Filthy Rich (1982 TV series)
Encyclopedia
Filthy Rich is an American sitcom that aired on CBS
from August 1982 to July 1983. Starring Dixie Carter
and Delta Burke
, the series satirized prime-time soap operas such as Dallas
and Dynasty
.
at a fictional mansion called Toad Hall, which was owned by one Big Guy Beck (Slim Pickens
; Forrest Tucker
), a very wealthy land baron. He had recently died of an undisclosed illness, and before he was cryogenically frozen, he had made out a videotaped will, a piece of which was played every week, by his lawyer, George Wilhoit (David Healy
; Vernon Weddle).
The will's terms were harshest on Big Guy's oldest son, the snobbish Marshall Beck (Michael Lombard) and his equally snobbish wife Carlotta (Dixie Carter
). Also aghast at the will's terms was Big Guy's wily younger wife, Kathleen (Delta Burke). The terms stated that they wouldn't be able to collect a dime of their inheritance until they accepted Big Guy's illegitimate son, Wild Bill Westchester (Jerry Hardin
) and his good-natured but ditzy wife Bootsie (Ann Wedgeworth
) into their family.
Many of the situations stemmed from the conniving Kathleen, Marshall and Carlotta's schemes to declare the constraints of the will invalid and also to rid themselves of Wild Bill and Bootsie, for to their minds, with them; not to mention the rest of the family out of their lives, the snobs could live it up on the money. Their wildly outlandish schemes usually and inevitably ended up failing.
Also appearing were Nedra Volz
, who played Big Guy's senile first wife, Winona Beck, called Mother B., who had escaped from her nursing home; and Charles Frank
, who played Big Guy's younger son Stanley.
Stanley, independently wealthy, because he invested his money wisely, was the nicest of the whole lot. Usually it was Stanley that was able to protect Wild Bill and Bootsie (whom he and Mother B. accepted outright) from the devious scheming of his stepmother, who lusted after him; and his conniving brother and sister in-law.
; Forrest Tucker
) A very wealthy land baron; the patriarch of Toad Hall, and the decedent whose will stipulated that his family accept his illegitimate son, Wild Bill Westchester and wife Bootsie into the family. Father of Marshall and Stanley (by first wife Mother B. whom he divorced) and was married to Kathleen when he died. Had a tendency to end his videotapes with singing a very off-key version of "Happy Trails
".
Kathleen Beck (Delta Burke
) Big Guy's much younger second wife (whenever Kathleen said that she was Big Guy's wife, she was constantly reminded by Carlotta that she was merely his second wife and when she threw out that she was Carlotta's mother-in-law, she would equally remind her that she was only her stepmother-in-law). She was a very wily woman who was always lusting after her younger stepson, Stanley, who often deflected her unwelcome advances. She was always needing a tranquilizer. Despite siding with Marshall and Carlotta against the Westchesters, she was also scorned by the latter who called her a tramp and slut. The three often squabbled amongst themselves as much as they fought the Westchesters. Kathleen retaliated by calling Carlotta a shrew. Thoroughly disliked by Mother B. who derisively called her "Big Girl".
Marshall Beck (Michael Lombard) Big Guy's oldest, bi-sexual (and in therapy for it) son, and as snobby as his wife. Despite his snobbishness, however, he was also slightly milquetoast and weak willed compared to his strong-willed and snotty wife. Tended to wheeze a lot because of his asthma. Although he loves Carlotta, the two argue as well; and the three snobs often quarrel among one another as well. Marshall is appalled that his late father would force him, Kathleen and Carlotta to invite his half-brother and his wife to live in their home, and is equally appalled that his younger brother and mother would welcome them with open arms. Usually put in his place by Mother B, who tended to know more about his dishonesty and often ratted him out.
Carlotta Beck (Dixie Carter
) Marshall's snobby and shrewish wife. She considers herself the only reigning queen of Toad Hall. She, Marshall and Kathleen were always trying to get rid of the Westchesters as well as Mother B. and Stanley, so they would be the only ones who would get the vast fortune of Big Guy, and they would live it up. Despite this, the three wouldst often argue among one another as much as they fought the Westchesters. Their schemes were often foiled by Stanley or by their own ineptitude. Although they shared the same goal, Carlotta couldn't stand Kathleen and vice versa. Carlotta would always snidely remind Kathleen that she was only Big Guy's second wife and thus, was only her stepmother-in-law.
Stanley Beck (Charles Frank
) Independently wealthy (due to his wise investment of his money) younger brother of Marshall; ally and half brother of Wild Bill. Ironically, he wasn't involved with the will of Big Guy or in need of the inheritance therein, due to his own wealth. Target of lust by Kathleen whose unwelcome advances he often deflected. Nicest member of the Becks, and welcomed Wild Bill and Bootsie immediately. In fact, it was he who had brought the Westchesters to Toad Hall in the first place. An avid Dr. Pepper drinker, Stanley is kind and concerned about others, but will not tolerate the more dishonest shenanigans of Marshall, Kathleen and Carlotta. Has a close bond with his mother, Mother B. (who calls him Skippy) and is usually there to help his half-brother and half-sister in-law in dealing with Marshall, Carlotta, Kathleen and their schemes.
