I never noticed before that the guys at the beginning are all in black face. Yikes. I'm sure the producers and Cloris didn't realize that else they would never have used it.
I was trying to find a recent pic of Lisa Gerritsen, who played Phyllis' daughter "Bess". The only ones I could find were taken a few years after this show ended, which was over 30 years ago. Anyone know anything about her, and where I can find a recent pic of her? She'd be 53 now. It would be interesting to see what she looks like now.
@ApocalypsePlough Lisa is married and works in some complex field. She and her husband, John Rustan live in Northern California and have one child, a son. Lisa is one of three child actors I found to be delightfully intelligent. The other two are Billy Mumy and Pamelyn Ferdin.
That info is readily available if you do a Google search on her.
But, there is no recent pic. The latest one was taken 30 years ago, just after Phyllis ended.
One of the characters - an actress named Barbara Colby who played Phyllis' boss - was murdered after the third episode. Got me thinking that maybe it affected Lisa Gerritsen to the point she didn't want anything to do with show business and dropped off the face of the planet. Purely conjecture, of course.
@ApocalypsePlough Barbara Colby was a marvelous actress who got her "Phyllis" start by playing Mary Richard's hooker with a heart of gold cellmate on TMTMS. She was savagely taken from us too soon.
I remember her on the MTM episode where she's Mary's cellmate. I would say it was one of my favourite MTM episodes, but I have so many favourite MTM episodes I would need several posts to list them.
@cfronck The show was plagued by a series of tragedies.. One of the main characters was murdered during the series. The actress that played the original Julie.(phyllis's boss) then mother dexter died right after the filming of her wedding.It only ran for 2 seasons.Without Mother Dexters character the show would not have made it.
At 0:15 I can't help but imagine those passengers saying "Oh God, it's HER...hurry this damn thing up!" .... it always looked to me like that cable car was trying to get away from Phyl :)
This is like Rhoda, the Mary Tyler Moore show and the Doris Day show rolled into one. I have never yet seen single people embracing life by running round a city and trying on different hats. Maybe I should try it
This was one of TV best themes, but the show was pretty bad. But that was to be expected. How do you take a basically unlikeable character like Phyllis and put her own show. You have to make the main character somewhat sympathetic, but Phyllis was just to brash to be sympathetic
@dramaticguy cool, hey I also remember a show with Helen Hayes in it from around that time.. I think it was called Snoop Sisters? as kids we loved it :)
Very sad that Barbara Colby was killed only three eps. of this series in real-life. I truly think that if she stayed alive that this show would have ran MUCH longer.
around late 1976 or early 1977 there was an episode of "phyllis" in which phyllis has a party and one of her guests quite openly comes out, telling the other guests "i'm gay, i'm gay." does anyone know if that was the first instance of coming out on a u.s. tv sitcom?
@wallofvideo I don't think that's the earliest. There's an episode of Mary Tyler Moore, in which Phyllis's visiting brother takes Rhoda out a couple of times and Phyllis is terrified they're getting serious. Rhoda expains she isn't interested in the brother, and Phyllis of course feels she has to describe all the wonderful things about her brother, to which Rhoda finally adds "He's Gay". That can't have aired any later than the spring of '74 because the Rhoda spinoff aired that fall.
@wallofvideo Than I guess it's even earlier-1973 and NOT '74. I'm also pretty sure it was the first time I ever heard the word Gay on TV at all. I'm not even sure that I understood what it meant. I'd have been about 10, and though I lived in a fairly afluent suburb and were being raised by very well-read, broad-minded parents, I really don't think the subject was ever mentioned. Fast forward to just after I turned 21 and came out. Boy, the folks sure couldn't shut up about it then!
@petclark1 here's something on topic - - in a february 1971 episode of "all in the family," one of archie's drinking buddies comes out. the episode title is "judging books by covers" and it's on youtube as of this writing. i'm guessing this might have been the first instance of coming out on u.s. television.
@wallofvideo Geez, I think you're right. I'd completely forgotten that episde of All in the Family, ar at least the subtext about Archie's supposedly superstraight pal.
1971??!! Well, Norman Lear really did push a lot of envelopes that first 1/2 season of All in the Family. Homosexuality, menopause, miscarriage, swinging, racism, sexism, ageism...all the ism's I guess. Not like the 60's when you'd be hard pressed to find a show that even mentioned Vietnam, let alone the riots.
The picture at 00.42 was a GREAT MTM episode that involved Phyllis getting a job. It starts with:
Phyl: Lars and I just had an argument.
Mary: What happened?
Phyl: Lars came over to me, put his arms around me and said, "Darling, I was wondering if it's possible, in view of the high cost of living, if you could keep your spending down a bit". I turned to him and said, "Darling, why don't you go suck an egg."
I have discovered Phyllis on ALN When she was originally on, my bedtime was nine PM So I'm now a grownup and can watch it. So far I love it. kentgraovac is right about sitcoms today.
Substitute "Karen" for "Phyllis", update the pics a bit and you've got the perfect opening credits for a "Will and Grace" spin-off starring Megan Mullally. Especially if she and Jack moved to San Fran like Phyllis did.
I think it's a parody of BOTH "Mame" and the theme to "The MTM Show." Think about it: "Who can turn the world on with her smile? . . . Well, it's you girl and you should know it" versus "Who lights the lamps of Chinatown just by walking in view? . . . Phyllis . . . it sure isn't you."
it has been scientifically proven that if you were an adolescent boy in the mid 1970's and this was your favourite show you most likely had what Dame Edna Everage refers to as *tendencies*
You know this was a funny show but it started off with a terrible tragedy. The actrtess who played Phyllis' boss-Barbara Colby- was murdered just after the filiming of the third episode. She was wonderful and had a dynamite chemistry with Cloris. (She played the hooker who shared a jail cell with Mary Richards on MTM Show when Mary went to jail.) Those first 3 episodes and the situation coming out of them would have given this series a really nice long run.
