Phyllis is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television sitcomA situation comedy, usually referred to as a sitcom, is a genre of comedy programs which originated in radio. Today, sitcoms are found almost exclusively on television as one of its dominant narrative forms...
and the second
spin-off of
The Mary Tyler Moore ShowThe Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from September 19, 1970 to March 19, 1977...
(the first being
RhodaRhoda is an American television sitcom starring Valerie Harper. It was a spin-off from The Mary Tyler Moore Show and ran for five seasons between 1974-1978. Harper played the lead role of Rhoda Morgenstern, who was the spunky, weight conscious, flamboyantly-fashioned best friend of Mary Richards...
) created by Ed Weinberger and
Stan DanielsStanley Edwin Daniels was a Canadian-American screenwriter, producer and director, who won eight Emmy Awards for his work on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Taxi.-Early life:...
. The show starred
Cloris LeachmanCloris Leachman is an American actress of stage, film and television. She has won eight Primetime Emmy Awards—more than any other female performer—and one Daytime Emmy Award. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in the 1971 film The Last Picture Show...
as
Phyllis LindstromPhyllis Lindstrom was a fictional character on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and its spin-off "Phyllis." She was played by actress Cloris Leachman.- The Mary Tyler Moore Show :...
, who was previously
Mary RichardsMary Richards is a fictional character the main character, played by Mary Tyler Moore, in the long-running television sitcom, Mary Tyler Moore....
' landlady on
The Mary Tyler Moore Show. In the new series, Phyllis and her daughter
Bess LindstromBess Valenti is a fictional character on the sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and the subsequent spin-off series, Phyllis. In both shows, she was played by actress Lisa Gerritsen.- More the Mother than the Daughter :...
moved from Minneapolis to San Francisco, after the death of her husband, Dr.
Phyllis is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television sitcomA situation comedy, usually referred to as a sitcom, is a genre of comedy programs which originated in radio. Today, sitcoms are found almost exclusively on television as one of its dominant narrative forms...
and the second
spin-off of
The Mary Tyler Moore ShowThe Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from September 19, 1970 to March 19, 1977...
(the first being
RhodaRhoda is an American television sitcom starring Valerie Harper. It was a spin-off from The Mary Tyler Moore Show and ran for five seasons between 1974-1978. Harper played the lead role of Rhoda Morgenstern, who was the spunky, weight conscious, flamboyantly-fashioned best friend of Mary Richards...
) created by Ed Weinberger and
Stan DanielsStanley Edwin Daniels was a Canadian-American screenwriter, producer and director, who won eight Emmy Awards for his work on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Taxi.-Early life:...
. The show starred
Cloris LeachmanCloris Leachman is an American actress of stage, film and television. She has won eight Primetime Emmy Awards—more than any other female performer—and one Daytime Emmy Award. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in the 1971 film The Last Picture Show...
as
Phyllis LindstromPhyllis Lindstrom was a fictional character on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and its spin-off "Phyllis." She was played by actress Cloris Leachman.- The Mary Tyler Moore Show :...
, who was previously
Mary RichardsMary Richards is a fictional character the main character, played by Mary Tyler Moore, in the long-running television sitcom, Mary Tyler Moore....
' landlady on
The Mary Tyler Moore Show. In the new series, Phyllis and her daughter
Bess LindstromBess Valenti is a fictional character on the sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and the subsequent spin-off series, Phyllis. In both shows, she was played by actress Lisa Gerritsen.- More the Mother than the Daughter :...
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.
Phyllis aired on
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
Mondays at 8:30 pm and ran from September 11, 1975 to March 13, 1977.
Phyllis was a great success during its first season. Cloris Leachman won a
Golden Globe AwardThe Golden Globe Awards are presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to recognize outstanding achievements in the entertainment industry, both domestic and foreign, and to focus wide public attention upon the best in motion pictures and television...
for Best Lead Actress in a comedy series, and the series was the sixth highest-rated television series for the 1975-1976 television season (at the time ranking higher than both
Rhoda and
The Mary Tyler Moore Show). However,
Phyllis was canceled by CBS in 1977 after only 48 episodes due to steadily declining ratings during the second season, when it finished in 40th place. 'Phyllis
ended the same week that The Mary Tyler Moore Show did. Cloris Leachman appeared in the final episodes of both shows.
