Sitcoms Online Photo Galleries - Phyllis: Cloris Leachman

Phyllis aired from September 1975 until August 1977 on CBS.

After five years playing Mary Richards's neighbor, friend and landlady on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Cloris Leachman began her own spin-off series in the fall of 1975. Phyllis Lindstrom ( Leachman) returned to her hometown of San Francisco following the death of her husband Lars. In her mid '40s , and with a teenage daughter, Bess ( Lisa Gerritsen) to support, Phyllis moved in with Lars's scatterbrained mother Audrey ( Jane Rose), and Audrey's second husband , Judge Jonathan Dexter ( Henry Jones). Though not a member of the household when the series started, Judge Dexter's mother , Sally ( Judith Lowry) was also living with them before the first season's end.

Phyllis found a job working as assistant to Julie Erskine ( Liz Torres) at Erskine's Commercial Photography Studio. Also working as a photographer for Julie was Leo Heatherton ( Richard Schaal). Barbara Colby was the actress originally signed for the role of Julie Erskine, but only appeared in the first three episodes of the series. Miss Colby was brutally murdered soon after production had started and was replaced by Liz Torres. This job with Phyllis being her busybody , self-centered, oblivious self lasted only one season.

At the start of the 1976-1977 season, in an effort to improve upon the mediocre ratings of the first season ( although the show had finished #6 for the season, it was still well below #1 All in the Family and #4 Maude on the Monday night lineup), Phyllis was given a new job as administrative assistant to Dan Valenti ( Carmine Caridi), a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. She worked in an office with another supervisor, Leonard Marsh ( John Lawlor) and his assistant Harriet ( Garn Stephens). On the home front things were also changing. Witty, sharp-tongued Mother Dexter, far and away the best member of the family when it came to putting down Phyllis had become involved with a man. She was 87 and Arthur ( Burt Mustin) was 92, but love flowed and they were married in December 1976. Ironically, elderly actress Judith Lowry had died while on vacation in New York during a break in production early in December before the episode aired, and Burt Mustin, who was too ill to see it, died not long after. Bess also found a man , in the person of Phyllis's boss's nephew Mark ( Craig Wasson). They sneaked off to Las Vegas and were married in the spring. In the seaon finale Bess announced that she was pregnant. The changes in cast and multiple marriages didn't help the ratings as Phyllis didn't even finish the season ranked in the top 30 and the series was canceled at the end of the 1976-1977 season.

Here is Henry Jones's Obituary

Henry Jones, Character Actor, 86 (update)

Henry Jones, Character Actor, Dead At 86

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Veteran character actor Henry Jones, who appeared in
more than 30 films and 350 television shows, has died at the age of 86, a
hospital spokesman said Thursday.

He died Monday at UCLA Medical Center from injuries received in a fall at
his Santa Monica home, a hospital spokesman said.

Jones, who often was cast in the-guy-next-door roles, was best known for his
portrayal of Judge Jonathan Dexter, the father-in-law of ``Phyllis,'' in the
TV series of the same name, which ran from 1975 to 1977.

He was a regular in a number of 1970s and 1980s TV series, including, ``The
Girl With Something Extra,'' ``Kate Loves a Mystery,'' ``Gun Shy,''
Codename: Foxfire,'' ``Falcon Crest'' and ``I Married Dora.''

The Philadelphia-born actor appeared in such movies as, ''The Lady Says
No,'' ``The Girl Can't Help It,'' ``Vertigo,'' ''The Bramble Bush,'' ``Angel
Baby,'' ``Project X,'' ``Support Your Local Sheriff,'' ``The Skin Game,''
``Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,'' ``Nine to Five,'' ``Dick Tracy'' and
``The Grifters.''

Although his appearance in Alfred Hitchcock's ``Vertigo'' in 1958 consisted
only of a four-minute monologue it was chosen in 1994 by Film Comment
magazine as one of the ten-best performances ever by a supporting actor.

Jones was also an accomplished Broadway stage performer and won a Tony Award
in 1958 for his performance in ``Sunrise at Campobello.''

He is survived by his son, David, and daughter, Jocelyn.

For more on Judith Lowry go to http://www.dougmacaulay.com/kingspud/sel_by_actor_index_2.php?actor_first=Judith&actor_last=Lowry

For more on Burt Mustin go to http://www.ronleon.com/burt/burt.html

For more on Phyllis go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllis_(TV_series)