Why the hell did she have such a big role? The whole episode was all about her which was odd for a replacement. They was really trying to sell her to the fans lol


BTW: They replaced Flo the very next episode?? Damm would have thought they would have waited until the next season.

Would have been too much work for Alice and Vera if they waited that long. :p Obviously, Marie wasn't going to cut it.

Would have been too much work for Alice and Vera if they waited that long. :p Obviously, Marie wasn't going to cut it.

I see she didnt last long and was only on the show for 1 season. Not sure if that was her decision or not.

Like Linda Lavin and Polly, Diane Ladd and Linda Lavin didn't get along. The common problem seemed to be Linda. Lol Diane came out and admitted it. Polly has been quieter about it. The show was never the same after Flo was gone. And her character was never mentioned again.

Like Linda Lavin and Polly, Diane Ladd and Linda Lavin didn't get along. The common problem seemed to be Linda. Lol Diane came out and admitted it. Polly has been quieter about it. The show was never the same after Flo was gone. And her character was never mentioned again.

How was Jolene?

Why the hell did she have such a big role? The whole episode was all about her which was odd for a replacement. They was really trying to sell her to the fans lol


BTW: They replaced Flo the very next episode?? Damm would have thought they would have waited until the next season.

It was a big coup for them to get Diane Ladd (she was Flo in the movie, and had been asked to reprise the role when the series started). So they gave her a big intro. They didn’t want to do six episodes with only two waitresses and then have interest in the series wane, which might have happened if they waited until the fall. The knew that the show’s future was at risk without Polly Holliday. Strike while the iron is hot.

I thought the character was terrible. Too much of a cartoon. They should have made Belle more like the movie Flo - cynical, world-weary, and salty, but with a good heart. I think that would have provided more of a contrast with her predecessor. But at this point, the show was produced by Lucille Ball’s old writers (Madelyn Davis and Bob Carroll) and they weren’t going to do anything remotely groundbreaking or risky. So we got cartoon characters, dumb plots, and plenty of Linda Lavin doing musical numbers.

It was a big coup for them to get Diane Ladd (she was Flo in the movie, and had been asked to reprise the role when the series started). So they gave her a big intro. They didn’t want to do six episodes with only two waitresses and then have interest in the series wane, which might have happened if they waited until the fall. The knew that the show’s future was at risk without Polly Holliday. Strike while the iron is hot.

I thought the character was terrible. Too much of a cartoon. They should have made Belle more like the movie Flo - cynical, world-weary, and salty, but with a good heart. I think that would have provided more of a contrast with her predecessor. But at this point, the show was produced by Lucille Ball’s old writers (Madelyn Davis and Bob Carroll) and they weren’t going to do anything remotely groundbreaking or risky. So we got cartoon characters, dumb plots, and plenty of Linda Lavin doing musical numbers.


Plus it seemed like she was trying to be too much like Flo and it was a instant turn off. I havent seen too much of Jolene so I will see comes off when her episodes start in Late Mid June

How was Jolene?

I thought Jolene was much better than Belle but definitely not better than Flo.

In my opinion, Mel was the best character, then Flo second, Jolene third, Henry fourth, Carrie Sharples fifth, Vera sixth, Tommy seventh, Alice eighth, Marie ninth, Earl Hicks tenth.

I thought Jolene was much better than Belle but definitely not better than Flo.

In my opinion, Mel was the best character, then Flo second, Jolene third, Henry fourth, Carrie Sharples fifth, Vera sixth, Tommy seventh, Alice eighth, Marie ninth, Earl Hicks tenth.

Wonder what was the story behind the actor leaving after season 5

Wonder what was the story behind the actor leaving after season 5

Who? You can't mean Jolene because she was there until the very end.

Who? You can't mean Jolene because she was there until the very end.

No Belle. After being introduced in Season 4 she was no longer on the show after season 5

No Belle. After being introduced in Season 4 she was no longer on the show after season 5

She didn't get along with Linda Lavin.

She didn't get along with Linda Lavin.

Damm, her too LOL

Damm, her too LOL

Yep, Linda Lavin was a prima donna who always had to have her way and she could never share the spotlight with anyone which still baffles me. I'll never understand why the show dumped Polly Holliday for her and gave in to all of Linda Lavin's other outrageous demands. Polly Holliday was awesome and Vic Tayback (Mel) was the actual star of the show in my opinion and most other's opinions as well.

