Surprising Stories from the Set of the Sitcom Alice

Diane Ladd left Alice after the first season in 1977, and reports at the time pointed to a salary dispute between Ladd and the producers. Ladd, who had earned an Oscar nomination for the 1974 film, was a major name attached to the early version of the series.

When negotiations didn’t land where she wanted, Belle was written out, and the role was replaced rather than recast. It was one of the first big behind-the-scenes shakeups — and it set the tone for how contract issues would periodically ripple through Mel’s Diner.