Phyllis (TV series)
| Phyllis | |
|---|---|
 Mother-in-law Audrey Dexter (Jane Rose) with Phyllis (1975) | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by |
Stan Daniels Ed. Weinberger |
| Based on | Phyllis Lindstrom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns |
| Written by |
Glen Charles Les Charles Stan Daniels Bob Ellison David Lloyd Laurence Marks Earl Pomerantz Tom Tenowich |
| Directed by |
James Burrows Joan Darling Asaad Kelada Harry Mastrogeorge Noam Pitlik Doug Rogers Jay Sandrich |
| Starring |
Cloris Leachman Henry Jones Jane Rose Judith Lowry Lisa Gerritsen |
| Theme music composer | Stan Daniels |
| Composer(s) | Dick DeBenedictis |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 48 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) |
Stan Daniels Michael J. Leeson Ed. Weinberger |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 24 minutes |
| Production company(s) | MTM Enterprises |
| Distributor | 20th Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | September 8, 1975 – March 13, 1977 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | The Mary Tyler Moore Show |
| Related shows |
Rhoda Lou Grant |
Phyllis is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 8, 1975, to March 13, 1977. Created by Ed. Weinberger and Stan Daniels, it was the second spin-off of The Mary Tyler Moore Show (the first being Rhoda). The show starred Cloris Leachman as Phyllis Lindstrom, who was previously Mary Richards' landlady on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
In the new series, Phyllis and her daughter Bess Lindstrom moved from Minneapolis to San Francisco, after the death of her husband, Dr. Lars Lindstrom. It was revealed that San Francisco was Phyllis and Lars' original hometown, prior to their moving to Minneapolis, and that his mother and stepfather still resided there.
Synopsis and production
Being left penniless after the death of her husband Lars, Phyllis and her daughter Bess (Lisa Gerritsen) move in with Lars' mother, the scatterbrained Audrey Dexter (Jane Rose), and stepfather, Judge Jonathan Dexter (Henry Jones). Phyllis takes a job as an assistant in a photographic studio. The owner, Julie Erskine, was played by Barbara Colby; Colby was murdered (in real life) after three episodes of Phyllis had been filmed, and the part was then assumed by Liz Torres. Much of the first season's humor stemmed from Phyllis' attempts to fit into the job market, after having lived for many years as the spoiled wife of a rich dermatologist. Actor Richard Schaal (who was married to actress Valerie Harper, the star of Rhoda at the time) was cast as Leo Heatherton, a well-meaning but bumbling photographer who worked with Phyllis and Julie at the studio. Elderly actress Judith Lowry guest starred in an early episode ("Leaving Home") as Jonathan's mother, Sally Dexter. Her appearance was so well received by viewers that by the end of the first year, Lowry became a regular on the series and her character of Mother Dexter also joined the household.
Aired between two popular shows – Rhoda and All in the Family – on Monday nights, Phyllis instantly became a top ten hit. Cloris Leachman won a Golden Globe Award for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, and was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. The sitcom was the sixth highest-rated television series for the 1975–76 television season (at the time ranking higher than both Rhoda and The Mary Tyler Moore Show).
The series premise was reworked somewhat for the second season. Erskine Photography and the characters Julie Erskine (Liz Torres) and Leo Heatherton (Richard Schaal) were dropped from the series, with the explanation that Julie had married suddenly, sold the photography studio, and moved away, putting Phyllis out of a job. Leachman, Gerritsen, Jones, Rose and Lowry remained with the series.
In the second-season premiere, Phyllis was immediately hired as an assistant to a San Francisco City Supervisor. Carmine Carridi played Phyllis' boss, and John Lawlor played Leonard Marsh, an inept politician who worked in the same office. Garn Stephens played Harriet Hastings, Leonard's secretary and Phyllis' rival (she and Phyllis would become friends toward the end of the season). Ratings began to drop. Rhoda was also going through a format change at the time, which may have also affected Phyllis’ ratings. During this time, both series' chief competition, NBC's Little House on the Prairie, flourished.
