PHYLLIS: MOTHER DEXTER'S WEDDING (TV)
Summary
One in this comedy series about smug ex-Minneapolis resident Phyllis Lindstrom, who lives in San Francisco with her daughter, Bess; her mother-in-law, Audrey Dexter; and Judge Jonathan Dexter.
In this episode, Phyllis makes preparations for the wedding of Jonathan’s mother, Sally “Mother” Dexter, who is none too fond of Phyllis. Mother Dexter and her fiancé, Arthur, arrive in Phyllis’ office and she invites them both to dinner; Arthur says that he is having a bachelor party with some old war buddies. Mother Dexter overhears Dan giving Phyllis an assignment concerning actor Charles Bronson, She briefly ponders blowing off the wedding to go see him, but thinks better of it. Phyllis decides to turn the dinner into a bachelorette party of sorts and brings several of Mother Dexter’s old friends together. She plans a game in which Mother Dexter must guess who the guests are without looking. This soon fails spectacularly when the cantankerous old lady begins insulting her former friends without realizing they are there. She trades friendly barbs with one old friend, however, and eventually concedes that the evening was “nice” and that Phyllis is not, in fact, a “total jackass.”
The next day, the wedding gets underway, but one thing is missing: the bride. As the guests begin to wonder what has happened to Mother Dexter, Phyllis is horrified to realize that she forgot to pick her up, much as she once did to Rhoda. The group debates what to do, and Phyllis despairingly tells Bess to elope, as she “kills weddings,” describing how she nearly ruined her own nuptials as well. In her trailer, Mother Dexter calls a cab; when the driver proves unsatisfactory, she takes over herself. When she finally arrives at the church, everyone is relieved to see her. The ceremony goes off without a hitch, with Mother Dexter and Arthur reciting their own romantic vows. However, at the end, Mother Dexter lets Phyllis know just how she feels when it is time to “toss” the bouquet. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: December 6, 1976 8:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:25:03
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:66963
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1975-1977
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Stan Daniels … Producer, Created by, Theme Music by
- Ed. Weinberger … Producer, Created by
- Ralph Riskin … Associate Producer
- Glen Charles … Writer
- Les Charles … Writer
- Asaad Kelada … Director
- James L. Brooks … Based on a character created by
- Allan Burns … Based on a character created by
- Dick DeBenedictis … Music by
- Cloris Leachman … Cast, Phyllis Lindstrom
- Henry Jones … Cast, Jonathan
- Jane Rose … Cast, Audrey
- Judith Lowry … Cast, Mother Dexter
- Lisa Gerritsen … Cast, Bess
- John Lawlor … Cast, Leonard Marsh
- Garn Stephens … Cast, Harriet Hastings
- Carmine Caridi … Cast, Dan Valenti
- Burt Mustin … Cast, Arthur Lanson
- Marjorie Bennett … Cast, Ellen
- Madge West … Cast, Alice