This pilot is absolutely brilliantly witty...as was the rest of the series.... think Shaw... and Coward...transported to the 70s. I know now why enjoyed so much then Thanks!
I'm guessing this show was liked very much by people aged 40 to 60 back in 1976 it likely appealed to an older demographic and that's probably why they didn't want to continue this series
One Sunday morning about 10 years ago, my sister and I stopped into this great little coffee place on Sunset, it was really interesting -Tracey Ullman and Chastity Bono were already in the joint and then Cloris Leachman breezed in the door, saw this kind of funky cowboy hat my sister was wearing and said to her, "Can I see your hat for a minute cowgirl?" And she went into a minute-long improv that ended up with the 2 of us dying rather melodramatically on the floor from a mock gunfight. She sat down with us for a minute and then was gone - with her coffee. Never forget that.
About 20 years ago strolling in the NYC theatre district late afternoon on West 44th Street, in front of one I saw Cloris standing casually talking and laughing with someone.
That sounds EXACTLY like her. She was brilliantly eccentric and could play literally any part. I met her one time at a hotel when I was doing a job, and so was she. She was a very "no holds barred" person, and actress - always performing! She entertained all for the joy of entertaining. Her greatest gift was making great memories for people, on and off stage.
@@JudgeJulieLit I used to live sort of near her in Brentwood near UCLA, she had a condo on Barrington Ave. I'd see her at the dog park sometimes, but most often, she could be found talking to strangers on the sidewalk. She never made a spectacle as some diva stars do. She usually dressed in very casual clothes. She'd say hi to people she didn't even know and would always return a "hello" from someone who recognized her - I think she got a lot of her characterizations from random people whom she encountered.
What CL said in the never-seen Barbara Colby tribute: “As some of you may know, shortly after we filmed tonight’s episode last July, Barbara Colby who has played the part of Julie was tragically killed. She was a superb actress and one of the most joyful and giving people I have ever known. We could have “written out” the character Julie…but this would not have fooled you, and more importantly it would not have fooled us. And so beginning next week, the part of Julie will be played by another actress. It was not easy to replace Barbara Colby as an actress, and it is impossible to replace her as a person.”
She said this on the air? How sad - but appropriate. I think Liz Torres did well with the part. She has always been a very good actress, and even today she's still popular in her old age, just as Cloris was. Barbara undoubtedly got the role because of her two fine performances as Sherry the reformed hooker on Mary's show.
Cloris Leachman and Henry Jones worked together at least once before this on an episode of "Night Gallery" in 1971 called "You Can't Get Help Like That Anymore". I think she remembered him from that, and suggested him for the part of Jonathan on her sitcom. He was a legendary old character actor...his gravelly high-pitched voice and nerdy look was perfect for a number of roles.
Remember Rhoda's wedding and how Phyllis forgot to pick up Rhoda? I think the way her in-laws treated her was some underlying payback for all the crap she did in Minneapolis.
If I recall correctly, he was also the planetarium manager in Rebel Without A Cause, and in the original Star Trek as the librarian Mr. Atos, among many other roles...film as well as TV, I think...he was in quite a lot! :)
The amazing is you see a sitcom 45 years ago, and you immediately remember the entire theme song lyrics when it starts playing. I remember being disappointed when this was canceled--as I recall the rationale that it didn't do well was that viewers preferred an "unlikeable" character as other than the lead. I loved it and thought she was fantastic, and thought the performances and writing were great.