Yep, Linda Lavin was a prima donna who always had to have her way and she could never share the spotlight with anyone which still baffles me. I'll never understand why the show dumped Polly Holliday for her and gave in to all of Linda Lavin's other outrageous demands. Polly Holliday was awesome and Vic Tayback (Mel) was the actual star of the show in my opinion and most other's opinions as well.

The stand out characters were Vera and Mel

Why the hell did she have such a big role? The whole episode was all about her which was odd for a replacement. They was really trying to sell her to the fans lol


BTW: They replaced Flo the very next episode?? Damm would have thought they would have waited until the next season.

It's not odd for a replacement to have the first episode about them. It's the writers job to have the new character click with fans right from the start. That's how it was for Jolene when she came in her first episode. I believe they even started Jolene off with Mel's nickname for her in the first episode, blondie.

It made sense they would replace Flo in the next episode. Flo and Mel were the stars of Alice in the first 4 years. They needed to fill the loss of Flo right away. They were lucky with Diane Ladd saying yes. IMO they should have fired Linda during the Polly feud, bring in Diana still but as different character than Belle since Belle was similar to Flo's character, and rename the show to Mel's Diner. Linda was not a strong enough actress to have a show on herself. CBS was really desperate those times since they gave in to Linda's demands each time she wanted an actress fired out of jealousy.

The stand out characters were Vera and Mel


Agreed ! They were my favorite characters too! ;)

Agreed ! They were my favorite characters too! ;)

I like the way he BITES at Vera like he is a dog:lol:

Well......it was HER SHOW!

Well......it was HER SHOW!

True, lol Everyone else was supposed to play off of her

True, lol Everyone else was supposed to play off of her
It was a show centered around Alice, the character, and did start with much of the 1st season in that way. Even story lines around someone else, Alice was at the center. What was intended to be supporting cast changed quickly by the 2nd season. Audiences grew to see the show more as an ensemble rather than Lavin as the star or Alice as the central figure. Each actor in their own right earned a billing on the show of star and supporter, creating what audiences wanted. Audiences made that call and that must have been a burst to Lavin's ego. It seems like it was her way of letting, at least, the cast know that no matter what others thought she was the title character, it was a show about her and characters in her life. She may have had to be an ensemble to viewers but she sure didn't have to be one around the cast and she let it be known....of course this is all opinion but the stories seem to agree on some levels.

It's funny, I used to watch the show as a child and I always thought Belle was the LAST waitress to come.... I thought Jolene replaced Flo, then Belle replaced Jolene! And I remember Belle's last/Jolene's first episode being Belle's first/Jolene's last episode. I knew Belle had worked for Mel earlier, and I thought she phoned the diner to tell Mel she was coming back to town and I thought Jolene was getting ready to leave, I dunno how I got it so mixed up.

It's funny, I used to watch the show as a child and I always thought Belle was the LAST waitress to come.... I thought Jolene replaced Flo, then Belle replaced Jolene! And I remember Belle's last/Jolene's first episode being Belle's first/Jolene's last episode. I knew Belle had worked for Mel earlier, and I thought she phoned the diner to tell Mel she was coming back to town and I thought Jolene was getting ready to leave, I dunno how I got it so mixed up.

Probably because Belle was easy to forget since she was in between Flo and Jolene and was only on there one season

Probably because Belle was easy to forget since she was in between Flo and Jolene and was only on there one season

It could be, because when I started watching the show as an adult, I couldn't distinguish between Jolene and Belle lol The first episode I watched as an adult was a Jolene episode and I thought she was Belle lol

I didn’t think Belle was that bad. Out of all of the waitresses, the one I liked the least was, believe it or not, Alice (especially as the series progressed). Mel was the best character, with Vera my favorite of the girls.

I didn’t think Belle was that bad. Out of all of the waitresses, the one I liked the least was, believe it or not, Alice (especially as the series progressed). Mel was the best character, with Vera my favorite of the girls.

It was more pressure on her because she came right after flo.

Alice was a bit boring to me, I always look forward to Flo or Jolene when I watch the show