Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)

Meedyah Morsels #175.

I finally got to see it!

I've wanted to see this for a couple reasons.
1. While it's not Scorsese's first film, it's the one that broke him through to the big time.
2. I wanted to see it as the origin of the sitcom "Alice".

Couldn't find it anywhere, Youtube wasn't coughing it up, it wasn't playing on cable, and wasn't anywhere in the deepest guts of the free Spectrum DVR library.

Well, out of the blue, it was suddenly there in the DVR in free movies to watch under TCM!
So, I jumped on it, and watched it.

Ehhh, it's all right.
Curiosity satisfied.

The mom from "Exorcist", is Alice instead of Linda Lavin.

Her husband dies in a car accident (and we see the bloody body!) so she heads out on the road with her kid, Tommy, to live her dream of becoming a singer.
When she's on the road, it's the same exact green station wagon scene from the opening credits of the show.
Halfway in her journey, she gets a boyfriend who turns out to be both married, and a violent maniac.
So, her and Tommy bolt, and we end up at the diner from the show.

Except in this version, she becomes a singer, and settles down with Kris Kristofferson.
Oh, and just before that, Tommy gets drunk with Jodie Foster, and she's all foulmouthed and Jodie Foster-y.
The End.

So, now the show...


Alice (1976-1985)

So, here's why I watched it.

1. My mom watched it back in the day, and it was on from when I was 1 to when I was 10, and that's like a century in kid time, and yet, its been so long, I didn't remember anything about it, and wanted the memory refresh.
2. I was bored, had no book ideas going at the time, and there it was on Logo in bigass marathons.
For killing time, for a long stretch, it was this, and MASH.

Back in the day, those were the big (prime-time) shows my family watched.
Alice for Ma, MASH for Dad, All In The Family for Ma and Dad, Incredible Hulk for me.

I've collected Hulk, I've seen every All In The Family to death, and now, I think I've seen all the Alice's. I'm 99% certain.
I keep checking in, and it's always one I've seen.
After 5 goddamned years, I still catch MASHes I haven't seen though.


Now, the differences between movie and show.

Mel's played by the same actor in both, but in the movie, the diner's called Mel & Ruby's Cafe.
Ruby being Mel's dead wife.
In the show, it's just Mel's Diner, and Mel's never been married.

Movie Flo is legally married, but her husband ran out, and she has a daughter with fucked up teeth she can't afford to have fixed.
TV Flo is fully divorced, swinging single, and never had or wanted kids.
Movie Flo has a foul mouth, TV Flo says "kiss my grits".
Movie Alice dislikes movie Flo at first, and then they gradually become friends.
TV Alice and Flo become fiends immediately.
Movie Flo is a shoulder to cry on, and gives Alice advice in the bathroom behind the diner.
TV Flo gave advice behind the diner in the first season or so, but Linda Lavin made Alice the smart one all the time, and Flo just became a cartoon character of herself.

Both Alice's are identical on paper, but Ellen Burstyn plays her more quiet, and beaten down, while Linda Lavin...think female David Lee Roth.
Okay, not THAT over the top, but get her singing, and....Jesus Christ.

Tommy's a bratty little punk in the movie, TV Tommy is a boring little zombie in comparison.

TV Vera is a lovable scatterbrained dingbat, movie Vera is creepy.
Like, Addam's Family creepy.
Her behavior can't be explained, must see to appreciate.
TV Vera is 100% on her own, movie Vera lives with her dad who drives her home from work on his motorcycle.

There's definitely no Jodie Foster analog.
Her character is Thanos dusted.

Kris Kristofferson is kind of Thanos dusted, but in the final season of the show, Alice hooks up with a country singer with a beard, and he's kinda analogous to Kris Kristofferson, but not really.

And finally, "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore", is a nice self contained little story, "Alice", lasted 9 years, and crossed over with fuckin' "Dukes Of Hazzard", via a guest appearance by Boss Hog in an episode you could tell everyone really hated doing.

So, y'know, typical network TV shark jumping.

And, that's all that.
I've bore witness to the entire Alice Hyatt saga.

Now what?
I'll think of something....


Previously with MM-

Crisis On Infinite Earths update #10. (MM #174)