It actually performed better than MTM show and Rhoda in season one, I think it was ranked 6th for the year end tv ratings. The reason why it was cancelled after the second season wasn’t because viewers didn’t like Phyllis, it was because it became a completely different show. The actress who played Mother Dexter passed away in 1976, the actress who played the original Julie was murdered tragically in 1975, and Jane Rose who played Audrey became ill with cancer and had to have her character get significantly reduced. It was like half the cast was gone by season 2 so they changed Phyllis’ job and added new characters and I guess audiences didn’t respond to them the same way as season 1. Both Rhoda and Phyllis were reworked during the 76-77 season as ratings started to fall, and neither recovered
Cloris Leachman was such a brilliant actress. She deserved her Emmys for Phyllis and sure did her Oscar for her crushing and heartbreaking role as the broken Ruth Popper in The Last Picture Show. I'm glad she lived such a long life and did the Mad About You reboot a couple of years ago. She was a devoted Mom to a large family and was sometimes late to set on MTM because of motherly duties, which she gave priority. So sad to see Barbara Colby here though. She died, with an acting class friend, in a random shooting in a parking lot just a few weeks into this show. Still unsolved. Senseless. She was only 35. She was also funny on MTM in two episodes as the prostitute who shared a jail cell with Mary. Still, it's a pleasure to watch this so many decades later.
Well there were many factors, the first was the tragic (and still unsolved) murder of Barbara Colby. The second were the deaths of Judith Lowry and Burt Mustin. All were stellar in making the show great, which sadly couldn’t recover.
@@misterhot9163 The actress that played Audrey was ill in real-life, too, and died in what would have been the third season (if they had had one). Another death.
@@travisjames1437 the actress that played Audrey died in 1979. The 3rd season was going to be 1977-78. She was in a show called Coed Fever that was canceled after 1 show after a disasterous post Super Bowl ratings.
What CL said about BC in the unaired tribute to her: “As some of you may know, shortly after we filmed tonight’s episode last July, Barbara Colby who has played the part of Julie was tragically killed. She was a superb actress and one of the most joyful and giving people I have ever known. We could have “written out” the character Julie…but this would not have fooled you, and more importantly it would not have fooled us. And so beginning next week, the part of Julie will be played by another actress. It was not easy to replace Barbara Colby as an actress, and it is impossible to replace her as a person.”
This is great, randomly absurd humour, my favourite kind. And that damm "T for 2" whistling scene, perfect timing by Cloris. And the Audrey character, played perfectly! Thank you :))
That line Cloris Leachman says to the minister "Oh go suck an egg" was delivered perfectly. I remember when I was a kid they did promotions weeks before the premiere with that line as part of the promo. I still laughed at the line during the airing of the pilot episode and I still laughed now.
I never missed this show when it aired in England 1976. I was 12 years old and utterly besotted with Bess. I never experienced such a crush again. Great memories.
Cloris Leachman was a brilliant, hilarious actress, a national treasure. The show itself was uneven and never worked completely, but it had funny moments, and mostly it had Leachman; and after all these years I still remember my family cracking up hysterically at that opening scene with the insurance guy.
Poor Barbara Colby who was in the first 3 episodes of Phyllis as Julie who owns the photography studio Phyllis gets a job at. Barbara Colby and a friend were shot to death after an acting class in Venice in 1975. The murders have never been solved.
JosephRGrych Me too I was shocked at the time I told my mom much care for the show she didn’t know who I was talking about RIP both of you great ladies
"less perceptive"...funny how we throw around personal insults to people we don't know, haven't even met, like we gobble up jelly beans. And you wonder why protest groups have gotten so GOD AWFUL MOTHERFUCKING EVIL.
I watched this as a child and remember being scared when she turns to the camera and frowns during the opening credits. But watching it now that 46 years have passed...I am still a little unnerved...
In the 1990s on the great tv sitcom Malcolm in the Middle, Cloris had a brilliant stint playing Malcolm's mother's Slavic old country peasant mother, still fierce in her traditions such as that a young girl seeking to attract a bridegroom should learn the pyrotechnics of a sword dance. In one episode Cloris's MTM costar Betty White costarred, as a supremely self assured and competent, confident lady of the house sophisticate who long ago had had a romance with Cloris's ex husband (or baby dadda) Viktor. Upon Cloris's once knock at Betty's door to try to visit, remonstrate and vitriol with her, shrewdly coolly Betty feigned all absorption in a magazine, as if she did not hear the doorbell. Cloris may have won an Emmy for that role.