Totally agree!:) , Barbara Colby is missed, and yes it was a tragedy, senseless, and from what i read they never found out who did it , or why she was murdered , just a random drive by shooting, what a shame .
Yep. It's certainly a take-off on the "Mame" theme song. Apart from the similar lyrics, if you listen to them side by side, the music also is very similar.
It's pretty bad that, of all of the MTM Show clips of Cloris Leachman, I can tell which episode nearly each one of them is from. I gotta get a life. :-(
I did like the show when it started out; it was rare then and rare now to see a show starring a character who was basically a villain. Maybe it was hard for the writers to base a show around someone who wasn't exactly loveable; but oh that woman was funny. I love the opening montage; kind of like the opening for Mary or That Girl--ending with a twist.
The MTM show and its many spinoffs had great TV theme songs and shows. "Phyllis" is truly at the top of the list in both areas. This video brings back many fond memories of an excellent show.
Ah, Stan Daniels wrote a good cheesy song! Ever hear his flop-of-a-musical "So Long 174th Street"? Well worth it for the songs "Undressing them with my eyes" and "He's Screwing Dolores Del Rio". He also won 8 Emmys for his work on The Mary Tyler Moore show and Taxi. These are my random nerdy facts for you today! :)
If I recall correctly, this used to be on Monday nights. I loved it, especially scenes with her nemesis, I think it was Lars's mother, or some other old relative- maybe somebody knows. She was played by Judith Lowery, who frequently played cranky old ladies. I remember the series was tanking and they decided to make Phyllis a little less tart, but that didn't work. I think by now Cloris Leachman holds the record for Emmys... 7 or 8?
She was excellent. I remember she got a boyfriend, an ancient guy-- I forget his name-- he played old codgers. At one point, I recall, Mother Dexter and he got engaged and came back home after taking a blood test. Someone asked if they passed. Mother Dexter: "We had some."
Yes! Thanks. It was a terrific ensemble. I hate it when good shows get yanked off the air. Oh, the garbage that's on now that passes for comedy. The hardest working people are the ones who operate the laugh track.
I have never seen this before in my life until just now. It has just been added to my favorites as possibly one of the greatest things I've ever seen.
I vote this as the best TV show opening ever. They really outdid themselves. I remember this in its first run, but I was too young to get it, or appreciate it. "Phyllis" was kind of dark, at least initially, particularly because Phyllis was dealing with the death of her husband (and this is reflected in the opening). So I remember as a kid feeling like the show was "creepy"--including because of this opening. However, it really was a show for adults, not kids. Cloris = extraordinary talent!
I have to laugh about how disgruntled my mom would get. She would say, "HOW can they make that woman (Cloris Leachman) so UGLY????" She said something about her being 1st runner up in a pageant (WAS it Miss America? Would have to be, huh?) Well. Mom, they had to make her look this way for us to get the full essence of her character!!! And she did it well:)
If she thought Cloris Leachman looked ugly in this show, I would've hated to have seen her reaction to her performance in Young Frankenstein as Frau Blucher *whinny*.
I think Phyllis was a sitcom far ahead of its time. Although there was Archie Bunker and Maude Findlay, the general rule was that a main sitcom character couldn't be self-absorbed and show their less than flattering side on a regular basis. Phyllis paved the way for characters like Fraser Crane. The opening credits are a great spoof of the MTM/Doris Day Show credits. Thanks for posting!
Phyllis's mannerisms remind me of those of Maria Callas when she was trying to act glamorous, like posing for pictures, or harassed by journalists at the airport. Especially the last shot where she's laughing just before they sing "it sure isn't you".
Sometimes I wished they had included some newer pictures of Phyllis, especially since she changed her hairstyle shortly after this show began, and then she changed it again for season 2.
LOVE it! One of the great opening theme songs of all time! Just the right touch of class, and Mel Brooks style parody! I really look forward to "Phyllis" on dvd. True, there were some very poor episodes, but the best of the 48 made were among the very funniest in MTM television history. Barbara Colby was wonderful. Judth Lowry unforgettable. Cloris Leachman....brilliant! A living legend.
This show was an abomination. Cloris Leachman as Phyllis Lindstrom on MTM was one of the best tv characters on television , as was Rhoda Morgenstern. Unfortunatly, Phyllis (the show) was Godawful. Ms. Lindstrom should have stayed with MTM. Rhoda, on the other hand, had a very good cast, and was a good show. Of course, nothing will ever compare with the first few seasons of MTM when Mary, Rhoda, and Phyllis were all together. True Classic Television.
I have been looking for this for some time...thanks for posting. As an aside, I am glad many others feel the same way I do about TV Land....it used to be great. Comedies all day - and what a great alternative when nothing else is on! Now, it is all Bonanza, Gunsmoke, and the crappy reality shows!! TV Land should go back to what it used to be.
The only part I remember is when she is holding the crab. Nice to see this again and to appreciate it now that I'm older. I never understood the meaning of the lyrics back in 1975.
Thank you, thank you for posting this. This was one of the best openings ever!!! I can still remember nearly all of the lyrics and thanks to you, I can see it again. LOL.
I love this show opening! Phyllis(Chloris Leachman) was so great! "It sure isn't you!" lol, that's funny. They make it sound like she does all these wonderful things, and then they say that, lol. :D Thanks for posting!
