# Please help me figure out who Mary Elizabeth Ellis reminds me of. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 14, 2018, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-figure-out-who-mary-elizabeth-ellis-reminds-me-of/812394 "2018-04-14T09:00:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2018, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-figure-out-who-mary-elizabeth-ellis-reminds-me-of/812394/1 "2018-04-14T09:00:26Z")
She’s probably been on other shows, but Mary Elizabeth Ellis of the “Santa Clarita Diet” reminds me of an actress from the 70’s whose name I can’t remember and it’s driving me crazy. She typically played a mom character and I associate her with sitcoms like “The Love Boat” but she wasn’t a regular cast member (I don’t think). Here’s Mary. [![](https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180414/10b8893acee3cf8032c844f86fef31fe.jpg) ](https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180414/10b8893acee3cf8032c844f86fef31fe.jpg) TIA. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2018, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-figure-out-who-mary-elizabeth-ellis-reminds-me-of/812394/2 "2018-04-14T09:53:37Z")
[Meredith Baxter](https://www.google.com.au/search?q=Meredith+Baxter&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch#imgrc=la_WTE8NMe08AM:) from _Family Ties_ maybe? Or [Sandy Duncan](https://www.google.com.au/search?q=Sandy+Duncan&num=100&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwicqcvQv7naAhXIXLwKHQJ9Am0Q_AUICigB&biw=1662&bih=1066) from _The Hogan Family_? ---
**Author:** ![flaming\_yawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cab0a1/32.png) [@flaming\_yawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flaming_yawn)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2018, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-figure-out-who-mary-elizabeth-ellis-reminds-me-of/812394/3 "2018-04-14T12:48:11Z")
Nope I know who they are thinking of… the lady who played Lassies mom. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2018, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-figure-out-who-mary-elizabeth-ellis-reminds-me-of/812394/4 "2018-04-14T13:14:27Z")
Wow. I really give crappy clues. It turns out that she was never on “The Love Boat” but was married to Gavin McCleod on “Mary Tyler Moore Show” so maybe that’s where I made that connection. > **[Joyce Bulifant](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyce_Bulifant)** > > Joyce Collins Bulifant (born December 16, 1937) is an American actress and author. In addition to recurring roles on television, including The Mary Tyler Moore Show as Marie Slaughter, Bulifant is recognized for film roles in The Happiest Millionaire and Airplane! and as a frequent panelist on game shows, including Chain Reaction, Match Game, and Password Plus. > Bulifant was born in Newport News, Virginia. She attended Solebury School in New Hope, Pennsylvania, graduating in 1956 in the same cl... ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2018, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-figure-out-who-mary-elizabeth-ellis-reminds-me-of/812394/5 "2018-04-14T14:38:46Z")
I was about to say that she reminds me of The Waitress on It’s Always Sunny (which I know isn’t a show from the 70s), only to find out that there’s a good reason for that. It’s the same actress. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2018, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-figure-out-who-mary-elizabeth-ellis-reminds-me-of/812394/6 "2018-04-14T17:17:25Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > Wow. I really give crappy clues. It turns out that she was never on “The Love Boat” but was married to Gavin McCleod on “Mary Tyler Moore Show” so maybe that’s where I made that connection. > > [Joyce Bulifant - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyce_Bulifant) As soon as you said “mom 70s” This is who id thought it would be ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2018, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-figure-out-who-mary-elizabeth-ellis-reminds-me-of/812394/7 "2018-04-14T20:34:54Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > As soon as you said “mom 70s” > > This is who id thought it would be Me too, for some reason. Fun trivia: Joyce Bulifant was originally cast as Carol Brady on _The Brady Bunch_. Reportedly, after Ann B. Davis landed the role of Alice, the producers decided the two were too similar in demeanor, so they brought in the more reserved Florence Henderson instead. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2018, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-figure-out-who-mary-elizabeth-ellis-reminds-me-of/812394/8 "2018-04-14T23:16:42Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > As soon as you said “mom 70s” > > This is who id thought it would be It was the picture that gave it away to me. Not right away, but I thought it looked enough like Joyce Bulifant to take a guess. I think we can all agree that her performance in [Airplane](https://youtu.be/RMh9hPGNGKE) is the peak of her career. And to complete the trivia circle, that’s Jill Whelan as her daughter, who was also Gavin MacLeod’s daughter on _The Love Boat_. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2018, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-figure-out-who-mary-elizabeth-ellis-reminds-me-of/812394/9 "2018-04-14T23:43:56Z")
> [@flaming\_yawn](#): > > Nope I know who they are thinking of… the lady who played Lassies mom. That would be Maureen Robinson, who was lost in space for three years, then changed her name, moved to Hooterville and practiced medicine. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-figure-out-who-mary-elizabeth-ellis-reminds-me-of/812394/10 "2018-04-15T21:47:22Z")
She reminds me of Mira Sorvino. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-figure-out-who-mary-elizabeth-ellis-reminds-me-of/812394/11 "2018-04-15T23:05:53Z")
FWIW the photo in the OP of Mary Elizabeth Ellis reminded me of Gwyneyth Paltrow. The Wikipedia photo of Joyce Bulifant made me think she was the actress who played Mrs. Voorhees in the original Friday the 13th movie, who was actually played by Betsy Palmer. > **[Betsy Palmer, Who Played Mrs. Voorhees in ‘Friday the 13th,’ Dies at 88](https://variety.com/2015/film/news/betsy-palmer-dies-dead-friday-the-13th-mrs-voorhees-1201509073/)** > > Betsy Palmer, who is best known for playing Jason Voorhees’ mother in “Friday the 13th” and appeared in dozens of other films, plays and TV shows, died Friday in Connecticut of na… ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-figure-out-who-mary-elizabeth-ellis-reminds-me-of/812394/12 "2018-04-16T00:00:51Z")
Carolyn Rhea, younger version. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-figure-out-who-mary-elizabeth-ellis-reminds-me-of/812394/13 "2018-04-16T18:44:41Z")
Joyce Bulifant was also a semi-regular on **The Match Game**. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-figure-out-who-mary-elizabeth-ellis-reminds-me-of/812394/14 "2018-04-16T19:09:16Z")
I would have guessed Florence Henderson, but everyone knows Henderson’s lightning tattoo was on her left breast, not her wrist. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-figure-out-who-mary-elizabeth-ellis-reminds-me-of/812394/15 "2018-04-16T19:43:25Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > She’s probably been on other shows, but Mary Elizabeth Ellis of the “Santa Clarita Diet” reminds me of an actress from the 70’s whose name I can’t remember and it’s driving me crazy. She typically played a mom character and I associate her with sitcoms like “The Love Boat” but she wasn’t a regular cast member (I don’t think). > > Here’s Mary. > > [https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180414/10b8893acee3cf8032c844f86fef31fe.jpg](https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180414/10b8893acee3cf8032c844f86fef31fe.jpg) > > TIA. Not from the 70’s but she looks a bit like Melissa Joan Hart. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SG4ENj2rQS8/maxresdefault.jpg) ](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SG4ENj2rQS8/maxresdefault.jpg)