Synopsis
Phyllis and Bess move in with Lars' mother Audrey Dexter (Jane Rose) and stepfather Judge Jonathan Dexter (
Henry JonesHenry Burk Jones was an American actor of stage, film and television.Jones was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Helen and John Francis Xavier Jones...
), and Phyllis takes a job as an assistant in a photographic studio. The owner, Julie Erskine, was played by
Barbara ColbyBarbara Colby was an American actress.-Early career:Born Barbara Colby in New York City on July 2, 1940, she started her acting career in the theater. Following a solid performance in Six Characters in Search of an Author in 1964, she moved to Broadway with a debut in The Devils the following year...
, who had appeared in a recurring role as a different character on The Mary Tyler Moore Show
. Colby was murdered after three episodes of Phyllis had been filmed, and the part was assumed by
Liz TorresElizabeth "Liz" Torres is an actress, singer and comedienne of Puerto Rican descent.-Early years:Torres was born in the Bronx borough of New York City where her parents had settled after moving from Puerto Rico. There she received her primary and secondary education...
. Much of the first season's humor stemmed from Phyllis' attempts to fit into the job market, after having lived most of her life as the spoiled wife of a rich physician.
During the second and final season, Phyllis would switch jobs and work as an administrative assistant for San Francisco City Supervisor Dan Valenti (
Carmine CaridiCarmine Caridi is an American television and film actor. He has appeared in a wide variety of roles over the past 30 years, most notably playing Albert Volpe in The Godfather Part III and Carmine Rosato in The Godfather Part II...
). Elderly actress
Judith LowryJudith Lowry was an American actress. Born in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, USA, Ms Lowry labored in occasional bit parts in Film and TV from the 1940s until she began to get more substantial roles in her eighties. Ms. Lowry also had an uncredited role in Valley of the Dolls as Anne Welles' Aunt Amy...
also appeared as Mother Dexter, Jonathan's mother and Phyllis' main nemesis. Accordingly, she was better than everyone when it came to putting Phyllis in her place. In a 1976 episode, Mother Dexter married the similarly aged Arthur Lanson (
Burt MustinBurton Hill "Burt" Mustin was an American character actor.-Early life:Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Mustin was a 1903 graduate of the Pennsylvania Military College, earning his degree in civil engineering...
); both Lowry and Mustin died within a month of the episode's airing. Bess also found romance with Mark Valenti (
Craig Wasson-Career:Wasson's first feature film was the 1977 movie Rollercoaster. In 1978 he appeared in two films about the Vietnam war: first as a private in The Boys in Company C and then as a corporal in Go Tell the Spartans. In 1982 he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year -...
), the nephew of Phyllis' boss, whom she later married. In the final episode, Bess announced that she was pregnant with their first child.
Cast
- Cloris Leachman
Cloris Leachman is an American actress of stage, film and television. She has won eight Primetime Emmy Awards—more than any other female performer—and one Daytime Emmy Award. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in the 1971 film The Last Picture Show...
- Phyllis LindstromPhyllis Lindstrom was a fictional character on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and its spin-off "Phyllis." She was played by actress Cloris Leachman.- The Mary Tyler Moore Show :...
- Henry Jones
Henry Burk Jones was an American actor of stage, film and television.Jones was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Helen and John Francis Xavier Jones...
- Judge Jonathan Dexter
- Jane Rose - Audrey Dexter
- Lisa Gerritsen
Lisa Gerritsen is an American former child actor, now a computer systems consultant/networking specialist. She currently lives with her husband and son in Northern California....
- Bess LindstromBess Valenti is a fictional character on the sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and the subsequent spin-off series, Phyllis. In both shows, she was played by actress Lisa Gerritsen.- More the Mother than the Daughter :...
