Filthy Rich

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.")

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??? :)

For some strange reason, I always remembered this show. Maybe it was the outrageousness of it all or the fact that parodied Dallas. Anyway, I loved Dixie Carter, Ann Wedgeworth, Nedra Volz, and Delta Burke here more than I liked Dixie and Delta on Designing Women. I love parodies and this show should have been huge but again the demographics probably did not meet with network requirements like they did with Mama's Family and other shows that never made the cut. After all, they wanted a younger, hipper audiences. Now who is getting the last laugh since Blue Collar Comedy is back and in demand more than ever. That was the appeal of Filthy Rich was all the outrageousness about money and social classes. Too bad there were only fifteen episodes, we could have had more.

While I would be hesitant to name 'Filthy Rich' as one of the funniest sitcoms of all time, it is most definitely one of the funniest series of the 1980's. Some consider it a shame that it never found it's audience. Actually, that may be its saving grace because thankfully it never had a chance to go downhill. The episodes that were made are total gems. The acting is hysterically funny; Ann Wedgeworth being at her absolute best and, in my opinion, robbed of an Emmy nomination. Nedra Volz is also a standout, along with Dixie Carter and Delta Burke in their pre-'Designing Women' days. If this ever becomes available, buy it on the spot! You won't be disappointed. I WANT MY DVD!!

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.