# RIP Linda Lavin **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, celebrity-death\ **Created:** [December 30, 2024, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-linda-lavin/1012350 "2024-12-30T17:27:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-linda-lavin/1012350/1 "2024-12-30T17:27:41Z")
Probably best known to most as the star of “Alice”, the TV sitcom about a waitress. 87 years is a good run in life. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-linda-lavin/1012350/2 "2024-12-30T17:29:55Z")
[Wentworth of Barney Miller](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072472/characters/nm0492089). She was going to be promoted to regular when she got the starring role in Alice. She chose well, but Wentworth was a great character. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-linda-lavin/1012350/3 "2024-12-30T17:42:43Z")
Well, kiss my grits, this is sad news. ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-linda-lavin/1012350/4 "2024-12-30T17:46:41Z")
Bart Simpson has one less mortal enemy. I had a fondness for the show as a pre-teen. It was on CBS so not the night Newhart, Mary Tyler Moore and MASH were on. Probably Friday. She was going to where, Vegas or LA to be a singer? Well she got to sing the opening title song. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-linda-lavin/1012350/5 "2024-12-30T17:49:24Z")
Until reading her Wikipedia entry just now, I had not ever realized that she did a lot of theater work, and was a Tony winner (and was nominated six times). ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-linda-lavin/1012350/6 "2024-12-30T17:50:41Z")
I don’t think I’ve seen an episode since I left the United States in 1982. The only characters I can remember by name were Alice (duh), Flo, and Mel. I remember there was a regular customer at the diner with glasses who worked for the phone company. Other than that, the only thing I remember is the theme song. Weird what you remember after nearly 23 years. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-linda-lavin/1012350/7 "2024-12-30T17:54:37Z")
I guess living in the NY Metro area, I knew she was big on Broadway. I thought it was just common knowledge in fact. > [@Odesio](#): > > I remember there was a regular customer at the diner with glasses who worked for the phone company. I’m pretty sure he was a gas station attendant in Mad Mad Mad World. The station that Jonathon Winter’s character destroyed. I feel like that is the only other thing I knew him from. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-linda-lavin/1012350/8 "2024-12-30T17:56:09Z")
RIP. Here’s her performance of “The Boy From…” from _The Mad Show_ (a rare Steven Sondheim - Mary Rodgers collaboration): [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4CII7E_RjGU/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AG-AoAC8AGKAgwIABABGGUgYihMMA8=&rs=AOn4CLCm0_9fBqBZqjCTpdfsekbc9ZOV2w "The Boy From...(The MAD Show)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CII7E_RjGU) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-linda-lavin/1012350/9 "2024-12-30T17:57:06Z")
Are you talking about Arnold Stang? He was the voice of Top Cat. The other attendant was Marvin Kaplan. He was the voice of Choo-Choo. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-linda-lavin/1012350/10 "2024-12-30T17:58:13Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Marvin Kaplan Was the one from Alice. Thank you. I don’t know who Choo-Choo was though. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-linda-lavin/1012350/11 "2024-12-30T17:59:15Z")
[Choo-Choo | Top Cat Wiki | Fandom](https://topcat.fandom.com/wiki/Choo-Choo) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-linda-lavin/1012350/12 "2024-12-30T18:01:22Z")
It says he’s from the 13th Precinct of NYC which in theory would place them next to the old One Two of NYC that Detective Wentworth worked at. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-linda-lavin/1012350/13 "2024-12-30T18:01:56Z")
You give Mel any guff, you’ll be wearing concrete galoshes. ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-linda-lavin/1012350/14 "2024-12-30T18:06:05Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Arnold Stang? He was the voice of Top Cat. Yeah, I remembered the character had a fairly prominent NYC accent, as did Top Cat (a Manhattan cat) and that was an impersonation of Phil Silvers (also from NYC). I want to say that Linda Lavin did put on a New Jersey-esque accent yet that show had quite a bunch of characters with certain accents. Vic Tayback, as Mel, only sounded like he was from Brooklyn. I’d like to think IRL Phoenix there are a lot of expat downstate New Yorkers. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-linda-lavin/1012350/15 "2024-12-30T18:06:38Z")
There you go! 🙂 _ **Top Cat** _ has always been my favorite Hanna-Barbera cartoon, maybe because it’s an animated version of _ **You’ll Never Get Rich** _ (aka _ **Sgt Bilko** _) with Phil Silvers (who was also in _ **It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World** _). Another connection: Benny “the Ball” in _ **Top Cat** _ was voiced by Maurice Gosfield, who played Pvt Doberman in _ **Bilko** _. IRL, my initials are T.C. too. 👍 ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-linda-lavin/1012350/16 "2024-12-30T18:07:50Z")
Amazingly she worked right to the end. > **[Linda Lavin | Actress, Director, Producer](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0492089/)** > > Known for: Alice, The Back-up Plan, I Want to Go Home [https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/linda-lavin-49068](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/linda-lavin-49068) ## We should take the not Linda Lavin talk out of this thread, we’re hijacking a memoriam. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-linda-lavin/1012350/17 "2024-12-30T18:09:07Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > _ **Top Cat** _ has always been my favorite Hanna-Barbera cartoon, maybe because it’s an animated version of _ **You’ll Never Get Rich** _ (aka _ **Sgt Bilko** _) with Phil Silvers (who was also in **It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World** ). Which in turn inspired another novelty song on which Lavin performed (“It’s a World, World, World, World Mad.”) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-linda-lavin/1012350/18 "2024-12-30T18:24:02Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I guess living in the NY Metro area, I knew she was big on Broadway. I thought it was just common knowledge I knew it from my long fandom of all things comic-book-related, in that I kept running across people saying — of the flop Broadway musical about Superman — _it was so bad that even Jack Cassidy as a villain and Linda Lavin as a love interest weren’t able to save it._ Which, y’know, is pretty high praise, if you squint just right. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-linda-lavin/1012350/19 "2024-12-30T18:30:31Z")
Linda Lavin did a fantastic job on Selected Shorts [reading Amy Bloom’s “Silver Water”](https://www.symphonyspace.org/selected-shorts/episodes/approaching-peace-2). It’s still one of their most requested readings. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-linda-lavin/1012350/20 "2024-12-30T19:58:09Z")
I saw her on off-Broadway in _The Mad Show_ and on Broadway with her star-making song in _It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman._ [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/s1CZ3m2NEfg/hqdefault.jpg "Linda Lavin sings "You've Got Possibilities" from "It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1CZ3m2NEfg) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-linda-lavin/1012350.md?page=2)