I am so glad to see this TV theme song back on YouTube. I looked forward to Phyllis, Bess, Mother Dexter (especially), and the rest of the Phyliis cast every week! I always enjoyed The Mary Tyler Moore Show and all of its spinoffs-- Rhoda,Phyllis, Lou Grant, The Betty White Show (Undercover Woman),and the other shows from MTM productions: Bob Newhart's shows, WKRP in Cincinnati, White Shadow, and others I have omitted right now. Thanks for posting! Return TV Land to CLASSIC TV!
I never want to be like those Friends or 30 Something characters. I'd prefer life with the gang hanging with Phyllis, Rhoda, Samantha, or Lieutenant Uhura!
Wow...This had to be the gayest show on TV in the 1970s. The campy opening to Hello Dolly, set in San Francisco in the 1970s and Phyllis had a gay brother...
as a kid, when they got to "phyllis...it sure isn't you" i remember laughing for the whole half hour that the show was on - just over that last line. i LIKE being old(er).
The funny thing is...I didn't even UNDERSTAND that line until I was an adult! I guess it was the long, drawn-out "Phyyyyyyliiiiis...Phyyyyyliiiiis..." part that divided my attention; I couldn't connect that part with the rest of the joke.
I loved this show, and wish TVLand still played series like this, Mary Tyler Moore and Rhoda. I know they can't keep showing the same series over and over, but good Lord, they used to be an escape from the new crap on the major network, such as the endless array of Reality shows, and now they've become almost the same, at least 75% of the time! I think I'll vomit uncontrollably when they announce they're running "Friends".
I have to agree: "Friends" is a lame show. I would become annoyed just watching it and think who watchs this garb and actually likes it? it's not even funny! And the reality TV shows are done already. I am waiting for something with interesting characters and plot lines. I miss the old shows like: Phyllis, MTM, Rhoda, Love Boat, Three's Company, Dynasty, Laverne and Shirley, Little House on the Prairie, Charlie's Angels.
So true! I could not relate to any character on Friends (well, I only could sit through maybe 2 episodes in its whole run, but still, they all seemed so alien to me. I felt the same way years before, with the drama "30 Something", even though I was only 20 something when it aired, I kept thinking "Jesus, I can't imagine growing in to one of these self-centered Yuppies". Well, I'm glad I never became a Yuppie, but that's more to do with finances, perhaps, but even if I had all the $...
AmericanLife TV plays the MTM show but it's only once a week on their "comedy" night (Newhart, The Bob Newhart Show, WKRP in Cincinnati, and the MTM show). Our only hope really, is that they will start a cable channel with programming comprised entirely of sitcoms. They really tried with the "FX" cable station back in 1993--it was the closest I've seen it come to perfection in that way. They had something good and then, after a year, slowly began dismantling it (just like TVLand today).
I don't remember FX, but in '93 I was just moving back to Philadelphia, and on a budget that didn't allow cable service. (Actually, the way it's going up - I may have to downgrade again, but then there's that whole digital issue) Anyway, thanx for the info. Maybe people need to write TVLand through their website, to ask for at least some of the good-old days back, and not those reality shows, or even movies, no matter how good they were. But Executives seem happy with their devolution.
This was my favorite of the MTM spinoffs (Lou Grant as a drama? Come on!), and I didn't realize it was a sendup of Mame/Hello Dolly type here's the leading lady showtunes til years later. It was always great!
this was a hysterical theme song with a shocking ending. never was there a dis at the main character before! classic. it was so befitting. thanks for posting this short lived mary spin-off. anyone remember rhoda's mother's theme song?
glad someone posted this - i remember watching the show as a kid and not "getting" the opening theme song till my older brother pointed out the last line "...it sure isn't youuuuuu"
Always loved this intro song !
The look on Phyllis face at the end of the intro is priceless!
7DARKHELLS 2 weeks ago 2
Phyliss was a MILF before there were MILF'S.
MrDavito2 2 weeks ago
Phyllis first season was funny they changed formats in season 2 and killed the show!!!
TopandTang 2 months ago 2
I have a girlfriend and guess what her name is!!!!!
idriesification 3 months ago
@idriesification tease her with this opening!!!!!!!!
kduideo 2 months ago
I have to find these episodes on DVD!
mikesterSTLMO 3 months ago
my ears!!!!! make...this...stop!!!!!!!!!!!
jas22 4 months ago
I don't want the show on DVD. I just want some channel to start showing the good programs again. Cable is such a bummer.
linusvanpelter 4 months ago
Phyllis is the best of the MTM shows and you are a fucking idiot if you disagree...
HepburnFlicks 5 months ago
@HepburnFlicks Bullshit, it was Lou Grant and if you disagree are a fucking idiot.
gb6710 4 months ago
@gb6710 Wrong hon :) Lou Grant was a debocle!
HepburnFlicks 4 months ago
@HepburnFlicks Sorry, but at least Lou Grant lasted more than two seasons.
gb6710 4 months ago
Probably the greatest TV intro. Never saw it coming at the end!
bcrkris 5 months ago
I never noticed before that the guys at the beginning are all in black face. Yikes. I'm sure the producers and Cloris didn't realize that else they would never have used it.
TheTubePortal 5 months ago
MY MOM!!!
AppleSauce217 6 months ago
I was trying to find a recent pic of Lisa Gerritsen, who played Phyllis' daughter "Bess". The only ones I could find were taken a few years after this show ended, which was over 30 years ago. Anyone know anything about her, and where I can find a recent pic of her? She'd be 53 now. It would be interesting to see what she looks like now.