In a December 1976 episode, Jonathan's cranky and outspoken Mother Dexter (Lowry), Phyllis' main nemesis, married Arthur Lanson (Burt Mustin); both Lowry, 86, and Mustin, 92, died within a month of the episode's airing. CBS moved both Rhoda and Phyllis to Sunday nights at 8:00 P.M. and 8:30 P.M., respectively. During this time, actress Jane Rose (who played Audrey Dexter) took ill. These events put Phyllis' home life in flux, which necessitated more new storylines. Daughter Bess's role became more prominent and she found romance with Mark Valenti (played by Craig Wasson), the nephew of Phyllis' boss, and they later married.
By the middle of the 1976–77 season, the ratings for Rhoda had improved but Phyllis was still faltering. As a result, Rhoda was renewed for an additional season (it would ultimately be canceled in December 1978), but Phyllis was dropped by CBS in the spring of 1977, finishing in 40th place that season. The show actually had higher overall ratings than Rhoda that season, as well as equal ratings with its parent show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The stigma of the deaths of several cast members during the show's run, as well as the ill health of actress Jane Rose, are also said to have been factors in the series' cancellation. The final episode ("And Baby Makes Six") had Bess announcing that she and Mark were expecting their first child. This installment aired Sunday, March 13, 1977. The same week, on Saturday, March 19, Leachman made her last appearance as Phyllis Lindstrom on the final episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
Cast
- Cloris Leachman as Phyllis Lindstrom
- Henry Jones as Judge Jonathan Dexter
- Jane Rose as Audrey Dexter
- Lisa Gerritsen as Bess Lindstrom
- Judith Lowry as Sally "Mother" Dexter
- Barbara Colby as Julie Erskine #1 (1975)
- Liz Torres as Julie Erskine #2 (1975–1976)
- Richard Schaal as Leo Heatherton (1975–1976)
- Carmine Caridi as Dan Valenti (1976–1977)
- John Lawlor as Leonard Marsh (1976–1977)
- Garn Stephens as Harriet Hastings (1976–1977)
- Burt Mustin as Arthur Lanson (1976)
- Craig Wasson as Mark Valenti (1977)
Ratings
| Season | Rank | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1975–1976 | #6 | 24.5 |
| 1976–1977 | #40 | N/A |
Opening credits and theme song
The opening credits to Phyllis parody other television series opening credits of the period, specifically The Mary Tyler Moore Show, by depicting the character in a variety of local settings while the theme song plays. In addition to scenes shot on location in San Francisco, various scenes from her appearances in The Mary Tyler Moore Show (all of them showing her with a sour disposition) are shown. The theme song parodies spectacular Broadway musical numbers, such as Jerry Herman's title songs to "Hello Dolly" and "Mame", and in the first seconds of the opening sequence, the performers are briefly seen in blackface. In keeping with the sour disposition of the character, the song resolves with a deprecating line on a minor seventh chord, as Phyllis—who has been smiling broadly at the foregoing flattering hyperbole—makes an ugly face at the camera.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show tie-ins
- Mary Tyler Moore guest starred as Mary Richards on two episodes of Phyllis: "The First Day" (October 6, 1975) in which Phyllis writes a letter to Mary about her new life as a working woman and "You're Not Getting Any Better, Just Older" (September 27, 1976) when Mary visits Phyllis in San Francisco for her birthday.
- Rhoda Morgenstern is mentioned in the episode "Mother Dexter's Wedding" (December 6, 1976) when Phyllis forgets to pick up Mother Dexter for her own wedding and explains to Jonathan how she made the same mistake at Rhoda's wedding.
- Cloris Leachman appeared as Phyllis on the final episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, "The Last Show" (March 19, 1977), the same week that the final episode of Phyllis aired.
Syndication
- During the 1990s, Phyllis was aired on Nick at Nite alongside Rhoda and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Eventually, all three shows were moved to sister-network TV Land for a short while before simply disappearing altogether. Also in the early 1990s, the series was aired on The Comedy Channel before it merged with HA! and became Comedy Central.
- In January 2010, AmericanLife Network (ALN) began airing the series and is again shown alongside Rhoda in syndication. However, this time, the network stopped showing The Mary Tyler Moore Show when it added Rhoda and Phyllis to its lineup. The series was removed from the lineup in September 2010.
Home video
In July 1992, a VHS titled Phyllis–Volume 1 containing the first two episodes of Phyllis was released by MTM Home Video; however, a second volume was never released. The cassette has long been out of print and Phyllis has not yet been released on DVD.
| VHS Name | Ep# | Release Date | Titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phyllis–Volume 1 | 2 | July 1992 |
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External links
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