Sheryl Lee Ralph takes a jab at two of the Designing Women

Jan Hooks. Dixie and Annie were probably over it by then. Sounds like Nell Carter/Rosie O'Donnell Part Duex.

The only nominees are:

Dixie Carter

Annie Potts

Jan Hooks

I personally think the only other nice one would’ve been Jan Hooks, since she and Sheryl didn’t appear until Season 7. By that point, Dixie and Annie had overstayed their welcome, and it speaks volumes Jean Smart left without having anything significant lined up…and Julia Duffy only lasted 1 season (6).

The only negative encounter I had with someone at that time was with an old woman who was looking at each piece of chicken she picked up in the Golden Coral buffet line.

MOVE YOU OLD BITCH!!!!!!

Was Delta Burke fired or did she quit?

Jan Hooks was known to be a cunt. I'll bet it was Annie Potts.

Annie Potts follows Sheryl Lee Ralph on Instagram.

However, Annie does not follow Jean Smart. (What the fuck, Annie??!?)

According to Victoria Jackson, Jan Hooks and Nora Dunn were Mean Girls to her. Take that for what you will.

My wild card guess is that Sheryl does not wish to speak ill of the dead.

Jan Hooks was just a unique lady, An eccentric if you wil. Dixie Carter was probably worse. She was probably jealous,

Annie Potts was just collecting a check by then.

Victoria Jackson is such an annoying person that you can't really extrapolate anything from her experience. Jan Hooks and Nora Dunn being mean to her may have simply been them frustrated with having to deal with her.

She has said in the past Dixie did not want her on the show.

She was a terrible addition to the show though it wasn’t her fault. The writing generally sucked after Season 6.

Great link, OP!

Jackee Harry also said Dixie was a complete bitch to her

I vote for Annie being the nice one. Also Meshach.

According to the National Enquirer, Meshach Taylor was the only one to visit Alice Ghostley in the hospital when she was dying.

Delta Burke gave a heartfelt tribute at Meshach Taylor's funeral.

I see Sheryl Lee Ralph is parking her ass in Viola Davis territory.

Sheryl Lee Ralph seems to like both Annie Potts and Delta Burke here

Ever since her Emmy win, she's become insufferable.

Nora Dunn is fabulous. The one and only Pat Stevens!

Where does Ralph say she likes Burke In that clip?

Sheryl Lee Ralph is quite impressed with Sheryl Lee Ralph.

When speaking, she punctuates each word as if it were a profound and revelatory sentence.

R20 Oops, my mistake - I meant Jean Smart. I'm easily confused. Carry on. Sorry about that.

R15 Are you sure that's Delta Burke? I thought it was Miyoshi Umeki. (25m in)

[quote] Ever since her Emmy win, she's become insufferable.

You ain't seen nothin' yet.

Sheryl Lee Ralph didn’t work with Jean or Delta on DW as they had both (wisely) bailed from the show by that point.

She’s definitely referring to Dixie…and probably Jan. Maybe Alice Ghostley was a cunt to her too, who knows.

Dixie might have been jealous of the Broadway success Ralph had that eluded her.

No problem,R22. Thanks for posting that clip.It was great to see Leslie Jordan again.

CBS made the right decision in finally pulling the plug on DW in 1993, but suppose they hadn't and decided to go for one more year, this time without Annie? Who would the four ladies have been? Dixie, Jan, Judith and Sheryl? Dixie, Jan, Sheryl and Alice? Dixie, Jan, Sheryl and another new lady?

If Jamie Le Curtis wins the Oscar, Viola Davis and Sheryl Lee Ralph are rushing the stage to motherfucking cut a bitch.

That time Sheryl Ralph came for Miss Ross...

I bet Julia Duffy would have been nice to her .

I didn't even know she was on the show, I mostly gave up after Season 5. The new characters were horrible.

"I was flying Delta!"

Annie Potts was assuredly the other nice one. I loved Jan Hooks as a performer, but I've heard tales. To add more detail to the SNL stories, I read (I believe in the SNL oral history book) that the only times she and Dunn weren't at each other's throats were when they were ganging up on Victoria Jackson, which is amusing to picture.

Sheryl Lee is the classic angry black bitch. Go away now. Thank you.

I missed seeing her but I caught Jamie Lee Curtis and she was wound like a top and annoying and exhausting.

Oops, it sounds like we have our cunts:

Dixie Carter and Jan Hooks.

Dixie hated that the producers had torpedoed her hit show by alienating Delta, Jan Hooks was crazy, and Sheryl was on a season that regularly ended up in the bottom third of the ratings. It finished like #67 or something.

Did nobody watch Sheryl's season because people were mean to her on the set? No. Sheryl might look at the fact that her presence didn't bring any viewers to the table.

But her recent awards show appearances suggest she's almost cuckoo self-absorbed.

r2 Jan started in season 6, she was already there when Sheryl arrived.

Yeah, I'm guessing it's Jan Hooks. She didn't get along with Nora Dunn, either. And the time I met her, and let her know I was a fan, she wasn't very pleasant.

[quote]According to the National Enquirer, Meshach Taylor was the only one to visit Alice Ghostley in the hospital when she was dying.

Do you go to the funerals of everyone you worked with years ago?

Why is Sheryl so angry all the time?

[quote]CBS made the right decision in finally pulling the plug on DW in 1993, but suppose they hadn't and decided to go for one more year, this time without Annie? Who would the four ladies have been? Dixie, Jan, Judith and Sheryl? Dixie, Jan, Sheryl and Alice? Dixie, Jan, Sheryl and another new lady?

There's no way CBS would have gone for another year. The writing was so terrible in the last season, it's surprising they even went for a full 22 episodes.

Creator Linda Bloodworth-Thomason said as much. She had handed things off to Dee LaDuke and Mark Alton Brown, who went on to do ... nothing.

I like Sheryl Lee Ralph, even though she is a little much, like most actors are. What I believe is that SLR is a woman of a certain age (a black woman of a certain age) who has been working in the entertainment industry for a very long time as a supporting player (loved her character on Ray Donovan) and she's finally booked a gig that has brought her new found attention and enhanced her celebrity. So she is singing out and spilling tea and doing what she damned well wants. She's gonna ride this Abbott Elementary thing until the wheels fall off and good for her. For years she played the game, now she's saying stuff that's on her mind. Good for her.

When they decided to let Julia Duffy go, I remember Jan Hooks saying something slightly bitchy like “I’m glad it wasn’t me” to a magazine. I also remember a story about Jan getting into it with a crew member who made her cry (Meshach came to her rescue, which was the point of the story).

I loved Jan Hooks and thought she was the funniest woman on SNL. Like many hugely talented actors, it seemed she had a lot of insecurities which probably made her a not very nice person to be around. And let’s face it - Designing Women completely wasted her talents with a very poorly written character.

What does SLR owe anyone from DW? Honesty is seldom the wrong choice. Hoe else will these dead women learn?

PPS - warm, lovely woman. Great mom too.

[quote]Sheryl Lee is the classic angry black bitch.

Bitch r35, this is why you're here. There isn't another forum on the internet that is as dedicated to complaining 24/7 about black actresses as Datalounge is. If these threads weren't here for you to complain about The Blacks on, you wouldn't even log in.

[quote]The Blacks

Oh, dear.

If you're going to trash someone publicly then name them. Otherwise everyone she worked with on the show looks suspect and that sucks.