ApocalypsePlough 6 months ago
@ApocalypsePlough Lisa is married and works in some complex field. She and her husband, John Rustan live in Northern California and have one child, a son. Lisa is one of three child actors I found to be delightfully intelligent. The other two are Billy Mumy and Pamelyn Ferdin.
linusvanpelter 4 months ago
@linusvanpelter - yes, I know.
That info is readily available if you do a Google search on her.
But, there is no recent pic. The latest one was taken 30 years ago, just after Phyllis ended.
One of the characters - an actress named Barbara Colby who played Phyllis' boss - was murdered after the third episode. Got me thinking that maybe it affected Lisa Gerritsen to the point she didn't want anything to do with show business and dropped off the face of the planet. Purely conjecture, of course.
ApocalypsePlough 4 months ago
@ApocalypsePlough Barbara Colby was a marvelous actress who got her "Phyllis" start by playing Mary Richard's hooker with a heart of gold cellmate on TMTMS. She was savagely taken from us too soon.
linusvanpelter 3 months ago
@linusvanpelter - I know.
I remember her on the MTM episode where she's Mary's cellmate. I would say it was one of my favourite MTM episodes, but I have so many favourite MTM episodes I would need several posts to list them.
ApocalypsePlough 3 months ago
I never liked phyllis
morgan8757 6 months ago
Why did this only run for two years? It's a disgrace that it's not still running.
cfronck 6 months ago
@cfronck The show was plagued by a series of tragedies.. One of the main characters was murdered during the series. The actress that played the original Julie.(phyllis's boss) then mother dexter died right after the filming of her wedding.It only ran for 2 seasons.Without Mother Dexters character the show would not have made it.
mgrella63 6 months ago
I always loved Phyllis on MTM :) She was by far my favorite character...
HepburnFlicks 7 months ago 2
oh, man, was that the worst theme song you've ever heard? gave me a headache. Cloris was a babe back then, though!
ralphsrec 7 months ago
At 0:15 I can't help but imagine those passengers saying "Oh God, it's HER...hurry this damn thing up!" .... it always looked to me like that cable car was trying to get away from Phyl :)
kentgraovac 7 months ago
mtm and rhoda came out on dvd.....maybe they'll eventually get season one of this out.....i'd get it!
zanetierney 7 months ago 2
This is like Rhoda, the Mary Tyler Moore show and the Doris Day show rolled into one. I have never yet seen single people embracing life by running round a city and trying on different hats. Maybe I should try it
2002ibiza 7 months ago
Cloris Leachman was hot back then.
MrCzechers 7 months ago
This was one of TV best themes, but the show was pretty bad. But that was to be expected. How do you take a basically unlikeable character like Phyllis and put her own show. You have to make the main character somewhat sympathetic, but Phyllis was just to brash to be sympathetic
markxxx21 7 months ago
@markxxx21 hahaha so true~~
kduideo 7 months ago
@markxxx21 I loved this show. Loved the theme song too! :)
BoysLikeMeee 6 months ago
GREAT TELEVISION!
LBraunhaus 8 months ago
One of the funniest shows ,mother dexter was hilarious! She made the show.This show was however plagued by alot of tragedy ,it lasted only 2 seasons
mgrella63 8 months ago
That last shot was very Nurse Diesel!
SueSnell 9 months ago 2
Her comedic ability was hampered by this show! She was an absolute riot in "Young Frankenstein" and "High Anxiety!"
vccstudents 11 months ago
She had nice ass back then
abergethirty 11 months ago
Phyllis was the best! I miss the MTM show and all its spinoffs!
jaynails32 1 year ago 3
Viva Mother Dexter!
artytoons 1 year ago
I thought Phyllis was a far better show than Mary Tyler Moore or Rhoda
tapeduk 1 year ago
Best sitcom intro ever!!!
FredC1968 1 year ago 9
This show was one of my favs way back when.
georgerannie 1 year ago
This is FABULOUS--I had read that she had a show but I never heard anything from it. I wish this show was on DVD she's one of my favorite actresses.
vanessafabulay 1 year ago 2
Cloris Leachman, Valerie Harper & Mary Tyler Moore......they were the absolute best on TV.
wtf66611 1 year ago 23
WHAT A GORGEOUS GAL.
gooboo1000 1 year ago
sad when shows like this went away..
torpedogirl100 1 year ago
@torpedogirl100 I think its gonna see a DVD release soon as all of MTM is on DVD and nearly all of Rhoda too.
dramaticguy 1 year ago
@dramaticguy cool, hey I also remember a show with Helen Hayes in it from around that time.. I think it was called Snoop Sisters? as kids we loved it :)
torpedogirl100 1 year ago
Very sad that Barbara Colby was killed only three eps. of this series in real-life. I truly think that if she stayed alive that this show would have ran MUCH longer.
bluenail03 1 year ago
The look on her face and the end of this is classic Cloris Leachman. Love it!
kawachi 1 year ago 2
around late 1976 or early 1977 there was an episode of "phyllis" in which phyllis has a party and one of her guests quite openly comes out, telling the other guests "i'm gay, i'm gay." does anyone know if that was the first instance of coming out on a u.s. tv sitcom?
wallofvideo 1 year ago
@wallofvideo I don't think that's the earliest. There's an episode of Mary Tyler Moore, in which Phyllis's visiting brother takes Rhoda out a couple of times and Phyllis is terrified they're getting serious. Rhoda expains she isn't interested in the brother, and Phyllis of course feels she has to describe all the wonderful things about her brother, to which Rhoda finally adds "He's Gay". That can't have aired any later than the spring of '74 because the Rhoda spinoff aired that fall.