Winona "Mother B" Beck (Nedra Volz
) Marshall and Stanley's senile mother. Big Guy's first wife, whom he divorced prior to marrying Kathleen. She belied her age by constantly escaping her nursing home where she claimed they (meaning Marshall and Carlotta) were holding her hostage. Mother B had no liking for Kathleen, whom she derisively called "Big Girl". Eventually, she escaped the nursing home for good, and ended up living in Toad Hall. She, like her favored younger son, Stanley, whom she calls Skippy, accepted the Westchesters outright and likes them. She would also often times take delight in ratting out Marshall and Carlotta for their constant wrongdoing.
Wild Bill Westchester (Jerry Hardin
) A used RV salesman who is discovered to be Big Guy's illegitimate son. (which was proven by DNA test) Accepted by Stanley and Mother B. outright, while being plotted against by Marshall, Carlotta and Kathleen. He and Bootsie were almost scared out of the house by Marshall, Carlotta and Kathleen, by means of a phony seance, but was convinced by Stanley and Mother B., who truly cared about them, that they would always have a home at Toad Hall, whether the other Becks liked it or not.
Bootsie Westchester (Ann Wedgeworth
) Wild Bill's gentle natured but ditzy wife. She, like Wild Bill, is thrilled to be part of the family. Her marriage was almost ruined by Kathleen, Marshall and Carlotta but she, along with Stanley's help, thwarted it. She unwaveringly loves Wild Bill, and makes the most of being on a budget.
George Wilhoit (David Healy; Vernon Weddle) Big Guy's lawyer who played a section of his late client's video will every week, and was there to make sure the conditions, however outlandish, were carried out. Some conditions were reasonable (like the family getting a job or living within a strict budget, after Marshall, Carlotta and Kathleen were caught trying to throw out the Westchesters) while others (where Big Guy had Stanley kidnapped on his birthday to find out who his true friends were) were more than a mite bit bizarre.
began her television career by co-writing a script for an episode of M*A*S*H with Mary Kay Place
, and when that script was nominated for an Emmy Award
, she found herself in high demand. Bloodworth was offered staff positions on several TV series, but she turned them down. "I just wanted to get my own shows on the air", she said. "I didn't want to die working those long hours for someone else's show. I didn't want to bleed unless it was for my own show." She formed her own production company, produced numerous pilot episodes
and then, in 1980, she got the idea for Filthy Rich. "I just set out to write a comedy about Southerners — eccentric Southerners."
The hour-long pilot for Filthy Rich was filmed on February 27, 1981 as a candidate for inclusion on CBS
's 1981-82 fall schedule. When the fall schedule was announced in May, Filthy Rich wasn't included, but the network optioned it as a potential midseason replacement
. "Apparently, the network wasn't sure of its feelings", commented Dixie Carter
. "Some executives liked the concept, others despised it." Meanwhile, Delta Burke
was offered the role of Katherine Wentworth on Dallas
, as well as a recurring role on the TV spin-off of Private Benjamin
, but she was forced to turn both parts down because she was under contract for Filthy Rich. Similarly, Carter was asked to replace Tammy Grimes
in the Broadway production of 42nd Street
, but CBS prevented her from accepting. Instead, cast members were forced to take small roles in films and guest-star on various TV shows while awaiting word on the fate of Filthy Rich.
In March 1982, CBS ordered a second pilot episode, this time as a half-hour show. The network stipulated that they wanted the new pilot to be "less bizarre" than the original pilot had been, and though the material was toned down a bit, they still passed on including the show on the fall schedule.
In that era it wasn't unusual for unsold pilots to be broadcast as filler during the summer - replacing low-rated reruns - as a means of recouping the money that was spent to produce them. The original hour-long pilot was split in two and re-edited, then packaged with the second pilot (titled "Town and Garden"), and the now-trio of episodes were billed as a "limited run" series which was broadcast on Monday nights following reruns of M*A*S*H in August 1982. Much to CBS's surprise, the show topped the weekly Nielsen ratings
for three consecutive weeks. CBS Entertainment President Donald "Bud" Grant later commented, "I think we conned ourselves into thinking Filthy Rich was a hot show." The network scrambled to find a place on the fall schedule for the show, ultimately opting to bump the new series Mama Malone off the schedule altogether (Mama Malone eventually aired in 1984).
Although viewers initially tuned in, the series fared poorly with critics. "This is the most misunderstood show I've ever been associated with", said Bloodworth. Associated Press
writer Fred Rothenberg commented in his widely-circulated review, "It's called Filthy Rich and the slant is more toward the former than the latter." Bloodworth retaliated, "I think because the Southern accents are thick and the first shows were very theatrical and broad, the critics tuned out." She went on to defend the show against the Southern critics who'd bashed the series as well. "There are a lot of liberal-minded critics who consider themselves the keepers of the Southern flame. We're not maligning the South, we're celebrating it."
While working on the show, Burke felt particularly pressured to maintain a slender figure. "That's when I discovered crystal meth
, a powerful amphetamine
that cut my hunger but made my heart race", she revealed in her autobiography. It had the side effect of paranoia and making her lapse into unconsciousness.
Adding further woes to the troubled series, actor Slim Pickens
, who played Big Guy Beck in the original hour-long pilot episode, was rushed to San Francisco Medical Center several days before the series premiered, and he underwent five hours of surgery to remove a brain tumor the day after the show's TV debut. Pickens was released from the hospital before production resumed on the series, but he was unfit to appear. Most subsequent episodes played without Big Guy, though Pickens was quickly replaced by Forrest Tucker
, who didn't play the role with the same broad, comic zeal.