Sheryl Lee Ralph is insufferable. You'd think someone who's paid as many dues as she has would be more gracious about her co-stars, but she's always giving interviews where she trashes people. It's classless and unnecessary. Her Designing Women character came along two seasons after that show died, and she was only a featured guest star. She had fewer lines than Bernice Clifton's Christmas tree skirt. Pushy broad!

And as to Jan Hooks, Tina Fey had the comment that SNL was way too generous with its male stars and not at all generous with its female stars. She argued Jan Hooks should've had at least as many chances at a hit movie as Hollywood kept giving Rob Schneider. Jan Hooks was an odd duck, but a genuine comedic talent.

That's right, defend Jan Hooks, but shit all over Sheryl Lee Ralph.

R52 I'm sorry, but how many times did Jan Hooks give interviews slamming her dead co-stars? How many times did Jan Hooks go to an awards ceremony or the Super Bowl and caterwaul about her overlooked greatness until the audience was squirming with regret for not inviting her sooner?

Jan Hooks knew enough to keep her loopy ass out of sight. She knew she was a supporting talent, and she was fine with the hand she was dealt. SLR has had an amazing career and worked with some true legends. But all she ever seems to say is "About damn TIME somebody noticed me!!!"

Sheryl Lee Ralph is just a cunt.

A very ungracious and (of course) prideful cunt.

R53, did SLR give an interview slamming her dead co-stars? Where is this interview? Link, please.

SLR wasn’t’ a regular on Designing Women. Even in the 6th and 7th season. Her character made some appearances as Anthony’s wife. She was a recurring character.

The clip of Meshac's funeral service at R23 was pretty cool. At the end, they show photos of celebrities who attended, and in some cases, they also show quotes from the celebrities. There's a picture of Hal Holbrook, who was Dixie's widower. Then there's a photo of Delta with the quote, "He was there for me when no body else was."

R45 yes. It was a crime that her time on SNL was cut short when she left for DW.

That episode with the Elvis appearing on Mary Jo Shively's shovel was rerun on Antenna TV last night. Woof, that was a bad one. The actors seemed embarrassed to be there at that point.

There's a reason Sheryl Lee Ralph didn't get a cameo in the Dreamgirls movie.

R51 I'm the one who had the iffy experience with Jan Hooks. I agree she is one of the funniest, most talented people in the history of the show. It's very sad she didn't have much of a career. She deserved one for sure.

Sheryl's recent meltdown at an airport, which she broadcast on social media, was really distasteful; she went ballistic on a Delta employee who (rightly) denied Sheryl boarding because she was not checked in at least 45 minutes before departure. She acts pretty grand for someone whose last major role was the mom on "Moesha."

Nora Dunn looks great in the new sitcom "Home Economics," hard to believe she's 70. I don't think anybody on SNL liked her because she was fucking Lorne. (As opposed to Victoria Jackson, whom everyone hated because she was certifiable.) Jan Hooks was always a nervous wreck and seemed to feel most comfortable with Phil Hartman. DW was a toxic cesspool by season 6--everyone on 3rd Rock from the Sun adored Jan when she recurred as the landlady's slutty daughter. She either didn't want a career or couldn't cope with the pressures of performing since she was a recluse for a long time before she died.

Designing Women reruns aren't on TV anymore. FETV took them off their schedule last year. It's the first time that I can remember the show not being on TV anywhere.

FETV just removed Maude from their lineup, too.

She first got sick during the run of "3rd Rock," r62. She only showed up a couple of times in the final season, and also stopped those national phone commercials she was doing, I think they were for AT&T but don't quote me on that.

Honestly, she worked regularly up until the early 2000s, and I think if she hadn't been dealing with recurring cancer, she would have had an opportunity to have a bigger career.

I thought SLR was offered the role of Deena's mom in the Dreamgirls movie and said fuck you. She probably thought she could still play Deena.

[quote]However, Annie does not follow Jean Smart. (What the fuck, Annie??!?)

I wonder if there is any jealousy over what a great career Smart has had, full of awards.

But I bet Jan Hooks was not nice. She was my favorite actor on SNL, but I got the impression she was prickly. In the SNL book, it says Victoria Jackson verbally attacked Jan and Nora at a cast/writers meeting as being mean girls who only cared about themselves and undermined everyone else. Jan and Nora stormed out of the meeting. After which, another cast member said to Victoria (who was disliked by everyone for other reasons), "Well, it's not like what you said was untrue."

I know this sounds ridiculous, but where is it written that everyone at your job has to be nice to you? If they aren't, be polite and professional and have that be the end of it.

[quote]I thought SLR was offered the role of Deena's mom in the Dreamgirls movie and said fuck you. She probably thought she could still play Deena.

She was probably pissed that Loretta Devine got a song and she didn't.

R67 It's a little different when you have to act in front of cameras. If someone is a cunt when the cameras are off, it makes it harder to be lighthearted with them when acting.

R63, DW is streaming on Hulu. In edited for syndication versions. 😡

I have absolutely no recollection of Sheryl Lee Ralph on the show.

I must have stopped watching by then. I think I stopped watching when Julia Duffy was on.

On lots of these long-running sitcoms, the original cast is insular and unfriendly to guests and new actors. The Friends cast was notorious for this.

Did she say anything about her It's A Living/Making A Living castmates? I don't see Marian Mercer putting up with a lot of crap. She probably would have grabbed SLR by her Korean wig and told her where to get off.

Oh, Sheryl Lee, you should have been on the set of Little House on the Prairie. The ugly girls were always mean to the pretty girls with three names.

Dixie should have been gracious to everyone, Linda saved her career after she was fired from Different Strokes. Who the hell was she to be nasty to anyone?

[quote]Victoria Jackson verbally attacked Jan and Nora at a cast/writers meeting as being mean girls who only cared about themselves and undermined everyone else

The stories about them are contradictory, you either hear that they hated each other unless they were yelling at Victoria, or that they were partners in crime working together to make life miserable for everyone else. It can't really be both. And given the era in which it happened, and the fact that Victoria Jackson of all people is behind most of the rumors, I'm not inclined to believe they were both monsters.

R66 SNL isn’t a fucking commune; if you want good sketches and enough screen time, you have to advocate yourself. Why should Jan and Nora have put up with the same sexist bullshit that ‘70s cast members like Jane Curtin did? Jan and Nora were the best parts of late ‘80s SNL, Victoria Jackson is a republican lunatic who was not funny or attractive.

This has happened to me many of times onstage, R69, and I've just gone on and done my job.

What was Christine Ebersole like behind the scenes of SNL?

I think it was Bruce Campbell in one of his books who said that a lot of actors are VERY able to act like they like or even love their co-stars who are cunts in real life, partly out of spite. They figure that the cunt in question is trying to undermine them at their job, so they are extra careful to do a good job, to show the cunt that they're not that easily upset.

Pretty sure it's in the same book where Campbell talks about John Mahoney's story about working with Bruce Willis, whose contract specified everyone he worked with had to be on set when he had his close-ups, i.e. no stand ins, but he would never do a close-up with anyone else. It apparently caused a lot of problems on set.

Sheryl showed her ass with her passive aggressive posts on social media about Delta not checking her in when she was late. Her celebrity status and recent Emmy win did not sway them. She looked ridiculous, entitled and petty, and many called her out for it.

When celebrities are rude to regular working people, I have no time for them or their entitled attitude.

Ralph is the epitome of fake. Perhaps the women saw through that. Of course, she could always fall back on the racism card to get the SJWs to blindly support her.

Just go away.

