That look that Cloris Leachman gives in the opening credits of "Phyllis" is classic Frau Brucher/Nurse Diesel, and is the perfect image for what the Oscar Winning actress does best-character parts with an edge, a sting, a sneer. Recurring on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", Leachman's Phyllis Lindstrom was on less and less as her movie career took over. Not only did Cloris Leachman appear in 1 or 2 movies a year on the big screen, she also appeared in several T.V. movies as well, so she wasn't as available in her later seasons as she had been in seasons 1 and 2 of "MTM". What is also clear is that Phyllis is best as a supporting character, not that being supporting is a bad thing. In fact, sometimes, it is the supporting characters you remember over the leads.
To describe Phyllis, she is one of those sunshine soaked critters with a crack behind each kind smile, yet even she didn't get the fact that she was being ridiculed even more than she was ridiculing. The Sue Anne/Phyllis rivalry dealt with in one season was hysterical because the two women were almost identical, and since the writers knew they were losing Leachman's regular presence, they most likely figured, what the hay? Let's re-write her as a new character, one who will help send Phyllis off with a bang. Two years went by before Phyllis left cold Minneapolis to move to San Francisco where she charmed the crabs from Fisherman's Wharf right out of their shell. She also made a quick stop-over in New York City, preventing old enemy Rhoda from making it to her wedding, and here, she repeated the same mistake, yet with someone much older than Rhoda and even, believe it or not, twice as tough.
That tough old bride was Mother Dexter (the wonderful Judith Lowry), the Sophia Petrillo of her day, the octogenarian who said what she felt, and in Sally's case, there was no stroke to justify her remarks. Phyllis was an instant target for Mother Dexter, and Leachman allowed this granny without the tweety bird to get a bulk of the good lines. That too could be said for her dimwitted former mother-in-law Audrey (Jane Rose), married to Judge Jonathan Dexter (Henry Jones), sort of a nitwit like "Golden Girls" Rose Nylon whose malapropisms created bounds of laughter. The distinctively voiced Jones' classy judge also got some great lines, and the way he delivered them still rings in my ear. Ironically, the grown-up Bess (Lisa Gerritsen) became the show's voice of wisdom as she was more of an adult emotionally than Phyllis ever was.
What "Phyllis" had in its family element lost credibility in her working environment. Her first season working at a photo studio was promising, but the death of the original boss and the sudden replacement (even though they looked very much alike) was truly jarring. The second season saw Phyllis working for one of the commissioners and had potential. Considering that this was San Francisco "Tales of the City" era could have made for some very interesting stories, but unfortunately, Phyllis wasn't Maude. There were story lines surrounding gay characters (with a great retort by Mother Dexter in regards to how she couldn't stand an old gay uncle) and changes in society, but "Phyllis" really took little effort to explore them.
Unfortunately, as entertaining as the show's two seasons are, they are not likely to get a DVD release. Like other shows which have been given only one season releases ("Maude" and "Murphy Brown" the two who need more seasons out), "Phyllis" doesn't have the confidence of distributors of old T.V. shows who think it would only sell a little. With the C.R.A.P. that is coming onto T.V. at a rip-roaring speed, "Phyllis" is better than shows which have last years. I hope to eventually be proved wrong and see this come out, but I ain't gonna hold my breath. Fortunately, "Maude" is on its way out in its entirety, so maybe where there's "Phyllis", there's "hope".
To describe Phyllis, she is one of those sunshine soaked critters with a crack behind each kind smile, yet even she didn't get the fact that she was being ridiculed even more than she was ridiculing. The Sue Anne/Phyllis rivalry dealt with in one season was hysterical because the two women were almost identical, and since the writers knew they were losing Leachman's regular presence, they most likely figured, what the hay? Let's re-write her as a new character, one who will help send Phyllis off with a bang. Two years went by before Phyllis left cold Minneapolis to move to San Francisco where she charmed the crabs from Fisherman's Wharf right out of their shell. She also made a quick stop-over in New York City, preventing old enemy Rhoda from making it to her wedding, and here, she repeated the same mistake, yet with someone much older than Rhoda and even, believe it or not, twice as tough.
That tough old bride was Mother Dexter (the wonderful Judith Lowry), the Sophia Petrillo of her day, the octogenarian who said what she felt, and in Sally's case, there was no stroke to justify her remarks. Phyllis was an instant target for Mother Dexter, and Leachman allowed this granny without the tweety bird to get a bulk of the good lines. That too could be said for her dimwitted former mother-in-law Audrey (Jane Rose), married to Judge Jonathan Dexter (Henry Jones), sort of a nitwit like "Golden Girls" Rose Nylon whose malapropisms created bounds of laughter. The distinctively voiced Jones' classy judge also got some great lines, and the way he delivered them still rings in my ear. Ironically, the grown-up Bess (Lisa Gerritsen) became the show's voice of wisdom as she was more of an adult emotionally than Phyllis ever was.
What "Phyllis" had in its family element lost credibility in her working environment. Her first season working at a photo studio was promising, but the death of the original boss and the sudden replacement (even though they looked very much alike) was truly jarring. The second season saw Phyllis working for one of the commissioners and had potential. Considering that this was San Francisco "Tales of the City" era could have made for some very interesting stories, but unfortunately, Phyllis wasn't Maude. There were story lines surrounding gay characters (with a great retort by Mother Dexter in regards to how she couldn't stand an old gay uncle) and changes in society, but "Phyllis" really took little effort to explore them.
Unfortunately, as entertaining as the show's two seasons are, they are not likely to get a DVD release. Like other shows which have been given only one season releases ("Maude" and "Murphy Brown" the two who need more seasons out), "Phyllis" doesn't have the confidence of distributors of old T.V. shows who think it would only sell a little. With the C.R.A.P. that is coming onto T.V. at a rip-roaring speed, "Phyllis" is better than shows which have last years. I hope to eventually be proved wrong and see this come out, but I ain't gonna hold my breath. Fortunately, "Maude" is on its way out in its entirety, so maybe where there's "Phyllis", there's "hope".