petclark1 1 year ago
@petclark1 thanks for pointing that out. i guess i never saw that episode.
wallofvideo 1 year ago
@wallofvideo Than I guess it's even earlier-1973 and NOT '74. I'm also pretty sure it was the first time I ever heard the word Gay on TV at all. I'm not even sure that I understood what it meant. I'd have been about 10, and though I lived in a fairly afluent suburb and were being raised by very well-read, broad-minded parents, I really don't think the subject was ever mentioned. Fast forward to just after I turned 21 and came out. Boy, the folks sure couldn't shut up about it then!
petclark1 1 year ago
@petclark1 here's something on topic - - in a february 1971 episode of "all in the family," one of archie's drinking buddies comes out. the episode title is "judging books by covers" and it's on youtube as of this writing. i'm guessing this might have been the first instance of coming out on u.s. television.
wallofvideo 1 year ago
@wallofvideo Geez, I think you're right. I'd completely forgotten that episde of All in the Family, ar at least the subtext about Archie's supposedly superstraight pal.
1971??!! Well, Norman Lear really did push a lot of envelopes that first 1/2 season of All in the Family. Homosexuality, menopause, miscarriage, swinging, racism, sexism, ageism...all the ism's I guess. Not like the 60's when you'd be hard pressed to find a show that even mentioned Vietnam, let alone the riots.
petclark1 1 year ago
@petclark1 That was near the end of seeason three (1973 I think). Rhoda spined-off the same year MTM entered it's fifth season (1974-1975 I think).
LuigiDude1808 1 year ago
The picture at 00.42 was a GREAT MTM episode that involved Phyllis getting a job. It starts with:
Phyl: Lars and I just had an argument.
Mary: What happened?
Phyl: Lars came over to me, put his arms around me and said, "Darling, I was wondering if it's possible, in view of the high cost of living, if you could keep your spending down a bit". I turned to him and said, "Darling, why don't you go suck an egg."
MTM, Rhoda and Phyllis...all CLASSICS!
02chevyguy 1 year ago
I had an obsession with this theme song when I was little, especially seeing the Golden Gate bridge at the end.
snoops71 1 year ago
Such a great TV theme!!!!
DickieDaviesPM 1 year ago
Oh my god! It's Frau Blucher!!
lasktguy 1 year ago
I have discovered Phyllis on ALN When she was originally on, my bedtime was nine PM So I'm now a grownup and can watch it. So far I love it. kentgraovac is right about sitcoms today.
Sheri451 1 year ago
Much preferred Phyllis in the photo studio,found that office setting in season2 depressing and boring.
Hope we get all of Phyllis on DVD soon.
dramaticguy 1 year ago
In your opinion, which was the better spin-off: Phyllis, or Gloria?
To be frank, I like both although Gloria was more short-lived than Phyllis. Too bad both shows didn't get enough respect from CBS.
jsrosa1282 1 year ago
@jsrosa1282 Phyllis by a mile!
02chevyguy 1 year ago
awesome!!!!
dotteress 1 year ago
Hope Shout Factory bring the complete Phyllis out on DVD!
dramaticguy 1 year ago
Substitute "Karen" for "Phyllis", update the pics a bit and you've got the perfect opening credits for a "Will and Grace" spin-off starring Megan Mullally. Especially if she and Jack moved to San Fran like Phyllis did.
jonnylvsmary 1 year ago
This is one of my favorite television shows. CBS moved it around so much I cant find it. Has this series been cancelled ?
TheJerseyBear732 1 year ago
Actually, it is a parody of the title song from the musical MAME. Compare the 2 and you'll see.
frontrowcentre 1 year ago
I think it's a parody of BOTH "Mame" and the theme to "The MTM Show." Think about it: "Who can turn the world on with her smile? . . . Well, it's you girl and you should know it" versus "Who lights the lamps of Chinatown just by walking in view? . . . Phyllis . . . it sure isn't you."
vidayverdad2 1 year ago 2
Thank you! I've been trying to remember that song for years!!!
williamkanegateshead 1 year ago
it has been scientifically proven that if you were an adolescent boy in the mid 1970's and this was your favourite show you most likely had what Dame Edna Everage refers to as *tendencies*
marshamc 1 year ago 6
@marshamc And I'm living proof of that theory!
markedwardindc 1 year ago
I love her and loved this show
hilljayne 1 year ago
The theme song seems like a parody the Mary Tyler Moore Show theme.
kittygrrlhk 1 year ago
You should she her playing the grandmother on "Malcom in the middle" A real mean self-centered bitch!
newalm 2 years ago
I remember when this show first aired in the fall of 1975. My mother used to watch it. I don't think it stayed on the air very long though.
newalm 2 years ago
Too bad, bad timing and death made this show a hit that quit. But, Cloris Leachman is still the shite!
RealVerdad 2 years ago
I find it hard to believe she was already pushing 50 when this show started. This woman aged very slowly. And she's a great talent too.
SgtTravisBickle 2 years ago 3
One of the best sitcom openings ever! You don't see the last line coming, which makes it that much funnier.