Two things I learned from this thread:

1 - Sheryl tried to cancel Delta Burke Airlines.

2- Meschach Taylor was a saint!

Love me some SLR! Was a young theater queen working in a movie theater on Long Island and one summer we got to play this every two hours with the trailers and it was Heaven.

I still recall rumors of a backstage wig-snatching incident during "Dreamgirls'" original Broadway run.

Sheryl Lee? Roz? Bueller? Anyone?

You know who actually never got her due? Marilyn McCoo.

But you don't have to be a star to be in my show!

R86. Wig incident huh. Were feces involved.

I have the impression Julia Duffy has always been pleasant but reserved and professional. Hell, they were bringing her on "Grace Under Fire" to limit Brett Butler's screen time, but that ended up being the final episode flameout.

Julia is also on Twitter. Seems nice and obviously very liberal.

R89, agreed. Duffy has worked way too steadily to be a difficult diva. For starters, I doubt Bob Newhart would've put up with that. But she pops up in so many things...she was my favourite part of the abysmal 'Looking', as Patrick's waspy mother.

[quote] According to Victoria Jackson, Jan Hooks and Nora Dunn were Mean Girls to her..

Well that's a plus for Jan Hooks & Nora Dunn. They probably could see very quickly that Jackson was a right wing rotten cunt.

Duffy's character was doomed. Her sole purpose was to say something small and petty so Julia could jump on it and show how superior she was. Julia was pretty insufferable by that point. I was not watching the show much by that point, but not sure Duffy's character was ever allowed to get the last word or show Julia that she was wrong.

I love Hooks - but her character was pretty two dimensional. Smart was a lot better at infusing some depth into the naive Pollyanna small town girl. Of course, part of that was the writing was much better when her character was created.

Jan wasn't a mean bitch, but she had so many insecurities I'm guessing she wasn't easy to deal with.

In some ways, not so dissimilar to Delta.

BLACK MAN! BLACK MAN!

One thing I have to say about Annie Potts. Have you seen her on "Young Sheldon"? That bitch is flawless! She's 70 years old and can easily pass for 40.

Annie Potts has had some good work done. She always had good bone structure. I watched her not long ago in a John Candy movie from the 80s...she was stunning as the bumbling trophy wife/stepmother out to murder her buffoonish, rich husband.

R63 Both "Maude" and "Designing Women" are on Antenna TV. "Maude" airs on Saturday nights 11 pm - 12am. "DW" , I believe, airs on Sunday afternoons. A few weeks ago they did a DW marathon on a Sunday.

And poor Miss Ivey had no character at all.

'90s sitcoms tried very hard to make Judith Ivey happen.

Designing Women was a horrible fucking show. Sheryl Lee Ralph deserved it.

[quote] '90s sitcoms tried very hard to make Judith Ivey happen.

They sure did

It had its moments, r100.

[quote] Designing Women was a horrible fucking show.

shhhh.....grownups are talking

I don't remember MISS SHERYL LEE RALPH in the last season of this show, which limped along till it was canceled.

SLR is bitter about the lack of a career. Get over yourself darling. You ain’t that good.

[quote] shhhh.....grownups are talking

Yes, and they are trying to get you to realize that you liked a very shitty sitcom.

Is there a TV show or film in the history of TV show or film where the cast was made up of primarily women, and the set wasn't a bitchy, bitter a pure shit fest?

I'm watching Designing Women right now and I can't believe how much Judith Ivey stutters and stammers her lines. Was the work pace too fast for her? Did they not have a TelePrompTer or cue cards? Did they get new pages on tape day? It wrecks the rhythm of the comedy. She does it constantly.

Duffy is kinda nuts, but her character on DW was one note and improbably and unjustifiably mean and shrill. She didn't have the writing she had on Newhart.

And with Ivey's fumfuh-ing what you realize is that this is the take they went with, they didn't go back and get pickups or anything to get smoother delivery from her.

Julia Duffy had impossible shoes to fill. Delta Burke, the epitome of Southern womanhood played perfectly, had left the show. They cast the beauty queen mold, but didn't realize that Delta was more than just a pretty face. Delta was perfect with the snappy comeback. And she could make the most absurd premises work. Who else could be believed as having a pet pig that they drove down to the Dairy Queen?

When Delta gained all her weight, I told everyone she was exactly like my Southern aunts. I totally saw them in her portrayal.

I've seen several interviews of Sheryl and she is overconfident and a bit pushy. That being said, I never liked Dixie Carter, who seemed the prickly type, just like her character. Actors are all arrogant narcissists anyway. Let them pick at each other's livers and I'm happy to watch.

I always wondered if Allison Sugarbaker was written as having a southern accent or if Julia Duffy tried it and it sounded bad.

Amy Yasbeck guest starred on an episode in Season 6. She would have been a fun addition to the show.

When Ralph joined Designing Women I can imagine Hooks might have felt threatened since the character of Etienne was kind of naive and childlike and could have filled the same role on the show as Carlene. I doubt they were looking to get rid of Hooks; more likely they were setting up Ralph to replace Potts if the show had continued.

Many years ago I met a guy in a gay bar who had worked on the final seasons of Designing Women and said that all the cast members were horrible to him. He had been a PA or held some other low level position and said the whole experience had been a nightmare with the cast barely speaking to each other except while filming. He said Meshach Taylor was the only one who was professional and treated him respectfully but kept to himself and tried to stay out of the drama.

Why was season 6 the highest rated? Residual interest following the Delta Burke controversy? New timeslot

^^DW had always been pretty popular, and then there was a lot of excitement about Jan Hooks joining the cast

Seasons 1-5 made Designing Women one of the best shows on television ever. The women on the show were fabulous, funny and forever memorable.

Anyway, in my opinion, Designing Women was far better than Golden Girls, which I could take or leave even though I liked all the GGs. But I loved DW.

....

[quote] Why was season 6 the highest rated? Residual interest following the Delta Burke controversy? New timeslot

Those things, and it was changing to be a bit less brainy/clever and more broad comedy.

Timeslot really did have a lot to do with it, though. It almost didn't survive its first season and the move in the 7th killed it - it only ever did well on Mondays.

Jan Hooks was an incredibly gifted talent, but unfortunately she had a lot of personal issues. She basically spent the last 15 or so years of her life as an alcoholic recluse in upstate NY.

R118, being an alcoholic recluse is a bad thing?

She had a farmhouse, watched TCM around the clock, and had food, liquor and cigarettes delivered to the house every day. Pretty much a Datalounger's wet dream.

They should’ve bumped Olivia brown to a series regular instead of the jackee/Sheryl mess. Anthony and Vanessa were fun.

[quote]I'm watching Designing Women right now and I can't believe how much Judith Ivey stutters and stammers her lines. Was the work pace too fast for her? Did they not have a TelePrompTer or cue cards? Did they get new pages on tape day? It wrecks the rhythm of the comedy. She does it constantly.

During that awful last season, it was like the characters became AI/pod-people versions of themselves, even poor Bernice. But BJ Poteet was the worst conceived and acted of them all.

Honestly, do any of these ladies not have a bitchy history?

That's including Ms. Ralph as well. . . I know she's long had the reputation that has led to the assumption the the reason she mostly does 'white shows' is because with a largely black cast, most people think she's an uptight snob.

Potts just became straight up cunt 90s on... but I throw her in with Jean Smart - the fatigue on playing those characters had to be exhausting.

