I remember a friend's mom "waking us up to the sullen fact" that Flo meant "kiss my ass!' when she said that, like she had cracked the code, she was so clever. Very much a "wake up, sheeple" type of woman.
No shit, Mrs. Crawford. We all figured that out by context clues. We actually get out more not being a kept housewife surrounded by aging Corningware and half-finished macrame plant holders that look like owls.
Edit: We also saw a taping of The Tonight Show. The guest host was Gabe "Mr. Kotter" Kaplan and Stephen Bishop sang his then-current song "Everybody Needs Love".
We took an NBC tour and I saw Kaplan headed to his dressing room. I told the tour guide lady because she didn't see him. I'm sure he was glad to not be seen by a group.
'78 was also the year he started playing Poker on a professional level. Being an enthusiast, I've watched some of play and has always been a good player.
covid 19 didnāt hit the US until January of 2020, and in 1996 the ācocktailā of medications to treat HIV and AIDS was introduced, thus transforming AIDS from a death sentence to a survivable, if ongoing, illness. By December of 2019 HIV treatment in the first world had become so sophisticated that most people living with it have no detectable amount of the virus in their bodies. It is now highly unusual for people living in the US to develop AIDS from HIV or die from it.
When I finally got around to watching *Alice doesn't live here anymore*, I was really impressed with what a strange and interesting film it was.
Odd to think someone would make such an anodyne TV show adaptation about what would today be considered an indie film. As a kid watching it in the 70's, I think I assumed there was always some adult backstory that was never shown.
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore was a great movie. And the little boy who played Tommy in the movie played Tommy in the pilot episode of Alice. He was replaced with Philip McKeon in the series. Not sure why, but maybe they wanted to make Tommy a little more likeable and distance him from the somewhat obnoxious brat he was in the movie. Plus, several years later, Diane Ladd who played Flo in the movie came in to play Belle after Polly Holliday left.
I just watched that on one of the streaming services about a month ago and thought the exact same thing because I remember the TV show and I was like this movie and that show are not related but....
Who would've thought about a television show that takes place mostly in a diner in Phoenix, Arizona would have so many stories to tell or so many interesting characters. It was one of the programs the whole family watched every week.
I used to live down the street from where the actual āMelās Dinerā is located in Phoenix!
As a lifelong Phoenix Suns fan, I always loved how Tommy (R.I.P. Phillip McKeon) would rep the Suns!
My mom, who refuses to get cable, will watch those channels that play old game shows and tv shows from the 1970s. When I visit itās like revisiting the tv part of my childhood. So many tv peeps I havenāt seen or thought about in decades. Do a lot of IMDb.com and itās strange for me to realize that Iām now older than the vast majority of the actors when they were on tv back then.
āš¶Early to bed, early to rise. And in between I cooked and cleaned and went outta my mind. Goin through life with blinders on itās tough. To. See. ā¦.š¶
There were entirely too many of my fellow eighth graders telling people to *kiss my grits* but on the other hand this does largely explain my generation's attitude toward everything now.
I was around their age, but I can't think of a 70s TV kid I "liked" after The Partridge Family & Brady Bunch. Little House kids ok until Laborteaux. Probably the way they were written. Not really a fan of TV kids to this day.
Oh man, watches the daytime reruns in early 80s with one day at a time during summer vacation . Shows were kinda downers "ah geez Tommy, sorry but we just don't have enough in the tip jar to afford braces, etc"
The worst! š Although, I was pretty impressed with her rendition of It Had To Be You in the pilot episode. For once, she didnāt overdo it and the piano player who accompanied her played really well.
I met Linda Lavin recently and told her how much I enjoyed the show as a kid. She was very pleased to hear it and said she never gets tired of talking about the show even after all these years. She was sweet to me. But my friend who knows her decently well said sheās kind of an a-hole to work with :)
I'm currently watching the entire series from the beginning. I'm on season 2, but what's weird is there's an episode that was recorded during season 2 and is on the DVD but it didn't air until season 4 back in the original run. I thought that was kinda weird
Based on a thread on Alice a while back, I watched the original movie it was based on. "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore." Roughly the same idea, but movie Alice is the opposite of TV Alice. Movie Alice is a basketcase, with a pathetic son. They thankfully strengthened both characters for the TV show. I liked Diane Ladd for the Flo character, and was awesome to see Vic Tayback as Mel in the movie.
