The finale

[VisualSensation]

This had to be the most rushed finale in the history of television. Prior to the finale, only three major events took place in the entire 9-season series: Belle replaced Flo, Jolene replaced Belle, and Vera got married. I suppose you could count also Tommy going to college but he was a minor character.

However, within the span of about two minutes in the final episode, Mel announced he had sold the diner, Alice was moving to Memphis to perform with Travis Marsh, Jolene was buying a beauty shop with her Granny Gums' inheritance, Elliot got promoted to detective (even though he temporarily quit in the previous episode), and Vera found out she was pregnant.

Wow!

[TheLittleFaerie]

Originally Posted by VisualSensation

This had to be the most rushed finale in the history of television. Prior to the finale, only three major events took place in the entire 9-season series: Belle replaced Flo, Jolene replaced Belle, and Vera got married. I suppose you could count also Tommy going to college but he was a minor character.

However, within the span of about two minutes in the final episode, Mel announced he had sold the diner, Alice was moving to Memphis to perform with Travis Marsh, Jolene was buying a beauty shop with her Granny Gums' inheritance, Elliot got promoted to detective (even though he temporarily quit in the previous episode), and Vera found out she was pregnant.

Wow!

Mel losing or selling the diner was an overused plot line that, that I'm surprised anyone took him serious when he announced he was selling it lol

[OneWayFilms]

I wonder how far in advance the cast & crew knew this was the very last show? Had they known far enough in advance, they could have made it a final 2 parter, or an hour-long special.

Yes, it DID all happen so fast. But the last 15 minutes still effected me emotionally and I shed a few tears. You could tell this was hard for the cast, saying their final goodbyes, with real tears streaming down their faces.

I haven't seen this episode since it originally first aired on television, and it was very nice to revisit this episode and see it all over again.

[Yong Fang]

I felt good for Vic Tayback. The guy was a working character actor in a few things and really hit the jackpot with this show. Seemed to be a pretty decent guy. He died at the age of 60. Wasn’t long for this World.

Reading on Wiki on the show the location of the diner was on 1130 Bush Highway, Phoenix Arizona. There is a real restaurant at that address called “The Restaurant”. There is a Mel’s Diner in Phoenix, at 1747 Grand Avenue.

https://www.google.com/search?source...64732400672198

[Coffeecup]

I saw the last episode a few months ago after seeing the first run episode decades ago and felt everything happened at once. I would have the last 3 episode dealing with each persons new life. The only thing I do remember from the first time I saw the ending episode was Phil Mckeon (Tommy) coming in the door and seeing his growth from a 5 footer to a 6 footer.

[funky-rat]

Originally Posted by Yong Fang

I felt good for Vic Tayback. The guy was a working character actor in a few things and really hit the jackpot with this show. Seemed to be a pretty decent guy. He died at the age of 60. Wasn’t long for this World.

Reading on Wiki on the show the location of the diner was on 1130 Bush Highway, Phoenix Arizona. There is a real restaurant at that address called “The Restaurant”. There is a Mel’s Diner in Phoenix, at 1747 Grand Avenue.

https://www.google.com/search?source...64732400672198

The Bush Hwy address is a strip center - not sure if it always was, but there appears to be at least one restaurant in there. The actual "Mel's" still has the coffee cup sign but the name has been changed many times.

[OneWayFilms]

In just a few episodes before the finale, Mel lost the diner and everyone made such a huge fuss about Mel's closing down. They decided at the last minute to keep the diner open and everyone was happy again.

Having THAT episode so close to this one, where Mel was happy to be closing and moving on....well....it DID seem a bit out of place and leads me to believe the cast and crew must have been informed rather late in the game that the show was ending. Had they known earlier...I think the final episodes would have been played out a bit differently, and things would have played out slower.

[cfr1970]

By the time Alice was cancelled, the ratings were in decline. CBS also moved it (as well as The Jeffersons) from it's highly successful Sundays airings to Tuesdays when 1985 began which only helped to lose more viewers for both shows.

So I think by the time it came to film the last episode of Alice, it made no sense to have a big special send off since it was apparently way past it's prime and viewers probably just didn't care anymore.

