Filthy Rich

I'm watching a few episodes of Filthy Rich right now, going through an old stockpile of VHS tapes. It is excellent! This would make a great addition to TV Land or Brilliant but Canceled.

I'm also amazed at how far backwards we've traveled, as some of the lightweight scenes of this comedy would never be permitted in the overly PC world of 20 years later. And that's sad.

Dixie Carter is great, Delta Burke is her perfect foil. The entire cast seems carefully crafted and perfectly chosen. The overly opulent sets are just as overblown as anything on Dynasty. The dialog is quick, the plots just ridiculous enough. I'll bet reruns of this would even have flown during the writer's strike, moreso than reality shows.

Unfortunately, the storylines from the third episode forward didn't keep up the standards. First, they replaced Slim Pickens as the late "Big Guy" Beck with Forrest Tucker. Although a great actor, Forrest just didn't come off as funny as Slim did. (Unfortunately, I believe they had no choice, as that was about the time Slim passed away.) The banter between Delta Burke and Dixie Carter was incredible, and the addition of Nedra Volz as "Big Guy's" ex, whose elevator didn't go to the top, whose porch-light was on, but nobody was home, helped as well. If only the story-lines kept up the standards set by the first two, maybe the series would have lasted.

Even with that being said, this series should be released, as the first two episodes make the whole series worth having. (I was beside myself when Dixie Carter told Delta Burke to "shove her Mary Ann Mobley act into a hatbox and hit the road.")

This was the funniest series that was ever on TV. It needs to be available on video. I for one would buy several to give as gifts. Ann Wedgeworth is just hilarious, but every actor is superb. After 20 years, I still remember some of the scenes! Anyone who ever saw it has never forgotten it.

There were so many hilarious quotes on Filthy Rich but one of my favorites that didn't make the quote list was: "For a moment there I had an overwhelming sensation of total desolation and utter futility, but I'm okay now." The episode with Bootsie and her "fantasy fur" was hilarious. Bootsie said something like "it's soft, it enhances trash cans and hair spray" the Carlotta says; " a lot of brightly colored monkeys had to die for that." Another favorite was when Carlotta got a job on Mud Island in Memphis. She apparently fell into the Mississippi River. When she came home, Marshal asked her something like what was she wearing. She said it was a Souther Belle outfit. He said, you look like you've been rung. I've literally been looking for this series to come out on tape or DVD. I'd love to have it and add it to my collection of favorite TV shows. Come on, it's only 15 episodes!

I remember watching this show during the summer. It was truly hilarious, especially if you were a fan of "Dallas" and "Dynasty" and other nighttime soap operas since this show was a spoof of them. Dixie Carter, Delta Burke, Nedra Volz and Ann Wedgeworth were are all hysterical in their roles and made the show the side-splitting comedy it was. We all know Delta Burke and Dixie Carter went on to play the Sugarbaker sisters on "Designing Women." Nedra Volz was a guest star on many shows and played one of the maids on "Diff'rent Strokes" for a while. Ann Wedgeworth played Dan Conner's mother on "Roseanne" and also played sex-starved neighbor Lana on "Three's Company" for one season (1979-1980); she was always hitting on Jack Tripper. (She was probably added to fill the void left by Mrs. Roper, who was also sex-starved, when the Ropers left "Three's Company" for their own spin-off show.) Like many others posted here, it would be great to see this show again.

I would also like to see "The Nutt House" with Cloris Leachman (Phyllis from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show") and Harvey Korman (from "The Carol Burnett Show"). This show ran on ABC for about one month in 1989. If you blinked, you missed it! If you liked "Filthy Rich" you would most likely enjoy this show, too. It was full of funny and witty dialogue, zany sight gags and screwball antics. But it never got a chance. I think both shows were, unfortunately, way ahead of their time in their type of humor and just did not catch on with most viewers.

It's a shame both of these shows did not run for years. Hopefully, they will show up soon somehow. DVD releases would be wonderful. I'm hoping that the great cable channel TV Land will at least trot them out for a mini-marathon. Are you listening, TV Land??? :)