I just found out like, three years ago it's based off a movie and it kinda blew my mind that I hadn't heard that before. Without looking it up, I know it wasn't called Alice, Martin Scorsese had something to do with it, and Mel, the cook, was the only character to reprise the same role from the film. I think, basing all this off memory.
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. It was available on Netflix last month, but now I can't find it. A classic 70s movie. Very gritty, a lotta trauma and drama. The TV sitcom bears no resemblance to the movie.
This and The Brady Bunch kinda ruined the name Alice as a baby name for a generation.
The name became synonymous with a woman destined to being a working class spinster (or widow in her case).
This was a staple in our house growing up. Watching Flo say "Kiss my grits," to anyone, including Mel, her boss! Great and ong forgotten show. Vera was such a ditz. How Alice balanced them all, I'll never know.
A Sunday-night staple for me.
Loved Linda Lavin in the few episodes she was in on *Barney Miller.* She portrayed Detective Janice Wentworth; Linda was on track to be a regular, and there was talks of a spin-off with Wojciehowicz, but she left to star in *Alice*.
I loved Flo-"kiss my grits!" And poor Vera was such a twit!š¤£šš
Beth Howland nailed that role.
She was also an accomplished Broadway performer. https://youtu.be/UuQea2eVL2Y?si=o7SvphMVa2pWoSNf
āBetty please, pick upā
I remember a friend's mom "waking us up to the sullen fact" that Flo meant "kiss my ass!' when she said that, like she had cracked the code, she was so clever. Very much a "wake up, sheeple" type of woman. No shit, Mrs. Crawford. We all figured that out by context clues. We actually get out more not being a kept housewife surrounded by aging Corningware and half-finished macrame plant holders that look like owls.
Flo was like 39 here.
We saw a taping of this in November of 1978.
Wow! Thats cool!
Edit: We also saw a taping of The Tonight Show. The guest host was Gabe "Mr. Kotter" Kaplan and Stephen Bishop sang his then-current song "Everybody Needs Love". We took an NBC tour and I saw Kaplan headed to his dressing room. I told the tour guide lady because she didn't see him. I'm sure he was glad to not be seen by a group.
'78 was also the year he started playing Poker on a professional level. Being an enthusiast, I've watched some of play and has always been a good player.
Their ages in 1976: Linda Lavin - 39 Vic Tayback - 46 (Died May 25, 1990) Beth Howland - 35 (Died December 31, 2015) Polly Holiday - 39 Philip McKeon - 12 (Died December 10, 2019)
Damn I knew Mel and Vera died, but Tommy?
Philip's sister Nancy was Jo on Facts of Life.
He died Dec 2019....of a long time illness it said. I'm betting it was probably an early death of Covid-19
More likely Aids.
In 2019? No.
?
That's possible alsoš¤·āāļø
Neither of those causes of death are possible.
And why's that? Not being sarcastic.....just wondering.
covid 19 didnāt hit the US until January of 2020, and in 1996 the ācocktailā of medications to treat HIV and AIDS was introduced, thus transforming AIDS from a death sentence to a survivable, if ongoing, illness. By December of 2019 HIV treatment in the first world had become so sophisticated that most people living with it have no detectable amount of the virus in their bodies. It is now highly unusual for people living in the US to develop AIDS from HIV or die from it.
Really??? I always thought Flo was in her mid 50ās!
I saw Vic Tayback at the racetrack pretty often.
When I finally got around to watching *Alice doesn't live here anymore*, I was really impressed with what a strange and interesting film it was. Odd to think someone would make such an anodyne TV show adaptation about what would today be considered an indie film. As a kid watching it in the 70's, I think I assumed there was always some adult backstory that was never shown.
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore was a great movie. And the little boy who played Tommy in the movie played Tommy in the pilot episode of Alice. He was replaced with Philip McKeon in the series. Not sure why, but maybe they wanted to make Tommy a little more likeable and distance him from the somewhat obnoxious brat he was in the movie. Plus, several years later, Diane Ladd who played Flo in the movie came in to play Belle after Polly Holliday left.
Liked him as Ogilvie in Bad News Bears too. Another great 70s character.
Early Scorsese film burstyn was great too!
She won an Oscar for that[Ellen](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Burstyn)
Agree!!