I grew up watching Alice, but by it's final season I had long tuned out. In fact, it wasn't until many years later when I looked up the show on Wikipedia and learned that it lasted into 1985 that I was surprised, because I always thought it finished up much sooner than that.

The Jeffersons, which aired it's final season alongside Alice on Tuesday nights didn't even get the respect of a final episode wrapping things up. It was quietly cancelled after the season had already finished which was kind of wrong because I believe it deserved a rightful sendoff. But like Alice, ratings were in decline and I guess the networks felt that viewers didn't care for a big finale.

Speaking of hasty finales, Threes Company comes to mind as well. In the last episode everybody suddenly had life changing things happen to them in order to conveniently leave the apartment. It would have been funny if at least one of them was left alone in the apartment having to suddenly pay all of the rent by themselves!

[TheLittleFaerie]

Originally Posted by OneWayFilms

In just a few episodes before the finale, Mel lost the diner and everyone made such a huge fuss about Mel's closing down. They decided at the last minute to keep the diner open and everyone was happy again.

Having THAT episode so close to this one, where Mel was happy to be closing and moving on....well....it DID seem a bit out of place and leads me to believe the cast and crew must have been informed rather late in the game that the show was ending. Had they known earlier...I think the final episodes would have been played out a bit differently, and things would have played out slower.

I always felt like that episode you're talking was out of place. If I recall rightly, business was suffering b/c Jolene went on TV and said derogatory things about the diner on accident.... Jolene was chosen to be on the show as someone who had just recently went through a career change.... I mean Jolene's career change, at THAT point was NOT that recent, she had been at the diner nearly 5 years at that time..... Seems that episode would have worked better in, say, season 6.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by cfr1970

By the time Alice was cancelled, the ratings were in decline. CBS also moved it (as well as The Jeffersons) from it's highly successful Sundays airings to Tuesdays when 1985 began which only helped to lose more viewers for both shows.

So I think by the time it came to film the last episode of Alice, it made no sense to have a big special send off since it was apparently way past it's prime and viewers probably just didn't care anymore.

I grew up watching Alice, but by it's final season I had long tuned out. In fact, it wasn't until many years later when I looked up the show on Wikipedia and learned that it lasted into 1985 that I was surprised, because I always thought it finished up much sooner than that.

The Jeffersons, which aired it's final season alongside Alice on Tuesday nights didn't even get the respect of a final episode wrapping things up. It was quietly cancelled after the season had already finished which was kind of wrong because I believe it deserved a rightful sendoff. But like Alice, ratings were in decline and I guess the networks felt that viewers didn't care for a big finale.

Speaking of hasty finales, Threes Company comes to mind as well. In the last episode everybody suddenly had life changing things happen to them in order to conveniently leave the apartment. It would have been funny if at least one of them was left alone in the apartment having to suddenly pay all of the rent by themselves!

The Jeffersons didnt need a finale now that I think about it. Lionel and Jenny were already married and had a kid. George and Louise was comfortable in their NYC high rise along with Tom and Helen.


Unless they were going to close out the Bentley and Florence characters with them meeting a love companion it was nothing really to do for a finale.


Now Alice needed a Finale because no one works at a Diner forever plus Alice had a son who was college age so giving that a show finale made more sense

[cfr1970]

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

The Jeffersons didnt need a finale now that I think about it. Lionel and Jenny were already married and had a kid. George and Louise was comfortable in their NYC high rise along with Tom and Helen.


Unless they were going to close out the Bentley and Florence characters with them meeting a love companion it was nothing really to do for a finale.


Now Alice needed a Finale because no one works at a Diner forever plus Alice had a son who was college age so giving that a show finale made more sense

I guess it's true that it didn't really need a special finale, but after 10 seasons I feel it deserved a rightful send off.

Florence marrying could have been a perfect ending for the show. Or George retiring and selling off his cleaning stores would have been good also.

I remember reading once that Carroll O'Connor was deeply upset that Archie Bunker's Place was suddenly cancelled without a proper finale and that he didn't work for CBS for years afterwards solely because of that. And that show didn't really need a finale either I guess, but it deserved one.

