Surprising Stories from the Set of the Sitcom Alice

When Diane Ladd departed as Belle and Polly Holliday exited in 1980 to star in Flo, Alice suddenly lost two of its most distinct personalities. That left Linda Lavin’s Alice and Vic Tayback’s Mel holding down a diner that suddenly felt a lot less crowded.

The solution? New waitresses. Celia Weston joined as Jolene Hunnicutt, a sweet but sharp addition from the South, and later Martha Raye came in as Carrie Sharples. The constant retooling kept things fresh, but longtime fans could feel the shift. Mel’s Diner was still open — it just had a different energy behind the counter.