I just watched that on one of the streaming services about a month ago and thought the exact same thing because I remember the TV show and I was like this movie and that show are not related but....
TIL.
[one of the great opening themes](https://youtu.be/ezC1X-45uWA?si=h7uorT7bbyMVhpGR)
Wow, I didn't know Linda Lavin actually sang that!
Yeah she had an amazing voice.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_Lavin
Who would've thought about a television show that takes place mostly in a diner in Phoenix, Arizona would have so many stories to tell or so many interesting characters. It was one of the programs the whole family watched every week.
I used to live down the street from where the actual āMelās Dinerā is located in Phoenix! As a lifelong Phoenix Suns fan, I always loved how Tommy (R.I.P. Phillip McKeon) would rep the Suns!
Idk but all I remember was the oversized big teeth everyone had, so weird.
Haven't thought about this for a long time, 'kiss my grits!'
Yes!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
My mom, who refuses to get cable, will watch those channels that play old game shows and tv shows from the 1970s. When I visit itās like revisiting the tv part of my childhood. So many tv peeps I havenāt seen or thought about in decades. Do a lot of IMDb.com and itās strange for me to realize that Iām now older than the vast majority of the actors when they were on tv back then.
Mel Sharpels, KISS MY GRITS!
Fun fact: the kid that played her son is Nancy McKeonās (Joe on Facts of Life) brother. You can see it now huh? LOL
Ha! That became instantly obvious as soon as I read your comments. If not for the age difference, Iād believe they were fraternal twins.
Alice? Who the fuck is Alice?
She's the new girl in town, and she's feeling good!
āš¶Early to bed, early to rise. And in between I cooked and cleaned and went outta my mind. Goin through life with blinders on itās tough. To. See. ā¦.š¶
 There were entirely too many of my fellow eighth graders telling people to *kiss my grits* but on the other hand this does largely explain my generation's attitude toward everything now.
I never liked her son but i loved the show.
I was around their age, but I can't think of a 70s TV kid I "liked" after The Partridge Family & Brady Bunch. Little House kids ok until Laborteaux. Probably the way they were written. Not really a fan of TV kids to this day.
Tommy was OK, but I ***definitely*** feel you regarding *The Partridge Family* kids, especially Dannyā¦
Oh man, watches the daytime reruns in early 80s with one day at a time during summer vacation . Shows were kinda downers "ah geez Tommy, sorry but we just don't have enough in the tip jar to afford braces, etc"
They kept letting her re-record the vocal for the intro, and it just got schmaltzier and schmaltzier.
I liked the show, but always thought Linda Lavin was a terrible singer.
The worst! š Although, I was pretty impressed with her rendition of It Had To Be You in the pilot episode. For once, she didnāt overdo it and the piano player who accompanied her played really well.
What did Mel used to say. Was it, āStuff it!ā, or something like that. I used to love this show!
āStow it!ā
That was it!!!!!!! Hahaha! Thank you kind stranger!
I wish Pluto TV would start showing Alice. One of my favorite TV shows I watched as a kid.
I met Linda Lavin recently and told her how much I enjoyed the show as a kid. She was very pleased to hear it and said she never gets tired of talking about the show even after all these years. She was sweet to me. But my friend who knows her decently well said sheās kind of an a-hole to work with :)
Vic Tayback!
Dingy chick
I have 4 DVDs of their show.
Kiss my grits!
The best defense is a good offense. You know who said that? Mel, the cook on Alice. Boot to the head!
A part of me actually was looking for this š¤£
Vera looks scary af here.
Who remembers the āSmelly Melly with the jelly bellyā episode? Lol
Flo was a hoe!
I'm currently watching the entire series from the beginning. I'm on season 2, but what's weird is there's an episode that was recorded during season 2 and is on the DVD but it didn't air until season 4 back in the original run. I thought that was kinda weird
Haha! Kiss my grits! Loved this show!
I just saw the movie for the first time a few months ago
My dad's best friend was the twin of Mel (Vic Tayback).
My purchasing manager looks just like Mel in this pic
Vic Taybeck dripped sarcasm
Always hated Tommy. So annoying. Mel was the best.
Based on a thread on Alice a while back, I watched the original movie it was based on. "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore." Roughly the same idea, but movie Alice is the opposite of TV Alice. Movie Alice is a basketcase, with a pathetic son. They thankfully strengthened both characters for the TV show. I liked Diane Ladd for the Flo character, and was awesome to see Vic Tayback as Mel in the movie.
