A PLEA TO WARNER ARCHIVES: Please release ALL NINE SEASONS of "ALICE" on DVD! After 30 years, thousands of fans are waiting!
ALICE ran from 1976 to 1985 on CBS-TV, but was owned and managed as a Warner Brothers Television production. Ultimately, this may have served "ALICE" fans poorly, for while CBS has released most popular sitcoms in DVD from the era that "ALICE" ran, Warner has only started to release this highly popular sitcom, beginning in 2012. Now, with 2015 just around the corner, it's been over a year since Season Four was released, and there's no word nor comment on when Seasons Five, Six, Seven, Eight and Nine will be released. The series itself left the airwaves almost 30 YEARS AGO, so a full release is certainly in order.
To the serious "ALICE" fan, this is troubling and sad. More than half of the "ALICE" episodes have remained in the Warner Archives vault, and are locked away until such time that Warner releases them. At present time, it's not known if "ALICE" is being shown on TV LAND or Hulu, or any of the other networks making money on Classic TV. Gone also, it would seem, are the syndicated airing of "ALICE" on local or national TV stations, which happened in the 80s and 90s by such networks as "E".
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| Some of my favorite happenings occurred between Celia Weston, Linda Lavin and Beth Howland in the latter years of "ALICE". Good character development took all the characters a great distance from their beginning on the series. |
Subsequently, "ALICE" fans are left with random photos from Season 5 onward that may surface, a poor quality pirated DVD set that occasionally surfaces, robbing Warner of all royalties, and the hardy memories of longtime fans, who can remember episodes from the early to middle 1980s and their reruns in the decade or so that would follow.
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| No longer a tween, Philip McKeon and his character Tommy both grow up on "ALICE". As it now stands, Tommy is barely a teenager and most of his appearances on "ALICE" remain unreleased! |
Because there's no commercial release of the last five seasons of "ALICE", most fans cannot see the amazing growth of Philip McKeon, who started the series as a 12 year old and was around 21 when the series ended. As you can easily see, Phil towered over Linda by the seventh season, and "ALICE" would run another two seasons after this season finished up! Tommy would graduate from High School, go to Arizona State University, join a fraternity, get arrested, get his driver's license (and on one occasion, drive under the influence in one of the show's few social issue themed episodes), and grow closer to Mel. But, again, these stories are locked away.
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| The legendary Martha Rae made eleven appearances on "ALICE" as Mel's controlling mother Carrie, but only three of those have been released on DVD. Carrie's chicken pies become a hit with the customers, and so was Martha Rae! |
As the series progressed, Martha Rae made even more appearances on "ALICE" as Mel's domineering mother Carrie Sharples. By the fifth season, she divorced her husband Robby, then wrote a cookbook "Carrie's Continental Cooking: Recipes from A Broad" (or was it Abroad? Jolene was always the person reading the book title!) Carrie also bought Mel's apartment building and raised Mel's rent, did a nightclub act with Alice, had Mel arrested, went to work for Mel's competitor (Not Barney, this one was Benny from Benny's Beanery!), and fessed up to Mel about a thirty plus year lie on giving away his dog when he was a child. In the later seasons that are unreleased, Carrie was almost a cast member! If only we could enjoy these again...
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| The Sixth Season Christmas Episode, featuring Jack Gilford as the "ghost from partner past", who gives Mel the dickens for
firing his waitresses because they won't work on Christmas Eve. A lost holiday memory that all "ALICE" fans would truly love to see again! (Like Ebeneezer Scrooge, Mel has a change of heart in this sweet, classic episode.) |
Not always known is the fact that Celia Weston as "Jolene" made more appearances on "ALICE" than Polly Holliday and Diane Ladd combined. None of them are released on DVD yet, sadly. By the seventh season, Weston was getting huge numbers of laughs and was clearly a favorite of the writers and the audience, having an especially strong ability to put down Mel and his cooking. Their love/hate relationship was another great reason that "ALICE" did so well into it's ninth season.
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| Vic Tayback as 'Mel" and Celia Weston as "Jolene" |
I love the photo above, because it shows an unamused Mel and a self-amused Jolene, who had the ability to say just about anything without getting Mel too upset. He was generally just moderately annoyed! Wishing we could enjoy these moments again, to our friends at Warner!!
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| Dick Gautier as Captain Sacks, the pilot who locks himself out of the cockpit and then loses his wits. Jolene and Alice to the rescue!! Great putdowns and antics between the little old lady and Mel, who are seated together! |
An eighth season episode, "Jolene Gets Her Wings" featured Jolene moonlighting as a flight attendant (oh yeah, this was when they were still called stewardesses!). The girls and Mel decide to go along on Jolene's maiden voyage. Mel is seated next to a little but wise old lady gambler (you got it, played by Florence Halop!). Trouble brews when the pre-9/11 pilot locks himself out of the cockpit (shown in the photo above). Most of the "ALICE" fans I know remember very little of this classic episode.
