Phyllis

Of all the characters on THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW the least likable was possibly Phyllis Lindstrom. Played by Cloris Leachman (brilliantly) she was a pretentious know-it-all, who patronized Mary Richards (Ms Moore), acted like Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper) was a weird social misfit, and managed to annoy or confuse the other regular in the cast. Only once, when she learned that her unseen husband Lars had an affair (or sorts) with Sue Anne Nivens (Betty White) did Phyllis become sympathetic. Suddenly we felt she was human after all. But the character constantly ended with mud in her face in most of her appearances, and so she was a welcome member of the cast.

After RHODA spun off THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW it was thought that shows about the other characters might work. Actually the hour series LOU GRANT turned out to be successful too. But PHYLLIS was a harder nut to sell to the public. Rhoda Morgenstern was sympathetic because she was trying to find a husband and trying to survive her mother (Nancy Walker). Lou Grant (Edward Asner) was an experienced newspaperman, whose marriage had fallen apart. But PHYLLIS had no likable characteristic. This, of course, made a spin-off with her as the central character seem a hard sell.

The plot took Phyllis to California. Lars has died, so Phyllis takes her daughter Beth (Lisa Gerritson) with her and settle with Lars mother (Jane Rose) and her second husband, a Judge (Henry Jones). Also in the household is the Judge's mother (Judith Lowry). The first episodes were about her setting up her new home and her new job. But the job was with a woman named Julie Erskine, played by Barbara Colby. Unfortunately the talented, subtle, likable Ms Colby was killed with a boyfriend in an unsolved murder just a week or so after Phyllis began. The role was re-casted by Liz Torres.

Colby's murder would have been a serious problem for any show to get out of. That the producers and writers tried to continue the role show a willingness to wait and see if the public would accept the change. Fortunately the show managed to pull in a regular audience each week, partly because of the character played by Judith Lowry. The 80+ actress played a caustic tongued lady who did for Phyllis in this show what Rhoda had done in THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW. The part was a bit role, but like Henry Winkler's Fonzie on HAPPY DAYS it gradually expanded. Even when Phyllis went out of her way to be nice to her, Ms Lowry cut her down to size. She even filled out background about her youth. In one episode she shocks Henry Jones by openly suggesting that the great romance of her early days was with President Warren Harding!

As a result the show went through it's first season, and seemed to be headed to success. However it decided to change the location of Phyllis's job, changing from the business that was run by Torres (formerly by Colby) to being an assistant to a city councilman. The episode where Phyllis landed this job was quite humorous in another way: the councilman whom Phyllis initially goes to see about the job is John Ritter, who is in the midst of a news conference denying allegations of improprieties. She tries to start her duties, only to find Ritter asking her to help shred some files. As he tries to do this the police arrive to drag him off. Fortunately another councilman turns up who needs an assistant.

The second season seemed destined for success, and the beginning of a long run. In December 1976 Lowry's character married her current boy-friend (not a relative of Harding, by the way), in an full episode. Within two months Lowry died (so did Burt Mustlin, the elderly actor who played her bridegroom). Unlike Colby's character, which had not fully developed when she died, Lowry's had been developed. There was a taped introduction to an episode by Leachman, in honor to Lowry. It was moving. Unfortunately there was little time to figure out how to fill Lowry's big shoes (or remove the growing taint of a "Phyllis" curse). The show was not renewed for another season. Well, two seasons for a weakened spin off is not bad...and it was a better show than AFTER M.A.S.H. was.

Sure, this series didn't showcase Cloris Leachman's talents to any great extent. Sure, the comedy was more than often silly. Sure, the cast changes at the start of season 2 LOOKED like the desperate attempt that it really was to keep fresh story ideas alive. Sure, Jane Rose's performance was the equivalent of finger-nails on a chalk board. Sure, the character of Phyllis was extremely watered down after the pilot.

But for Mother Dexter alone, I'd have to disagree with the opinion that it's "unwatchable." ...And whatever happened to Lisa Gerritsen anyhow??

This was a funny spin off, not the best ever, but certainly memorable, and enjoyable. (The theme-song sequence is one of the best in TV history.) The show allowed the wonderful Cloris Leachman to really flesh out the Phyllis Lindstrom character. Unfortunately, despite good ratings, the show was canceled just when it was blossoming.

Phylllis was the flip side of Mary Richards. She didn't so much embrace her liberation as slip on it like a banana peel. In many ways her character and this show were precursors of the dysfunctional survivor school of situation comedy. Marge Simpson, Peg Bundy, Malcolm's mom, Lois, and many others owe a little tip of the hat to Cloris Leachman's put-upon Phyllis.

The character of Phyllis was not originally designed to be a leading role; rather she was a self-centered, opinionated, overbearing cameo character of sorts to add a zany counter to the tranquil Mary Richards. She was silly, but not really likable. Once the character had to stand on her own, she had to be toned down and made more appealing, thus losing the truly funny quality she added to the Mary Tyler Moore Show.

With the exception of Mother Dexter, her supporting characters did not do the necessary job of balancing the character of Phyllis, and the show often looked strained and weak. The show seemed to mirror the character of Phyllis in that it did not seem to know where it was going or what to do with itself after the pilot episode. The 'wacky' photography studio was dropped for the dull politician's office thereby dooming the show to current political topics and satire - but without the proper characters to pull it off. Nothing felt right and the second season was worse than the first.

I so wish Phyllis had stayed in Minneapolis!

Though the show obviously needed help with more creative plots and had too many 70's sitcom rejects, it did have some funny moments, and with recasting, could have had a nice run. Barbara Colby as (Julie Erskine), and Liz Torres as (Julie Erskine)were not funny and their character was unneeded. Phyllis' "generation gap" conversations with her daughter Bess (Lisa Geristien)were predictable and dry. The main reason I think Lisa Geristien was still on the Phyllis show was for consistent transition form the Mary Tyler Moore show. Her character was pointless. The real entertainment came with the dialogue between Phyllis (Cloris Leachman) and "Mother" Dexter. The caustic wit of "Mother Dexter" as she poked fun of Phyllis' troubled life was hysterical. Further, the dialogue between Judge Dexter (Henry Jones) and Audry Dexter (Jane Rose) as they tried to understand the antics of their "well meaning" but confused daughter-in-law Phyllis, was also extremely funny. Judge Dexter's stuffy monotone, yet patient voice countered nicely against Phyllis'scatter brained personality, thus highlighting Phyllis' bizarre logic.

Overall, the show did have potential, if they had just thinned out the cast and had more creative plots. It was funny though.