Favorite Fictional Character --- Florence Jean “Flo” Castleberry

 

I had a different character in mind for this week’s Favorite Fictional Character post, but he’ll have to wait. Today, I want to honor one of the most unforgettable TV characters of the mid-1970s and early 1980s. I'm honestly surprised I haven’t featured her before—she’s a true cultural icon. I'm also saddened to be writing about her now because her portrayer, Polly Holliday, has passed away at the age of 88.

Florence Jean “Flo” Castleberry was my favorite character on Alice. Flo was loud, sassy, and knew exactly who she was. She didn’t tolerate Mel’s sexist behavior and wasn’t afraid to call him out. She challenged his greed, stood up for what was right, and had a heart big enough to take Alice under her wing. She was the kind of mother figure many of us would have welcomed with open arms.

I can easily imagine myself walking into Mel’s Diner, sitting at a booth with a slightly dingy menu, and falling absolutely in love with this outspoken waitress who gave both sass and heart. I’d sit there for hours, listening to Flo, Alice, and even Vera talk about their lives, laughing at their banter and feeling like part of something special. I know I’d enjoy every moment Flo told Mel off with her signature “Kiss my grits!” or even a “When donkeys fly!” If I had the chance, I’d become a regular—despite Mel.

Flo wasn’t just a character—she was a force. And Polly Holliday brought her to life with such charisma, warmth, and grit that she remains unforgettable to this day.

R.I.P. Polly Holliday.

You’ll be missed.

R.I.P., Cugina

 

I haven't been doing any blogging, or really any blog reading for the last several weeks, because I've found myself either escaping into work, or movies. I haven't wanted to do a lot of anything, for several reasons. One of those is that I lost the person I was closest to in my family. Tara was born one day, and one year after I was. We were the first and second grandchildren on our mutual side of our families, and I loved her so damn much. 

I knew Tara was the one person who would always have my back, no matter what. She had her struggles, but she always rose above them. She was truly one of the strongest people I've ever known. I'm going to miss her so damn much. 

I have a lot of guilt in my soul for how little I talked to her as she was fighting her last battle with cancer. I hate that I allowed myself to be distracted as much as I was. I loathe that I wasn't able to see her before she passed. I'll get to say goodbye next month at her memorial service in WY. But, it's not enough for me. I will forever regret that I didn't get to say goodbye in person. 

Love you, Cugina. 

Happy Memorial Day

In Loving Memory Of All Those Who Paid The Ultimate Price For Our Freedom.

R.I.P. Prince, 1958-2016

It's not often that a cultural icon, beloved by millions around the world, comes around.  As a kid, growing up in the 80s, there was a ton of great music to get lost in. Pop music was at it's most diverse, and I think at it's most creative.  It was the decade that launched Michael Jackson into super stardom, and gave rise to Whitney Houston, Madonna, and Prince.  As of today, only one of those icons is still with us.

Born Prince Rogers Nelson, the artist who would become a one word household name, started off in life with nothing, but has left behind one of the largest and most diverse music legacies of the modern era.

This was an artist who wrote, produced, and performed every hit he ever had.  He not only wrote music for himself, but wrote and produced hundreds of hit songs for other artists, including Chaka Khan and Patti Labelle.  There wasn't an instrument he couldn't play to perfection, including the guitar, just as Eric Clapton what he thought of his playing.

For myself, I have a love/hate relationship with him.  I adore his music from the 80s and early 90s.  If he had a hit during that time, I loved it; "Little Red Corvette", "Raspberry Beret", "Kiss", "When Doves Cry", "Get Off", "Batdance", "Erotic City", the list could go on forever.  I respected and appreciated the way he bent the norms of masculinity and sexuality, pushing the envelope further with every release.  That's the love side of me when it comes to him.

The hate side, or strongly dislike side, is how his views changed later on in life.  In 2008, years after he became a Jehovah's Witness, he came out against gay men, using God as a reason.  He stopped playing the hits, at least the sexually suggestive ones that catapulted him to stardom, and he re-released songs, with the naughtier lyrics taken out. Those last two points, other than turning his back on his own legacy, don't bother me all to much.  It's that first one that's a sticking point to me.  It's not so much that he had his own religious views, we are all entitled to them, it's the way he condemned a large section of his fan base, a fan base that helped him become the cultural icon he was.  There is no way you can argue that Prince would have risen to the heights he did, without his gay fans. To take our money for years, to use lyrics validating the feelings that many of us grew up feeling, only to slap us in the face all those years later, it's a little jarring.

I'm still a fan, I still appreciate his early music, and I freely acknowledge the impact he had on other artists, and society in general, but I'm a jaded fan now.  I mourn his passing, and I think the world has lost one of it's most talented men, but I'm not heartbroken by it.  I cried when Whitney and Michael died, I will cry when Madonna dies, but Prince doesn't get a tear from me.