Dixie didn't really have anything but the show.. and it was her and her husband's baby. Honestly, their inventions fucked up the show just as much trying to give Julia more dramatic stretch and failing in the long run. I could see her being the most controlling but I would have assumed by that point she had given up.

So she’s an angry black woman. Move on.

I think Delta's whole business just spoiled everything.

And it sounds like working for the Thomasens was tough, too.

After a career as long as hers, one would think she would appreciate the acclaim she’s getting now rather than complaining she should have had it earlier. Just weird to me. I did always like her, but her behavior now has turned me off.

SLR thinks that her pussy don’t stink.

[quote]Did she say anything about her It's A Living/Making A Living castmates?

Sheryl and Paul Kreppel converse every once in a while on Instagram. She also tweeted about Barrie Youngfellow's passing.

Jean Smart said that when Delta and Dixie started feuding and not speaking to each other on set, that it became difficult as everyone was basically forced to choose sides. All four were very close. The press at the time said that Jean was going to be recurring in the Julia Duffy season. I don't know what happened that made her leave after the season opening two parter.

I don't think Sheryl hates the show. She loved her character so much that gave her child the same name. And she participated in the table read alongside Annie and Jean. She asked Linda Bloodworth to be on the show as she was such a huge fan of it. But what she says has some truth to it. Annie has said that Dixie and her basically kept to themselves by that point and both were very unhappy with the way the show was going. It didn't seem to be a pleasant set.

I had no idea there were so many other women on the show (I stopped watching as soon as it became clear what a bomb Julia Duffy was.) They really squeezed all the juice outta that lemon.

Who could have played Julia Duffy's part better? Even Meryl Streep couldn't make this character work. They wrote her into a corner. I think even Linda Bloodworth Thompson admitted that.

Julia Duffy was a scream as Stephanie on Newhart.

....

Julia Duffy wasn’t a bomb. The character sucked and didn’t fit, but the actress herself was outstanding. She’s also known to be a kind and friendly professional who most costars have liked.

To be fair, no one could’ve made it work after Delta and Jean left. It killed the show.

[quote] The stories about them are contradictory, you either hear that they hated each other unless they were yelling at Victoria, or that they were partners in crime working together to make life miserable for everyone else. It can't really be both.

BLA BLA BLA BLA BLA.

[quote]Julia Duffy was a scream as Stephanie on Newhart.

One of the funniest moments on Newhart had to do with a live telethon (I don't remember what it was for). Something went wrong and Stephanie had to fill time. Julia Duffy made her eyes huge and started singing very slowly, "Ole Man Ribber ... Dat Ole Man Ribber ... He mus' know sumpin' ... He don't say nuffin ... "

Yeah, the problem on DW wasn't Julia — it was the character and the writing.

At about 18:20. Bob's reaction is pretty good as well.

The one big step they made with her is feeling that they should give her and Michael a child. Some characters don't work when you try to give them depth.

The fact Julia never won an Emmy for that part and Rhea won every year still gets me annoyed.

big misstep - not big step...

Seein' Double!

The replacement Designing Women fared only a little better than the replacement Charlie's Angels (after Ladd) and the replacement Alice waitresses. Whatever the quality of a show about "types," if it becomes a hit, it's tough to step into it. Whether the new character is too much like the departed one or not enough like the departed one, the character is going to be a hard sell. It's happening again now with the several new women who have befriended Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte on And Just Like That, with Kim Cattrall having said no chance in hell. Seema has some fans, but I don't think there's any attachment to the others.

I thought Duffy tried hard, but she couldn't simply step into the slot of "the obnoxious one," which seems to have been the hope. The love/hate sibling dynamic with Dixie/Julia was too much a part of that show's formula.

Sheryl Lee Ralph ought to take notice of Jean Smart

Jean had been in the business for a long time too. She had some success along the way, as did Sheryl Lee Ralph. However, Jean's big acclaim has mainly come recently with her award-winning series, Hacks. But Jean has accepted her latter years success very graciously. Jean is not out there bitching that her recent success should have come sooner as Ms. Ralph seems to be doing.

I loved Designing Women--still do. It's one of the best shows ever. Delta Burke was key to the show, and she should have received an Emmy for her work as should have the show. It was just wrong that it didn't receive more awards and acknowledgement. But those women are remembered by the public.

When the Delta thing happened, it cast a shadow on the show. But seasons 1-5 were brilliant.

Jean was the reason I loved the show. When she left, as much I liked Jan it was never the same.

Her Emmy speech was so tiresome. Going on as if her career had been so hard. She has been incredibly well known in the industry since her splash start in Dreamgirls on Broadway. She spoke as if she cured cancer.

I wish that Ann Jillian could have a career resurgence. She had a rough time of it but never complains publicly. She is overdue for a comeback.

It will be hard for Ann Jillian to have a career resurgence. She died in 2004! RIP Baby June.

Ann is still with us R146, but has been retired for over 20 years. She did the public speaking circuit for a number of years but seems happy living out of the spotlight.

They should have cast Ann as a Sugarbaker cousin and southern belle foil to Dixie after Delta was fired.

"We have to talk about when Delta was crazy!"

Was? I love Delta Burke. She could come back tommorow and teach Sheryl Lee Ralph about comic timing, charisma and star quality. With humility.

The Designing Women Reunion - they said (then) they hadn't been in the same ROOM for 12 years. But it's all love? I think they're all a bit cold laying on the charm. It wasn't a great show to be honest. Dixie Carter looked so sexy though. Jean Smart is a great actress - not to be confused with Charlene. She could have played a Tennessee Williams role from Blanche to Amanda. Nice that she had such a long sweet marriage with Mary Jo's husband.

Mesach Taylor was clearly the most beloved member of that cast. And he loved Delta the most.

'We never showed a one night stand.'

How brave of Designing Women.

Flowers to the Golden Girls and MTM.

It definitely seemed like they were all friends in the beginning, but Delta's fuckery definitely split the group into factions.

Annie had Delta play her sister on Any Day Now. This was before the DW Reunion.

Give Delta a break. She had a lot of personal issues to sort through, and she did her best.

No one ever seems to blame Linda Bloodworth-Thomason for all her weird shit. That woman had more failed pilots in her past than the North Korean Air Force, and the bitch STILL had the nerve to act like frickin' Norman Lear. She became downright insufferable after this one show of hers became a hit, and especially after she hitched on to the Bill and Hillary Clinton star.

Linda slept in the White House, you know. She was Ozark trash through and through, and everyone in the business hated her shrill and tacky style, but she slept in the White House!!!!

I remember an TV interview with Ralph, maybe 25 years ago, where she took a jab at the current musicals on Broadway of that time. Ralph mentioned how "We (Dreamgirls) didn't need helicopters (Miss Saigon) or falling chandeliers (Phantom) to sell a show," or something to that effect. I lost respect for her, thinking she came across as a snarky, pretentious, backbiting bitch.

I love you r153!!

R154 What a tacky twat.

Miss Saigon is *supposed to have* a helicopter. Phantom of the Opera is *supposed to have* chandeliers and organs and grandeur.

Next she'll be saying she could've done A Chorus Line without gold costumes, or Cats without furry animals, or Frankie and Johnny without the Clair de Lune. Moron!

R154. Miss Saigon was about a lot more than a helicopter. It was a magnificent musical about a very difficult time in American and Vietnamese history. And it has a better score and songs than Dreamgirls.

As for Phantom of the Opera, it is one of the Broadway's biggest hits in a generation--and it's still running. When did Dreamgirls close?

Ms. Ralph is ass.

