# Sally Field's most iconic role? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 25, 2016, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sally-fields-most-iconic-role/744143 "2016-01-25T02:00:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sally-fields-most-iconic-role/744143/21 "2016-01-25T09:05:20Z")
I’m really surprised “The Flying Nun” is getting so many votes in this thread since even though it had a successful run, it nearly brought Sally Field’s career to a dead stop. She lost a lot of choice roles because of that show (e.g., Mattie Ross in the original **True Grit** ) and it took nearly a decade before anyone in Hollywood took her seriously as an actress. Incidentally, are they still showing “The Flying Nun” in reruns? I haven’t seen it anywhere in years. I would’ve thought Field saved all her money, bought all the episodes of the show, and burned them. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sally-fields-most-iconic-role/744143/22 "2016-01-25T09:07:55Z")
^ You’re typecasted role is usually your most iconic. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sally-fields-most-iconic-role/744143/23 "2016-01-25T15:02:40Z")
The first thing I thought of is _Steel Magnolias_, but that’s probably because it was on tv last night. I think her most iconic is _Gidget_ and her best is\* Soap Dish\*. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sally-fields-most-iconic-role/744143/24 "2016-01-25T15:06:21Z")
It’s the Flying Nun. There were plenty of other Gidgets. It’s not an insult to her career as an actress, it’s just a very unique and memorable role. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sally-fields-most-iconic-role/744143/25 "2016-01-25T15:24:11Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > The Flying Nun. I don’t know what “iconic” means. But whatever it means, The Flying Nun must be it. Don’t cha tink? Well … as long as you don’t stink, you are one step ahead of me! J/K 🙂 OK. Well … I looked up “iconic” and it says … “executed according to a convention or tradition” > **[Dictionary.com | Meanings & Definitions of English Words](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/iconic?s=t)** > > The world's leading online dictionary: English definitions, synonyms, word origins, example sentences, word games, and more. A trusted authority for 25+ years! I’m sorry but I just can’t see how that relates to Sally Field or any part she played. But then again, I am kind of stupid so … you just never can tell. ---
**Author:** ![Find\_Friends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@Find\_Friends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Find_Friends)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sally-fields-most-iconic-role/744143/26 "2016-01-25T15:24:58Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > She will \*\*always \*\*be Gidget to me! :o Me too! ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sally-fields-most-iconic-role/744143/27 "2016-01-25T15:31:00Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > A Google search bring’s up this old SDMB thread from 2009: [Sally Field- That’s what she’s going to be remembered for???](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=529346&page=2) Her single most memorable/iconic moment: The Oscar speech where she gushes, “You like me. You really, really like me!” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sally-fields-most-iconic-role/744143/28 "2016-01-25T15:34:05Z")
I was never a big fan of the Flying Nun or Gidget, so they were never the most iconic role to me. I did enjoy her in Smokey and the Bandit and have never seen Norma Rae. For me, her iconic moment was in a movie she didn’t star in (or at best was the co-star): _Absence of Malice._ She had to carry out the 'ruthless (and at times clueless) reporter with a heart of gold who was able to romance Paul Newman and still in the end have you cheering for her. IMHO, her best acting in a movie that is undervalued. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sally-fields-most-iconic-role/744143/29 "2016-01-25T15:39:34Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > There’s a cartoon I am fond of, of a man standing in front of his TV. He has a furious, raging, disgusted, insane expression. He has dropped his pants and is exposing himself to the TV, upon which you can see The Flying Nun on broadcast. > > Yeah…that’s how I will always remember Sally Field. He liked her… he really liked her. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sally-fields-most-iconic-role/744143/30 "2016-01-25T16:08:02Z")
I clearly don’t have the broad Sally Field base the rest of you have. When I think Sally Field, I think Sassy the Himalayan and then M’Lynn Eatenton and that’s it. I know intellectually that she was the flying nun but I never saw it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sally-fields-most-iconic-role/744143/31 "2016-01-25T16:53:59Z")
