Spivak (played by Doris Roberts of Everybody Loves Raymond fame). Doris May Roberts (born November 4, 1930) Her father deserted the family when Roberts was a child and her mother raised Doris with the help of her Russian Everybody Loves Raymond is an Emmy Award -winning American Television sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 13 Several guest stars appeared as well including George Burns, Desi Arnaz, Jerry Reed, Dinah Shore, Art Carney, Eve Arden, Telly Savalas, and a young Jay Leno who played a motorcycle rider. George Burns ( January 20 1896 &ndash March 9 1996; born Nathan Birnbaum) was an American comedian, Actor Desi Arnaz (born Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III) ( March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986) was a Cuban American Jerry Reed Hubbard ( March 20, 1937 &ndash August 31, 2008) known professionally as Jerry Reed was an American Dinah Shore (born Frances Rose Shore February 29, 1916 - February 24, 1994) was an American Singer, Actress Arthur William Matthew “Art” Carney ( November 4, 1918 – November 9, 2003) was an Academy Award - and Emmy Award -winning Eve Arden ( April 30, 1908 – November 12, 1990) was an Academy Award -nominated and Emmy -winning American Aristotelis “Telly” Savalas (Αριστοτέλης Σαβάλας in Greek January 21, 1922 – January 22, 1994) was an American James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno (born April 28 1950 is an Emmy Award -winning American Stand-up comedian and Television host

Except for the pilot, which had no scenes from Mel's Diner in the opening credits, the same shot of Vera with the "exploding straws" was used in the opening credits for the entire run of the series.

The diner also had its share of customers, the most frequent was Henry (Marvin Kaplan), who was the telephone repairman and who always talked about his wife Chloe, played by Ruth Buzzi in one episode. Marvin Kaplan (born January 24, 1924 in Brooklyn New York) is a character actor and Voice artist. Ruth Buzzi (born July 24, 1936) is an American actress and Comedian of Theatre, Film, and Television.

As an ongoing gag, the front of Mel's diner was often destroyed, notably by Flo crashing a truck through it, Mel chopping down a tree which then landed in the diner, and the girls landing a hot air balloon in the diner, among other gimmicks. Mel was always horrified to see his diner destroyed. Upon crashing through the roof at Mel's in a hot air balloon, Jolene cries, "We went to the bad place and it looks just like Mel's!"

Mel was also a stickler for tardiness. In one episode during the fourth season, Mel installs a time clock and the waitresses outsmarted it with time sheets showing them working long hours and Mel having to pay overtime with huge checks to boot, Mel threw the time clock into the trash and didn't fuss about their tardiness again. Another stickler for Mel was the waitresses taking on other jobs, leading to one, or in some cases, all three getting fired, but Mel always rehired the waitresses before the end of each episode.

Another early running feature in the show was the popularity of "Mel's World Famous Chili". In a first season episode, a food critic from the newspaper (played by Victor Buono) came to visit the diner, but when he ate the chili, he dropped dead. Charles Victor Buono ( February 3, 1938 - January 1, 1982) was an Academy Award - and Golden Globe-nominated American The waitresses and Mel thought at first it was the chili, but actually it was Peking Duck that he ate at a Chinese restaurant. Peking Duck, or Peking Roast Duck is a famous Duck dish from Beijing that has been prepared since the Yuan Dynasty, and is now considered one Chinese cuisine ( Traditional Chinese: 中國菜 Simplified Chinese: 中国菜 originated from the various regions of China and has become widespread in Later on, guest star Art Carney tried to get Mel to give him the recipe but to no avail. Arthur William Matthew “Art” Carney ( November 4, 1918 – November 9, 2003) was an Academy Award - and Emmy Award -winning The popularity of Mel's Chili ultimately led to an appearance on the Dinah Shore show where Dinah was doing her show from Phoenix, but it led to some bickering among Alice, Flo, and Vera because Mel had to take only one person to help him out with the preparations of the chili, but Mel decided to take everyone along much to everyone's delight. Dinah Shore (born Frances Rose Shore February 29, 1916 - February 24, 1994) was an American Singer, Actress Mel refused to reveal his "secret ingredient" during the cooking segment.