Cloris Leachman is a HOOT to this day, too!
soulgirl66 2 years ago 4
You know this was a funny show but it started off with a terrible tragedy. The actrtess who played Phyllis' boss-Barbara Colby- was murdered just after the filiming of the third episode. She was wonderful and had a dynamite chemistry with Cloris. (She played the hooker who shared a jail cell with Mary Richards on MTM Show when Mary went to jail.) Those first 3 episodes and the situation coming out of them would have given this series a really nice long run.
saskwatcher 2 years ago
Totally agree!:) , Barbara Colby is missed, and yes it was a tragedy, senseless, and from what i read they never found out who did it , or why she was murdered , just a random drive by shooting, what a shame .
brittonsimon 1 year ago
This show was a hit because of Mother Dexter (she was a riot) when she died the show was cancled.
glawsny 2 years ago
She could allways dress real good even on the MTM show!
xavierdh2000 2 years ago 2
she was a sharp dresser, yet her character was so narcissistic lol.. but that was how she was supposed to be..
phonegalfitness 2 years ago 2
Hahaha! This never gets old. xD
Best show intro ever.
tygersflowerz 2 years ago 4
This funny show is coming to the American Life Network in Jan 2010 along with Rhoda,wish I could get it!
dramaticguy 2 years ago 3
i was amazed i still remembered the lyrics to this!!! sang along.
randeman 2 years ago 3
She was also great on Touched by an Angle! She played a great part, what a wonderful actress!
patsaxon 2 years ago
Great theme song! Reminds me of a warped version of the song "Mame."
dav1237 2 years ago
Yep. It's certainly a take-off on the "Mame" theme song. Apart from the similar lyrics, if you listen to them side by side, the music also is very similar.
rachelazw 2 years ago
It's pretty bad that, of all of the MTM Show clips of Cloris Leachman, I can tell which episode nearly each one of them is from. I gotta get a life. :-(
mthivier 2 years ago 2
It's a crime that this isn't on DVD yet.
lordmaldad 2 years ago 3
I did like the show when it started out; it was rare then and rare now to see a show starring a character who was basically a villain. Maybe it was hard for the writers to base a show around someone who wasn't exactly loveable; but oh that woman was funny. I love the opening montage; kind of like the opening for Mary or That Girl--ending with a twist.
Owlzindabarn 2 years ago 2
Yes Phyllis was watered down in the spinoff,lot less intelligent,Ilove Cloris though she is so funny,and Mother Dexter,loved her.
Hope its on DVD soon.
dramaticguy 2 years ago 3
The MTM show and its many spinoffs had great TV theme songs and shows. "Phyllis" is truly at the top of the list in both areas. This video brings back many fond memories of an excellent show.
jaynails32 2 years ago 5
great show.......put it on dvd.
indyrandy 2 years ago 17
Totally agree season2 set in the office wasn't too good but Cloris is hilarious.
dramaticguy 2 years ago
Ah, Stan Daniels wrote a good cheesy song! Ever hear his flop-of-a-musical "So Long 174th Street"? Well worth it for the songs "Undressing them with my eyes" and "He's Screwing Dolores Del Rio". He also won 8 Emmys for his work on The Mary Tyler Moore show and Taxi. These are my random nerdy facts for you today! :)
divaboy1 2 years ago
If I recall correctly, this used to be on Monday nights. I loved it, especially scenes with her nemesis, I think it was Lars's mother, or some other old relative- maybe somebody knows. She was played by Judith Lowery, who frequently played cranky old ladies. I remember the series was tanking and they decided to make Phyllis a little less tart, but that didn't work. I think by now Cloris Leachman holds the record for Emmys... 7 or 8?
defundthewar 2 years ago
Judith Lowry played Mother Dexter, who was the mother of Lars' mother's second husband.
snoopy64116 2 years ago 2
She was excellent. I remember she got a boyfriend, an ancient guy-- I forget his name-- he played old codgers. At one point, I recall, Mother Dexter and he got engaged and came back home after taking a blood test. Someone asked if they passed. Mother Dexter: "We had some."
defundthewar 2 years ago
Burt Mustin played him.
snoopy64116 2 years ago
Yes! Thanks. It was a terrific ensemble. I hate it when good shows get yanked off the air. Oh, the garbage that's on now that passes for comedy. The hardest working people are the ones who operate the laugh track.
defundthewar 2 years ago 2
I have never seen this before in my life until just now. It has just been added to my favorites as possibly one of the greatest things I've ever seen.
xxxpartydog 2 years ago
I vote this as the best TV show opening ever. They really outdid themselves. I remember this in its first run, but I was too young to get it, or appreciate it. "Phyllis" was kind of dark, at least initially, particularly because Phyllis was dealing with the death of her husband (and this is reflected in the opening). So I remember as a kid feeling like the show was "creepy"--including because of this opening. However, it really was a show for adults, not kids. Cloris = extraordinary talent!
billk700 2 years ago 2
Yeah well she sure was no oil painting, more like a grease painting come to think of it. It was still a very very funny show though. I miss Phyllis
zapkvr 2 years ago
Did she not bring Lars along with her?
somewhatlongdong 2 years ago
Lars had just died before Phyllis left Minneapolis.
RJSchex 2 years ago
@RJSchex ....and he didn't leave Phyllis with any money!
snoopy64116 1 year ago
..... Blucher!
hibob418 2 years ago
This is probably hands-down the best sitcom opening ever! So clever and so campy. I loved it the first time I saw it and I love it now.
bmsnow521 2 years ago 4
I love her "Frau Blucher" look at the end.
davidesk 2 years ago 3
Greatest punchline of any TV theme.
tommytimp 2 years ago 5
My uncle is one of the singers in this opening!! Always loved this show!!
tubelover12 2 years ago 4
you should be proud, is he still alive?
myrabradwell40 2 years ago
awuh
i love phyllis
tvfantic12 2 years ago
I've never had the guts to dangle from a cable car in SF as she did here.