- Judith Lowry
Judith Lowry was an American actress. Born in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, USA, Ms Lowry labored in occasional bit parts in Film and TV from the 1940s until she began to get more substantial roles in her eighties. Ms. Lowry also had an uncredited role in Valley of the Dolls as Anne Welles' Aunt Amy...
- Sally "Mother" Dexter
- Barbara Colby
Barbara Colby was an American actress.-Early career:Born Barbara Colby in New York City on July 2, 1940, she started her acting career in the theater. Following a solid performance in Six Characters in Search of an Author in 1964, she moved to Broadway with a debut in The Devils the following year...
- Julie Erskine #1 (1975)
- Liz Torres
Elizabeth "Liz" Torres is an actress, singer and comedienne of Puerto Rican descent.-Early years:Torres was born in the Bronx borough of New York City where her parents had settled after moving from Puerto Rico. There she received her primary and secondary education...
- Julie Erskine #2 (1975-1976)
- Richard Schaal
Richard Schaal is an American television actor.He was married to actress Valerie Harper from 1964 to 1978...
- Leo Heatherton (1975-1976)
- Carmine Caridi
Carmine Caridi is an American television and film actor. He has appeared in a wide variety of roles over the past 30 years, most notably playing Albert Volpe in The Godfather Part III and Carmine Rosato in The Godfather Part II...
- Dan Valenti (1976-1977)
- John Lawlor
John Lawlor is an American actor. His best known roles are Supervisor Leonard Marsh on the television series Phyllis from 1976-1977, and later of Headmaster Steven Bradley on the television series The Facts of Life from 1979 to 1980....
- Leonard Marsh (1976-1977)
- Garn Stephens - Harriet Hastings (1976-1977)
- Burt Mustin
Burton Hill "Burt" Mustin was an American character actor.-Early life:Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Mustin was a 1903 graduate of the Pennsylvania Military College, earning his degree in civil engineering...
- Arthur Lanson (1976)
- Craig Wasson
-Career:Wasson's first feature film was the 1977 movie Rollercoaster. In 1978 he appeared in two films about the Vietnam war: first as a private in The Boys in Company C and then as a corporal in Go Tell the Spartans. In 1982 he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year -...
- Mark Valenti (1977)
Season 1 (1975-76)
- Pilot (September 11, 1975)
- Bess, Is You A Woman Now? (September 18, 1975)
- Up for Grabs (September 22, 1975)
- Leaving Home (September 23, 1975)
- The First Day (September 30, 1975)
- Phyllis Takes Piano Lessons (October 7, 1975)
- Phyllis' Garage Sale (October 14, 1975)
- The First Date (October 27, 1975)
- All Together Now (October 30, 1975)
- Audrey Leaves Jonathan (November 6, 1975)
- Phyllis Opens Julie's Heart (November 17, 1975)
- So Lonely I Could Cry (November 24, 1975)
- Phyllis and the Little People (December 1, 1975)
- There's No Business Like No Business (December 8, 1975)
- Paging Dr. Lindstrom (December 22, 1975)
- The $17,623,419.53 Man (January 5, 1976)
- Honor Thy Mother Dexter (January 12, 1976)
- Phyllis in Love (January 19, 1976)
- Crazy Mama (January 26, 1976)
- A Man, A Woman and Another Woman (February 2, 1976)
- Leo's Suicide (February 9, 1976)
- Sonny Boy (February 16, 1976)
- Widows, Merry and Otherwise (February 23, 1976)
- The Triangle (March 1, 1976)
Season 2 (1976-77)
- The New Job (September 20, 1976)
- You're Not Getting Any Better, Just Older (September 27, 1976)
- Speech 1A (October 4, 1976)
- Off the Bench (October 11, 1976)
- Boss or Buddy, or Both, or Neither (October 18, 1976)
- Phyllis Cries Wolf (October 25, 1976)
- Out of the Closet (November 1, 1976)
- The Wrong Box (November 8, 1976)
- Phyllis and the Jumper (November 15, 1976)
- Mother Dexter Cohabitates (November 22, 1976)
- Mother Dexter's Wedding (December 6, 1976)
- Bess Airs Her Views (December 20, 1976)
- The Christmas Party (December 27, 1976)
- Phyllis Runs the Office (January 3, 1977)
- The Threat (January 10, 1977)
- Taking A Chance on Chance (January 16, 1977)
- Leonard and the Bribe (January 23, 1977)
- Broken-Hearted Bess (January 30, 1977)
- I Am Beautiful (February 6, 1977)
- Dan's Ex (February 13, 1977)
- Audrey's New Life (February 20, 1977)
- The Elopement (February 27, 1977)
- The Apartment (March 6, 1977)
- And Baby Makes Six (March 13, 1977)
Trivia
- Phyllis was the sixth highest-rated television series during the 1975-1976 television season, ranking higher than both Rhoda and The Mary Tyler Moore Show for that season.
