5 Once-Beloved 1970s Sitcoms That Deserve Another Look
Lucy Carter’s overlooked series
In Here’s Lucy, Lucille Ball played Lucy Carter, a widowed working mother raising teenagers Kim and Craig. The characters were portrayed by Ball’s real-life children, Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr., and the CBS sitcom ran for six years.
The show was among the few sitcoms of its time focused on a single working mother, and it featured guest stars including Johnny Carson, Vincent Price and Liberace. It ended in 1974, and its reruns did not begin syndication until 1981; the series is now available on Prime Video and Peacock.
A submarine comedy shifts course
Jamie Lee Curtis made her first starring television appearance in Operation Petticoat, which aired on ABC from 1977 to 1979. Its premise followed the crew of the USS Seatiger after an air attack sent the submarine fleeing its dock while painted bright pink; five rescued Army nurses joined them.
The series used an ensemble cast that included John Astin and Jim Varney. For its second season, 15 of the 18 main cast members—including Curtis and Astin—did not return, the writers changed, and the setting moved to a hospital vessel. Ratings fell, and the show was cancelled.
Ann Marie charts her own path
Created by and starring Marlo Thomas, That Girl followed aspiring actress Ann Marie as she moved to New York City. The ABC series ran from 1966 to 1971 and was an early television show centered on a woman pursuing her own career and ambitions.
Thomas chose to end the series rather than exhaust its premise or have Ann marry her fiancé, Don Hollinger, despite network pressure. The show was well liked but was often overshadowed by The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which had a similar premise.
Alice works at Mel’s Diner
Alice, based on Martin Scorsese’s film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, starred Linda Lavin as Alice Hyatt, a widowed single mother. She worked as a waitress at Mel’s Diner, an Arizona roadside eatery.
Her coworkers included Vera, played by Beth Howland, and Flo, played by Polly Holliday. The phrase “Kiss my grits!” originated with the CBS sitcom.
Key points
- Here’s Lucy ran for six years and centered on a widowed working mother.
- Operation Petticoat’s second-season cast and setting changes preceded its cancellation.
- Marlo Thomas ended That Girl without having Ann marry Don Hollinger.
- Alice brought the phrase “Kiss my grits!” to television audiences.