Production soldiered on a little behind schedule. In the early weeks of September, scripts hadn't been completed for any episodes of the fall season, which began on September 26. "Every night I go home with notes on all the network suggestions and work on the scripts", Bloodworth said. "A messenger comes to pick up my rewrites at 1 a.m. I write in longhand and the scripts are typed and returned at 7 a.m. I'm sure my neighbors think I'm in some illegal business." Bloodworth quickly churned out some scripts, but she hired former Jimmy Carter
speech writer E. Jack Kaplan to help pick up the slack.
Filthy Rich returned to the air on Wednesday, October 5. Nestled between Alice
and Tucker's Witch
and opposite the new series Family Ties
, ratings quickly plummeted - by the end of October, Filthy Rich ranked #60 in the weekly TV ratings. In November, six weeks into the show's second season, all three series were yanked off the schedule and replaced with The CBS Wednesday Movie. Filthy Rich returned to the schedule - and Monday nights - in January 1983, sandwiched between Square Pegs
and M*A*S*H. Ratings didn't improve. It aired for a month before being pulled from the schedule again. The remaining two episodes aired in June, after the series had officially been canceled.
. "I'd worked with Dixie and Delta on Filthy Rich", Bloodworth revealed in a 1986 interview. "We've had a secret plot since then to work together again." Bloodworth created the roles of Julia and Suzanne Sugarbaker for Carter and Burke (Burke referred to her Filthy Rich character as "Suzanne in the Beginning;" and Carter's Julia, with her self-righteous, long-winded monologues had more than a bit in common with Carlotta) and numerous one-liners were recycled along with a "hog hat" prop which was prominently featured in episodes of both series. Filthy Rich stars Nedra Volz
and Charles Frank
each guest-starred on Designing Women, as did guest-stars Tracey Walter
, William Utay
, Davis Roberts and John Petlock, and E. Jack Kaplan penned an early episode. Additionally, Charles Frank reunited with Burke for an episode of the short-lived Designing Women spin-off Women of the House
.
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
from August 1982 to July 1983. Starring Dixie Carter
Dixie Carter
Dixie Virginia Carter was an American film, television and stage actress, best known for her role as Julia Sugarbaker in the CBS sitcom Designing Women...
and Delta Burke
Delta Burke
Delta Ramona Leah Burke is an American television and film actress. Her television work includes a leading role as Suzanne Sugarbaker in the CBS sitcom Designing Women...
, the series satirized prime-time soap operas such as Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
and Dynasty
Dynasty (TV series)
Dynasty is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 11, 1989. It was created by Richard & Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, and revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado...
.
Plot
The series was set in MemphisMemphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
at a fictional mansion called Toad Hall, which was owned by one Big Guy Beck (Slim Pickens
Slim Pickens
Louis Burton Lindley, Jr. , better known by the stage name Slim Pickens, was an American rodeo performer and film and television actor who epitomized the profane, tough, sardonic cowboy, but who is best remembered for his comic roles, notably in Dr...
; Forrest Tucker
Forrest Tucker
Forrest Tucker was an American actor in both movies and television from the 1940s to the 1980s. Tucker, who stood 190 cm tall and weighed 93 kg , appeared in nearly 100 action films in the 1940s and 1950s.-Early life:Forrest Meredith Tucker was born in Plainfield, Indiana, a son of...
), a very wealthy land baron. He had recently died of an undisclosed illness, and before he was cryogenically frozen, he had made out a videotaped will, a piece of which was played every week, by his lawyer, George Wilhoit (David Healy
David Healy (actor)
David Healy was an American-born actor who starred in many British and American television shows. His credits include voices for the Supermarionation series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, Joe 90 and The Secret Service, as well as parts in UFO, The Troubleshooters, Randall and Hopkirk , Space...
; Vernon Weddle).
The will's terms were harshest on Big Guy's oldest son, the snobbish Marshall Beck (Michael Lombard) and his equally snobbish wife Carlotta (Dixie Carter
Dixie Carter
Dixie Virginia Carter was an American film, television and stage actress, best known for her role as Julia Sugarbaker in the CBS sitcom Designing Women...
). Also aghast at the will's terms was Big Guy's wily younger wife, Kathleen (Delta Burke). The terms stated that they wouldn't be able to collect a dime of their inheritance until they accepted Big Guy's illegitimate son, Wild Bill Westchester (Jerry Hardin
Jerry Hardin
Jerry Hardin is an American actor who has made many television and film appearances. He played illegitimate heir, Wild Bill Westchester, in the failed 1982 television series Filthy Rich. One of his most recognizable roles was that of the character Deep Throat in the series The X-Files...
) and his good-natured but ditzy wife Bootsie (Ann Wedgeworth
Ann Wedgeworth
Ann Wedgeworth is a Tony award winning American actress, best known for her role as Lahoma Vane Lucas on the daytime dramas Another World and Somerset .-Early life:...
) into their family.
Many of the situations stemmed from the conniving Kathleen, Marshall and Carlotta's schemes to declare the constraints of the will invalid and also to rid themselves of Wild Bill and Bootsie, for to their minds, with them; not to mention the rest of the family out of their lives, the snobs could live it up on the money. Their wildly outlandish schemes usually and inevitably ended up failing.
Also appearing were Nedra Volz
Nedra Volz
Nedra Volz was an American film and television actress.-Early life and career:Born Nedra Gordonier in Montrose, Iowa, she began her career in the family tent show, and appeared in vaudeville as a toddler...