In Memoriam: July Through December, 2014

It's almost impossible for any of us to really pay attention to all those that have passed from the public eye.  Whether they are famous or not, every year we seem to lose those that have contributed to society in ways that we may never realize.  They are actors, musicians, entertainers, politicians, activists, scientists, and writers.  They enrich our lives through their works, and without them, our lives would be just a little bit more empty.  I would like to take this time to thank many of them for their contributions.  I obviously can't include everyone on this list, so I will let those I can include, stand in for those I can't.  Whether they are on this particular list or not, we owe all of them a big thank you.

Back in July, I tried to bring to your attention some of those that we lost in the first half of the year, January through June.  This post will be my attempt to do the same thing for the second half of the year, July through December.  I hope we will all take the time, as this year is wrapping up, to remember those that we have lost, whether they were in the public eye, or in our own lives, they will be missed.

July 2014

Louis Zamperini, 1917-2014.  American Prisoner of War during World War II & American Olympian. 

C.J. Henderson, 1951-2014.  American Author of Brooklyn Knight & Central Park Knight. 

Dave Legeno, 1963-2014.  English Actor, the Harry Potter movies. 

Philip Hurlic, 1927-2014.  American Actor, the Our Gang movies. 

Dick Jones, 1927-2014.  American Actor, the Our Gang movies, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and Pinocchio.

Elaine Stritch, 1925-2014.  American Stage And Screen Actress.

James Garner, 1928-2014.  American Actor; The Rockford Files, Maverick, The Great Escape.

Alex Angulo, 1953-2014.  Spanish Basque Actor; Pan's Labyrinth. 

Margot Adler, 1946-2014.  American Journalist and NPR Correspondent. 

August 2014

James Brady, 1940-2014.  American White House Press Secretary and Gun Control Advocate. 

Robin Williams, 1951-2014. American Actor; Mrs. Doubtfire, Mork & Mindy, Good Will Hunting. 

Lauren Bacall, 1924-2014.  American Actress; The Big Sleep, Key Largo, Designing Woman. 

Jim Jeffords, 1934-2014.  American Politician; United States Senator from Vermont. 

James Foley, 1973-2014.  American Freelance Journalist.

Richard Attenborough, 1923-2014.  English Actor, Producer, Director; The Great Escape, Ghandi, Jurassic Park.

September 2014

Joan Rivers, 1933-2014.  American Actress & Comedian; Spaceballs & How to Murder a Millionaire. 

Richard Kiel, 1939-2014.  American Actor; The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, & Tangled.  

Bob Crewe, 1930-2014.  American Singer, Songwriter, and Manager; "My Eyes Adored You", "Lady Marmalade", "Walk Like A Man", and "Rag Doll."

Buster Jones, 1943-20147.  American Voice Actor; G.I. Joe, Super Friends, The Real Ghostbusters, and Defenders of the Earth. 

Polly Bergen, 1930-2014.  American Actress; Cap Fear, Cry-Baby, The Winds of War, & War and Remembrance. 

October 2014

Marian Seldes, 1928-2014.  American Stage & Screen Actress; The Haunting, Perry Mason, & If These Walls Could Talk 2. 

Jan Hooks, 19572014.  American Actress; Saturday Night Live, Designing Women, and Frosty Returns. 

Elizabeth Pena, 1959-2014.  American Actress; Jacob's Ladder, Blue Steel, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, and Resurrection Blvd. 

Marcia Strassman, 1948-2014.  American Actress; Welcome Back, Kotter, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, and Honey, I Blew Up the Kid.

November 2014

Larry Latham, 1953-2014.  American Animator and Director; TaleSpin, Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears, and Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers. 

S. Donald Stookey, 191-2014. American Scientist and Inventor of CorningWare.

R.A. Montgomery, 1936-2014.  American Author of more than 50 of the Choose Your Own Adventure books.

Ken Takakura, 1931-2014.  Japanese Actor; The Yakuza and Black Rain.

Carol Ann Susi, 1952-2014.  American Actress; The Secret of My Success, Death Becomes Her, and The Big Bang Theory.

P.D. James, 1920-2014.  English Mystery Author; The Adam Dalgliesh series & Death Comes to Pemberley.

December 2014

Mary Ann Mobley, 1937-2014.  American Actress and Miss America; Diff'rent Strokes, Match Game, Perry Mason, and Burke's Law.

Norman Bridwell, 1928-2014.  American Cartoonist and Author; Clifford, the Big Red Dog.

Joe Cocker, 1944-2014.  American Singer & Musician; "With a Little Help from My Friends", "Up Where We Belong", and "You Are So Beautiful."

Leelah Alcorn, 1997-2014.  American Transgender Teenager.

Edward Herrmann, 1943-2014.  American Actor; The Lost Boys, Gilmore Girls, Overboard, and Big Business. 

In Memoriam: January Through June, 2014

It's almost impossible for any of us to really pay attention to all those that have passed from the public eye.  Whether they are famous or not, every year we seem to lose those that have contributed to society in ways that we may never realize.  They are actors, musicians, entertainers, politicians, activists, scientists, and writers.  They enrich our lives through their works, and without them, our lives would be just a little bit more empty.  I would like to take this time to thank many of them for their contributions.  I obviously can't include everyone on this list, so I will let those I can include, stand in for those I can't.  Whether they are on this particular list or not, we owe all of them a big thank you.

