Polly Holliday turns 86

Kiss my grits, OP!

And she’s in one of the best Golden Girls episodes, as well as Gremlins!

Happy Birthday, Polly!

She rode her typecast role all the way to a comfy retirement. Good for Polly. And Happy Birthday!

Who?

Her spin-off 'Flo' could've lasted a number of seasons if it was built around a better concept. Her concept hyst wasn't too convincing.

However, she may have started the 'barroom' sitcom which became popular in the 80s. A season later, 'Archie Bunker's Place' premiered, and two years later we got the very successful 'Cheers'. Too bad 'Flo' didn't have the clever, witty writers that made 'Cheers' such a hit.

She was so sweet to my late gay son Tawmey.

What is a "concept hyst"?

My son Tawmey always loved to rub my tired smelly waitress feet at the end of a long shift...

Polly also played Jill's mom in "Home Improvement."

Flo actually did fine in the ratings, but they cancelled it anyway.

In honor of her birthday, this queen posted a photo of himself as Flo for Halloween back in the day...

Instead of "Trick or Treat," he'd shout "Kiss My Grits!" to get Halloween candy.

Rowdy redhead headed for the bigtime

When Donkeys FLY!

Sorry to be out of the loop, my dear DL-ers, but has Holiday made any kind of public appearance or done any kind of performing work at all on stage or screen in the past decade? Her last film credit on IBDB is 2010 and last tv credit 2004. Whereas Lavin and Weston keep chugging along, and even Diane Ladd will do a photo op. Tayback, Howland, McKeon are all dead.

There's not so much as a photo online from the past 5 years that I can find. You'd think she'd do a benefit for her Polly Holliday scholarship or a clips-and-chat retro evening or walk a red carpet or something. Where does she live?

She was also the inspiration for one of the most creative DL threads ever, and that's saying something. Some of these still make me howl.

I believe she has dementia/Alzheimer's, r16. I saw her in Marco Polo Sings a Solo.

Big Mama

Oh it's a Polly Holliday with Mary!

No wonder that it's Mary that we love!

hiss my tits!

Is she dead to us? I just watched the episode of Golden Girls where she plays Rose's sister, and as usual, I wondered why Rose's sister has a mild Southern accent. I looked her up on Wikipedia, and it says that she died today, 8.27.23.

I can't find anything on the news sites. Is she telling Saint Peter to kiss her grits, or does she still crawl across the skin of this world?

Absolutely loved her in All the President's Men, as the snarky secretary who makes Carl Bernstein wait all day in a municipal office lobby to talk to an informant (played by the always-great Ned Beatty). Her white skirt, crazy-patterned blouse and southern accent are all magnificent. You can just feel the awful, southern anti-semitism oozing out of her as she mis-pronounces Bernstein's surname. Perfectly played. She made it look easy.

Why is this thread grayed out, BTW?

R22 I was thinking the same thing. OP has the red 'troll' signature. Weird.

Polly and Dustin Hoffman were apparently friends. He wanted her for Doris Belack's role in Tootsie.

R24 Doris Belack made my life a living hell for a short while

Okay, you *can't* give the set up, but not the conclusion. Do tell!

Someone needs to find out if she's really dead. I nominate R21

I have returned her to life.

R28 Glad you felt the spirit

I just deleted her death date again from her Wikipedia because somebody had changed it to say she died today.

A friend of mine's mom belonged to a church. Polly Holiday was also a member. They were planning some kind of fundraiser, and it was suggested one of the ladies approach Holiday to use her celebrity to help.

My friends mom nervously approached her after services. "Excuse me, are you Flo?" Polly was FURIOUS. "Ah am NOT Flo!" And she turned on her heel and stalked off. So much for that idea!

She's 88 today!

Phew. I was worried when I saw this thread pop back up.

[quote]No word on whether Linda Lavin sent flowers to her old nemesis.

I'm pretty sure she didn't send any this year.