Flo's catch phrase, "Kiss my grits" was popular at the time her character appeared on the show. A catch phrase (or catchphrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance According to Polly Holliday, the line was originally written as "Kiss my honeydew", but did not get any laughs. Another catch phrase of Flo's was "When donkeys fly". A catch phrase (or catchphrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance Since her portrayal of Flo, Polly Holiday has refused to repeat her famous line. Mel took on a catch phrase of his own, often directed towards his waitstaff at times of insolence, when he would say "You stow it". Whenever Vera would make one of her dumb remarks, someone was bound to say, "Good, Vera. " Belle had a catchphrase in "my little voice. "

The characters of Alice, Flo and Vera were supposed to be years apart in age; but the actresses who played these characters are all in the same age range. Flo was supposed to be in her mid-to-late 40s during the show's premise, but Polly Holliday was only 39. Alice was supposed to be 35 years old when the show begins, but Linda Lavin is just three months younger than Holliday. Vera was referred to as a "kid" and was presumably in her 20s, but Beth Howland is only four years younger than Lavin and Holliday, making her 35 years old at the time of the show's premiere.

Ratings

Alice was a very popular hit during its 9-year run: here's a list of the show's ratings:

Cast

The door to Mel's Diner. The waitress void was filled by the introduction of Alice Hyatt in the first episode.

• Linda Lavin - Alice Hyatt
• Philip McKeon - Tommy Hyatt (Alfred Lutter briefly reprised his role from the movie but was replaced after the pilot episode)
• Vic Tayback - Mel Sharples (Tayback reprised his role from the movie)
• Beth Howland - Vera Louise Gorman
• Polly Holliday - Florence Jean "Flo" Castleberry (1976-1980)
• Diane Ladd - Isabelle "Belle" Dupree (1980-1981) (Ladd played the role of Flo in the movie)
• Celia Weston - Jolene Hunnicutt (1981-1985)
• Martha Raye - Carrie Sharples (Mel's mother) (1978-1985)
• Charles Levin - Elliot Novak (1983-1985)
• Marvin Kaplan - Henry Beesmeyer (1977-1985)
• Victoria Carroll - Marie Massey (1978-1984)

Alice was often compared with Three's Company in that it also went through three different blonde cast members during its run. Linda Lavin (born October 15, 1937) is an American singer and actress Alice Hyatt (born Alice Spivak is a fictional character in the movie Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore and in Philip McKeon (born November 11 1964) is an American Actor. He is known for playing the role of Tommy Hyatt, the son of the title Tommy Hyatt is a fictional character in the film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore and the television sitcom Alice. Alfred Lutter (born 21 March 1962) is an American Child actor who starred along with Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese Victor "Vic" Tayback ( January 6 1930 – May 25 1990) was a New York City-born American actor of Syrian Melvin Emory Sharples (better known as Mel is a fictional character in the movie Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore and the subsequent Elizabeth "Beth" Howland (born May 28, 1941 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American actress who has worked extensively Vera Novak (born Vera Louise Gorman was a fictional character in the long-running television series Alice. Polly Dean Holliday (born July 2, 1937 in Jasper, Alabama) to Ernest Sullivan Holliday and Velma Mabell Holliday Florence Jean Castleberry, better known to all as "Flo" is a fictional character in the movie Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, the subsequent television Diane Ladd (born November 29, 1935) is an American television film and stage actress. Isabelle Amanda Dupree better known as Belle was a fictional character in the television series Alice. Celia Weston (born December 14, 1951) is an American actress of stage, Film and Television, and a character Jolene Hunnicutt was a fictional character in the television series Alice. Martha Raye ( August 27, 1916 &ndash October 19, 1994) was an American comic actress and standards singer who performed Carrie Sharples was a fictional character in the television series Alice. Charles Levin (born March 12, 1949) is an American actor who has appeared in television and movies and on stage Marvin Kaplan (born January 24, 1924 in Brooklyn New York) is a character actor and Voice artist. Three's Company is an American Sitcom that aired from 1977 to 1984 on ABC.

Theme song

"There's a New Girl in Town", music by David Shire, lyrics by Alan & Marilyn Bergman; performed by Linda Lavin. Several different arrangements of this tune were used throughout the series' run.