The movie itās based on is sad AF. Weirdest adaptation Iāve seen.
Back then a lot of people thought the name of the show was āMelās Dinerā because of the opening shot.
The show was based on a movie called Mel's Diner if my memory serves me right. Vic Tayback revised his role for the TV show.
Hate to break it to you.... Alice doesn't live here anymore
Mel!!!!
Watch the original movie, sure was not a comedy, youāll spot a few familiar faces.
I just found out like, three years ago it's based off a movie and it kinda blew my mind that I hadn't heard that before. Without looking it up, I know it wasn't called Alice, Martin Scorsese had something to do with it, and Mel, the cook, was the only character to reprise the same role from the film. I think, basing all this off memory.
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. It was available on Netflix last month, but now I can't find it. A classic 70s movie. Very gritty, a lotta trauma and drama. The TV sitcom bears no resemblance to the movie.
Very interesting
This and The Brady Bunch kinda ruined the name Alice as a baby name for a generation. The name became synonymous with a woman destined to being a working class spinster (or widow in her case).
George Burns did a show where Polly thought he was really god, until he went out with Flo.
Bill Mahar played a cop on one episode.
Good show
Cute show
Linda Lavin looks like literally every single suburban mom from when I was growing up in 70s. All she needs is a cigarette.
This was a staple in our house growing up. Watching Flo say "Kiss my grits," to anyone, including Mel, her boss! Great and ong forgotten show. Vera was such a ditz. How Alice balanced them all, I'll never know.
As my dad would say āwhere are they now!ā
āKiss my gritsāā¦
This was a pretty good show as I recall. Flo's KMG lived long after the show was over.
Face it. You were sweet on Vera, like me, at 13 years old. And you're still not over that infatuation.
Kiss my grits. This was a great show
I loved this show
Remember those grits!!! I never knew what they were for years
A much younger version of me watched it all the time.
When donkeys š« fly
Great show!
Great show!
Dinghy!
That theme song though. š
And that kid grew up to be Austin Butler. jk
You probably just rolled over and saw the picture of Vic Tayback you keep on your nightstand. You have one too donāt you?
Great show.
I loved Flo
Watched it all the time.
I still tell people to kiss my grits.
"Well the best defense is a good offense." "you know who said that? Mel the cook on Alice"
The Frantics (Boot to the Head): "A good defense is a good offense. Ya know who said that? Mel, the cook on Alice!"
Kiss my grits š š¤£ š
āā¦ it was about four or five hours later that Alice ā remember Alice? Itās a song about Aliceā¦ā
I went to school with Philip McKeon in 1979 at Bellarmine Jefferson High School in Burbank CA. He was in my English class.
Saw Linda in a movie as a realtor selling a loft Ben Affleck and Jennifer Aniston. Canāt remember the name of it.
Tommy is gone now. So hard to believe š¢
His sister is Jo from The Facts of Life. Didnāt know heād passed.
I remember being a kid watching this and wanting to punch the cook for wearing his hat like a idiot. Child hood rage unlocked!
This was the best show!!
I just learned last year that this was a continuation of a romcom Scorsese film.
A Sunday-night staple for me. Loved Linda Lavin in the few episodes she was in on *Barney Miller.* She portrayed Detective Janice Wentworth; Linda was on track to be a regular, and there was talks of a spin-off with Wojciehowicz, but she left to star in *Alice*.
Great show!
Iāll never forget when she cut the glass on the front door with what she thought was a fake Diamond.
All of these actors are tops. The movie is still amazing too.
Ba-ba-ba-bum-bumā¦
Vic Tayback was 46
Two of my chickens are named Alice and Flo. š
Well kiss my grits!!
Tommyā¦whatās he doing these days
Cause theyāve been plugging the prequel movie that I never knew existed until I saw it streaming
Linda Lavin is a lot of fun in other things Iāve seen her in, like āMom.ā
When donkeys fly!!
I donāt remember the kid.
I liked the first four seasons. The way Jolene delivered lines just didn't flow naturally.
Florence Jean Castleberry with her lip-smackinā gum poppinā!ā„ļø
Like a lot of series of the era, better theme song than actual show but Iām no hater I love it all
Stow it Vera.