Trivia / Alice (1976)

• Dawson Casting: Averted. Philip McKeon played his character's age, and memorably grew over a foot between seasons; Tommy went from being at eye level to 5'3" Linda Lavin to towering over her at 6'2"!
• Hostility on the Set: Linda Lavin was reported as being difficult to work with and was jealous of Polly Holliday's popularity as Flo. Even after Holliday left and her Spin-Off, Flo, ended after one season, she refused to make any guest appearances. Diane Ladd also had difficulties with Lavin and cited that as the reason she left the series after only a year.
• The Other Darrin: Alfred Lutter, who'd played Tommy in the movie, reprised his role in the pilot episode before Philip McKeon took over.
• Recycled: The Series: One of the odder cases, given the marked difference in tone from the parent film.
• Referenced by...:
  • The Frantics, on their comedy album Boot to the Head, in the song "Tai Kwan Leep." The actual song is preceded by a sketch in which a guru is leading a class in meditation; he's repeatedly interrupted by an impatient man named Ed Gruberman, who wants to get on to the part where they learn to use the eponymous martial art to "start trashing bozos."
  Guru: The only use of tai kwan leep is self-defense. Do you know who said that? Kee Ro Nee, the great teacher.
  Ed Gruberman: Well, the best defense is a good offense. You know who said that? Mel, the cook on Alice.
  • A late 1990s/early 2000s Ad Council commercial on lung cancer and secondhand smoke, where a waitress develops lung cancer from a(n ironically courteous and good) customer who smoked at the restaurant. The other customers are either rude or harass the waitress, including a group of frat boys who sexually harass the waitress by calling her "Flo" (referencing Polly Holiday's character).
• What Could Have Been: Flo's catchphrase was initially going to be "Kiss my honeydew," but when it didn't get much reaction from the audience, they tried out "Kiss my grits," which for whatever reason got huge laughs.

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