, who played Big Guy's senile first wife, Winona Beck, called Mother B., who had escaped from her nursing home; and Charles Frank
Charles Frank
Charles R. Frank is an American actor noted for playing Bret Maverick's cousin Ben Maverick in the 1978 TV-movie The New Maverick with James Garner and Jack Kelly, and in the short-lived 1979 television series Young Maverick. Graduated with the class of 1969 from MIddlebury College.-Career:From...
, who played Big Guy's younger son Stanley.
Stanley, independently wealthy, because he invested his money wisely, was the nicest of the whole lot. Usually it was Stanley that was able to protect Wild Bill and Bootsie (whom he and Mother B. accepted outright) from the devious scheming of his stepmother, who lusted after him; and his conniving brother and sister in-law.
Characters
Big Guy Beck (Slim PickensSlim Pickens
Louis Burton Lindley, Jr. , better known by the stage name Slim Pickens, was an American rodeo performer and film and television actor who epitomized the profane, tough, sardonic cowboy, but who is best remembered for his comic roles, notably in Dr...
; Forrest Tucker
Forrest Tucker
Forrest Tucker was an American actor in both movies and television from the 1940s to the 1980s. Tucker, who stood 190 cm tall and weighed 93 kg , appeared in nearly 100 action films in the 1940s and 1950s.-Early life:Forrest Meredith Tucker was born in Plainfield, Indiana, a son of...
) A very wealthy land baron; the patriarch of Toad Hall, and the decedent whose will stipulated that his family accept his illegitimate son, Wild Bill Westchester and wife Bootsie into the family. Father of Marshall and Stanley (by first wife Mother B. whom he divorced) and was married to Kathleen when he died. Had a tendency to end his videotapes with singing a very off-key version of "Happy Trails
Happy Trails (song)
"Happy Trails," by Dale Evans Rogers, was the theme song for the 1940s and 1950s radio program and the 1950s television show starring Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Rogers, always sung over the end credits of the program. Happy Trails was released in 1952 as a 78 RPM and 45 RPM by Rogers and Evans with...
".
Kathleen Beck (Delta Burke
Delta Burke
Delta Ramona Leah Burke is an American television and film actress. Her television work includes a leading role as Suzanne Sugarbaker in the CBS sitcom Designing Women...
) Big Guy's much younger second wife (whenever Kathleen said that she was Big Guy's wife, she was constantly reminded by Carlotta that she was merely his second wife and when she threw out that she was Carlotta's mother-in-law, she would equally remind her that she was only her stepmother-in-law). She was a very wily woman who was always lusting after her younger stepson, Stanley, who often deflected her unwelcome advances. She was always needing a tranquilizer. Despite siding with Marshall and Carlotta against the Westchesters, she was also scorned by the latter who called her a tramp and slut. The three often squabbled amongst themselves as much as they fought the Westchesters. Kathleen retaliated by calling Carlotta a shrew. Thoroughly disliked by Mother B. who derisively called her "Big Girl".
Marshall Beck (Michael Lombard) Big Guy's oldest, bi-sexual (and in therapy for it) son, and as snobby as his wife. Despite his snobbishness, however, he was also slightly milquetoast and weak willed compared to his strong-willed and snotty wife. Tended to wheeze a lot because of his asthma. Although he loves Carlotta, the two argue as well; and the three snobs often quarrel among one another as well. Marshall is appalled that his late father would force him, Kathleen and Carlotta to invite his half-brother and his wife to live in their home, and is equally appalled that his younger brother and mother would welcome them with open arms. Usually put in his place by Mother B, who tended to know more about his dishonesty and often ratted him out.
Carlotta Beck (Dixie Carter
Dixie Carter
Dixie Virginia Carter was an American film, television and stage actress, best known for her role as Julia Sugarbaker in the CBS sitcom Designing Women...
) Marshall's snobby and shrewish wife. She considers herself the only reigning queen of Toad Hall. She, Marshall and Kathleen were always trying to get rid of the Westchesters as well as Mother B. and Stanley, so they would be the only ones who would get the vast fortune of Big Guy, and they would live it up. Despite this, the three wouldst often argue among one another as much as they fought the Westchesters. Their schemes were often foiled by Stanley or by their own ineptitude. Although they shared the same goal, Carlotta couldn't stand Kathleen and vice versa. Carlotta would always snidely remind Kathleen that she was only Big Guy's second wife and thus, was only her stepmother-in-law.
Stanley Beck (Charles Frank
Charles Frank
Charles R. Frank is an American actor noted for playing Bret Maverick's cousin Ben Maverick in the 1978 TV-movie The New Maverick with James Garner and Jack Kelly, and in the short-lived 1979 television series Young Maverick. Graduated with the class of 1969 from MIddlebury College.-Career:From...
) Independently wealthy (due to his wise investment of his money) younger brother of Marshall; ally and half brother of Wild Bill. Ironically, he wasn't involved with the will of Big Guy or in need of the inheritance therein, due to his own wealth. Target of lust by Kathleen whose unwelcome advances he often deflected. Nicest member of the Becks, and welcomed Wild Bill and Bootsie immediately. In fact, it was he who had brought the Westchesters to Toad Hall in the first place. An avid Dr. Pepper drinker, Stanley is kind and concerned about others, but will not tolerate the more dishonest shenanigans of Marshall, Kathleen and Carlotta. Has a close bond with his mother, Mother B. (who calls him Skippy) and is usually there to help his half-brother and half-sister in-law in dealing with Marshall, Carlotta, Kathleen and their schemes.