Syndication

Alice was seen in reruns:

• from June 1980 to September 1982 on CBS daytime;
• on many local broadcast stations throughout the 1980s;
• in the late 1980s on the cable TV network TBS;
• sporadically from the mid-1990s until early 1998 on E! Entertainment Television;
• on TNN from late June 1999 to January 2001. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. TBS is an American Cable television network that shows sports and a variety of programming with a focus on comedy E! Entertainment Television (or simply E!) is an American Cable television and Direct broadcast satellite network Spike (formerly called Spike TV) a division of MTV Networks, is an American cable network designed for an audience described

The show returned to television on April 2, 2007, airing on the ION Television network weekdays at 7:30pm until June 22, 2007. Events 68 - Galba, Governor of Hispania, names himself legatus senatus populique Romani, breaking the line of Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Ion Television is a broadcast television network first broadcast on August 31 1998 Events 217 BC - Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The show was heavily edited to make time for additional commercials, with several minutes of important plot often haphazardly cut. The show returned to ION Television on November 24, 2007, with two back-to-back episodes at 7:00pm EST Monday through Thursday, and continued until the entire series' episodes had been aired. Ion Television is a broadcast television network first broadcast on August 31 1998 Events 380 - Theodosius I makes his adventus, or formal Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. It was replaced by Family Feud on April 7, 2008. Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common

Select episodes of Alice and Flo currently air for free on the internet at AOL's In2TV service. In2TV is a joint-service offered by AOL and Warner Bros that enables people in the USA only to download television (link)

DVD

Cover of the six-episode Alice DVD

On June 27, 2006, 6 episodes of Alice were released on DVD as part of the Warner Brothers' Television Favorites Compilation. Events 1358 - Republic of Dubrovnik is founded 1709 - Peter the Great defeats Charles XII of Sweden Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The episodes were hand picked by fans at SitcomsOnline. com and are as follows:

• Alice Gets a Pass, 09/29/76 - First non-pilot episode.
• The Odd Couple, 02/26/77 - When Flo's trailer is stolen, Alice allows Flo to move in with her. Alice finds Flo's habits difficult to deal with.
• Close Encounters of the Worst Kind, 01/22/78 - Alice's use of psychology causes tension among her coworkers.
• Block Those Kicks, 10/22/78 - The waitresses decide to give up their bad habits in order to encourage Mel to give up his gambling habit.
• Cabin Fever, 12/02/79 - The waitresses, Mel and his girlfriend unknowingly book the same cabin during the same weekend.
• Flo's Farewell, 02/24/80 - Flo leaves Mel's diner for a hosting job at a restaurant in Texas.

Alice Season 1 is now available on Apple iTunes Store for downloading to your iPod. The iTunes Store is a software-based online Digital media store operated by Apple Inc iPod is a popular brand of Portable media players designed and marketed by Apple Inc The current cost is $34. 99 for the entire season or $1. 99 per episode.

The Alice sets

The Mel's Diner set made changes over the years; in the pilot the diner contained a blue refrigerator, but in the series the refrigerator was a dirty stainless steel, then later was changed to clean and shiny stainless steel in 1979-81 and much later an even shinier stainless steel refrigerator and better appliances. However, the rest of the sets remained the same.

The men's and ladies' restrooms were confined to one room in the pilot and during the first season. From 1977-1985, there were separate restrooms with "Ladies" and "Men" written on them.

The storeroom was inside the diner where the Men's restroom would later be and said "Private" on it during the 1976-1977 season. The storeroom from 1977 to 1985 was confined to the back of the diner. Here, the waitresses took their breaks, had their lockers, and stored their uniforms. Mel also conducted his business from this space.

The payphone was a touch tone and was located on the left of the "Restrooms" door in the pilot episode. For the first season, it was moved to the right of the doors that led to the kitchen section of the diner. For the second season, it was moved to the wall between the two doors that became two separate restrooms and was replaced by a phone with a rotary dial. From 1978 to 1985, the phone was a touch tone and was located at a section that was a few steps away from the entrance to the diner.

In the first season, the diner was decorated in an Aztec and Cowboy motif to accommodate the feel of Arizona. For the second season, the walls had pink wallpaper with red lines on it. For the third season, the walls had wallpaper with orange leaves on it.

The pilot episode was taped at CBS Television City in Hollywood, CA. After this, the series was taped at The Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, CA. Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and

Differences between the movie and show's premise

Despite being based on the film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Alice had many contrasts with the film. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore is a 1974 Film which tells the story of a widow who moves with her young son to Tucson Arizona to start her

External links

• Alice at the Internet Movie Database