TV Guide's Review of Alice, December 1976 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TVFactFan · 03-09-2021, 07:30 PM

"Alice Doesn't Live here anymore" was a bittersweet movie about a gutsy widowed waitress and would be singer hoping to start a new life and a show bix career. Alice is CBS's takeout version....or TV Dinner.

Alice still waits on tables but she doesn't sing, which made her so touching in the movie. Here, she seems almost glad to be working in a truck stop. There is no feel of frustration. They hardly mention her career these days. Linda Lavin as Alice works time and a half to look naive and helpless, but she belongs on a New York deli, not an Arizona diner. Lavin is too dryly satiric for the slam-bang world of situation comedy.

Alice offers fun without humor and without being human. When Alice concludes that her late husband cheated on her, she gets off a zinger, when her son asks about sex, she stutters and squirms. This is knee-jerk gagwriting, it is designed to show off the writers not the characters, and so everyone winds up doing stand up shtick.

"Mom you gotta show him some leg, I gotta x-rated kid! "WHat's the soup du jour? Split pea, That was the soup du yesterjour. Kiss ma grits, Cant you be nice to a hard-workin girl? I dont know....i never had one work here before....Kiss ma grits.

At Mel's diner, the jokes pile up like dirty dishes, and the pace is so fast that there is no room between them for much more than cardboard-cutout characters, like growly owner Mel and trembly waitress Vera. A truer note is struck by the kiss mah grits gal. Flo, Twangy, gum popping Polly Holiday plays her as if she'd been born with a greasy spoon in her mouth. Alice's son Tommy is precociously precocious. The movie's wise guy kid wore specs and worked deadpan, here, Phillip McKeon is wide-eyed, towheaded and cute...a veritable Patridge.

Like most new situation comedies, Alice wants to be silly and sincere all at once, tackling relevant issues in cap and bells. The canned laughter has been replaced by canned editorials. In one episode, Alice dated an ex-jock who turned out to be gay but when she refused to let Tommy go fishing with him, Mom realized her own hypocrisy, etc

In a recent seminar on sex education, Tommy's teacher showed a film on reproduction in the diner, and there was much fine talk to the tune of "alarming increase in pregnancies," "peer pressure," "sex is more than physical, " and...the topper..."values of love, caring, and responsibility must come from the home.......we in sex education can only do so much.: Still that episode was hardly as painful as the one that mined its tin-ear gags and synthetic sentiments from a pair of suicide attempts.

The current rage in TV comedy is to make tidy sociological points at the expense of good old laughter, and its like trying to have your pie and throw it too. Alice throws pies and even slings hash....but still it keeps on missing.

Gerald Nachman, TV guide 1976

JR1 · 03-10-2021, 10:19 AM

As popular as it was, the show itself was never a big critical darling, so this isn't too surprising a critique.

Of course, we got to hear Alice sing as the show progressed.

Kiss ma grits.

TVFactFan · 03-13-2021, 03:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JR1

As popular as it was, the show itself was never a big critical darling, so this isn't too surprising a critique.

Of course, we got to hear Alice sing as the show progressed.

Kiss ma grits.

or the other one.............."when donkeys fly"

JR1 · 03-13-2021, 06:21 PM

I can see how one may have heard "ma" rather than "my."

Another favorite- horse's petute.

In any event, while Alice never received any Emmy nods for Comedy Series, it did score a few Golden Globe nominations, including one win. And Polly, Linda and Vic each won two Globes. Beth had four nominations, though no wins.

TVFactFan · 03-13-2021, 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JR1

I can see how one may have heard "ma" rather than "my."

Another favorite- horse's petute.

In any event, while Alice never received any Emmy nods for Comedy Series, it did score a few Golden Globe nominations, including one win. And Polly, Linda and Vic each won two Globes. Beth had four nominations, though no wins.

Not surprised Beth Howland never won

JR1 · 03-14-2021, 11:11 AM

Beth played the "dingy" part well, though not quite up to the level of actors like jean Stapleton (All in the Family), Katherine Helmond (Soap) and Betty White (The Golden Girls) in similar roles. On that note, Beth was never nominated for an Emmy for her Alice role.

Polly ruled the Emmy nominations, with three for her time on Alice (1978-1980), and one for Flo. Linda and Vic scored one nomination each (Vic in 1978, Linda in 1979).

TVFactFan · 03-14-2021, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JR1

Beth played the "dingy" part well, though not quite up to the level of actors like jean Stapleton (All in the Family), Katherine Helmond (Soap) and Betty White (The Golden Girls) in similar roles. On that note, Beth was never nominated for an Emmy for her Alice role.

Polly ruled the Emmy nominations, with three for her time on Alice (1978-1980), and one for Flo. Linda and Vic scored one nomination each (Vic in 1978, Linda in 1979).

So well that my mom thought she received SSI

JR1 · 03-14-2021, 03:43 PM

A pretty convincing "dingy" she was, then.

ThatWriterChick1976 · 03-14-2021, 11:09 PM

Well, the show entertained me as a kid. Though, as I watch now, I'll skip more episodes than I care to admit.

TVFactFan · 03-14-2021, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThatWriterChick1976

Well, the show entertained me as a kid. Though, as I watch now, I'll skip more episodes than I care to admit.

any episode with Mel's mother is worth skipping

JR1 · 03-16-2021, 08:31 AM

On the whole, I don't find the post-Flo shows as humorous, though AntennaTV is nearing the end of the Flo era, so I may give those another shot. I've held off on purchasing the DVDs, as I may just want to get the first four, and then maybe buy the finale episode digitally.