Winona "Mother B" Beck (Nedra Volz
Nedra Volz
Nedra Volz was an American film and television actress.-Early life and career:Born Nedra Gordonier in Montrose, Iowa, she began her career in the family tent show, and appeared in vaudeville as a toddler...
) Marshall and Stanley's senile mother. Big Guy's first wife, whom he divorced prior to marrying Kathleen. She belied her age by constantly escaping her nursing home where she claimed they (meaning Marshall and Carlotta) were holding her hostage. Mother B had no liking for Kathleen, whom she derisively called "Big Girl". Eventually, she escaped the nursing home for good, and ended up living in Toad Hall. She, like her favored younger son, Stanley, whom she calls Skippy, accepted the Westchesters outright and likes them. She would also often times take delight in ratting out Marshall and Carlotta for their constant wrongdoing.
Wild Bill Westchester (Jerry Hardin
Jerry Hardin
Jerry Hardin is an American actor who has made many television and film appearances. He played illegitimate heir, Wild Bill Westchester, in the failed 1982 television series Filthy Rich. One of his most recognizable roles was that of the character Deep Throat in the series The X-Files...
) A used RV salesman who is discovered to be Big Guy's illegitimate son. (which was proven by DNA test) Accepted by Stanley and Mother B. outright, while being plotted against by Marshall, Carlotta and Kathleen. He and Bootsie were almost scared out of the house by Marshall, Carlotta and Kathleen, by means of a phony seance, but was convinced by Stanley and Mother B., who truly cared about them, that they would always have a home at Toad Hall, whether the other Becks liked it or not.
Bootsie Westchester (Ann Wedgeworth
Ann Wedgeworth
Ann Wedgeworth is a Tony award winning American actress, best known for her role as Lahoma Vane Lucas on the daytime dramas Another World and Somerset .-Early life:...
) Wild Bill's gentle natured but ditzy wife. She, like Wild Bill, is thrilled to be part of the family. Her marriage was almost ruined by Kathleen, Marshall and Carlotta but she, along with Stanley's help, thwarted it. She unwaveringly loves Wild Bill, and makes the most of being on a budget.
George Wilhoit (David Healy; Vernon Weddle) Big Guy's lawyer who played a section of his late client's video will every week, and was there to make sure the conditions, however outlandish, were carried out. Some conditions were reasonable (like the family getting a job or living within a strict budget, after Marshall, Carlotta and Kathleen were caught trying to throw out the Westchesters) while others (where Big Guy had Stanley kidnapped on his birthday to find out who his true friends were) were more than a mite bit bizarre.
Production
Series creator Linda BloodworthLinda Bloodworth-Thomason
Linda Bloodworth-Thomason is an American writer and television producer....
began her television career by co-writing a script for an episode of M*A*S*H with Mary Kay Place
Mary Kay Place
Mary Kay Place is an American actress, singer, director and screen writer. She is best known as portraying Loretta Haggers on the television series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, a role which won her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress - Comedy Series in 1977...
, and when that script was nominated for an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
, she found herself in high demand. Bloodworth was offered staff positions on several TV series, but she turned them down. "I just wanted to get my own shows on the air", she said. "I didn't want to die working those long hours for someone else's show. I didn't want to bleed unless it was for my own show." She formed her own production company, produced numerous pilot episodes
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
and then, in 1980, she got the idea for Filthy Rich. "I just set out to write a comedy about Southerners — eccentric Southerners."
The hour-long pilot for Filthy Rich was filmed on February 27, 1981 as a candidate for inclusion on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's 1981-82 fall schedule. When the fall schedule was announced in May, Filthy Rich wasn't included, but the network optioned it as a potential midseason replacement
Midseason replacement
In American and Canadian television, a midseason replacement is a television series that premieres in the second half of the traditional television season, usually between January and May...
. "Apparently, the network wasn't sure of its feelings", commented Dixie Carter
Dixie Carter
Dixie Virginia Carter was an American film, television and stage actress, best known for her role as Julia Sugarbaker in the CBS sitcom Designing Women...
. "Some executives liked the concept, others despised it." Meanwhile, Delta Burke
Delta Burke
Delta Ramona Leah Burke is an American television and film actress. Her television work includes a leading role as Suzanne Sugarbaker in the CBS sitcom Designing Women...
was offered the role of Katherine Wentworth on Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
, as well as a recurring role on the TV spin-off of Private Benjamin
Private Benjamin (TV series)
Private Benjamin is an American sitcom based on the movie of the same name. The show aired on CBS from April 6, 1981, to January 10, 1983. Eileen Brennan, who reprised her role from the film, won an Emmy and Golden Globe Award for her work on the series....
, but she was forced to turn both parts down because she was under contract for Filthy Rich. Similarly, Carter was asked to replace Tammy Grimes
Tammy Grimes
-Early life:Grimes was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, the daughter of Eola Willard , a naturalist and spiritualist, and Nicholas Luther Grimes, an innkeeper, country-club manager, and farmer. She attended high school at the then-all girls school, Beaver Country Day School, in Chestnut Hill,...
in the Broadway production of 42nd Street
42nd Street (musical)
42nd Street is a musical with a book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, lyrics by Al Dubin, and music by Harry Warren. The 1980 Broadway production, directed by an ailing Gower Champion and orchestrated by Philip J. Lang, won the Tony Award for Best Musical and became a long-running hit...