Polly was recently seen with Lavin's widower, Steve driving down the PCH laughing hysterical as he pointed at some location on the side of the road. They were later seen sharing what appeared to be a romantic dinner together (they were feeding each other pieces of a Bloomin Onion) at an Outback Steakhouse in Burbank.

I worked with Polly Holliday briefly in the 70s during a wild little production called All Over Town, starring the effortlessly cool Cleavon Little and directed by Dustin Hoffman, in what I can only describe as his "I-just-won-an-Oscar-and-now-I’m-a-director" phase.

This was pre-"Kiss my grits" fame, mind you. Polly was still relatively unknown, but already cooking up the sass and seasoning her Southern accent. Looking back, I could see she was getting ready to unleash Flo on an unsuspecting world.

There was one scene I’ll never forget—she had this monologue about her deep, operatic passion (for La Bohème, no less). She’d step downstage like she was about to seduce the audience one by one. Then she’d inhale like she was about to ascend to soprano heaven, close her eyes, tilt her head back like a magnolia in heat, and croon—no, twang—in full Tennessee-Williams-meets-Mimi glory:

[bold]"Oh… DIO… MIO… RODOLFO!"[/bold]

She stopped the show cold.

Polly wasn’t famous yet, but in that moment, she was already a full-blown operatic tornado in a Dixie teacup.

All I can ever remember about her - thanks to this site- was that someone here worked at a movie theatre once. Pollee Hollidee and Ellen Burstyn arrived together and both were CUNTS. The person used to share this story often!

R36, Hoffman won his first Oscar in 79 for Kramer Versus Kramer, long after Flo had been “unleashed.”

Helga, if you’re going to polish the floor, you have to move the TREE.

San Francisco has no Shubert Theater. You've never been to San Francisco! That was a stupid lie, easy to expose, not worthy of you.

R37 are you sure it wasn't Ellen and Diane Ladd, who played Flo in the movie?

R32 I hope she's having a wing ding celebration tonight with Whizzer down at the Chez Chug-a-Lug.

R39- 100% positive!

Well why would Ellen Burstyn be with Polly? Makes no sense, if you don't mind my saying.

R42 must be from Cowtown, Texas.

There are other pics of Polly attending an opening night of one of Burstyn’s plays. So it seems like they’re pals.

r38 I'm not r36, but that specific play ran for a few months in 1975. Alice debuted in 1976.

Also, just curious, why are you talking about Shubert Theater?

Just wondering!

Was Pawy Hawiday ever interviewed by Baba Wawa? What twee was she?

R45, but Hoffman hadn’t won an Oscar yet!

Also, if you don’t get the Shubert reference, I wouldn’t admit that at DL.

r47 "if you don’t get the Shubert reference, I wouldn’t admit that at DL."

Oh please. Good lord.

You’re too short for that gesture, R48.

R47 is that old bitch Addison DeWitt.

R50, you were an unforgettable Peter Pan. You must play it again soon.

I don't want to make trouble. All I want is a drink.

R52 is an old friend of Mr. Dewitt’s mother,

They're clearly not teaching the classics anymore at the Copacabana School of the Dramatic Arts. Pity.

R53 looks like a sad rabbit.

You have a point. An idiotic one, but a point.

KISS MAH TITS!

R56 wins

Polly on (ish) Broadway with Henderson Forsythe and another DL icon.

r59 James Duff (playwright) is the (gay, married) creator/showrunner of "The Closer" and "Major Crimes," currently being discussed in another thread.

R43 fascinating!! I wonder if they ever discussed Alice and Flo?

If we took a Polly Holliday (Oh, yeah, oh, yeah)

Took some time to celebrate (Come on, let's celebrate)

Just one day out of life (Just one day out of life)

It would be, it would be so nice!

The revival of this old thread has been nothing short of glorious. DL bitchery galore.

Everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end!

All Over Town, 1974, Broadway (Booth Theatre)

Pictured: Actors (L-R) Cleavon Little, William LeMassena, Polly Holliday, Jill Eikenberry, Jim Jansen, Barnard Hughes, Anita Dangler, Zane Lasky & Pamela Payton-Wright