woman of the house

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Women of the House
The original cast of Women of the House
Format	Sitcom
Created by	Linda Bloodworth-Thomason
Written by	Linda Bloodworth-Thomason
Directed by	Harry Thomason
Starring	Delta Burke Terri Garr Patricia Heaton Valerie Mahaffey Lisa Rieffel William Newman
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	13
Production
Running time	approx. 30 minutes (with commercials)
Broadcast
Original channel	CBS/Lifetime
Original run	January 4, 1994 – April 26, 1994
Chronology
Preceded by	Designing Women

Women of the House is an American situation comedy television series. It is a spin-off of Designing Women and stars Delta Burke, who had reconciled with producers after a bitter, highly publicized, off-screen battle.

Premise

Suzanne Sugarbaker's latest husband has died, and as his widow, she assumes his political office for the remainder of his term. Washington, D.C. was ill-prepared for the outspoken, "big, dumb, hick beauty queen's" arrival to the United States House of Representatives, though she did form an unusual bond with then-current President Bill Clinton, who was frequently heard off-screen. Along with her, Suzanne dragged her mentally handicapped brother Jim (Jonathan Banks), her young, adopted daughter Desiree (Brittany Parkyn), and her oft-spoken of (but only once seen) maid, Sapphire Jones (Barbara Montgomery).

Teri Garr starred as Suzanne's press secretary Sissy Emerson, a washed up reporter who had turned to the bottle a few years earlier, but was starting to clean up her act. A pre-Everybody Loves Raymond's Patricia Heaton portrayed Natty Hollingsworth, Suzanne's snooty, conservative, anal-retentive, bun-wearing Administrative Assistant whose Congressman boyfriend was serving a prison sentence. Jennifer Malone (Valerie Mahaffey, Julie Hagerty), known to her co-workers as "Malone," was a vivacious, naive, frail housewife who was recently left by her husband, and whose children were tyrants. The years of sexual repression had taken its toll and Malone had begun to become obsessed with sex. Later seen in the cast was Lisa Rieffel as Veda Walkman, a ditsy Generation Xer who took an internship at the office. In more minor roles were William Newman as Dave, an older gentleman with bad arthritis who worked in the office and Adam Carl as Adam, another intern (which was not the same-named character Carl played in several episodes of Designing Women).

Episodes were somewhat serialized, with running stories about Malone's emerging sexuality, Suzanne's annoyance at having to deal with fishermen and her involvement with a government hearing about the depiction of violence against women portrayed on film. The political jokes were more rampant than in the show's predecessor.

Discrepancies

• Brother Jim Sugarbaker was never mentioned in the entire run of Designing Women, though in a 1988 episode titled "Oh, Brother", another Sugarbaker sibling named Clayton was introduced.

• Suzanne makes numerous references to her maid, Sapphire, having been her mammy, who stayed on with Suzanne through her entire life. One of the most memorable running plotlines from Designing Women was Suzanne's never-seen, psychotic, immigrant maid Consuela, who caused plenty of trouble for everyone at the Sugarbaker Design Firm.

• In the time since Suzanne departed for Japan when she left Designing Women, she was married twice. Her fourth husband is never mentioned.

• Anthony Bouvier (Meshach Taylor) made a guest appearance in the final episode. While plenty of references were made to his shenanigans with Suzanne on Designing Women, absolutely no mention is made of Etienne, whom Anthony was married to when the series ended.

Casting issues

In an odd casting snafu, the character of Jennifer Malone, Suzanne's secretary, was played by two different actresses. The producers' original choice, Julie Hagerty was unavailable when production began, so Valerie Mahaffey took the role until Hagerty was available. Hagerty quit after taping two episodes, and Mahaffey returned to the role for one more show. In the following episode, Lisa Rieffel was introduced as intern Veda. Malone's sudden departure was never explained on-screen, though when last seen, she was embarrassed for having asked Suzanne if she could accept the invitation for a date with Ms. Sugarbaker's ex-husband, Dash Goff (Gerald McRaney).

Similarly, the character of Suzanne's brother Jim (Jonathan Banks) was quickly phased out of the show, though Suzanne did continue to refer to him in later episodes. Strangely, Banks got a "Special Guest Star" credit in the opening segment of the first eight episodes, though he only appeared in three.

One of the first people attached to star in the series was then-renowned self-help guru Susan Powter. Powter eventually appeared in the twelfth episode, "Dear Diary," and it was left open for her character to have a heavy recurring role if the series had continued.