Jennifer Holliday was the star of Dreamgirls and the reason people were going to see the show and buying the cast album, nobody gave a fuck about Sheryl Lee Ralph.

2014 mini reunion.

R39, Julia Duffy was fucking hilarious in the "Seein' Double" episode of Newhart, which was a classic. And it aired in the back half of the last season. Not many shows have that in them.

That show was firing on all cylinders up to the very end. I remember being bummed that Bob pulled the plug. It could have run a couple more years.

Instead, Newhart and Duffy went on to get treated terribly by CBS in botched follow-up projects.

Dixie Carter’s daughter has written a novel. The name of the main character is…Delta. 🤔

Delta Dawn, a Southerner from the wrong side of the tracks, becomes a successful photographer in New York City. Despite this, she still wants the life she imagines for herself each time she looks through her camera lens at the wealthier, more successful families who hire her.

When the seemingly perfect Straub family hires her to shoot their child’s birthday party, Delta becomes determined to work her way into their lives in the increasingly strange ways Carter’s psychological thriller portrays.

“Everyone does it, that kind of lying to yourself, telling yourself a better version of your life,” Carter says. “But Delta really, like, takes it to an extreme. It’s sort of the metaphor of what she does to photographs is what she’s doing in her own real life, too.

“And there’s kind of no boundaries and no recognition of the line between what’s real and what’s not real.”

Ralph is now the epitome of powerful black women, as if anyone cares.

Is Ralph still singing about being an endangered species?

America has the Strong Black Woman it deserves, Miss Ralph.

The Seeing Double episode within the episode maybe could have been a little shorter, but there were times when I really laughed and she and Bob were great. She really was a character for him and his deadpan delivery to play against. I think I played her delivery of "racked with pain" while singing Old Man River in the Telethon episode three times.

I was in college or just out of college when his third show, Bob, was on the air, so did not see it much. I wonder why it did not work. From what I saw and remember, the character of his daughter was funny. Although she is another actress that they really seemed to try and make work for a couple of years and she never really did get her hit show.

[quote]Miss Saigon was about a lot more than a helicopter. It was a magnificent musical about a very difficult time in American and Vietnamese history. And it has a better score and songs than Dreamgirls.

One of the worst shows I've seen on Broadway.

I loved Forbidden Broadway's sending up of its cheesy, simple-minded lyrics:

"You are beach boy

And I'm just like a Chinese fortune greeting and cartoon

'Have a nice day'

We have regressed to cliche!"

HER: "You are postcard."

HIM: "I am Hallmark."

HER: "Reach out and touch."

HIM: "FTD."

Does she think she's being classy by not naming names? She's not. She's being crass by bringing it up at all, especially since it's all being done for attention and "poor-me" griping.

Bitch, you just sang at the Super Bowl. Nobody feels sorry for you.

There is only ONE Black Queen in Hollywood, SLR.

Take your tired ass back to the cotton fields!!!!

I'm gonna ralph all over that Sheryl bitch when I see her.

Only the most dire of queens would see Miss Saigon as anything other than the haphazard trash that it is.

^^I loved Miss Saigon!

And Mary Dixie Carter played the Suzanne Jr. type when the Sugarbakers were visited by their nieces! Sorry I can't find a clip, but those who know what I'm talking about know what I'm talking about.

Here's an interesting podcast with Julia Duffy discussing her career. She speaks rather cautiously about her time on Designing Women but spins it all very positively. Take note, Ms. Ralph.

The Designing Women conversation starts around 45:30 if the video doesn't cue to that point

Julia Duffy was almost cast as Diane on Cheers. She and Fred Dreyer were the alternate finalists and she was said to be terrific.

[quote]I was in college or just out of college when his third show, Bob, was on the air, so did not see it much. I wonder why it did not work. From what I saw and remember, the character of his daughter was funny. Although she is another actress that they really seemed to try and make work for a couple of years and she never really did get her hit show.

It was the timeslot: Friday nights, up against TGIF.

The show was quite good. Solid premise, the executive producers couldn't have been better (from Cheers), Carlene Watkins was a better wife than Mary Frann, and Cynthia Stevenson really brought something special as the daughter. And it was nice to see Bob have offspring. I also remember there was a cute stoner at the comic book office that I had a crush on.

The office staff needed some tweaking (the boss character was bland), but Bob was much stronger in season 1 than Newhart was at the same time. If they had given it a regular slot on Monday nights, it would have taken off.

[quote]Julia Duffy was almost cast as Diane on Cheers. She and Fred Dreyer were the alternate finalists and she was said to be terrific.

I know Dryer was in the running (Sam was initially going to be an ex-football player), but I'd always heard Julia Duffy and William Devane were the closest runners-up for the main roles. Then Devane gave a bad final audition after stepping on glass because he was auditioning barefoot. (Why, I have no idea.)

A Cheers producer said that Danson's supporting role in Body Heat, more than anything else, was responsible for his getting Cheers. They thought he showed a flair for comedy in that.

Thanks for posting that R174, though what an insufferably annoying interviewer (like every Podcast, I guess). Poor Julia, her son died by suicide in 2019, I had no idea.

Julia is a class act. I would love to see her land a role in something that would get her the kind of critical attention that Sheryl and Jean have been receiving.

Did Leslie Jordan ever reveal what Mary Fran actually did to him that made him dislike her so much? I was never really clear on that one.

Duffy could have been a good Diane although it really was a perfect role for Long and she and Danson really clicked. Cannot see Dreyer pulling off Danson's balance of chauvinist pig and likable. I do remember she had a pretty funny guest spot in the first season as a friend of Diane's. Dreyer also guest starred in the first season or two. I think there is a reason why he is not known for his comedic timing.

I loved it when Markie Post played Diane's friend from college. Diane couldn't take her innocent flirting with Sam and it drove her nuts.

[quote] Did Leslie Jordan ever reveal what Mary Fran actually did to him that made him dislike her so much? I was never really clear on that one.

Mary Frann had the unmitigated gall to replace Betty Buckley as the matriarch in the Eight Is Enough reunion movie. Mary Frann took food right out of Betty Buckley’s mouth.

If TPTB loved Ted Danson so much in Body Heat, they really should have cast Kim Zimmer as Diane, she would have hit it out of the park. She just oozes sex, especially in Body Heat, where apparantly she got so into her role that she asked the director if he wanted her to do a nude scene.

Where did you hear that? I am so shocked!

[quote]Did Leslie Jordan ever reveal what Mary Fran actually did to him that made him dislike her so much?

In this interview with Julia Duffy she goes into great (excruciating?) detail about her time on Newhart. She speaks glowingly about everyone involved in the show except Frann who she never even mentions. Interesting…

Sorry to turn this into a Julia Duffy/Newhart thread. Back to the subject at hand

Bob gave Mary her props at the end of the article.

R177, yes, I think you are right. Devane may have been the finalist and not Dreyer, but Fred was among the final three. Julia was a strong number two for Diane. (I think the issue with Devane May have been that he didn’t look like a plausible former athlete.)

Plus Devane was ugly af. Made Michael Shannon look like Michelangelo’s David.

After Delta and Jean left, the show tanked. Jean was very smart (no pun intended) to leave, after Delta.

The producers made the Allison character so obnoxious and unlikable. Julia Duffy is a wonderful actress. I hope she got a hefty paycheck. Regarding BJ, the show improved after Allison left. Yet, it didn't have the magic of Delta and Jean. The writing was abysmal during the final season.