, but CBS prevented her from accepting. Instead, cast members were forced to take small roles in films and guest-star on various TV shows while awaiting word on the fate of Filthy Rich.
In March 1982, CBS ordered a second pilot episode, this time as a half-hour show. The network stipulated that they wanted the new pilot to be "less bizarre" than the original pilot had been, and though the material was toned down a bit, they still passed on including the show on the fall schedule.
In that era it wasn't unusual for unsold pilots to be broadcast as filler during the summer - replacing low-rated reruns - as a means of recouping the money that was spent to produce them. The original hour-long pilot was split in two and re-edited, then packaged with the second pilot (titled "Town and Garden"), and the now-trio of episodes were billed as a "limited run" series which was broadcast on Monday nights following reruns of M*A*S*H in August 1982. Much to CBS's surprise, the show topped the weekly Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
for three consecutive weeks. CBS Entertainment President Donald "Bud" Grant later commented, "I think we conned ourselves into thinking Filthy Rich was a hot show." The network scrambled to find a place on the fall schedule for the show, ultimately opting to bump the new series Mama Malone off the schedule altogether (Mama Malone eventually aired in 1984).
Although viewers initially tuned in, the series fared poorly with critics. "This is the most misunderstood show I've ever been associated with", said Bloodworth. Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
writer Fred Rothenberg commented in his widely-circulated review, "It's called Filthy Rich and the slant is more toward the former than the latter." Bloodworth retaliated, "I think because the Southern accents are thick and the first shows were very theatrical and broad, the critics tuned out." She went on to defend the show against the Southern critics who'd bashed the series as well. "There are a lot of liberal-minded critics who consider themselves the keepers of the Southern flame. We're not maligning the South, we're celebrating it."
While working on the show, Burke felt particularly pressured to maintain a slender figure. "That's when I discovered crystal meth
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...
, a powerful amphetamine
Amphetamine
Amphetamine or amfetamine is a psychostimulant drug of the phenethylamine class which produces increased wakefulness and focus in association with decreased fatigue and appetite.Brand names of medications that contain, or metabolize into, amphetamine include Adderall, Dexedrine, Dextrostat,...
that cut my hunger but made my heart race", she revealed in her autobiography. It had the side effect of paranoia and making her lapse into unconsciousness.
Adding further woes to the troubled series, actor Slim Pickens
Slim Pickens
Louis Burton Lindley, Jr. , better known by the stage name Slim Pickens, was an American rodeo performer and film and television actor who epitomized the profane, tough, sardonic cowboy, but who is best remembered for his comic roles, notably in Dr...
, who played Big Guy Beck in the original hour-long pilot episode, was rushed to San Francisco Medical Center several days before the series premiered, and he underwent five hours of surgery to remove a brain tumor the day after the show's TV debut. Pickens was released from the hospital before production resumed on the series, but he was unfit to appear. Most subsequent episodes played without Big Guy, though Pickens was quickly replaced by Forrest Tucker
Forrest Tucker
Forrest Tucker was an American actor in both movies and television from the 1940s to the 1980s. Tucker, who stood 190 cm tall and weighed 93 kg , appeared in nearly 100 action films in the 1940s and 1950s.-Early life:Forrest Meredith Tucker was born in Plainfield, Indiana, a son of...
, who didn't play the role with the same broad, comic zeal.
Production soldiered on a little behind schedule. In the early weeks of September, scripts hadn't been completed for any episodes of the fall season, which began on September 26. "Every night I go home with notes on all the network suggestions and work on the scripts", Bloodworth said. "A messenger comes to pick up my rewrites at 1 a.m. I write in longhand and the scripts are typed and returned at 7 a.m. I'm sure my neighbors think I'm in some illegal business." Bloodworth quickly churned out some scripts, but she hired former Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
speech writer E. Jack Kaplan to help pick up the slack.
Filthy Rich returned to the air on Wednesday, October 5. Nestled between Alice
Alice (TV series)
Alice is an American sitcom television series that ran from August 31, 1976 to July 2, 1985 on CBS. The series was based on the 1974 film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. The show stars Linda Lavin in the title role, a widow who moves with her young son to start her life over again, and finds a job...
and Tucker's Witch
Tucker's Witch
Tucker's Witch is a 12-episode comedy-detective series which aired on CBS television from October 6, 1982, to November 10, 1982, and again sporadically from March 31 to June 9, 1983...
and opposite the new series Family Ties
Family Ties
Family Ties is an American sitcom that aired on NBC for seven seasons, from 1982 to 1989. The sitcom reflected the move in the United States from the cultural liberalism of the 1960s and 1970s to the conservatism of the 1980s. This was particularly expressed through the relationship between young...
, ratings quickly plummeted - by the end of October, Filthy Rich ranked #60 in the weekly TV ratings. In November, six weeks into the show's second season, all three series were yanked off the schedule and replaced with The CBS Wednesday Movie. Filthy Rich returned to the schedule - and Monday nights - in January 1983, sandwiched between Square Pegs
Square Pegs
Square Pegs is an American comedy series that aired on CBS during the 1982–1983 season. The series follows Patty Greene and Lauren Hutchinson , two awkward teenage girls desperate to fit in at Weemawee High School....
and M*A*S*H. Ratings didn't improve. It aired for a month before being pulled from the schedule again. The remaining two episodes aired in June, after the series had officially been canceled.