I think it really comes down to ratings at the time of the cancellation. If they're still high, they get a special send off...but if they're down in the gutter, why bother since no one will see it?

I think that was the case with all these shows. Alice, The Jeffersons and Archie Bunker's Place. If the audience is already gone, the studios just quietly ended them without any fanfare.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by cfr1970

I guess it's true that it didn't really need a special finale, but after 10 seasons I feel it deserved a rightful send off.

Florence marrying could have been a perfect ending for the show. Or George retiring and selling off his cleaning stores would have been good also.

I remember reading once that Carroll O'Connor was deeply upset that Archie Bunker's Place was suddenly cancelled without a proper finale and that he didn't work for CBS for years afterwards solely because of that. And that show didn't really need a finale either I guess, but it deserved one.

I think it really comes down to ratings at the time of the cancellation. If they're still high, they get a special send off...but if they're down in the gutter, why bother since no one will see it?

I think that was the case with all these shows. Alice, The Jeffersons and Archie Bunker's Place. If the audience is already gone, the studios just quietly ended them without any fanfare.

Bunkers should have ended after Mike and Gloria moved to California. But since they decided to keep the show going it was nothing to close out in 1983. I mean Edith was gone and Mike and Gloria had divorced so that's why they didnt have a finale. Plus the fact that one of the characters passed away in addition to the divorce of Mike and Gloria, it was no need

Finale are usually happy close outs and AITF was unable to have that type of ending

[cfr1970]

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

Bunkers should have ended after Mike and Gloria moved to California. But since they decided to keep the show going it was nothing to close out in 1983. I mean Edith was gone and Mike and Gloria had divorced so that's why they didnt have a finale. Plus the fact that one of the characters passed away in addition to the divorce of Mike and Gloria, it was no need

Finale are usually happy close outs and AITF was unable to have that type of ending

I agree it should have ended in 1978 when Mike & Gloria left, but ABP still could've had a finale to close out Archie's story. He's a character audiences have watched on TV for 12 years by that point and he deserved one.

O'Connor himself felt there should've been a finale or proper closing and I agree. They could've had a final season where Archie meets someone serious and builds up to a marriage in the finale and Stephanie gets into that Performing Arts HS that she tried out for in the earlier season. And Billie moves back to wherever she came from. That would've been a happy close out.

[TheLittleFaerie]

Originally Posted by cfr1970

I agree it should have ended in 1978 when Mike & Gloria left, but ABP still could've had a finale to close out Archie's story. He's a character audiences have watched on TV for 12 years by that point and he deserved one.

O'Connor himself felt there should've been a finale or proper closing and I agree. They could've had a final season where Archie meets someone serious and builds up to a marriage in the finale and Stephanie gets into that Performing Arts HS that she tried out for in the earlier season. And Billie moves back to wherever she came from. That would've been a happy close out.

I actually liked season 9, I liked it when Steph brought out Archie's softer side, some of the episodes brought a tear to my eyes.

I always wondered what finally became of Archie... I just remember in 704 Houser Street he was mentioned as having lived there, but nothing was said of his whereabouts.... I mean in 1995 he well could have still been living. I assumed he probably went to live with Gloria.

[cfr1970]

Originally Posted by TheLittleFaerie

I actually liked season 9, I liked it when Steph brought out Archie's softer side, some of the episodes brought a tear to my eyes.

I always wondered what finally became of Archie... I just remember in 704 Houser Street he was mentioned as having lived there, but nothing was said of his whereabouts.... I mean in 1995 he well could have still been living. I assumed he probably went to live with Gloria.

I believe I read somewhere (here maybe?) that in the mid 90's there were talks to bring Archie Bunker back but it fell through and never materialized. I think the plan was to make Archie retired and be a limo driver? I know I read this somewhere but can't recall. Hopefully someone who knows can confirm it.

In any case, I like the idea of him selling the house and moving upstate to live the rest of his years with his little girl and Joey. That's the ending i'll keep in my mind.