Pepper Anne
The Golden Girls, NBC's great sitcom of four senior women sharing a house together in Miami may have paved the way for the success of Designing Women, which debuted the following year in 1986.Like the Golden Girls, this was a show primarily about single (and eventually married) women who worked at Sugarbakers, an interior design firm in Atlanta, Georgia. Dixie Carter, my favorite, played sharp-tongued Julia Sugarbaker, a product of proper Southern upbringing but with a progressive and bold outlook. As the Golden Girls always took their opportunity for political commentary (often more liberal) on all sorts of issues (probably because it was easier to address these in a cast of all women versus one of all men), Julia Sugarbaker was often the primary character for political expression. Julia was a character never afraid to speak her mind, though sometimes, she did tend to come off as somewhat irritable than wise when the point was made too often. Though, they were important issues nonetheless. Like the Golden Girls, it was an opportune moment, hailing from the days of Regan and eventually Bush, Sr. With a cast of middle-aged Southern women and one black ex-convict (Anthony Bouvier played by Mesach Taylor, who became a cast regular shortly into the first season), these issues were obviously abundant: feminism, race, AIDs, religion, poverty, and so forth. This was the age of television, afterall, when show's creators were still allowed to openly speak their mind (for the most part anyway). Annie Potts, my favorite comedienne, was Mary Jo Shively, equally cynical. Although, earlier versions of her character, before they worked out the kinks in the first season, came off as quite arrogant at times. Shively was the single woman, mother of two who often scoffed at their strange clientelle and also pursued political positions with Julia, though not as often. Jean Smart was the flamboyant Charlene Frazier, a real goofy character with a pleasant personality who seemed to always have all the knowledge of trivial and tabloid information. But, perhaps the biggest draw to the show was Delta Burke who plays snippy former-Miss Atlanta sister to Julia, Suzanne Sugarbaker. Once Mesach Taylor became a regular in the cast, his character Anthony was often forced into hilarious situations with Suzanne. Suzanne, who owned a pot bellied pig named Noel and was known for wielding a handgun and had a Phillipino maid named Conseulla who was rumored to have put curses on Suzanne. At the time, Delta Burke was married to Gerald MacReiny, former Major Dad star, who later plays her ex-husband, Graham on Designing Women. Dixie Carter, too, played alongside her husband, Hal Holbrook, who played her boyfriend, Reece.Despite a great assortment of characters which appear slightly modeled by the Golden Girls cast, this show, unlike the Golden Girls, was not as successful from beginning to end. At the start of the first season, they had problems really finding a niche for each of their characters. At first, it was only the four women, but soon Anthony became a cast regular as the Sugarbaker handyman. And soon, even he developed a more dominant role, often in episodes dealing with his hilarious misadventures with Suzanne. Alice Ghostly, one of my favorites, was the next to join the show as the incredibly zany, but lovable Bernice Clifton. (I love the show where she hosts the public access show and tells everyone that the Sugarbaker interior design firm is just a front for a prostitution house, mortifying Julia and the rest who thought they were on the air to discuss designing).And, despite an all-star cast by this point, each providing many great qualities and plenty of laughs, the show underwent a cast change, probably due to Delta Burke's on-going battle with depression. She was the first to leave and soon, so did Jean Smart who was written off the show when her character, Charlene, gets married and has a baby and soon, becomes a stay-at-home mom. These were two powerful players on the show, and Delta Burke certainly had the biggest draw, which was a powerful act to follow for Jan Hooks, Judith Ivey, and the arrogant Julia Duffy, none of whom (except maybe Hooks who is always good as the moron character like she played in 3rd Rock From the Son) could pull it off. They joined the show in 1991 and the show eventually ended in 1993. But perhaps this is not soley attributed to a cast change. Four years on the air (as of of 1991) is still a good run. Even The Golden Girls took it's final bow in 1992. The show, when it was in it's prime (when it had Julia, Suzanne, Mary-Jo, Charlene, Anthony, and Bernice), it proved to be one of the best sitcoms of the 1980s. The friends, through their trials and tribulations, shared in many hilarious situations that to this day, can still make you laugh till you cry (especially with a lot of the stuff out of Suzanne's mouth). And since it looks like a rarity to catch the reruns anymore on Lifetime TV, where it ran consecutive episodes following the Golden Girls, you're in luck, because they've released some seasons on DVD!