January 2014

Phil Everly, 1939-2014. American Musician, The Everly Brothers; "Wake Up Little Susie" & "All I Have to Do Is Dream".

Larry D. Mann, 1922-2014.  Canadian Actor; The Sting & Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

Harvey Bernhard, 1924-2014.  American Movie Producer; The Omen & The Lost Boys.

Russell Johnson, 1924-2014. American Actor; Gilligan's Island.

Dave Madden, 1931-2014.  American Actor; The Partridge Family & Alice. 

Hal Sutherland, 1929-2014.  American Animator; Sleeping Beauty & He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. 

Ben Starr, 1921-2014. American TV Producer; The Facts of Life & Silver Spoons.

James Jacks, 1947-2014. American Movie Producer; Heart and Souls & The Gift.

Arthur Rankin, Jr., 1924-2014.  American Animator; The Hobbit, Mad Monster Party?, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and a bazillion other TV Christmas specials. 

February 2014  

Maximilian Schell, 1930-2014.  Swiss Actor; Judgement at Nuremberg & The Black Hole.

Philip Seymour Hoffman, 1967-2014.  American Actor; Capote & Doubt. 

Richard Bull, 1924-2014. American Actor; Little House on the Prairie.

Joan Mondale, 1930-2014.  Former Second Lady of the United States of America.

Shirley Temple Black, 1928-2014.  American Actress and Diplomat; Curly Top & Bright Eyes.

Sid Caesar, 1922-2014.  American Actor and Comedian; Your Show of Shows & Grease.

Ralph Waite, 1928-2014.  American Actor; The Waltons & Roots.

John Henson, 1965-2014.  American Puppeteer; The Muppet Show movies.

Mary Grace Canfield, 1924-2014.  American Actress; Bewitched & Pollyanna. 

Harold Ramis, 1944-2014.  American Actor, Director, Screenwriter; Ghostbusters & Caddyshack.

Jim Lange, 1932-2014.  American Game Show Host; The Dating Game & Name That Tune.

March 2014  

Glenn Edward McDuffie, 1927-2014. American World War II Veteran.

Joel Brinkley, 1952-2014. American Syndicated Columnist and Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist.

Berkin Elvan, 1999-2014. Turkish Student.

Ken Forsse, 1936-2014.  American Inventor & TV Producer behind Teddy Ruxpin.

Vincent Lamberti, 1928-2014. American Chemist & Inventor of Dove Soap.

James Rebhorn, 1948-2014. American Actor; Independence Day & Lorenzo's Oil.

April 2014 

Mary Anderson, 1918-2014. American Actress; Gone With the Wind & Lifeboat.

Mickey Rooney, 1920-2014. American Actor; National Velvet & Babes in Arms.

Frans van der Lugt, 1938-2014. Dutch Jesuit Priest Working in Syria.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1927-2014. Colombian Novelist; One Hundred Years of Solitude & Love in the Time of Cholera. 

Rodney "Skip" Bryce, aka DJ E-Z Rock, 1968-2014. American Musician; "It Takes Two" & "Joy and Pain"

Bob Hoskins, 1942-2014.  British Actor; Who Framed Roger Rabbit? & Nixon.  

May 2014

John Ernest Dolibois, 1918-2014. American Ambassador to Luxembourg & Nuremberg Interrogator.

Jim Oberstar, 1934-2014.  U.S. Congressman from Minnesota's 8th District.

Tony Genaro, 1942-2014. American Actor; Tremors & Hearts & Souls.

Roger L. Easton, 1921-2014. Former Head of the Space Applications Branch of the Naval Research Laboratory. Creator of the Project Vanguard Satellite System, and Inventor of GPS.

Ed Gagliardi, 1952-2014. American Guitarist, Foreigner; "Cold as Ice" & "Hot Blooded". 

Matthew Cowles, 1944-2014.  American Actor; All My Children.

Michael Gottleib, 1945-2014. American Film Director; Mannequin & Mannequin Two: On the Move.

Stormé DeLarverie, 1920-2014.  American Drag King, GLBT Activist & one of the Stonewall Rioters. 

Lee Chamberlin, 1938-2014.  American Actress; The Electric Company & All My Children.

Maya Angelou, 1928-2014. American Author ( I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings), Poet ("On the Pulse of Morning"), Dancer, Stage Actress (Porgy & Bess, The Blacks),  Film Actor (Roots), Singer ("Run Joe"), and Activist.

June 2014 

Ann B. Davis, 1926-2014. American Actress; The Brady Bunch.

Ruby Dee, 1922-2014. American Actress & Activist; A Raisin in the Sun & Jungle Fever.

Carla Laemmle, 1909-2014.  American Actress; The Phantom of the Opera & Dracula.

Casey Kasem, 1932-2014. American DJ, Radio Host, and Voice Actor; American Top Forty, Scooby Doo: Where Are You?, Super Friends, & Transformers.

Eli Wallach, 1915-2014. American Actor; The Good, The Bad and the Ugly & The Magnificent Seven.

Meshach Taylor, 1947-2014. American Actor; Designing Women & Mannequin.