Judith Lowery (Mother Dexter)

[LittleRickyII]

Originally Posted by OOliver

Was it really Cloris Leachman's decision to end 'Phyllis' after just two seasons? I thought CBS axed the show due to low ratings...

That's a good question. I remember an item in TV Guide back in 1977 saying Cloris Leachman had decided to end the series. But according to this webpage (see section 3), it was CBS's decision because, after a successful first season, the ratings were declining rapidly during the second: http://wapedia.mobi/en/Phyllis_(TV_series)

It might have been that CBS let it appear to be Cloris Leachman's decision to save her some embarrassment. Then again, it's kind of odd that CBS would have abruptly yanked a show that, just a year earlier, had been a big hit. I remember in the early '80s, there were rumors the TV show Alice was being cancelled because it had dropped to the bottom of the ratings. But instead of cancelling it, CBS moved it back to its original time slot on Sunday night and its ratings went back up. If they were that patient with a mediocre sitcom like Alice, why couldn't they have been that way with Phyllis which, IMO, was way better?

[wayman]

I found a newspaper article reporting Judith Lowry's death. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...,3028079&hl=en

[LittleRickyII]

Originally Posted by wayman

I found a newspaper article reporting Judith Lowry's death. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...,3028079&hl=en

Oh wow, thanks so much for that!

[wayman]

Here's another interesting link I found: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg...r&GRid=6822625

[LittleRickyII]

Originally Posted by wayman

Here's another interesting link I found: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg...r&GRid=6822625

Thanks for posting that. Very interesting stuff there. That's a very simple grave marker; who would ever guess it belonged to a beloved TV performer.

I was looking around on Youtube and found this clip of the movie Cold Turkey. It features a scene with Judith Lowry beginning at 0:58. This is vintage Judith Lowry. It looks like she was preparing to be Mother Dexter here!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ftIm2hZrn0

Here's another clip of her in a dramatic role with Joanne Woodward in the film, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds. This is not Mother Dexter at all!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNo8VL1mtFQ