Flo (TV series)

For other uses, see FLO (disambiguation).

Flo
Genre	Sitcom
Based on	Character created by Robert Getchell
Written by	Tom Biener John Boni David Brown Dick Clair George Geiger Robert Getchell Phillip Harrison Hahn Bob Illes Ron Landry Jenna McMahon Stephen A. Miller Richard Orloff James R. Stein
Directed by	Marc Daniels Bob LaHendro Dick Martin
Starring	Polly Holliday Geoffrey Lewis Jim B. Baker Stephen Keep Sudie Bond Lucy Lee Flippin
Theme music composer	Susan Glicksman Fred Werner
Opening theme	"Flo's Yellow Rose" performed by Hoyt Axton
Composer	Fred Werner
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	29 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer	Jim Mulligan
Producers	Tom Biener George Geiger Bob Illes James R. Stein
Production locations	The Burbank Studios Burbank, California
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	24 min
Production company	Warner Bros. Television
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	March 24, 1980 (1980-03-24) – July 21, 1981 (1981-07-21)
Related
Alice

Flo is an American sitcom and a spin-off of Alice which aired on CBS from March 24, 1980 to July 21, 1981. The series starred Polly Holliday as the title character of sassy and street-smart waitress Florence Jean "Flo" Castleberry who returns to her hometown of Cowtown, Texas and becomes the proprietor of a rundown old roadhouse she renames "Flo's Yellow Rose". Although the series was successfully in the Top 20 throughout its run, it was cancelled at the end of its second season.

Synopsis

After four seasons as a waitress at Mel's Diner on Alice, Flo is on her way to a new restaurant hostess job in Houston, Texas as described in her final appearance, "Flo's Farewell" (season 4, episode 18). She stops to visit her family in her hometown of Cowtown, Texas and in a fit of nostalgia, Flo buys a rundown old roadhouse she had enjoyed in her formative years and renames it "Flo's Yellow Rose". Coping with the business (such as chauvinistic bartender Earl (Geoffrey Lewis) and the greedy and obnoxious banker Farley (Jim B. Baker) who holds the mortgage), as well as her mother Velma (Sudie Bond) and strait-laced sister Fran (Lucy Lee Flippin), caused most of the conflict in the series.

The rest of Flo's staff at the Yellow Rose includes her childhood best friend Miriam (Joyce Bulifant) as waitress/bookkeeper and chain-smoking piano player Les (Stephen Keep). Randy, the mechanic (Leo Burmester) who worked at the garage next door, and Chester (Mickey Jones), were regular customers. Vic Tayback made one guest appearance as Mel Sharples from Alice. Once Flo began, Polly Holliday never appeared again on Alice, except in flashback clips in the last episode.

Cast

• Polly Holliday as Florence Jean "Flo" Castleberry
• Geoffrey Lewis as Earl Tucker
• Jim B. Baker as Farley Waters
• Sudie Bond as Mama Velma Castleberry
• Leo Burmester as Randy Stumphill
• Joyce Bulifant as Miriam Willoughby
• Lucy Lee Flippin as Fran Castleberry
• Stephen Keep as Les Kincaid
• George Flower as Roy
• Mickey Jones as Chester
• Terry Willis as Wendell Tubbs (1980)

Theme song

The theme song, "Flo's Yellow Rose", written by Fred Werner and Susie Glickman, was sung by Hoyt Axton who would co-star with Holliday in the 1984 film Gremlins.

Lyrics

Rowdy redhead headin' for the big time

Lookin' like a Texas sequined star

Makin' eyes at every tight-jeaned cowboy

Sassin' good old boys around the bar

Flo's Yellow Rose

Flashin' neon every trucker knows

The door is always open and the beer is always cold

At Flo's Yellow Rose

Flo's Yellow Rose

Broadcast history

Flo was broadcast in these following timeslots during its two-season run on CBS:

• March 1980 – April 1980: Monday 9:30-10:00 p.m.
• July 1980 – January 1981: Monday 8:00-8:30 p.m.
• February 1981: Saturday 9:00-9:30 p.m.
• March 1981 – May 1981: Saturday 8:30-9:00 p.m.
• June 1981 – July 1981: Tuesday 8:30-9:00 p.m.

Episodes

Season 1 (1980)

No.	Title	Original air date
1	"Homecoming"	March 24, 1980
On her way to a new restaurant hostess job in Houston, Flo gets a flat tire and ends up buying an old roadhouse in her hometown of Cowtown, Texas.
2	"Showdown at the Yellow Rose"	March 31, 1980
A showdown looms at sundown at the Yellow Rose between Earl and Bad Joe Shaw (Ben Davidson), whose girlfriend was stolen by Earl 17 years earlier.
3	"Happy Birthday, Mama"	April 7, 1980
Flo and Fran plan a surprise Hawaiian-theme birthday party for Mama at the Yellow Rose, including reuniting her with an old beau (Henry Jones).
4	"Take My Sister, Please"	April 14, 1980
Flo reluctantly hires her prim-and-proper sister Fran to work at the Yellow Rose, but she turns out to be so obnoxious that nobody in the bar can stand her – especially Flo.
5	"The Hero of Flo's Yellow Rose"	April 21, 1980
Les saves Farley from choking to death and when Flo calls a radio station to suggest him for its "Citizen of the Week" award, Les mysteriously disappears.
6	"The Reunion"	April 28, 1980
Flo is reunited with an old high school beau (Arlen Dean Snyder) who makes an offer to travel the world and share his wealth with her sound very tempting.