The Golden Gate Bridge was started in 1933 and Phyllis debuted in 1975, since Phyllis says she was a little girl and saw them building the bridge she must be at least 42 years old here. In real life Cloris was 49 here. AndLisa Gerritsen (Bess) was 18.
I always liked Cloris & Valerie & everyone on the MTM show except MTM herself. All RIP 🙏. Cloris always played zany characters!!!!!! U would be remissed if I failed to mention that Cloris had a long & varied acting career before I discovered her years later.
Is no one going to comment on the minority quota at 9:18? "What they're looking for is a half-oriental, half-Mexican gay atheist." That is hilarious! RJ
The photographer was a high school classmate of Mary, on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He took pictures at their reunion, too, but I assumed that he was an amateur. Funny, they " re-cycled " him onto this show as a photographer.
This is what I would have done with the show: 01. Wished Barbara Colby hadn’t died. 02. Not made Audrey so flighty. 03. Improved the writing and jokes a bit. 04. Done some outdoor SF shots.
Hi George, thank you so much for posting this. I was in grade school and highly influenced by this, and the like. And, even in retrospect, there is some pretty good sitcom writing. ✌🏽
This is an absolutely fantastic pilot episode. Leachman in her brief period on The Facts of Life - having re-watched those episodes recently - was pretty funny. In the Facts of Life reunion, she makes a very well-timed joke about her pay on the show! She could make fun of herself (The Office), but she was also a great serious actress when she needed to be (The Last Picture Show). I took her work for granted over the years.
Lars's mother was a horrible person. Why would she tell Phyllis that he was dating someone else and proposed to that person before he proposed to her? And right after she lost him. What a cruel thing to do.
I'm 20 years old watching Phyllis for the first time... thought her character in MTM (started watching last year) was hilarious... and now on her own show I really like the spine she's growing! You get get that job Phyllis!!
I remember this show so well. I was in college then, and it was guaranteed to provide many laughs. Very witty and subversive - a precursor to Frasier. I am trying to find the episode where Phyllis wants to show off her wine-tasting skills, after she’s taken a course. It’s not the episode where Phyllis and her colleagues get drunk on the judge’s wine. IIRC, Phyllis is blindfolded, she sniffs the aroma of the wine, tastes a drop, takes a bigger gulp and swirls it around her tongue (you can just imagine Cloris Leachman making an epic of this!). She finally declares, “I’m absolutely certain of it……it’s a RED!” I remember falling down from laughing so hard, but I can’t seem to find it in Season 1.
The actress who played Julie initially was a very fine comedienne, Barbara Colby. Tragically, after about 3 episodes she was murdered by 2 scumbags who pulled over in a van, told her and her boyfriend to put up their hands and simply shot both in cold blood. A crime never solved to this day.
Doesn't Julie play also in Mary Tyler Moore a a prositute......when Mary gets arrested for not exposing her resource on a tv story ...she appeared 2 times .0n mTm. P.s. she actually got murdered when she was on the road us show also in July of 75 her and another act up was coming out of an axon class and both were assaulted and both got killed she died right on the spot and the other actor survive just a couple hours later and died it's an interesting story to read .They never found the killers or killer.....rip....×××××× ..thanks JA. .
Lea J Anderson yes also I just found out from someone up in the comments that Barbra Colby who played Julie was murdered in 1975 after she was in only 3 episodes of this show and they never found out who shot her
Thank you I just read about that and I thought that was so sad she didn't have any children or anything but never the last I liked her acting skills... It's so sad when people are gone down before their time. Down. But especially if they may have a career going for themselves got. The person that she was with coming out of a acting theater class got. Died shortly after her but did say they didn't recognize the person that did it before he died... so it's still a Cold Case.. .thank you.!!!!
buddy boy That actor is Richard Schaal. He was married in real life to Valerie Harper (Rhoda). He had many small roles in movies, including a Nazi stormtrooper in Slaughterhouse Five.