Just checking to make sure Ms. Ralph didn't say anything bad about the amazing Jean Smart, which would necessitate me making a cross-country trip to cut a bitch.

PUT YOUR BROTHER ON THE PHONE!!!

Did Devane ever test with Duffy? Dreyer blamed not getting it on having to test with Duffy and that the height difference was the problem. He said he wished he could have tested with Shelley.

Jennifer Holmes, we hardly knew ye!

Why didn't The Five Mrs. Buchanans catch on? Was it because it aired on a Saturday, not enough chemistry or had audiences already seen enough female ensemble sitcoms and FMB wasn't unique enough?

From that interview at R174 , sounds like she did not have issues with the actresses, but implied there was stuff going on behind the scenes and with the writing. She pretty much took the high road. I am kind of curious about how her Wizards and Warriors series was. I vaguely remember it being on the air.

I almost forgot that she was a replacement on Newhart. Nothing against the actress who played the first maid, but the character was pretty dull and did not really bring much humor to a sitcom. The original neighbor/cafe owner was also more annoying than funny.

I cannot remember if Michael was brought on as a recurring character that clicked and was promoted to regular, or if he started out as a cast member. Also, if he was paired with Stephanie right away or if the writers saw the two characters and said - you know what would be funny.... I might have to see if I can find the series streaming somewhere and start with season 2.

I remember when they brought Jackee on during the final episode of Season 6, the speculation was that they were going to fire Julia Duffy and replace her with Jackee. Maybe Dixie Carter was such a bitch to Jackee out of loyalty to JD or something.

R197 I remember an interview with Jackee, something along the lines of how Dixie was just very unhappy by that point, yet also everyone involved completely bowed to her so it encouraged a very weird dynamic where Dixie would barely speak to others, sometimes just nod, and everyone scurried because she was the queen. I'm sure the whole set had derailed by that point.

Sounds to me like Dixie needed to relax with some Coffee Mate.

Dixie was always cranky between facelifts.

I fucking love Julia Duffy now. What an intelligent, articulate woman. Thanks for the videos!

Marcia McCabe said that Sheryl Lee was a cunt way back when she was on Search For Tomorrow.

I liked her as Patrick's mom on [italic]Looking.[/italic]

I think I found the true source of all the drama on the Designing Women set: Dixie Carter's demon

[quote]Did Leslie Jordan ever reveal what Mary Fran actually did to him that made him dislike her so much? I was never really clear on that one.

Mary Frann was rather high and mighty. Imagine Suzanne Pleshette saying something like this:

[quote]One complication Frann has suggested to the show's producers is to have more interplay between Joanna and Stephanie, the flaky hireling played by Julia Duffy. "I'd like to see us become the next Lucy and Ethel," she said.

Honey, the name of the show was NEWHART, not FRANN.

Ballsy for Dreyer to have believed that auditioning opposite Shelley might have changed who was cast.I mean, Ted Danson was great in that role.

But then I imagine how it must feel for an actor who comes close to being cast in a show that runs forever and makes everyone rich. Hard to shrug off.

Fred Dryer did okay for himself because I sure as hell didn't run around in tight jeans and pumps for all those years for nothing!

Does one pronounce the "p" in Stepfanie?

I really want to know why so many people dislike to marry Fran. I know I read once that Bob newhart just her as far as his TV wives go and now seeing that Leslie Jordan didn't like her and probably Julia Duffy too just what was so awful about her.

I was so disappointed when Jackie who I loved showed up on designing women and they did nothing interesting or even funny with her. To me you'd have to be purposely tanking the show not to be able to do something that jackee could make people laugh with. I've always had a weird crush on Julia Duffy and I remembered that baby talk show she did I think it was before designing women and for some reason the last episode featuring her has stuck with me. She's having her picture taken and she's holding the baby and I swear the camera stays on her for a very long time and she just looks so profoundly sad. I don't think I've seen it since that initial airing so I really have no idea if my memory is correct. But the show is then retooled and a different woman played the mom after that.

Anyway I find myself thinking about that moment with Julia Duffy a lot and I'd like to tell her that someday if I ever meet her she probably think that was weird though.

Yeah, that is pretty fuckin' weird.

R174. Thanks for posting the interview with Julia Duffy. It was fabulous! Great conversation, witty, intelligent, engaging. Just delightful.

For those who haven't had a listen, it's well worth your time...

Look at this cast...

Once in a Lifetime (1978)

Funny how no one has mentioned Ralph for a long time. I guess that's how memorable she was.

R212. Julia Duffy is one smart cookie in that interview.

Yeah, it's nice to see those interviews with Julia Duffy. I liked her on Newhart a lot as a kid, and then I remember her less than successful runs on Baby Talk and Designing Women and then she seemed to disappear. I haven't thought about her in a long time, but it's nice to know she's still working and looks terrific!

Sorry to interrupt the justifable Julia fondness, but does anyone remember that early episode of Designing Women where Stephen Tobolowsky played a male friend, Boyd? "There they are, the eight finest breasts in Atlanta." It was just before Anthony was introduced. Imagine if they went that route, having Anthony be the one to unabashedly flirt with all the ladies.

Didn't Mary Frann die from excessive dieting?

Excessive dieting? Did she go on my watermelon diet?

Julia Duffy is a talented woman and has worked consistently throughout the years. She also played the mother in 'Looking.'

She's 71 now, married to veteran soap opera actor Jerry Lacy, 86. The one and only marriage for each of them.

Damn, time marches on.

Stephanie's song at 18:15...

Jerry (Play it Again, Sam/Dark Shadows) Lacy

R209 Good lord stop drinking - what the fuck kind of writing rambling was that?

Earlier in the thread, someone asked about Peter Scolari. I think it's notable that Newhart was his third chance in prime time. He had Bosom Buddies, then Baby Makes Five, then Newhart.

Jean Smart is not well

Would Dreyer have let Sam be vulnerable and show moments that he was unsure of himself underneath his lady killer veneer. I know it was a different type of show, but I feel like Hunter always had to be shown as a tough guy and always right. Not a lot of shading to that character. Wasn't he known to have a fairly healthy sized ego on the set? That show was on a fairly long time, but seems to be pretty much forgotten.

They should have kept Jackee on instead of having Julia "I can't win an Emmy if my life depended on it" Duffy

Remember when Tootie yelled at Jean Smart on the "Facts of Life."

[quote]If you can't properly look after your kid, keep your sugar walls shut

She's probably confusing Designing Women with It's A Living. We gave up Ann Jillian for THAT?

Jean Smart has been living with Diabetes since she was a teenager and she is a Widow. She's low key and has stayed gainfully employed in the industry for ages. I most sincerely do hope she winds up being alright with her heart procedure.

Julia Duffy seems like a sweetheart. What a dear. She's a television staple because her imdb listing is really long but it's almost all television.

I already posted once on this thread and all. I'm curious as to if Dixie had any bigoted tendencies. I'd like to think she didn't because Hal Holbrook seemingly didn't. But, still. You never know. Jackee Harry alone has quite the natural comedic ability and Sheryl Lee Ralph is a well rounded performer so I just don't get it.

I know that Dixie could not stand Gary Coleman when she was briefly on DIFFERENT STROKES. Neither could Mary Ann Mobley. They were both from the South, and her first name was Dixie, so there’s that…

I'd wager Dixie's resistance to all of these women - Jackee Harry, SLR, Judith Ivey, and Julia Duffy - was more about her frustration with the producers of Designing Women.