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| Jay Leno, Linda Lavin and Vic Tayback share a tense moment on "ALICE" when Leno's character threatens Mel. |
Another almost forgotten memory from the Sixth Season was an episode featuring a very young Jay Leno prior to his Tonight Show years! The waitresses are mortified when a couple of burly bikers begin
frequenting Mel's Diner. No one enjoys their rowdy and rude manners and
Mel is scared to throw them out for fear of his life. After she's had
enough Alice stands up to the bikers and one of them (Jay Leno) is so
impressed with her spirit that it inspires him to recruit her as his
'old lady.' Also guest starring is the late Ron Pallilo as the other biker ...
you'll remember Pallilo as Horshack on "Welcome Back, Kotter," and he has the same whiney voice fans loved. A wonderful episode not yet released, along with over 100 more that "ALICE" fans would love to own in DVD format!
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| Charles Levin and Beth Howland was Elliot and Vera Novak. Vera gets married!! |
One of the episodes that fans like myself are absolutely fanatical about is Vera's two part wedding episode from Season Eight. Yes, Vera marries Officer Elliot Novak and the last two seasons reflect a new emphasis on a somewhat more mature and developed Vera. In fact, even away from Elliot, Vera's character has some of her best moments, including the Ninth Season episode "Vera, the Nightbird", when Vera takes on a part time job at a radio station to replace a vacationing DJ, and ends up stirring up the hormones of the men of Phoenix. A super performance by Beth Howland, well written and great laughs abounding. This and other episodes with a married Vera are longed to be released by so many "ALICE" fans!
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| Joel Grey agrees to be featured in the lead of a musical that Alice was also starring in during the Seventh Season of "ALICE". Excellent talent, both funny and well-done musical numbers, a great guest cast, and superb comedy writing, make this two parter a favorite. Will it be released? We're hoping so!! |
Perhaps my favorite "ALICE" season is the Seventh -- I could go into great detail on why I love this season so much, but among them are some of the best writing and directing. By this time, Mark Solomon and Marc Egan were not only producing "ALICE" but also writing many of the episodes. This very entertaining two part episode featured Joel Grey and Linda Lavin in a
very good choreographed sing and dance routine, with all the expected comedy anecdotes and more!
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| Meadowlark Lemon as himself, Linda Lavin as Alice and Phil McKeon as Tommy in another keeper from the Seventh Season. Jolene and Mel have some good dialog here too that is "Alice" as it's best! |
Meadowlark Lemon guests as himself in another Seventh Season favorite. Tommy by this time is a college student on the ASU basketball team, and Meadowlark comes to the rescue with the encouragement Tommy needs to keep going!
Season Seven also features a guest appearance by Debbie Reynolds (It was the Seventh Season Premiere) that brought the house down with laughs. I can't find any photos of this episode to post, but I can tell you, it's a definite comedic masterpiece, and the cast and crew remarked years later how much fun everyone had rehearsing this episode. We so NEED to have this episode "Sorry, Wrong Lips," released!
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| Celia Weston as "Jolene," Vic Tayback as "Mel" and Sorrell Booke as "Boss Hogg" in the Eighth Season Premiere. The diner gets a new name (Boar's Nest West) and a remodel and begins serving things like Sow Belly Burgers! |
Perhaps you remember that on the Eighth Season Premiere, Boss Hogg and Deputy Enos from "The Dukes of Hazzard" guest on "ALICE" as their same characters, out to buy out Mel's Diner for a steal. By this time in the series, Mel's wisdom seemed even less sharp than the beginning of the series, and he is easily duped out of his diner for a mere $1! It takes the scheming of the girls to get the diner back!
In the photo below, diner regular Henry Beesmeyer (played by Marvin Kaplan) is featured in the only episode written specifically about Henry! Plus is often-spoken-about, never-before-seen wife Chloe is finally seen. This is a Season Five episode, next to be released (hopefully)!
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| Marvin Kaplan as 'Henry', Ruth Buzzi as "Chloe' and Vic Tayback as "Mel" in a rarely seen recently episode from Season Five. Fans are hoping to get access to this lost episode again --- sooner than later, considering the show left the airwaves 30 years ago! |
The final episode of "ALICE" features Mel selling the diner and all the characters going their separate ways. Not available on any commercial release, fans ask me about the final episode regularly. It was an important, if final, part of "ALICE" history that should be available to dedicated fans of the show.
All in all, with so many wonderful and sought-after episodes yet to be released, Warner Archives could either release the remaining five seasons one at a time, or produce a "complete series" box set. Frankly, I think EITHER option would satisfy the eager requirements of the show's thousands of fans. Even Warner Archive's very own Facebook page devoted to "ALICE" has OVER FIFTY SEVEN THOUSAND LIKES!
To our friends at Warner Archives, once released, and with good marketing, the remaining seasons of "ALICE" is destined to do well on the market! We, a dedicated group of fans who manage other online web pages, will also spread the word about "ALICE" DVD releases! Your success is our greatest goal as well. Please know that there is a strong need and desire for the remaining seasons of "ALICE" and that we stand by ready to purchase them ourselves and promote them heavily.
With sincere appreciation,
David Plunkett
A lifetime fan of Alice" and author of "Alice Sitcom in Retrospect"
EMAIL: Fijifive@gmail.com
Administrator at https://www.facebook.com/groups/ReleaseALICECD/?fref=ts
Administrator at https://www.facebook.com/groups/AliceTVTrivia/?fref=ts
Administrator at https://www.facebook.com/groups/AliceTVShowFanClub/?fref=ts
All we want is a 30 year gift from Warner Archives --- a release of all nine seasons of ALICE!
T-T-That's All Folks!
