Article from the Herald News, April 10, 1978 by Arthur Unger, discussed the portrayal of Women on TV shows and how most were shown as losers. Do you agree?


I have to say I do because I felt all three waitresses was too damm old to be working full time at a diner and being screamed at by a man lol Basically they made a career out of working in a greasy diner with no intentions of looking for anything else:lol:

Article from the Herald News, April 10, 1978 by Arthur Unger, discussed the portrayal of Women on TV shows and how most were shown as losers. Do you agree?


I have to say I do because I felt all three waitresses was too damm old to be working full time at a diner and being screamed at by a man lol Basically they made a career out of working in a greasy diner with no intentions of looking for anything else:lol:


Not really, this is just REALITY at times... not everyone has a big career as a doctor, lawyer.... many ppl DO work jobs as servers at diners, as janitors, housekeepers, etc at all ages

Also, I mean, yeah Mel was not a great person but still I dunno how many places you could talk to the boss like Alice and the gang did without getting fired.... If I'd spoke to any of my bosses like that, I'd been fired on the spot lol I usually sided with the waitresses, but sometimes they were childish... all the whining about Mel wanting to put in a time clock... I mean HELLO, what business doesn't require you to punch a clock?! I think often times the waitresses carried the whole, "We're all family here" aspect too far... NEVER had I had a job where we didn't have to follow BUSINESS protocol no matter how "family" like we were

The waitresses were working contributing something to the society they were living in. Waitresses, delivery truck drivers, roadworkers, factoryworkers, auto mechanics, maintenance people, security guards and thousands of other blue collar professions through their work make valuable contributions every day in every way.

The fact that a forgotten about entertainment reporter for the Christian Science Monitor was too thickheaded to understand that made him the loser.

Well atleast Flo was able to relocate and be her own boss lol

Nobody ended up a loser.

Flo moved to Texas and owned her own establishment.
Belle moved to Nashville to peruse a singing career.
Vera became married to a loving husband and also becomes pregnant.
Jolene opens up her own beauty salon.
Alice goes on the road with that country singer, Marsh guy.
Tommy is a successful college student.
Mel sells the diner for a bundle and shares his good fortune with the gals.

I don't know how any of that equals loser.

Nobody ended up a loser.

Flo moved to Texas and owned her own establishment.
Belle moved to Nashville to peruse a singing career.
Vera became married to a loving husband and also becomes pregnant.
Jolene opens up her own beauty salon.
Alice goes on the road with that country singer, Marsh guy.
Tommy is a successful college student.
Mel sells the diner for a bundle and shares his good fortune with the gals.

I don't know how any of that equals loser.


I think the writer meant during that time, they were being presented as losers by working at low wage dead end jobs. But you right they all ended up having a better life

Nobody ended up a loser.

Flo moved to Texas and owned her own establishment.
Belle moved to Nashville to peruse a singing career.
Vera became married to a loving husband and also becomes pregnant.
Jolene opens up her own beauty salon.
Alice goes on the road with that country singer, Marsh guy.
Tommy is a successful college student.
Mel sells the diner for a bundle and shares his good fortune with the gals.

I don't know how any of that equals loser.

Even if they had remained waitresses, I still would not consider them losers. A person's worth is not soley determined by their career..... I wish that could be normalized... also that life doesn't end after age 30

I know many ppl who have worked as servers, housekeepers, etc... all their lives, and I would not call them losers

They were not losers. It was real life. Alice was one of the first sitcoms to have a single mom as the star of the show. She also worked her butt off and slept on a pull out sofa.
It was real life and that was the appeal of the show. So many people could relate. TV executives kept Alice real.
When Laverne and Shirley was being created. The TV executives gave them a luxury apartment with really nice things. It was the actresses who had to step forward and tell them it was not realistic that bottle cappers would have such a nice place. The took it upon themselves to develop the basement apartment. It was the appeal to the show. 2 women who had big dreams but working blue collar jobs to get by.
That writer was an idiot living in an ivory tower.

They were not losers. It was real life. Alice was one of the first sitcoms to have a single mom as the star of the show. She also worked her butt off and slept on a pull out sofa.
It was real life and that was the appeal of the show. So many people could relate. TV executives kept Alice real.
When Laverne and Shirley was being created. The TV executives gave them a luxury apartment with really nice things. It was the actresses who had to step forward and tell them it was not realistic that bottle cappers would have such a nice place. The took it upon themselves to develop the basement apartment. It was the appeal to the show. 2 women who had big dreams but working blue collar jobs to get by.
That writer was an idiot living in an ivory tower.

Sorry but Alice was NOT one of the first sitcoms with a single mom. (either widowed or divorced)

Julia - Diahann Carroll
What's Happening - Mabel King
The Doris Day show - Doris Day
Good Times - Esther Rolle

Alice needs to be on Pluto

Alice needs to be on Pluto

I very strongly agreed. With over 200 episodes, Alice deserves to have its own Pluto TV channel.

Yes, Alice needs to be on Pluto

It's actually one of the best jobs for non degreed workers.

Sorry but Alice was NOT one of the first sitcoms with a single mom. (either widowed or divorced)

Julia - Diahann Carroll
What's Happening - Mabel King
The Doris Day show - Doris Day
Good Times - Esther Rolle
One of the first that worked. YES. Alice and What's Happening debuted the same year. Good Times was a family with a father until a fight wrote the father out of the script. I repeat: It was one of the first. Alice working was the entire premise of the show. Its not like she was just a single mom who sometimes showed she worked like Doris Day or What's Happening. The entire premise of Alice was a single mom working hard in a diner. What's Happening's premise was 3 teenage boys growing up in LA with their antics. No comparison at all.

It seemed like the Alice character just became to comfortable with being a waitress and never made any effort to find something better. Even after Flo left lol

It seemed like the Alice character just became to comfortable with being a waitress and never made any effort to find something better. Even after Flo left lol
Huh? There are countless episodes of Alice always trying to make it big in her singing career, moon lighting, or some other potential job. Alice took the waitressing job as only temporary until she had something bigger. But the show was too good to let her leave ;)

Huh? There are countless episodes of Alice always trying to make it big in her singing career, moon lighting, or some other potential job. Alice took the waitressing job as only temporary until she had something bigger. But the show was too good to let her leave ;)

True but it should have been someone in the age range of 21-31. Like two broke girls. They all seemed like early 40's:lol:

True but it should have been someone in the age range of 21-31. Like two broke girls. They all seemed like early 40's:lol:

So what? I'm 42 and I do laundry in a nursing home. This is just REALITY... Not everyone is a doctor, lawyer or whatever, with 2.5 children, and grandchildren on the way by 45

It seemed like the Alice character just became to comfortable with being a waitress and never made any effort to find something better. Even after Flo left lol

Imagine someone being happy and content with how their life is lol

Huh? There are countless episodes of Alice always trying to make it big in her singing career, moon lighting, or some other potential job. Alice took the waitressing job as only temporary until she had something bigger. But the show was too good to let her leave ;)

I think Alice made a life for herself in Phoenix. She loved her friends, co-workers and even Mel. Sometimes things like that are better than a big career, for some people