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Remembering Polly Holliday of Alice and Flo; Prime Video's Overcompensating Renewed for Season 2

Actress Polly Holliday, who starred as Florence Jean "Flo" Castleberry in Alice and Flo, has died. She died from an apparent bout of pneumonia at her home in Manhattan, New York City, on September 9. Ms. Holliday was 88.

Holliday starred as Florence Jean "Flo" Castleberry in the CBS sitcom Alice from 1976 to 1980. The show stars Linda Lavin as Alice Hyatt, a widow who moves with her young son to start life over again and finds a job working at a roadside diner in Phoenix, Arizona. Flo is a sassy, man-hungry waitress at Mel's Diner. Her character's catchphrase of "kiss my grits!" remains the most memorable line associated with the series. "When donkeys fly!" was one of her other catchphrases.

She won two Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries or Television Film in 1979 and 1980. She received three Emmy nominations for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 1978, 1979 and 1980. The season 1-4 cast included Vic Tayback, Beth Howland, and Philip McKeon. Diane Ladd joined the cast in 1980 as Isabelle "Belle" Dupree, a hard-edged but kind-hearted woman. Recurring cast members included Marvin Kaplan (1977-1985), Dave Madden (1978-1985), Martha Raye (1978-1984), Duane R. Campbell (1978-1985), and Alan Haufrect (1978-1980).

Holliday left the show to star in her own spin-off series Flo, which aired on CBS for two seasons from 1980 to 1981. She reprised her role as sassy and street-smart waitress Florence Jean "Flo" Castleberry who returns to her hometown of Fort Worth, Texas—referred to as "Cowtown"—and becomes the proprietor of a rundown old roadhouse that she renames "Flo's Yellow Rose". The cast included Geoffrey Lewis, Jim B. Baker, Sudie Bond, Lucy Lee Flippin, Joyce Bulifant, Leo Burmester, Stephen Keep, George Flower, Mickey Jones, and Terry Willis (1980).

She joined the cast of the CBS sitcom Private Benjamin in the third season (1982-1983) as a temporary replacement for series regular Eileen Brennan (Cpt. Doreen Lewis), who was recovering from serious injuries after being struck by a car. She appeared as Cpt. Amanda Allan in three episodes before the series was canceled. The series was based on and set during the events of the 1980 movie of the same name.

Holliday had a recurring role as Lillian Patterson, Jill Taylor's (Patricia Richardson) mother, in five episodes of Home Improvement from 1993 to 1999. She starred as Captain Betty in the pilot episode of the CBS sitcom Stir Crazy in 1985. She played Lily, Rose Nylund's (Betty White) blind sister, in the episode "Blind Ambitions" of The Golden Girls in 1986.

She appeared as Prison Inmate Leader in six episodes of the CBS soap opera Search for Tomorrow in 1974. Some of her other television guest appearances included NBC Special Treat, American Playhouse, Amazing Stories (1986), The Equalizer (1988), and Homicide: Life on the Street. She starred as Momma Love, the mother of Reggie Love (JoBeth Williams), in the 1995-1996 CBS legal thriller drama The Client (also referred to as John Grisham's The Client).

Holliday starred as Mrs. Ruby Deagle in the 1984 black comedy horor film Gremlins (1984). She won the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in 1984. She starred as Gloria Chaney, Daniel Hillard's (Robin Williams) nosy neighbor, in Mrs. Doubtfire (1993). She starred as Marva Kulp Sr., the owner and director of Camp Walden, in The Parent Trap (1998). Her final credit was in the 2010 film Fair Game, in which she played Diane Plame, the mother of Valerie Plame.

Ms. Holliday was funny and memorable as Flo in Alice and Flo. Her "kiss my grits!" line was originally written as "kiss my honeydew!", but it didn't get any laughs. It became a widespread, iconic catchphrase of the era. She was the last surviving member of the original cast of Alice. We thank her for the laughs and entertainment that she brought us during her career. She will be deeply missed.

Share your memories on our Alice and Flo message boards. View photos in our Alice and Flo galleries.

Antenna TV remembers the iconic Polly Holliday with special episodes of Alice this week through Saturday. Watch Alice weekdays at 3pm ET, weeknights at 4am ET and Saturdays at 6pm ET on Antenna TV.

September 11
3pm & 4pm - S1E16: "The Accident" (OAD: January 22, 1977)
3:30pm & 4:30pm - S1E20: "The Odd Couple" (OAD: February 26, 1977)

September 12
3pm & 4pm - S2E11: "The Eyes of Texas" (OAD: January 8, 1978)
3:30pm & 4:30pm - S4E12: "Good Buddy Flo" (OAD: January 6, 1980)

September 13
6pm - S3E24: "Flo Finds Her Father" (OAD: April 1, 1979)
6:30pm - S4E18: "Flo's Farewell" (OAD: February 24, 1980)

Prime Video has ordered a second season of Benito Skinner's Overcompensating from Amazon MGM Studios, A24 and Strong Baby. Skinner will return to write, star, and executive produce.

The series is a college-set ensemble comedy about the chaotic journey of Benny (Skinner), a closeted former football player and homecoming king, as he becomes fast friends with Carmen, an outsider on a mission to fit in at all costs. Deeply funny and personal, the show explores the lengths to which we all overcompensate while finding out who we really are.

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:00 PM

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Labels: Alice, Amazon Prime, Antenna TV, Flo, Obits, Overcompensating