Season 2 (1980–81)

No.	Title	Original air date
7	"The Enemy Below"	October 27, 1980
A skunk has stationed itself under the Yellow Rose, driving customers out and Flo into battle against the critter to save the Yellow Rose from bankruptcy.
8	"Farley, the People's Choice"	November 3, 1980
Farley is elected zoning commissioner and, much to his disappointment, it is not all it is cracked up to be.
9	"Bull is Back in Town"	November 17, 1980
Bull (G.W. Bailey), a wild and crazy prospector, comes to town on his annual binge – seeking a good drink, bath and a pretty woman – and insists that he's going to marry Flo.
10	"A Castleberry Thanksgiving (Part 1)"	November 24, 1980
Flo invites her father (Forrest Tucker), who ran out on the family 30 years earlier and hasn't been seen since, to spend Thanksgiving with the Castleberry clan.
11	"A Castleberry Thanksgiving (Part 2)"	November 24, 1980
Flo invites her father (Forrest Tucker), who ran out on the family 30 years earlier and hasn't been seen since, to spend Thanksgiving with the Castleberry clan.
12	"Willoughby vs. Willoughby"	December 1, 1980
Miriam wins a Yellow Rose lottery to accompany Flo on a free trip to Disney World, provided she can leave her husband and kids.
13	"So Long, Shorty"	December 8, 1980
Flo vows to give "Shorty", a favorite customer, his dying wish – a wingding of a funeral at the Yellow Rose – but then she realizes they eulogized the wrong man.
14	"Deserted Islands"	December 15, 1980
After a quarrel with his father, Randy quits his job to become a country music star and moves into the storeroom of the Yellow Rose which Flo soon regrets.
15	"The Miracle of Casa de Huevos"	December 22, 1980
While on their way to the annual Snowflake Ball on Christmas Eve, an ice storm maroons Flo, Earl, Les – and Earl's expecting mare – in Earl's drafty old barn.
16	"Grey Escape"	January 5, 1981
Mama runs away from home when Flo and Fran, determined that she should lead a more productive life, sign her up for every volunteer project in town.
17	"Pretty Baby"	January 12, 1981
Flo's dream of winning the "Miss Rodeo Days" contest is almost spoiled when friends leave their seven-month-old baby in her care.
18	"Not with My Sister, You Don't"	January 26, 1981
Flo is worried when a vulnerable Fran attaches herself to Les after her longtime fiancé Wendell elopes with an exotic dancer.
19	"The Price of Avocados (Part 1)"	February 7, 1981
When Flo can't pay her rent, Farley threatens to take her trailer (which she put up for collateral to buy the Yellow Rose) but somebody beats him to it.
20	"The Price of Avocados (Part 2)"	February 14, 1981
Flo, in debt to Farley for the rent, has her house trailer disappear and secretly hidden in Earl's barn to keep Farley from getting his hands on it.
21	"Welcome to the Club"	February 21, 1981
Flo's coarse brother torpedoes her efforts to impress a snooty businesswoman (Barbara Babcock) who is writing an article on the Yellow Rose.
22	"Gunsmoke at the Yellow Rose"	February 28, 1981
Flo borrows a few characters from Gunsmoke when she fantasizes an Old West shoot-out at the Yellow Rose as a roaring saloon in the 1880s.
23	"What Are Friends For?"	March 14, 1981
Flo's former boss Mel Sharples (Vic Tayback) visits the Yellow Rose and he gives her some unwelcomed advice on how to run a business.
24	"Just What the Doctor Ordered"	March 21, 1981
Flo gets tonsillitis and can't talk and Earl discovers her age through her birth certificate, but an anniversary edition of the newspaper mistakenly lists her birthdate as 1931.
25	"Footsie"	April 4, 1981
When Earl plans to take his birthday off to accompany a friend to a rodeo – he neglects to tell Flo that the friend is his ex-girlfriend, B.J. (Joanna Cassidy).
26	"You Gotta Have Hoyt"	April 11, 1981
Country-western singer Hoyt Axton visits the Yellow Rose to see if all the stories he has heard about Flo are true and she doesn't disappoint him.
27	"Flo's Encounter of the Third Kind"	April 18, 1981
Nobody believes Flo when she claims to have seen a flying saucer on her way home, and then she takes a skeptical Earl back there to camp out and wait for the UFO to return.
28	"No Men's Land"	June 23, 1981
Buddy (George Lindsey), who runs the gas station next to the Yellow Rose, tells Flo that the bathrooms in her bar are on his land and she has to pay for them.
29	"The Daynce"	June 30, 1981
When Flo convinces Earl into escorting her to a formal ball marking her membership in an exclusive club, he helps her make a big impression, but not the kind she hoped for.

Reception and cancellation

The short first season (spring 1980) was a ratings success ranking at #7 and had 24.4 million viewer average. The following season brought a sharp decline in numbers (due to a timeslot change), and thus ended Flo.

Award nominations

• Nominated: 1980 Primetime Emmy Award – Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Polly Holliday)
• Nominated: 1981 Golden Globe Award – Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical (Polly Holliday)
• Nominated: 1981 Golden Globe Award – Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television (Geoffrey Lewis)

Home media release

On November 5, 2013, Flo: The Complete Series was released on DVD in Region 1 by Warner Home Video via their Warner Archive Collection. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release available via WBShop.com & Amazon.com.

External links

• Flo at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com show
• Flo at epguides.com