Cancellation and controversy

The series was not heavily promoted. It debuted to low ratings. CBS bounced it on and off the schedule, and the network ultimately aired only nine of the thirteen episodes. After the eighth episode, "The Afternoon Wife," performed poorly in the ratings in March, the network canceled the show. The final episodes were to be aired over the summer. The ninth episode, "Veda," was broadcast in August. It was the last episode CBS would air.

The tenth episode, "Women in Film," featured a myriad of female celebrity cameo appearances and ended with a one minute montage of women being brutally abused. CBS agreed to air the episode, but only if the final montage was excised. The scene aired a week early on the tabloid television show Hard Copy, but CBS opted not to air the episode at the last moment, and the series abruptly vanished from the air. 21 days after "Women in Film" was initially scheduled to air, the Lifetime cable network (who had exclusive airing rights at the time for Designing Women) aired the final four episodes (along with a rerun of an earlier episode titled "Men Are Good") as a marathon. "Women in Film" aired last, out of sequence, and the marathon concluded with a brief interview with writer/creator Linda Bloodworth-Thomason. The heavily promoted marathon was broadcast several times; none of the other episodes were rerun in the US.

Cast

Main cast

• Delta Burke as Suzanne Sugarbaker
• Terri Garr as Sissy Emerson
• Patricia Heaton as Natalie "Natty" Hollingsworth
• Valerie Mahaffey as Jennifer Malone (6 episodes)
• Lisa Rieffel as Veda Walkman (5 episodes)

Recurring cast

• Jonathan Banks as Jim Sugarbaker
• Brittany Parkyn as Desiree "Desi" Sugarbaker
• William Newman as Dave
• Adam Carl as Adam

Notable guest stars

• Jamie Farr guest starred as himself in the episode "Guess Who's Sleeping in Lincoln's Bed?", and he gave a nod to the series M*A*S*H by appearing in drag. Amongst the writing staff of M*A*S*H was Women of the House writer/creator Linda Bloodworth-Thomason.
• Gerald McRaney made an appearance in "The Afternoon Wife", playing Suzanne's ex-husband, novelist Dash Goff, a character that originated on Designing Women. By this point, McRaney and series lead Delta Burke were married in real life.
• Meshach Taylor reprised his Designing Women role of Anthony Bouvier in the episode "Dear Diary".
• Susan Powter was initially announced as a cast member of the series. She finally showed up in Episode 12, "Dear Diary".
• Charles Frank appeared as the oft-spoken of Congressman Ed Sharkey in the final episode, "The Conjugal Cottage." Frank starred opposite Delta Burke and Dixie Carter in Linda Bloodworth-Thomason's 1982 sitcom Filthy Rich.
• Telma Hopkins starred as a wisecracking cop in the episode "The Conjugal Cottage".
• The episode "Women in Film" featured cameos by Loni Anderson, Brett Butler, Roseanne Barr, Rita Moreno, Marilyn Chambers, Marilyn McCoo, Deidre Hall, Elizabeth Ashley, Joan Van Ark, and Stephanie Powers.

Episodes

Season 1 (1995)

13 episodes

Cultural references

Films, television, literature, etc.