Designing Women
Filthy Rich paved the way for one of CBS's most successful TV series of the late '80s: Designing WomenDesigning Women
Designing Women is an American television sitcom that centered on the working and personal lives of four Southern women and one man in an interior design firm in Atlanta, Georgia. It aired on the CBS television network from September 29, 1986 until May 24, 1993. The show was created by head writer...
. "I'd worked with Dixie and Delta on Filthy Rich", Bloodworth revealed in a 1986 interview. "We've had a secret plot since then to work together again." Bloodworth created the roles of Julia and Suzanne Sugarbaker for Carter and Burke (Burke referred to her Filthy Rich character as "Suzanne in the Beginning;" and Carter's Julia, with her self-righteous, long-winded monologues had more than a bit in common with Carlotta) and numerous one-liners were recycled along with a "hog hat" prop which was prominently featured in episodes of both series. Filthy Rich stars Nedra Volz
Nedra Volz
Nedra Volz was an American film and television actress.-Early life and career:Born Nedra Gordonier in Montrose, Iowa, she began her career in the family tent show, and appeared in vaudeville as a toddler...
and Charles Frank
Charles Frank
Charles R. Frank is an American actor noted for playing Bret Maverick's cousin Ben Maverick in the 1978 TV-movie The New Maverick with James Garner and Jack Kelly, and in the short-lived 1979 television series Young Maverick. Graduated with the class of 1969 from MIddlebury College.-Career:From...
each guest-starred on Designing Women, as did guest-stars Tracey Walter
Tracey Walter
Tracey Walter is an American character actor. He has appeared in over 100 films and television shows.-Life and career:Walter was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, the son of a truck driver....
, William Utay
William Utay
William Utay is an American character actor known for roles as stockbroker-turned-bum Phil Sanders, and Phil's evil twin Will, on the American television series Night Court. Utay also plays Dr...
, Davis Roberts and John Petlock, and E. Jack Kaplan penned an early episode. Additionally, Charles Frank reunited with Burke for an episode of the short-lived Designing Women spin-off Women of the House
Women of the House
Women of the House is an American situation comedy television series. It is a spin-off of Designing Women and stars Delta Burke, who had reconciled with producers after a bitter, highly publicized, off-screen battle.- Premise :...
.
Episodes
| # | Title | Original airdate | Plot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | "Pilot (I)" | August 9, 1982 | At the reading of cryogenically frozen family patriarch Big Guy Beck's video-will, the Becks learn that Big Guy had an illegitimate son -- used RV dealer Wild Bill Westchester. To make matters even more embarrassing for the Becks, they learn that in order to receive their inheritance, they'll have to live "in peace and harmony" with Wild Bill and his "lovely and whimsical" wife, Bootsie, in Toad Hall, the family mansion. Independently wealthy son Stanley and his mother, Big Guy's first wife, Mother B, greets the Westchesters with open arms. However, snobby son Marshall, his wife, Carlotta, and Big Guy's widow, Kathleen are overwrought with embarrassment and the three scheme to get the Westchesters out of the picture. |
| 1-2 | "Pilot (II)" | August 16, 1982 | Marshall, Carlotta, and Kathleen devise a scheme to disprove Wild Bill's relation to big guy -- so they drug him and steal a half gallon of his blood to use for testing. But in the end, all it proves is that Wild Bill actually is Big Guy's son. |
| 1-3 | "Town and Garden" | August 23, 1982 | The Becks try to teach the Westchester's proper manners when they learn that a town and garden magazine wants to feature Toad Hall on the cover. But there's still the problem of Mother B. -- so Marshall attempts to drug her... but he winds up taking the sleeping pills himself. In the end, Mr. Means decides not to use Toad Hall, instead opting for Mother B.'s nursing home. |
| 2-1 | "Some Like It Not" | October 6, 1982 | Marshall, Carlotta and Kathleen scheme to break up the happy Westchester marriage and drive them out of Toad Hall. Their plan has Kathleen seducing Wild Bill, while Marshall makes a move on Bootsie. But the whole plan backfires when Stanley figures out what's going on and has Wild Bill pretend to be smitten with Carlotta. |
| 2-2 | "The Kidnapping of Stanley" | October 13, 1982 | It's Stanley's 35th birthday and Marshall, Carlotta and Kathleen expect him to get the gift of cash, so naturally they all suck up to him. But instead of cash, a cake arrives with two ladies inside -- who kidnap him. It's soon revealed that the kidnapping was arranged by Big Guy, so Stanley could find out who his friends really are -- his "friends" being whichever family members come up with the ransom. Needless to say that Marshall, Carlotta and Kathleen aren't his friends... Wild Bill and Bootsie work feverishly to come up with the cash, but it's Mother B who saves the day (with cash she picked from the money tree that Big Guy left her). |
| 2-3 | "The Real Men" | October 20, 1982 | In an attempt to prove himself to Carlotta, Marshall takes out a huge loan -- unaware that he's borrowing the money from a gangster. Marshall flaunts his newfound wealth... then loses it to one of Mother B's friends in a poker game. |
| 2-4 | "The Happy Medium" | October 27, 1982 | Bootsie's sudden interest in the occult finds Carlotta scrambling to arrange a phony seance to contact Big Guy's spirit, who tells the Westchesters to give up their inheritance and leave Toad Hall. The schemers are exposed, Marshall, Kathleen and Carlotta are foiled once again, and Stanley convinces Wild Bill and Bootsie that they will always have a home at Toad Hall, whether Marshall, Carlotta and Kathleen liked it or not. |