- Years before appearing together on Phyllis, Henry Jones
Henry Burk Jones was an American actor of stage, film and television.Jones was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Helen and John Francis Xavier Jones...
and Cloris LeachmanCloris Leachman is an American actress of stage, film and television. She has won eight Primetime Emmy Awards—more than any other female performer—and one Daytime Emmy Award. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in the 1971 film The Last Picture Show...
appeared together in a 1972 episode of Rod SerlingRodman Edward "Rod" Serling was an American screenwriter and television producer, best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. He was known in the more secular community as being an atheist despite converting to Unitarianism...
's Night GalleryNight Gallery is Rod Serling’s follow-up series to The Twilight Zone that aired on NBC from 1970 to 1973. Serling functioned both as the on-air host of Night Gallery and as a major contributor of scripts, although he did not have the same control of content and tone as he did on The Twilight...
, "You Can't Get Help Like That Anymore".
- The opening credits to Phyllis parody other TV series opening credits of the same period, specifically The Mary Tyler Moore Show by depicting the character Phyllis in a variety of San Francisco settings, while the theme song plays. The theme song parodies Broadway musical numbers, most specifically Jerry Herman's title songs to "Hello Dolly" and "Mame". In keeping with the nature of the character, the final line of the song is sung flat, and off-key. Lyrics:
- Who makes the fog surrounding the Golden Gate simply disappear?
- Phyllis, Phyllis
- Who makes the warning bells on the cable cars play "The Gangs All Here"?
- Phyllis, Phyllis
- Who charms the crabs at Fisherman's Wharf right out of their shells?
- Who lights the lamps of Chinatown just by walking in view? Who?
- Phyllis! Phyllis! Phyllis! It sure isn't you!
Mary Tyler Moore Show tie-ins
- Mary Tyler Moore
Mary Tyler Moore is an American actress, primarily known for her roles in television sitcoms.Moore is best known for The Mary Tyler Moore Show , in which she starred as Mary Richards, a 30-something single woman who worked as a local news producer in Minneapolis, and for her earlier role as Dick...
guest starred as Mary Richards on two episodes of Phyllis: "The First Day" and "You're Not Getting Any Better, Just Older", in which Mary visits Phyllis in San Francisco.
- In 1977, Cloris Leachman also appeared as Phyllis Lindstrom on the final episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show (March 19, 1977), the same week that the final episode of Phyllis aired.
VHS release
In July 1992, a
VHSVideo Home System, better known by its abbreviation VHS, was a video tape recording standard developed during the 1970s. It was released to the public during the latter half of the decade. During the late part of the 1970s and the early 1980s it formed one-half of the VHS vs Betamax war, which it...
containing the first two episodes of Phyllis
was released by MTM Home VideoMTM Enterprises was an independent production company established in 1969 by Mary Tyler Moore and her then-husband Grant Tinker to produce The Mary Tyler Moore Show for CBS. The name for the production company was drawn from Moore's initials...
; the cassette has long been out of print and Phyllis has not been released on
DVDDVD, also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc,is an optical disc storage media format, and was founded in 1995. Its main uses are video and data storage...
.