After five successful seasons, they had this sloppy and self-inflicted breakup with Delta Burke that tore the whole place apart. Also, Jean Smart (who always preferred playing vamps and Lady Macbeth to playing an Elvis nut from the Ozarks) felt the show had run its course and she wanted to leave. Dixie and Annie were happy to keep working, but the magic of the original four women was gone after season five, and no matter what Linda would try (new characters, clip shows, MORE BERNICE, etc.), they never got it back.

Dixie probably looked at Jackee and Sheryl and thought "Jesus, another new cast member?!?!?"

Dixie was very right-wing and only uttered lines that were anathema to her because she was promised that she could sing on the show.

R233 She wasn't "very right-wing." She was a libertarian who supported gay marriage and civil rights.

And to be fair, Julia's political rants got more and more insufferable as the seasons wore on. What started out as fiery feminism in the pilot turned into full-bore Clinton cult love by the final episodes. Most actresses would've cringed at having to say such bullshit.

We don't care.

Her rants were exhausting to watch. And I am a progressive liberal.

I liked how within the show they made fun of Julia for having those rants. In a last season episode Mary Jo really let Julia have it for being so full of herself. She truly was insufferable.

Annie Potts gave a good, in-depth interview last year talking about Designing Women, among other things. I was interested to learn that she was dissatisfied with her character as early as the second or third season, feeling she was extraneous and her stories weren't going anywhere.

Mary Jo was the most boring and ill-defined of the original four leads. What I remember most about her is that she often entered an episode by saying, "Sorry I'm late" or talking about her dog Brownie needing a flea dip.

Sorry I'm late, I had to take Brownie to the vet. Almost every damn episode sorry I'm late or something about Brownie. So tiresome.

R238 R239 It was even worse than when Julia entered a scene with a sour face, and then being "forced" to repeat what construction workers had hollered at her.

Potts might have been the most well known of the four when the show began, unfortunately Mary Joe wasn't a particularly funny character and was 'paired' with Smart's Charlene, who was very lovable, funny and charismatic.

I wonder how much they paid off Lorna Lembeck to make room for Delta Burke.

Dixie chose to publicly come out and side with the Thomasons when they were feuding with Delta. I have no idea why she chose to do that (perhaps out of loyalty to those who gave her a job) but that was the moment when everything on the show really went to shit. Delta did an interview with Barbara Walters a short time later (not telling anybody associated with the show that she was doing it) and read The Thomasons, Dixie and Hal to filth. The other cast members got dragged into taking sides.

I forgot all the negative press the show got its fifth season. But damn, Delta looked smashing.

R230, to answer your question about Dixie, if it matters, she was good pals with gay soap head writer Doug Marland.

I wish Delta Burke had been a bigger star after she left Designing Woman. I just loved her. She was such a great presence with superb comedic timing. I loved Delta since 'Filthy Rich.'

It seems that Delta's unhappiness on DW hurt the show and her career if she were expecting to have much of a career. I know Delta was in a couple of more sitcoms in the 90s, but nothing compared to DW, although she was good in 'Woman of the House.'

Dixie Carter live on The Edge of Night.

Thanks for the interview, R186. Duffy is refreshingly articulate and intelligent. She seems like someone you'd want to know personally.

She was horribly miscast on DESIGNING WOMEN, a show that requires broad comic strokes from its cast, which Duffy really doesn't do. CBS and the Thomasons are to blame for that, not her.

I always thought Jan Hooks should've played the antagonist. Charlene's family was southern Baptist, so what if Carlene had been a self-righteous, preachy, Bible-thumping wing nut. Hooks could've played the hell out of that and made it funny. And the audience loved the hilarious Olivia Brown, so perhaps Vanessa could've tried to go legit to win Anthony's affections and taken Charlene's place.

But none of that would change the fact that the show in its last two seasons was poorly written and directed (largely by the horrid David Steinberg - who had the cast constantly doing the wretched sitcom thing where they stand shoulder to shoulder to deliver their lines) and no cast changes could overcome that.

One of the best comedies of the 90s was "High Society" with Jean Smart and Mary McDonnell.

Those women were a hoot.

I guess Delta and Dixie made up since Delta was bawling at her funeral and was being helped out of the service by her husband and Annie.

High Society with Jean Smart and Mary McDonnell...

[quote] One of the best comedies of the 90s was "High Society" with Jean Smart and Mary McDonnell.

One of several shows that tried to ride the Ab Fab glory train. Jean’s character always coming on to the son of Mary’s character, week after week after week, was too creepy for a tv sitcom.

Mary McDonnell had two Oscar nominations and yet she still took second billing.

Anyone remember Dixie in Mork and Mindy spin-off, " Out of the Blue"?

OOTB... Why it flopped.

I liked Delta’s later sitcom where she moved to Nashville to become a country singer. It was like a Southern That Girl.

....

I'd kill you if I could, R256. . BUT FIRST. . .

From what I recall, the villain was mostly Delta's husband, Gerald McRaney. He kept insisting to everyone that Delta had become THE star of the show and should be treated as such. She was totally in love with him, dealing with her bipolar disorder, and allowed him to do most of the "negotiating". It's why Dixie sided with the Thomasons.

Just like when Bill Hudson split up Laverne and Shirley, which was discussed in the Cindy Williams thread.

The other nice woman is 100% Jean Smart, without a doubt. Sheryl was on a panel last year and said that she never forgot the kindness that Jean gave her when she joined Designing Women and praised her as an all around great human being.

"One of the most genuine, most kind people, actors, human beings in the industry. PERIOD. I will never forget her kindness towards me. Never."

So funny how offended Moonves got by the Janet Jackson Nipplegate fiasco, then he's outed as a sexual harasser. Janet had to have enjoyed his downfall. Even better than a dozen deep-fried Twinkies.

[quote] Sheryl was on a panel last year and said that she never forgot the kindness that Jean gave her when she joined Designing Women and praised her as an all around great human being.

After watching that, I’m having serious doubts about Sheryl’s memory of people and events. Jean left Designing Women a couple of years before Sheryl made her first appearance on the show.

Maybe she is thinking of that other white lady, Judith Ivey.

All white people look the same to me.

"When I joined Designing Women, two ladies were so nice to me but the star, Bea Arthur, was NOT!"

R621, You realize that Jean left in the beginning of s6 and with Sheryl appearing in s7, it's not crazy to believe there was overlap in them knowing each other during the pre-production of Sheryl's season.

They also worked together on the film Mistress so I'm want to believe Sheryl Lee Ralph knows exactly who she's speaking about. Pictured hugging on the Emmys red carpet as well. It's Jean.

...,

R265 This bitch is starting to make Faye Dunaway look meek and modest.

Sweet Jesus Jones! Is there ANYONE she hasn't absolutely hated working with? Does every paying job she's ever had come with some horror story about how unhappy she was?

Her star is going to plop right back down to earth any day now. This is like when America found that homeless guy "with the golden voice," only to find out there's a real and very distressing reason why the man was homeless. There's a reason this broad only just now got a big role.

🎼 I AMMMM an enDANGE-UHHHHed SPEE-sheeeeeeez!

[quote] I wish Delta Burke had been a bigger star after she left Designing Woman.

But, she WAS…

Gerald Ma Raney ruined DW and Delta's career.

R264, what kind of “preproduction” do think goes on with the actors before the start of a sitcom? The actors just show up the table read the first day; no prep for them. Jean Smart was gone a good ten months before SLR ever set foot on that set (and Etienne wasn’t even introduced until Episode 6.) Guarantee they never crossed paths on DW, although as you said, they did work together later.

