bkoganbing I finally got to see the film Alice Doesn't Live Here Any More from which the Alice series is taken and now I certainly have a better perspective on the series. The film was quite a bit more serious than this TV situation comedy. In fact in only the last third of the film does Melvin Sharples and his diner figure into the plot of the film.But it's the whole show here. Vic Tayback was the only member of the cast of the film to repeat his role. In the film Alice is fleeing from Phoenix after a bad relationship and she stops in Tucson and takes a job at Mel's Diner to pay the rent and save up before she moves on to California. Here Linda Lavin has settled in at Mel's Diner and while the show centers around her trying to raise her son Philip McKeon, the other members of Mel's wait staff also have episodes centering around them. Beth Howland plays Vera the somewhat naive one and Flo, the one who's seen it all was the irrepressible Polly Holiday. That catchphrase of her's 'kiss my grits' became legendary. Oddly enough when Holiday quit the women who played Flo in the film, Diane Ladd joined the cast. But the show really lost something after Holiday quit.Alice the series was a bit more family oriented than the mature drama the film was. Still those servers in Mel's Diner and Mel himself made an indelible impression bridging those Carter-Reagan years in the American psyche.

fraybert http://www.liquidation-dvd-sets.com/product.php?productid=3932344 Finally Alice is on DVD.....I grew up watching this series.....Loved all the shows even when FLO left.....A lot of people said the show was not as good when FLO, left...But to me a die hard fan, did not mind....Everyone brought something to the show.....I would love to see this in reruns on TV Land or somewhere....Cannot believe the DVD set of the complete TV series is under 100 bucks..Just hope the quality is good....What does everyone else thank of FLO's series...I thought it was okay, but it should have bee more revolved around another diner which FLO was the owner....Thanks

rcj5365 Theme song: "There's A New Girl In Town"-lyrics and music by David Shire with Marilyn and Alan Bergman. Theme sung by Linda Lavin.Based on the Oscar winning 1974 film directed by Martin Scorsese and starred Ellen Burstyn and Dianne Ladd under the title,"Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore",this was to become the front point of the television series "Alice",which was basically done under the same title,but with a different cast and different setting. For the astounding nine and half years that it ran on CBS from the premiere episode on August 31,1976 to the final episode of the series on July 2,1985 after producing 212 episodes,"Alice" was one of the shows that was part of the network's powerhouse lineup of shows during the decade of the 1970's,which included "One Day At A Time","All In The Family", "The Jeffersons","Kojak",and the medical drama "Trapper John,MD"."Alice",was basically the forefront of the selection of "Good Blue Collar Comedy Shows"that emerged during that decade. This was a show that got to see the goings on behind and in front of a working establishment(a family diner)with the situations that occurred between each of the characters. It may have been a trashy sitcom to some of its critics,but for one it didn't rely on politics nor for that manner a lot of slapstick neither. But it was the focus of everyday people and everyday situations that kept the show in top of the Nielsens for the nine years that it ran on the air. Not to mention audiences also got the chance to hear Broadway sensation Linda Lavin singing abilities to boot as well as her acting chops. Also during its run,"Alice" garnered 16 nominations including several Golden Globe wins for Linda Lavin,Polly Holliday and not to mention here Vic Tayback. Not bad for a show that was CBS' top rated sitcom during the mid-1970's and well into the mid-1980's when the show was at the peak of perfection. Here you had a host of characters that were sensational to watch as Alice Hyatt(Linda Lavin)puts up with Mel Sharples(Vic Tayback)and his male chauvinistic ways of thinking better than any woman on television. In other words Mel may have the upper hand,but in each sly and repulsive remarks he gives her,Alice gets him right back! Also,there were others that worked at the diner as well...you have dingy,innocent simpleton,naive and strangely weird(but cute)Vera Gorman(Beth Howland),then you have the Texas firecracker and the true definition of Southern country and Southern pride Florence "Flo" Jean-Castleberry(Polly Holliday)who was dynamite at getting back at Mel's views of thinking and the ONLY one that Mel couldn't keep her mouth shut,since she always had an opinion of what was on her mind at any time and would relate to the others about it. In other words,she was an high-octane nymphomaniac and the perfect foil for the street-tough New Jersey-bred Alice Hyatt. In other perspectives,Flo was an even better foil for Mel,and never hestitates to retort him with some valuable advice.....The phrase,"Kiss My Grits"!,became an national outcry when it was mentioned. However,the show did have a split personality until 1980,when Polly Holliday left the series,and went into her own spin-off of "Alice" titled "Flo",which lasted one season,and after that fiasco,Holliday was never heard from again. It was Polly Holliday who kept the show in the top of the ratings for the first five seasons of the show(1976-1980)and then the unthinkable happen.After Holliday left the series in 1980,the show started to declined in the ratings and likely so. During the 1980-1981 season,Dianne Ladd(who was in the original 1974 film)appeared as Belle which was basically okay,but the show slipped even into a abyss during the last four seasons of the show. During the 1981-1982 season,a new waitress named Jolene was just as dumb as they come(Celia Weston)who remained on the show until the final episode of the series in 1985. Only actors Linda Lavin,Vic Tayback,Beth Howland,and Phillip McKeon(who played Alice's son Tommy)remained on the show for the remainder of its run. Cameo players such as Andy(Pat Crenshaw),Travis(Tom Mahoney),and Henry (Marvin Kaplan)were valuable assets which went great with the guest celebrities that were on the show too like George Burns,Martha Raye, Telly Savalas,Art Carney,and Ruth Buzzi. The final episode of the series came after a nine and-a-half years on the air on July 2,1985 where they had a montage of some of the best episodes and also all of the celebrity appearances. It also showed Mel leaving his diner after years in the business and selling it to someone else. At the end,Alice buys the diner and restores the business after Mel calls it quits. It is crying shame that the series is never on the air,but it needs to be since it was the best of the best.

14jade Yes, everyone, there is a real reason why "Alice" was on the air as long as it was. Anyone in their late twenties and older can probably remember that for many years, this show was broadcast either before or after "The Jeffersons," a "legitimate" hit. Both shows ironically had their best ratings when paired together. I think most of us remember them coming on back-to-back on Sunday nights for several years. "Alice," as a lead-in or follow-up show to "The Jeffersons," rode the ratings wave and the results were phenomenal.Sure, the show was trashy, with elements of south[west]ern humor, but I actually thought it was genuinely funny with Polly Holliday onboard. To be truthful, if Holliday and Vic Tayback had done the show without Linda Lavin, I wouldn't have been upset. I have always believed Lavin was responsible for Holliday's departure. Was hasn't E! done a "True Hollywood Story" on a show that can rival "Three's Company" on cast changes? Surely if they have the budget to profile porn stars, a one hour "Alice" special can't hurt.Diane Ladd was a good replacement as Belle on the show, however, she was terrific playing Flo in the movie "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," which the show is loosely (and I do mean "loosely") based on. When Celia Weston first appeared as Jolene in 1981, I changed the channel. It's amazing that the show went on for more four years before being cancelled in 1985. Not even pairing with "The Jeffersons" could have helped the show by the time Jolene came aboard. Somebody must have been lying to Nielsen.