Jolene Hunnicutt
Encyclopedia
Jolene Hunnicutt was a fictional character in the television series Alice
. She was played, through the show's end in 1985, by theater actress, Celia Weston
.
and had quite a family. She was distantly related to the infamous Jefferson Davis Hogg, better known as Boss Hogg
from the series, The Dukes of Hazzard
. Her most memorable, and most spoken of, relative was her beloved Granny Gums (the "Gums" in her name was a nickname resulting from the fact that she had only three or four teeth in her mouth). Granny Gums helped raise Jolene as a child and was quite a colorful character as Jolene told it.
When she was introduced in the fifth season, Jolene Hunnicutt and her troublemaking trucker partner, Bert, had eaten at Mel's Diner, when Jolene got angry with him because he had made an unwanted pass at her, and locked herself in the ladies room. It appeared to be a somewhat hastily written and filmed episode (obviously at the rather sudden departure of Diane Ladd's Belle), but it is one to be remembered as well.
Worried about what would happen, Mel Sharples
and his other waitresses, Alice Hyatt
and Vera Louise Gorman-Novak
tried to talk her out of quitting her trucking job.
It almost worked. But Jolene knew Bert was up to no good, and she knew that he would only make another pass at her again if she went back on the road with him. In a fit of anger at Bert, she threw some of Mel's prized "M"plates at him, which Mel certainly didn't like. (He had just bought these plates from a Japanese restaurant that had closed down which had been called Wattanabe's, the big "W" on the front of the place simply being turned upside down to become an "M".)
Jolene agreed to work off the damage to Mel's destroyed plates by becoming a "temporary" waitress until a new one came along, since former waitress, Belle Dupree
had left Phoenix for Nashville, Tennessee
. One never did come along, and Jolene remained until the end of the series. All in all, Celia Weston's Jolene was featured in more episodes than either Polly Holliday as Flo or Diane Ladd as Belle. By Jolene's third season (the series' seventh season), she was getting more laughs than most of the other characters in many episodes and had a big following.
Mel and Jolene continually sparred with words, but one sensed a mutual affection between the two. He called her "Blondie" or "Blond Head", and for a season or so, "Temporary". Jolene almost always got along well with Alice and Vera, and was very good natured. Jolene affectionately called Vera "shoebutton". Whenever Jolene was shocked or surprised, her catch phrase was Jump back! Her accent was distinctly a South-eastern Southern accent, one that Weston herself perfected while growing up in South Carolina.
Throughout the five seasons (fifth to ninth) that Jolene was in the cast, she pitched on the Mel's Diner softball team, worked as a part time flight attendant (breaking Mel's moonlighting rules), sang and danced in a musical with Alice and Vera alongside Joel Gray, thwarted the unwanted affection of Artie, the night watchman and diner customer (played by Tony Longo), dated a cat burglar, and tried out for a basketball team (and her coach by Mel). Obviously, she trying to better herself however she could, and working for Mel was not always the best way. In another episode, Mel coerced Jolene to pretend to be his "gorgeous blonde girlfriend" to impress a buddy, and ended up staging a sham wedding. In that sixth season episode, Henry (Marvin Kaplan) was also coerced by Mel to perform the wedding as "Father Beesmeyer."
Toward the end of the series, Jolene's family was introduced in two episodes. In an episode in the seventh season, Jolene's brother Jonas Hunnicutt was introduced, who ended up selling Mel a bogus worm ranch (scams were his specialty). In the ninth and last season, Jolene's father and the rest of her many brothers, as well as Granny Gums herself, and their dog Ole Blue, were featured in a classic episode.
When the show ended after over 200 episodes, Mel gave the girls each a cash bonus. Jolene used her bonus that she received, plus money that she had received when Granny Gumms died, to open a beauty shop.
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...
. She was played, through the show's end in 1985, by theater actress, Celia Weston
Celia Weston
Celia Weston is an American actress of stage, film and television, and a character actress. Professionally, she may be best known for her role as Jolene Hunnicutt on Alice.-Life and career:...
.
Pride of Myrtle Point
Jolene was from the apparently fictional Myrtle Point, South CarolinaSouth Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
and had quite a family. She was distantly related to the infamous Jefferson Davis Hogg, better known as Boss Hogg
Boss Hogg
Jefferson Davis "J.D." Hogg, better known as "Boss" Hogg, is a fictional character featured in the American television series The Dukes of Hazzard. He was the greedy, unethical commissioner of Hazzard County. A stereotypical villainous glutton, Boss Hogg always wore an all-white suit with a white...
from the series, The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that aired on the CBS television network from 1979 to 1985.The series was inspired by the 1975 film Moonrunners, which was also created by Gy Waldron and had many identical or similar character names and concepts.- Overview :The Dukes of Hazzard...