| 2-5 | "Take This Job and Love It (I)" | November 3, 1982 | The latest installment of Big Guy's video will includes a promise of a $10,000 bonus for the family member who finds work and gets the best report. Marshall and Wild Bill get jobs at an RV dealership; Carlotta becomes a tour guide; Bootsie starts a fingernail and undewear franchise; and Kathleen receives promotion after promotion at the State Bank. It's smooth sailing until Bootsie reveals that she's set up an in-home presentation on the same night that the Southern 500 Committee is scheduled to arrive for a dinner meeting regarding Marshall and Carlotta's failure to pay their annual dues. |
| 2-6 | "Take This Job and Love It (II)" | November 10, 1982 | Members of the Southern 500 Committee arrive for a meeting with Marshall and Carlotta on the same evening when Bootsie's having an in-home presentation for a fingernail and underwear franchise that she's started. The festivities get off to a rocky start when Carlotta, who's fallen into the river, is forced to wear her work clothes to the party. Further complications ensue when Wild Bill burns dinner forcing Bootsie's party into the adjoining room (though her sole guest is homeless Alvin Essary) and Mother B. arrives to liven things up. |
| 2-7 | "The Country Club" | January 17, 1983 | The snobby Beck trio are horrified when Stanley arrives at the country club with Bootsie and Wild Bill. But what happens next horrifies them even more -- Bootsie and Bill decide to join the country club! In an attempt to discredit the Westchesters, Carlotta sets up a meeting with the admissions committee and encourages the Westchesters to be themselves. She and Marshall pick out the tackiest clothes in the Westchester closet, and invite wino Alvin Essary to speak on behalf of the Westchesters. But Stanley intervenes, making the rest of the Becks look like fools when Essary and the Westchesters arrive dressed and acting like royalty. The result is the Westchesters are accepted in the Country Club, while Marshall and Carlotta, due to a scheme to pocket money using phony foster children, are placed on probation. |
| 2-8 | "A Beck Goes Back" | January 24, 1983 | When Carlotta is nominated to be vice president of the Dames of the Confederacy, her rival nominee, Sissy Chastaine gives Carlotta a most difficult charity to complete in order to stay in the running--the high school equivalency test drive. Carlotta is determined to win the nomination, but has no idea how to complete her charity drive, until Bootsie reveals she does not have her high school diploma. Bootsie offers her help to Carlotta and Marshall, who repel her every effort. Finally, Stanley, Wild Bill and Bootsie (who has been preparing to take her exam by reading the entire encyclopedia Britannica--except the "z"s) come up with the perfect plan to help--make giant billboards of Bootsie wearing her mortar board and holding a diploma under the heading: "A Beck goes Back!" [to school]. Carlotta, Marshall, and Kathleen are horrified, and armed with paint and brushes go around town blocking out the Beck name. The snobs are arrested for defacing public property. When Carlotta returns home after spending a night in jail, she receives a phone call from Sissy Chastaine. Sissy tells Carlotta that the equivalency test drive was a huge success. Carlotta is thrilled, believing she has won the nomination, until Sissy tells her that due to her now criminal record, (her night of vandalism) she is disqualified. |
| 2-9 | "The Treasure of Toad Hall" | January 31, 1983 | When Bootsie discovers a Civil War diary which documents hidden gold in the mansion, Marshall and Carlotta quickly concoct a scheme to keep Bootsie from telling the rest of the family. |
| 2-10 | "The Blue and the Gray for the Green" | February 14, 1983 | The Becks are delighted when they learn that Toad Hall is regarded as a historical site, thus entitling them to tax exemption. However, the snobs don't anticipate that as a historical site, they are required by law to conduct tours of the family mansion. |
| 2-11 | "The First Heir" | June 8, 1983 | When it's revealed that there's a large inheritance waiting for the first Beck grandchild, Marshall, Carlotta and Kathleen begin to scheme. Kathleen takes the opportunity to try to seduce Stanley yet again. Marshall and Carlotta, on the other hand, decide to adopt a child, thinking that an adopted child would still be a Beck grandchild (George later told them that would not be the case). Afraid that Bootsie will become pregnant before the adoption can be completed, the trio decide to keep the Westchesters apart -- Kathleen and Carlotta have slumber parties with Bootsie while Marshall keeps Wild Bill awake, telling him of his problems. Eventually, it's revealed that Bootsie can't get pregnant, and she and Wild Bill have tried. Upon hearing this, and receiving a phone call that their application for adoption was denied, an enraged Carlotta banishes Marshall out of their bedroom into a tent in the hallway. |
| 2-12 | "The Best Revenge Is Stealing Your Ex-Husband's Second Wife's Fiance" | June 15, 1983 | Gold-digging Kathleen finds herself engaged to a rich old timer and the wedding's just days away. Marshall and Carlotta are excited by this news because, by getting remarried, Kathleen forfeits her claim on Big Guy's money. Kathleen sees this as her last opportunity to seduce Stanley who rings a fire alarm to scare her off. But Kathleen's giddiness turns to despair when her finace announces that he's in love with Mother B. just moments before they are to be wed. |