..., when it premiered in 1976? The story goes that she was asking for much more money than what CBS was offering, so she walked away from the offer. And one of the producers apparently said to TV Guide, 'She wants a movie star's salary for doing a television sitcom'.

..., when it premiered in 1976? The story goes that she was asking for much more money than what CBS was offering, so she walked away from the offer. And one of the producers apparently said to TV Guide, 'She wants a movie star's salary for doing a television sitcom'.

I'm not sure, but on Facebook, there were people talking about how Diane Ladd was originally supposed to play the Jolene character, but was retooled as Belle, and Jolene was added later... Dunno how true that is, I've never heard it before

Didn't she actually join the series in a later season?

Didn't she actually join the series in a later season?

Yes as Belle, Flo's replacement. But if you blink you'll miss her, she's not there very long

The rumors about Diane Ladd's initial refusal to join the Alice TV series are well-documented in television history. Ladd had famously received an Academy Award nomination for her role as Flo in the original 1974 film, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.

According to reports from that era:
The 1976 Negotiation: When the sitcom was being developed in 1976, producers did approach Diane Ladd to reprise her role as Flo.

The Salary Dispute: Ladd reportedly turned down the offer because the salary being offered by CBS was significantly lower than what she expected as a critically acclaimed movie actress.

The Infamous Quote: The specific sentiment you recall—that she wanted a "movie star's salary" for a sitcom—was indeed a point of contention among producers at the time.

Polly Holliday Steps In: After Ladd declined, the role went to Polly Holliday, who made the character iconic with her "Kiss my grits!" catchphrase.

The Irony of Her Return
Ladd eventually joined the show in 1980 (Season 4) after Polly Holliday left for her own spin-off, Flo. However, because Holliday's version of Flo had become so distinct, Ladd could no longer play that character. Instead, she was cast as a new waitress named Isabelle "Belle" Dupree.
Her time on the sitcom was notoriously brief and "tumultuous". Reports suggest she had significant on-set friction with lead actress Linda Lavin and was unhappy with the quality of the scripts, leading her to leave after just one season.
Do you think the show would have been as big of a hit if Ladd had played Flo from the very beginning instead of Polly Holliday?

The rumors about Diane Ladd's initial refusal to join the Alice TV series are well-documented in television history. Ladd had famously received an Academy Award nomination for her role as Flo in the original 1974 film, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.

According to reports from that era:
The 1976 Negotiation: When the sitcom was being developed in 1976, producers did approach Diane Ladd to reprise her role as Flo.

The Salary Dispute: Ladd reportedly turned down the offer because the salary being offered by CBS was significantly lower than what she expected as a critically acclaimed movie actress.

The Infamous Quote: The specific sentiment you recall—that she wanted a "movie star's salary" for a sitcom—was indeed a point of contention among producers at the time.

Polly Holliday Steps In: After Ladd declined, the role went to Polly Holliday, who made the character iconic with her "Kiss my grits!" catchphrase.

The Irony of Her Return
Ladd eventually joined the show in 1980 (Season 4) after Polly Holliday left for her own spin-off, Flo. However, because Holliday's version of Flo had become so distinct, Ladd could no longer play that character. Instead, she was cast as a new waitress named Isabelle "Belle" Dupree.
Her time on the sitcom was notoriously brief and "tumultuous". Reports suggest she had significant on-set friction with lead actress Linda Lavin and was unhappy with the quality of the scripts, leading her to leave after just one season.
Do you think the show would have been as big of a hit if Ladd had played Flo from the very beginning instead of Polly Holliday?

I wonder if Dianne Ladd would have played Flo pretty much the same as she played Belle? I just say that because Dianne as Flo from the movie was very raunchy mouthed, that would never fly in a TV sticome, so to me Belle was basically movie Flo just "cleaned up" lol