Alice

Yes, I do have too much time on my hands, and I enjoy it. Alice is just one of the many programs I enjoy from the 70's era. It may not be an award winner, but to me it's better then some of the new stuff I've seen come out today. The actors play the roles as if they really did exist, natural, and just right. All I can say is, if you like it, you like it, and if you don't, be nice. There's no need to be nasty about what you don't care for.

All right! All right already! I admit it! I used to watch this show because I had a crush on Linda Lavin as a kid! There, the world knows it now! Satisfied!? Now, I watch the reruns because I think the show provides humour that is light and clean and that doesn't make you think too much. Based on the movie "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," Alice Hyatt (Lavin) plays a broke, recently widowed mother of Tommy (Philip McKeon). Her car broke down in Phoenix en route to Hollywood, leaving her stranded in Phoenix. Working for Mel (Vic Tayback) the penurious tubby tyrannical proprietor of Mel's Diner, she befriends fellow waitresses Vera (Beth Howland), an innocent simpleton, and Flo (Polly Holliday), a high octane nymphomaniac whose homespun Texas manner provides the perfect foil for the street tough, New Jersey-bred "new girl in town." Flo is an even better foil for Mel, and never hesitates to retort him with some valuable advice..."Kiss my grits!" The show definitely had a split personality: funny until 1980 when Flo left, and then it went straight downhill for the next five years. Cameo players such as Andy (Pat Crenshaw), Travis (Tom Mahoney), and Henry (Marvin Kaplan) were valuable to the show, as were George Burns, Telly Savalas, Art Carney, and Martha Raye. Equally memorable were some of the one-liners, including "Can you read lips? [Raspberry!]," "Don't be rational when I'm hysterical," and "If we get out of this alive, I'm going to kill you!" One of my favourite episodes revolved around an ex-gangster wanted by the FBI and the mob, coupled with a whiny truckdriver whose rig full of peaches broke down outside the diner. Not the basis of a James Joyce or a Henry Roth novel, but entertaining nonetheless. At least the early episodes were.

It's enchanting, it's hard to believe that such a terrific show once existed. I fell in love with Alice while watching reruns as a young girl, and I'm so happy to see that the reruns are being aired on TNN.

It's a very light hearted show, you don't have to really think about anything, you can just sit back and relax.

All the actors (especially in the first few seasons) are amazing to watch, no wonder it lasted 9 years.

What happened to "Alice"? You can't find it on DVD, can't find it on cable, and can't even locate it late at night in local syndicated reruns. It's hard to guess why the powers-that-be at TV Land or Nick at Nite haven't realized that this show would be popular as part of their lineup.

Anyway, this show set itself apart from many of its era by its semi-unpredictability. Every plot didn't have a happy ending, and there wasn't necessarily a "good" lesson taught to the viewer by the end. For example, in one episode when Flo enrolls in night school to finally earn her high school diploma, she has trouble concentrating on her homework, and is "forced" by Alice to stay home and study. Rather than provide the viewer with the happy and P.C. ending where Flo realizes the value of an education, the episode concludes with her sneaking out the window to go on a date. Presumably, Flo never gets that diploma.

The show did a good job presenting a blue-collar "diner" setting. None of the waitresses were beautiful, and outside of the endless parade of famous guest stars, the clientele shown in Mel's fit well with that of a '70s greasy spoon in a city like Phoenix. Supporting characters such as Henry and Earl -- everymen in all senses of the term -- fit in well with this motif.

Each character brought something to the show. Alice was the sensible single mom with big hopes and dreams. Vera was the childlike ditz. Flo was the outspoken, aging, oversexed country woman. Mel was gruff and selfish, but was kind-hearted beneath the surface. "Kiss my grits" became a household phrase.

Unfortunately, with Flo's departure, the show took a steady turn downhill. Diane Ladd's Belle and Celia Weston's Jolene were nowhere near as colorful as Flo, and as a result, the plots started to slip, as well. A lot of the later episodes were stupid and downright embarrassing. Many of the early elements that made this show great were simply missing in the later years.

Overall, this was a very entertaining show, and it's a shame that it can no longer be found. Hopefully this will change in future years.

Not only did this show boast great writing and characters, but it also included a great list of guests as well. Desi Arnaz, Eve Arden, Art Carney, and Martha Raye were just some of the names to take a shot at Alice.

All the cast members played their characters to the hilt, especially Polly Holiday as Florence Jean Castleberry. Sadly, her series "Flo" did not do as well.

A great series well worth watching.