• Bambi - In the episode "Veda", Sissy refers to Veda as "Bambi in combat boots with a toilet mouth."
• Barney & Friends - First referenced in "Guess Who's Sleeping in Lincoln's Bed", Jim suggests Suzanne invite Barney the dinosaur to join her at the White House.
• Basic Instinct - The infamous scene with Sharon Stone's pantiless crotch is discussed in the episode "Women in Film."
• Boxing Helena - Suzanne launches into a rant about the film in the episode "Women in Film," referring to it as "Waltzing Matilda."
• CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite - In "Guess Who's Sleeping in Lincoln's Bed", Suzanne says Cronkite's show "couldn't have been very good because it was canceled."
• Clue - In "Bad Girl", Natty, irritated with Malone's overlong story, cries out, "I don't care if it was Colonel Mustard in the library with the candlestick!"
• Crossfire - Suzanne appears on the political talk show in "Miss Sugarbaker Goes to Washington".
• Deliverance - The film is referenced in the episode "Bad Girl"; the infamous rape scene with Ned Beatty is discussed at length in the episode "Women in Film."
• Driving Miss Daisy - In the episode "That's What Friends Are For", Suzanne writes an article about the interracial bond she shares with her maid, tentatively titled "Driving Miss Suzanne." A few other references to the film appear in the episode.
• Forrest Gump - Referenced as the number one film in America in the episode "Women in Film"; in the episode "North to Alaska", Suzanne says she was distracted while watching the film and didn't hear the final word in the line "Life is like a box of chocolates."
• Headless Body in a Topless Bar - Suzanne mentions she's seen the movie in the episode "Women in Film."
• Inspector Morse - The plot of an episode is discussed in the episode "You Talk Too Much".
• Interview with the Vampire - In the episode "Guess Who's Sleeping in Lincoln's Bed?", Suzanne is told that "Vampire" is being played in a private screening room; in "Men Are Good", Sissy tells Malone "You're not that pale... It's not like you've been sucked by Tom Cruise or something."
• Lace - In the episode "Veda", Veda bursts into the room and says, "Well, I just have one question. Which one of you bitches is my mother?"
• Lolita - In the episode "The Afternoon Wife," Suzanne's ex-husband, Dash, says, "I married Lolita and now you're Eleanor Roosevelt..."
• M*A*S*H - Jamie Farr guest-stars as himself in "Guess Who's Sleeping in Lincoln's Bed?", and he ultimately gets into drag.
• Mr. Smith Goes to Washington - Referenced numerous times in the episode "Miss Sugarbaker Goes to Washington".
• Murphy Brown - In the episode "Men Are Good", Malone arrives with a bag full of condoms, and Sissy says she saw the same thing on Murphy Brown.
• Nine 1/2 Weeks - The movie is discussed at length in the episode "Women in Film."
• Once Upon a Time in America - The rape scene is cited during "Women in Film".
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day - In the episode "That's What Friends Are For", Suzanne shouts the film's catchphrase, "Hasta la vista, baby!"
• The Sinful Dwarf - Sissy reads the plot of the movie in the episode "Women in Film."
• The Waltons - In the episode "That's What Friends Are For," Natty sarcastically tells Sissy, "We're so thrilled that you've found happiness on Walton's Mountain.
• Throw Momma From the Train - In the episode "You Talk Too Much", Sissy jokes that Newt Gingrich's mother could have starred in the movie.

Celebrities

• Bill Clinton - Mentioned in many episodes, heard off-screen at times.
• Hillary Clinton - Numerous references throughout the series.
• Bing Crosby - In the episode "Miss Sugarbaker Goes to Washington", Sissy says that James Stewart "used to whip those boys of his unmercifully." Malone replies, "I thought that was Bing Crosby."
• Sonny Bono - In the episode "Women in Film", Suzanne is jealous that Senator Bono was awarded "Best Buns" in a superficial 'best and worst of Washington' article.
• Newt Gingrich - The butt of jokes in many episodes.
• Jesse Helms - A plot in "You Talk Too Much" finds Sissy pulling a prank on Natty by saying she spit in Senator Helms's soup. When Helms is rushed to the hospital under mysterious circumstances, Natty reporters Sissy to the F.B.I..
• Ross Perot - Suzanne insults his haircut.
• Janet Reno - Sissy refers to her as "Janet 'I just haven't found the right man yet' Reno."
• Eleanor Roosevelt - In the episode "The Afternoon Wife", Suzanne's ex-husband says she's become Eleanor Roosevelt.
• Mickey Rourke - In the episode "Women in Film", while watching Nine 1/2 Weeks, Suzanne calls him "Sparky" and comments that he has "a bad attitude and hasn't washed his hair since 1956."
• Anna Nicole Smith - In "The Conjugal Cottage", Congressman Sharkey confesses an attraction to her, and refers to her as "that big, fat, dirty-looking girl from the Guess Jeans ads."
• James Stewart - Referenced numerous times in "Miss Sugarbaker Goes to Washington".
• Martha Stewart - Referenced in "Miss Sugarbaker Goes to Washington"; in "That's What Friends Are For", Malone mentions a credit card commercial she appeared in which frequently aired at the time.
• William Howard Taft - Referred to as "the fattest man ever to sleep in the White House" in "Guess Who's Sleeping in Lincoln's Bed?".

Tabloid fodder

• In the episode "Miss Sugarbaker Goes to Washington", Suzanne says, "It's not like I went out and whacked some ice skater on the knee." This refers to the infamous incident with Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan.
• In the episode "Miss Sugarbaker Goes to Washington", Natty tells Suzanne the story of the Donner Party. Suzanne later rehashes the story to her daughter.
• In numerous episodes, they joke about Newt Gingrich's highly publicized slip, calling Hillary Clinton "a bitch."
• In "Guess Who's Sleeping in Lincoln's Bed?", Suzanne jokes about Hillary Clinton firing a White House employee.

External links

• Women of the House on the Designing Women Tribute Page
• Women of the House at the Internet Movie Database
• Women of the House at TV.com
• Jump The Shark – Women of the House