Sorry, Sally, but _Flying Nun_ it is! ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sally-fields-most-iconic-role/744143/32 "2016-01-25T17:05:57Z")
I went to the movies yesterday and saw a preview for her new movie [Hello, My Name Is Doris](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3766394/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1), which got me thinking about her. My first thought was “Mom in Forrest Gump,” followed by “You like me, you really like me,” followed by _The Flying Nun/Gidget_. Since I was too young to see \*The Flying Nun \*or _Gidget_ when they originally ran, my first introduction to Sally Field was as **[The Girl with Something Extra](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069585/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)**. Like Dustin Hoffman, I think she has had so many iconic roles that there isn’t just one that can be identified with her. ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sally-fields-most-iconic-role/744143/33 "2016-01-25T17:35:19Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I guess I’m not with the crowd on this one. I think it’s _Norma Rae_. I am with you on this one. Norma Rae was the defining role. Did _Gidget_ or _The Flying Nun_ ever hit syndication? Seriously, how old are you people? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sally-fields-most-iconic-role/744143/34 "2016-01-25T17:39:40Z")
> [@JKilez](#): > > I am with you on this one. Norma Rae was the defining role. Did _Gidget_ or _The Flying Nun_ ever hit syndication? Seriously, how old are you people? The Flying Nun was in syndication for decades. I watched it in the 80’s. I think Nick at Night ran it in the 90’s but I’m not positive. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sally-fields-most-iconic-role/744143/35 "2016-01-25T17:39:56Z")
> [@JKilez](#): > > I am with you on this one. Norma Rae was the defining role. Did _Gidget_ or _The Flying Nun_ ever hit syndication? Seriously, how old are you people? Of course they hit syndication. Not that that negates the fact that I’m old, but they were produced in the '60s and I was watching them in the '80s and '90s. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sally-fields-most-iconic-role/744143/36 "2016-01-25T17:48:05Z")
Yeah, I’m in the _Norma Rae_ camp. [This](http://www.familyforwardoregon.org/site/wp-content/uploads/sally-field-Norma-Rae.jpg) was an iconic moment in film, let alone in the career of Sally Field. If you’ve never seen it, even just this scene is worth watching. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sally-fields-most-iconic-role/744143/37 "2016-01-25T17:55:59Z")
Sister Bertrille with Norma Rae a close second. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sally-fields-most-iconic-role/744143/38 "2016-01-25T19:42:57Z")
Maybe I’m the only fan of [Murphy’s Romance](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089643/) I loved this movie. She was funny and sexy in it. Speaking of Gidget…is [this](http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1713043968/nm0000398?ref_=nmmd_md_nxt) a creepy-ass picture?? ---
**Author:** ![Pixel\_Dent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Pixel\_Dent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixel_Dent)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sally-fields-most-iconic-role/744143/39 "2016-01-25T22:29:19Z")
> [@JKilez](#): > > I am with you on this one. Norma Rae was the defining role. Did _Gidget_ or _The Flying Nun_ ever hit syndication? Seriously, how old are you people? I’ve never seen a single episode of The Flying Nun, and yet when I read the question that’s immediately what I thought of. I do find it odd that I most identify her with a role I’ve never seen, and I quite liked her in other roles such as Norma Rae, but there you go. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sally-fields-most-iconic-role/744143/40 "2016-01-25T22:36:24Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > Other than that, I’d say her role as Momma Gump is also pretty iconic. See, that’s symptomatic of how Hollywood treats older women. In 1988, Sally played Tom Hanks’ love interest; six years later, she’s cast as his mother!🙂 Iconic? TFN Best TV? Gidget And MeTV carried both Gidget and TFN back to back at least as recently as last year. Still could be carrying them, but I’ve seen all the Gigdets twice so I quit checking. And the show Gidget was much better than the films, even if the films came first. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sally-fields-most-iconic-role/744143.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sally-fields-most-iconic-role/744143.md?page=3)