*sigh*
OhCurt 2 years ago 2
Does anyone have any episodes of "Phyllis" with the late Barbara Colby playing Phyllis's boss Julie?
tallulah1961 2 years ago
The first two episodes of Phyllis with Barbara Colby in them were released on vhs,early 90s, got mine on US eBay a year ago.
dramaticguy 2 years ago
did you know that cloris leachman aka phyllis wore a lot of her own clothes
xxfersurexxNOT 2 years ago
I prefered Phyllis in MTM and her outfits too
dramaticguy 2 years ago
to bad nick at nite does not have old shows on there like phyllis mary tyler moore show and more to make kids experince old tv.
xxfersurexxNOT 2 years ago
they used to actually! and rhoda too. i saw all three of these series on nick and nite back in the 90s when i was a kid :)
fakecandyheart 2 years ago
Me too! That's when they still had real classics!
snoopy64116 2 years ago
Hope it sees a Dvd Release sometime,ok some episodes were weak but Cloris was always hilarious as was Mother Dexter.(Judith Lowry)
dramaticguy 2 years ago
I have to laugh about how disgruntled my mom would get. She would say, "HOW can they make that woman (Cloris Leachman) so UGLY????" She said something about her being 1st runner up in a pageant (WAS it Miss America? Would have to be, huh?) Well. Mom, they had to make her look this way for us to get the full essence of her character!!! And she did it well:)
meowfit 2 years ago 2
If she thought Cloris Leachman looked ugly in this show, I would've hated to have seen her reaction to her performance in Young Frankenstein as Frau Blucher *whinny*.
jccw227 2 years ago
Love the opening!
TheMikester307 2 years ago
I haven't seen this opening in decades, but I remember it well. Classic!
ShutEmDownNow 2 years ago
I think Phyllis was a sitcom far ahead of its time. Although there was Archie Bunker and Maude Findlay, the general rule was that a main sitcom character couldn't be self-absorbed and show their less than flattering side on a regular basis. Phyllis paved the way for characters like Fraser Crane. The opening credits are a great spoof of the MTM/Doris Day Show credits. Thanks for posting!
staytunedfor 2 years ago 4
does anyone know how long this show lasted?
debfan74 2 years ago
I think it struggled through two seasons. And three cast deaths.
tygersflowerz 2 years ago
Comment removed
crizol87 2 years ago
Its hard to believe that when this show premiered 34 years ago Cloris was 50 and all these years later she is still going strong in her 80's!
BadCamera32 2 years ago 3
Phyllis's mannerisms remind me of those of Maria Callas when she was trying to act glamorous, like posing for pictures, or harassed by journalists at the airport. Especially the last shot where she's laughing just before they sing "it sure isn't you".
wattever333 2 years ago
Sometimes I wished they had included some newer pictures of Phyllis, especially since she changed her hairstyle shortly after this show began, and then she changed it again for season 2.
snoopy64116 2 years ago
How could they use something that hadn't happened yet?
froggyola 2 years ago
They film some of the episodes before they put together the opening.
snoopy64116 2 years ago
San Francisco is my hometown great to see it.
frankd1965 2 years ago
The outdoor shots were filmed for the series. The studio shots were taken from various episodes of Mary Tyler Moore.
Cubz72 2 years ago
Hope this makes it to Dvd soon!! I agree some episodes were weak but Cloris Leachman is a comedy legend,loved Judith Lowry too,Get out of my room!
dramaticguy 2 years ago 3
I'll take the worst episodes of PHYLLIS anyday over the best episodes of the crappy sh*t-coms we have today.
kentgraovac 2 years ago 25
LOVE it! One of the great opening theme songs of all time! Just the right touch of class, and Mel Brooks style parody! I really look forward to "Phyllis" on dvd. True, there were some very poor episodes, but the best of the 48 made were among the very funniest in MTM television history. Barbara Colby was wonderful. Judth Lowry unforgettable. Cloris Leachman....brilliant! A living legend.
ChrisOtheBigC 3 years ago 11
Who knows, if Shout! does well with season 1 of Rhoda, maybe they'll dig this one out too. I'd love to have both seasons of this on disc.
OhCurt 2 years ago 2
Had forgotten how much I liked this show! Thanks for the memory!
JohnKoroly 3 years ago 2
This show was an abomination. Cloris Leachman as Phyllis Lindstrom on MTM was one of the best tv characters on television , as was Rhoda Morgenstern. Unfortunatly, Phyllis (the show) was Godawful. Ms. Lindstrom should have stayed with MTM. Rhoda, on the other hand, had a very good cast, and was a good show. Of course, nothing will ever compare with the first few seasons of MTM when Mary, Rhoda, and Phyllis were all together. True Classic Television.
JerseyRich732 3 years ago
I have been looking for this for some time...thanks for posting. As an aside, I am glad many others feel the same way I do about TV Land....it used to be great. Comedies all day - and what a great alternative when nothing else is on! Now, it is all Bonanza, Gunsmoke, and the crappy reality shows!! TV Land should go back to what it used to be.
pontiac9 3 years ago
I agree too!!!!!
meowfit 2 years ago
The only part I remember is when she is holding the crab. Nice to see this again and to appreciate it now that I'm older. I never understood the meaning of the lyrics back in 1975.