And according to Annie Potts, who I was lucky to dine with a couple of times when she was in Pippin on Bway, S7 was operating on such fumes, creatively speaking, with the cast was getting handing so many desperate rewrites, and floundering without Jean and Delta, that Dixie, Annie, Meshach, Alice and Jan had Post-Its stuck all over the set because the scripts were so slapped together at the last minute and they had no time to memorize. It’s why the characters are sitting at their desks or flipping through magazines on the couch even more frequently than in early seasons. She remembers NOTHING about S7, and little about S6. But AP and Judith Ivey became great pals.

Interesting inside scoop, r270. I wonder if the last minute rewrites contributed to Ivey's stammering interpretation of the B.J. character.

R271 Judith Ivey was a talented stage actress by the early 1990s - not as talented as the unrelated Dana Ivey, but still solid - so any major crap-ups with that character were the fault of the writers and not the actress.

Same goes for Julia Duffy (another A+ sitcom pro) as Allison. They were driving a Lexus down a potholed road, and bitching about the bumpy ride.

Fun fact.

Julia Duffy played the second Karen Wolek in 1977. I would have loved to have seen her on that courtroom stand as a housewife hooker.

This show never got a chance.

It was a dumb preachy show. Full of 80s lookng hags and 90s sounding speaches. Many future DRAG queens are grateful.

Delta Burke barked out her lines. With funny inflections and an interesting non blinking face. CRAZY. Two episodes of Charlene and Julia and you heard every variation of what their characters would ever do or say. It's not a well remembered show. Far from good. Who was Anne Potts?

DW is on YouTube. And it's mostly terrible. I lasted less than 6 episodes.....and it took me 2 years to get that far.

Sheryl is the typical angry black actress. Ugh.

well you sure told us what's what, R275.

R272 Early Eighties. Piaf was early Eighties.

Did Julia really go on that many rants? There was the one about gun control, the one about porn, the one about AIDS. She dresses people down, like Ray Don Simpson, Ursula the nanny, the queens who insulted Suzanne, the mistress of that client, but those weren’t really political.

I have had it up to HERE

R279, Dixie Carter was a fiscal right wing. She’d only do a “Julia” rant if she could sing in the next episode.

NOT a homophobe AT ALL. But a Republican. Through and through.

All she wanted to do want sing “How Great There Art” or other songs from her club act.

Hal Holbrook was gay friendly but a fiscal Rethug, too.

It caused a lot of tension between them and the Thomasons.

Annie Potts navigated like a pro.

Meshach, Jean and Alice Ghostley were lefties!,

Judith Ivey and Julia Duffy?

NO QUESTION! Liberals!

How Great *THOU Art…

You think I went to church after the organist raped me?!?!

Alice Ghostley was a lesbian married to a gay man.

Gary Coleman joining the cast in S7 would have been...something. And JFC, what a cunty remark Bloodworth-Thomason made about Julia.

[quote]The Woman of ‘Women’: Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, creator of CBS’ “Designing Women,” says in TV Guide that this season has not been one of her show’s best. Bloodworth-Thomason also talks about the changes she has in store for next season, which include doing more with Jan Hooks’ character, Carlene. She calls Hooks “a warehouse of talent.” Of Julia Duffy, who is leaving the series, she says: “She pedaled the bike as hard as it can be pedaled.” Bloodworth-Thomason also denies tabloid rumors that Gary Coleman is being considered for a part on the show.

R281 Dixie's lounge act sure did shine when she sang "Sweet Georgia Brown" in the episode about Payne's wedding.

If the firm needed a rich conservative bitch then Julia should've just hired me.

Somebody needs to discuss Women of the House.

Dixie did not hate the producers. She herself did not get along with nor speak to Delta during the contentious fourth and fifth season. Dixie was a conservative who did not appreciate sharing the spotlight. Jean is easy to get along with and she left graciously.

Julia was a replacement on Newhart, Baby Talk and added to The Mommies, Reba and Grace Under Fire But it didn't help..

She was also the front runner for Diane on Cheers but ultimately lost to Shelly Long.. (Duffy later appeared in an episode as a friend of Diane's.)

I'd be interested to know Delta's political leanings. Remember the Lifetime movie where she got the shit beat out of her by her teenage son? She was good in that.

R281 I’m not talking about Carter’s politics, I’m saying that for all the attention to Julia’s “liberal rants” it doesn’t seem like there were that many in the run of the show. There were plenty of extended insults/dressing-down of people, most of whom deserved it, but far fewer political rants than most people retrospectively suggest.

Dixie’s pussy stunk!

[quote]Like many hugely talented actors, it seemed she had a lot of insecurities which probably made her a not very nice person to be around.

Just reminds me of when Kevin Nealon said that Jan didn't really have any idea how much people loved her as if she couldn't conceptualize such a thing.

It was wonderful seeing her on 30 Rock as Verna, Jenna's mother.

[quote]Sweet Jesus Jones! Is there ANYONE she hasn't absolutely hated working with? Does every paying job she's ever had come with some horror story about how unhappy she was?

Lots of people that delt with Dixie Carter didn't like her. Sheryl has also talked about people she likes/loves.

Also Abbott Elementary isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Thanks to Quinta's Buzzfeed Roots, it had the millennial audience on lock since it started.

R290, Delta played the mother of a young gay man in openly gay playwright Del Shore's play, "Southern Baptist Sissies."

She told me herself that she requested a lesbian-themed episode of DW ("Suzanne Goes Looking for a Friend") as a tribute to her openly-gay sister.

I don't know what Delta's politics are (if she really has any, which I doubt) or what Gerald McRaney's are, but she's assuredly pro-gay,

[quote]Alice Ghostley was a lesbian married to a gay man.

Was she married to Paul Lynde? Because they seemed like identical twins.

Sheryl Lee is under the impression that everyone has to like her. What an ego.

^ And guess what. Not everyone likes her. lol I can’t stand the bitch and will never ever ever ever ever watch anything she’s in.

She’s the new Phylicia Rashad!

It would've been very weird to have Gary Coleman on DW. The reason Dixie Carter left Diff'rent Strokes was that she had vicious on set fights with Coleman.

Coleman was to play the oft mentioned but never seen Design House Imp.

R299, elaborate. I know that Coleman was problematic, but Dixie didn’t sound like she was a free lunch either.

Coleman was a sex pest!

Ryan Murphy should do a Diff'rent Strokes mini series. There was so much Intrigue backstage. I can't imagine who they would cast though.

[quote] However, Annie does not follow Jean Smart. (What the fuck, Annie??!?)

[quote] I wonder if there is any jealousy over what a great career Smart has had, full of awards.

In addition to Sheryl, Annie also follows former DW costars Judith Ivey and Scott Bakula on Instagram!

And still does not follow recent widow Jean - who follows her and who is currently recovering from a life threatening medical procedure!!

Shame on you, Annie Potts. Shame!!!

....

R304 Is there anything in your life that might be more worthy of your attention during the time it took you to look up Annie Potts' Instagram account?

That's four minutes you won't get back.

Annie not following Jean on Instagram has my full and undivided attention!

We should start a campaign, like the one that finally got Betty White to host SNL, only ours will be to get Annie Potts to follow Jean Smart on Instagram!

R305 Crystal has completely disappeared from the public eye. No agent on IMDB, nothing.

She probably invested well with her WINGS money. But what happened to her sister Robyn?

Happier times.

Suzanne and Carlene!