TVFactFan · 03-16-2021, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JR1

On the whole, I don't find the post-Flo shows as humorous, though AntennaTV is nearing the end of the Flo era, so I may give those another shot. I've held off on purchasing the DVDs, as I may just want to get the first four, and then maybe buy the finale episode digitally.

Is there is ever a complete series release I am definitely buying it

JR1 · 03-17-2021, 10:17 AM

Yeah, that would be worth looking at, if the price is right. Something other than all nine releases collected together.

03-09-2021, 07:30 PM	#1
TVFactFan Member Forum Junkie Join Date: Aug 17, 2002 Posts: 99,072	TV Guide's Review of Alice, December 1976 "Alice Doesn't Live here anymore" was a bittersweet movie about a gutsy widowed waitress and would be singer hoping to start a new life and a show bix career. Alice is CBS's takeout version....or TV Dinner. Alice still waits on tables but she doesn't sing, which made her so touching in the movie. Here, she seems almost glad to be working in a truck stop. There is no feel of frustration. They hardly mention her career these days. Linda Lavin as Alice works time and a half to look naive and helpless, but she belongs on a New York deli, not an Arizona diner. Lavin is too dryly satiric for the slam-bang world of situation comedy. Alice offers fun without humor and without being human. When Alice concludes that her late husband cheated on her, she gets off a zinger, when her son asks about sex, she stutters and squirms. This is knee-jerk gagwriting, it is designed to show off the writers not the characters, and so everyone winds up doing stand up shtick. "Mom you gotta show him some leg, I gotta x-rated kid! "WHat's the soup du jour? Split pea, That was the soup du yesterjour. Kiss ma grits, Cant you be nice to a hard-workin girl? I dont know....i never had one work here before....Kiss ma grits. At Mel's diner, the jokes pile up like dirty dishes, and the pace is so fast that there is no room between them for much more than cardboard-cutout characters, like growly owner Mel and trembly waitress Vera. A truer note is struck by the kiss mah grits gal. Flo, Twangy, gum popping Polly Holiday plays her as if she'd been born with a greasy spoon in her mouth. Alice's son Tommy is precociously precocious. The movie's wise guy kid wore specs and worked deadpan, here, Phillip McKeon is wide-eyed, towheaded and cute...a veritable Patridge. Like most new situation comedies, Alice wants to be silly and sincere all at once, tackling relevant issues in cap and bells. The canned laughter has been replaced by canned editorials. In one episode, Alice dated an ex-jock who turned out to be gay but when she refused to let Tommy go fishing with him, Mom realized her own hypocrisy, etc In a recent seminar on sex education, Tommy's teacher showed a film on reproduction in the diner, and there was much fine talk to the tune of "alarming increase in pregnancies," "peer pressure," "sex is more than physical, " and...the topper..."values of love, caring, and responsibility must come from the home.......we in sex education can only do so much.: Still that episode was hardly as painful as the one that mined its tin-ear gags and synthetic sentiments from a pair of suicide attempts. The current rage in TV comedy is to make tidy sociological points at the expense of good old laughter, and its like trying to have your pie and throw it too. Alice throws pies and even slings hash....but still it keeps on missing. Gerald Nachman, TV guide 1976

03-10-2021, 10:19 AM	#2
JR1 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Mar 07, 2009 Location: USA Posts: 742	As popular as it was, the show itself was never a big critical darling, so this isn't too surprising a critique. Of course, we got to hear Alice sing as the show progressed. Kiss ma grits.

03-13-2021, 06:21 PM	#4
JR1 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Mar 07, 2009 Location: USA Posts: 742	I can see how one may have heard "ma" rather than "my." Another favorite- horse's petute. In any event, while Alice never received any Emmy nods for Comedy Series, it did score a few Golden Globe nominations, including one win. And Polly, Linda and Vic each won two Globes. Beth had four nominations, though no wins.

03-14-2021, 11:11 AM	#6
JR1 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Mar 07, 2009 Location: USA Posts: 742	Beth played the "dingy" part well, though not quite up to the level of actors like jean Stapleton (All in the Family), Katherine Helmond (Soap) and Betty White (The Golden Girls) in similar roles. On that note, Beth was never nominated for an Emmy for her Alice role. Polly ruled the Emmy nominations, with three for her time on Alice (1978-1980), and one for Flo. Linda and Vic scored one nomination each (Vic in 1978, Linda in 1979).

03-14-2021, 03:43 PM	#8
JR1 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Mar 07, 2009 Location: USA Posts: 742	A pretty convincing "dingy" she was, then.

03-14-2021, 11:09 PM	#9
ThatWriterChick1976 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Feb 01, 2021 Location: United States Posts: 74	Well, the show entertained me as a kid. Though, as I watch now, I'll skip more episodes than I care to admit.

03-16-2021, 08:31 AM	#11
JR1 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Mar 07, 2009 Location: USA Posts: 742	On the whole, I don't find the post-Flo shows as humorous, though AntennaTV is nearing the end of the Flo era, so I may give those another shot. I've held off on purchasing the DVDs, as I may just want to get the first four, and then maybe buy the finale episode digitally.

03-17-2021, 10:17 AM	#13
JR1 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Mar 07, 2009 Location: USA Posts: 742	Yeah, that would be worth looking at, if the price is right. Something other than all nine releases collected together.