. Her most memorable, and most spoken of, relative was her beloved Granny Gums (the "Gums" in her name was a nickname resulting from the fact that she had only three or four teeth in her mouth). Granny Gums helped raise Jolene as a child and was quite a colorful character as Jolene told it.
When she was introduced in the fifth season, Jolene Hunnicutt and her troublemaking trucker partner, Bert, had eaten at Mel's Diner, when Jolene got angry with him because he had made an unwanted pass at her, and locked herself in the ladies room. It appeared to be a somewhat hastily written and filmed episode (obviously at the rather sudden departure of Diane Ladd's Belle), but it is one to be remembered as well.
Worried about what would happen, Mel Sharples
Mel Sharples
Melvin Emory Sharples is a fictional character in the 1974 film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore and the television sitcom series, Alice. The character was played by the late Vic Tayback, who reprised his movie role for the television show.- The man with the Spatula :Melvin Emory Sharples was born...
and his other waitresses, Alice Hyatt
Alice Hyatt
Alice Hyatt is a fictional character in the movie Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore and in the subsequent television remake Alice. In the movie, she was played by Ellen Burstyn, who won an Academy Award for the role...
and Vera Louise Gorman-Novak
Vera Louise Gorman-Novak
Vera Novak was a fictional character in the long-running television series Alice. She was played by actress Beth Howland.-The "Dingy":Vera was the only original waitress besides Alice who lasted all of the show's run...
tried to talk her out of quitting her trucking job.
It almost worked. But Jolene knew Bert was up to no good, and she knew that he would only make another pass at her again if she went back on the road with him. In a fit of anger at Bert, she threw some of Mel's prized "M"plates at him, which Mel certainly didn't like. (He had just bought these plates from a Japanese restaurant that had closed down which had been called Wattanabe's, the big "W" on the front of the place simply being turned upside down to become an "M".)
Jolene agreed to work off the damage to Mel's destroyed plates by becoming a "temporary" waitress until a new one came along, since former waitress, Belle Dupree
Belle Dupree
Isabelle Amanda Dupree better known as Belle, was a fictional character in the television series Alice. She was played by actress Diane Ladd who, incidentally, played the character of Flo in the movie Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, on which the television show was based.-She "moves like the waves...
had left Phoenix for Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. One never did come along, and Jolene remained until the end of the series. All in all, Celia Weston's Jolene was featured in more episodes than either Polly Holliday as Flo or Diane Ladd as Belle. By Jolene's third season (the series' seventh season), she was getting more laughs than most of the other characters in many episodes and had a big following.
Mel and Jolene continually sparred with words, but one sensed a mutual affection between the two. He called her "Blondie" or "Blond Head", and for a season or so, "Temporary". Jolene almost always got along well with Alice and Vera, and was very good natured. Jolene affectionately called Vera "shoebutton". Whenever Jolene was shocked or surprised, her catch phrase was Jump back! Her accent was distinctly a South-eastern Southern accent, one that Weston herself perfected while growing up in South Carolina.
Throughout the five seasons (fifth to ninth) that Jolene was in the cast, she pitched on the Mel's Diner softball team, worked as a part time flight attendant (breaking Mel's moonlighting rules), sang and danced in a musical with Alice and Vera alongside Joel Gray, thwarted the unwanted affection of Artie, the night watchman and diner customer (played by Tony Longo), dated a cat burglar, and tried out for a basketball team (and her coach by Mel). Obviously, she trying to better herself however she could, and working for Mel was not always the best way. In another episode, Mel coerced Jolene to pretend to be his "gorgeous blonde girlfriend" to impress a buddy, and ended up staging a sham wedding. In that sixth season episode, Henry (Marvin Kaplan) was also coerced by Mel to perform the wedding as "Father Beesmeyer."
Toward the end of the series, Jolene's family was introduced in two episodes. In an episode in the seventh season, Jolene's brother Jonas Hunnicutt was introduced, who ended up selling Mel a bogus worm ranch (scams were his specialty). In the ninth and last season, Jolene's father and the rest of her many brothers, as well as Granny Gums herself, and their dog Ole Blue, were featured in a classic episode.
When the show ended after over 200 episodes, Mel gave the girls each a cash bonus. Jolene used her bonus that she received, plus money that she had received when Granny Gumms died, to open a beauty shop.