mark.waltz
One of the funniest "Designing Women" moments never even happened on the show; it was on the short-lived series "The Edge". Shortly after Julia Duffy came on the show, "The Edge" spoofed the show in a hilarious skit where a 50-foot Delta Burke shows up, rips off the roof, and after exchanging some wise cracks with the group, eats one of them (Julia, I think), then storms through Atlanta creating havoc. Although the written description of this skit can't possibly describe its hilarity, it did spoof the irreverance of the character's sense of humors and their relationships with each other. Terminator Julia (Dixie Carter, my favorite) had a loving if strained relationship with her selfish sister Suzanne (Delta Burke), while sassy but sensible Mary Jo (Annie Potts) had a very close friendship with all of them, especially the not-so-dumb Charlene (Jean Smart). Charlene was more of an innocent, lost in her own naive world yet was quite intelligent in her own way. The "fifth" of the clan was black ex-con Anthony (Meshach Taylor) who had a way of always walking in during a "female" discussion which would ultimately embarrass him. Then, there was a bizarre array of recurring characters, most notably the wacky Bernice (Alice Ghostley), the dizzy senior citizen "with the arterial flow problem to the brain", who always had a wonderfully hilarious comment for everything. She reminded me of the hard-of-hearing Emily Latella from "Saturday Night Live" with her wacky comments, and every episode with her was a highlight of the show. Carter's real-life husband, Hal Holbrook, was memorable as well as Julia's attorney lover.Yes, there were some serious social issue episodes, but this was a show created with that purpose. The writers were not afraid to explore these issues, and in most cases, they were very successful. I adored Julia because she was not just a one-dimensional opinionated woman; she showed tenderness on many occasions. However, cross her with an issue which upset her, and you would feel her wrath. She often exploded on Suzanne, but on a few occasions, she felt a true sympathy for Suzanne's well- meaning flaws. She also had a soft spot for Anthony, and was proud of the fact that he could put his past behind him and become successful. Suzanne on the other hand had a soft spot she hid behind her seemingly selfish nature. She could be self- serving at one moment, then totally sympathetic the next. Her love/hate relationship with Anthony was one of the show's highlights, as was her hysterical love for her pet pig, Noelle. Mary Jo was probably the most sensible of the four women; unlike Julia, she saw things from a more widened point of view. Wacky situations came to her by chance; she didn't invite them like the others did because of their eccentricities. Charlene was both touching and funny, an innocent woman the others felt they had to protect. However, she had a strong streak out of her goodness and big heart, winning the respect of the others at Sugarbaker's. Julia Duffy came on after Delta Burke's departure. As the obnoxious Allison, Julia's cousin, Duffy played a character hiding behind her deep insecurities by being overly obnoxious and opinionated. While she could be funny, her character was not as developed as the other women. Jan Hook's Carleen was funny and lovable; not naive like sister Charlene, but more of an overly happy woman. I loved when she tried to be more like Julia because she looked like a little girl playing dress-up. I only saw a few episodes with Judith Ivey, whom I think is one of the funniest women on TV today. I found her character much more likable than either Suzanne or Allison, making her fit in better as the show concluded. Yet, she was not overly nice like Carlene or Charlene, but just a good old gal whom everybody could not help but love. "Designing Women" itself could be hysterical (Julia getting her head stuck in a bannister; Bernice having a nose job and looking like Miss Piggy; Suzanne gluing her lips shut, etc....) or very, very touching. The episode which stands out as the most touching was the hour-long episode where Charlene gives birth, and Julia meets a 100 year old black woman (played by the fabulous Beah Richards). Who could not help but weep when Charlene is handed her baby while angel Dolly Parton escorts the old woman, who has died, into heaven, while she is singing "Somewhere Out There". It was presented in a way which was full of emotion; human, yet not manipulative. It is an episode I watch between Christmas and New Year's every year (as it took place on New Year's Eve 1989) and consider one of the best sitcom episodes ever made. "Designing Women" slowly shrunk in ratings after the departure of Delta Burke, but went out on a high note with a "Gone With the Wind" spoof where all of the female characters (including Bernice) fantasize about being Scarlett O'Hara. To end the series, the producers gave a wonderful closing to the delightful Alice Ghostley by having her have the last moments to herself of the series as she fantasizes about Anthony being Rhett to her Scarlett. It was a hysterically funny (and touching) way to end a fabulous show.