FunWithStuttering 3 years ago 2
Thank you, thank you for posting this. This was one of the best openings ever!!! I can still remember nearly all of the lyrics and thanks to you, I can see it again. LOL.
debabe7 3 years ago 3
This comment has received too many negative votes show
This is pretty bad for a theme song. If the show was as bad as the theme music, no wonder then why it lasted only two seasons.
lecagr 3 years ago
I love this show opening! Phyllis(Chloris Leachman) was so great! "It sure isn't you!" lol, that's funny. They make it sound like she does all these wonderful things, and then they say that, lol. :D Thanks for posting!
milkpepsiboobookitty 3 years ago 4
Oh I love this opening too!!!! It's cool! They use a lot of clips from MTM. :)
ACuriousDanceretc 3 years ago 2
I am so glad to see this TV theme song back on YouTube. I looked forward to Phyllis, Bess, Mother Dexter (especially), and the rest of the Phyliis cast every week! I always enjoyed The Mary Tyler Moore Show and all of its spinoffs-- Rhoda,Phyllis, Lou Grant, The Betty White Show (Undercover Woman),and the other shows from MTM productions: Bob Newhart's shows, WKRP in Cincinnati, White Shadow, and others I have omitted right now. Thanks for posting! Return TV Land to CLASSIC TV!
Jaynails 3 years ago
Thank God! Finally someone uploaded this! I've been looking for this for ages!! Thank you. (I'm such a 70's TV geek!!!)
yentl50 3 years ago 2
I never want to be like those Friends or 30 Something characters. I'd prefer life with the gang hanging with Phyllis, Rhoda, Samantha, or Lieutenant Uhura!
bobbysevensevenseven 3 years ago 2
Love the Frau Blucher face at the end.
Chsrles62 3 years ago 7
LOL! We're going to kill Thorndyke!
pbanta62 3 years ago
Wow...This had to be the gayest show on TV in the 1970s. The campy opening to Hello Dolly, set in San Francisco in the 1970s and Phyllis had a gay brother...
drumbunny 3 years ago
I think that opening is a take-off on MAME, not HELLO, DOLLY.
Beejjjjjj 3 years ago
I've been hoping someone would post this. Thank you! I remember it from when I was a kid. It's still funny.
krs155 3 years ago 2
as a kid, when they got to "phyllis...it sure isn't you" i remember laughing for the whole half hour that the show was on - just over that last line. i LIKE being old(er).
moviefly 3 years ago 3
The funny thing is...I didn't even UNDERSTAND that line until I was an adult! I guess it was the long, drawn-out "Phyyyyyyliiiiis...Phyyyyyliiiiis..." part that divided my attention; I couldn't connect that part with the rest of the joke.
1959AverellHarriman 3 years ago
Every week when this show came on, my mother would laugh at that opening as if she had never seen it before.
Beejjjjjj 3 years ago 6
I loved this show, and wish TVLand still played series like this, Mary Tyler Moore and Rhoda. I know they can't keep showing the same series over and over, but good Lord, they used to be an escape from the new crap on the major network, such as the endless array of Reality shows, and now they've become almost the same, at least 75% of the time! I think I'll vomit uncontrollably when they announce they're running "Friends".
bobbysevensevenseven 3 years ago 3
I have to agree: "Friends" is a lame show. I would become annoyed just watching it and think who watchs this garb and actually likes it? it's not even funny! And the reality TV shows are done already. I am waiting for something with interesting characters and plot lines. I miss the old shows like: Phyllis, MTM, Rhoda, Love Boat, Three's Company, Dynasty, Laverne and Shirley, Little House on the Prairie, Charlie's Angels.
goldengirl67 3 years ago 2
So true! I could not relate to any character on Friends (well, I only could sit through maybe 2 episodes in its whole run, but still, they all seemed so alien to me. I felt the same way years before, with the drama "30 Something", even though I was only 20 something when it aired, I kept thinking "Jesus, I can't imagine growing in to one of these self-centered Yuppies". Well, I'm glad I never became a Yuppie, but that's more to do with finances, perhaps, but even if I had all the $...
bobbysevensevenseven 3 years ago
AmericanLife TV plays the MTM show but it's only once a week on their "comedy" night (Newhart, The Bob Newhart Show, WKRP in Cincinnati, and the MTM show). Our only hope really, is that they will start a cable channel with programming comprised entirely of sitcoms. They really tried with the "FX" cable station back in 1993--it was the closest I've seen it come to perfection in that way. They had something good and then, after a year, slowly began dismantling it (just like TVLand today).
1959AverellHarriman 3 years ago
I don't remember FX, but in '93 I was just moving back to Philadelphia, and on a budget that didn't allow cable service. (Actually, the way it's going up - I may have to downgrade again, but then there's that whole digital issue) Anyway, thanx for the info. Maybe people need to write TVLand through their website, to ask for at least some of the good-old days back, and not those reality shows, or even movies, no matter how good they were. But Executives seem happy with their devolution.
bobbysevensevenseven 3 years ago
This was my favorite of the MTM spinoffs (Lou Grant as a drama? Come on!), and I didn't realize it was a sendup of Mame/Hello Dolly type here's the leading lady showtunes til years later. It was always great!
keithcop 3 years ago
this was a hysterical theme song with a shocking ending. never was there a dis at the main character before! classic. it was so befitting. thanks for posting this short lived mary spin-off. anyone remember rhoda's mother's theme song?
hotgritz4sho 3 years ago 2
This song is funny, as befits a funny character! To me, Cloris Leachman will ALWAYS be Phyllis Lindstrom. :)
AlbieGray 3 years ago
Chloris Leachman is a comedy legend,lets hope Rhoda and Phyllis mak eit to DVD soon!
dramaticguy 3 years ago 3
glad someone posted this - i remember watching the show as a kid and not "getting" the opening theme song till my older brother pointed out the last line "...it sure isn't youuuuuu"
keithnc67 3 years ago