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thatcrazycajunThis one really hits me hard. Dixie Carter, the Tennessee girl who grew up to epitomize, both on and off-screen, the kind of "steel magnolia" those of us who grew up in the South have known all our lives, died yesterday at 70 in her Los Angeles, CA home. Her family declined to divulge the cause of her death, according to this report.
Although she played many roles in a long and busy career (see Wikipedia's page on her), Dixie was most famous for originating the role of Julia Sugarbaker, the matriarch and guiding force of her family's eponymous interior-decorating firm in one of my all-time favorite TV sitcoms, CBS' Designing Women. She was the glue that held that show together for seven years, 1986 to 1993 (along with the impeccable writing and production of its creators Harry and Linda Bloodworth-Thomason), through the not-always-peaceable departures of main cast members, changing times and the political involvements of both stars and creators. Together with co-stars Annie Potts, Jean Smart, Delta Burke, Meshach Taylor and the rest, she made that show true "appointment television" in the days before downloads, online streaming and TiVo.
My heart goes out to her husband and colleague Hal Holbrook, two daughters and all her other fans, as well as friends and co-workers. A grand old lady who stood up for what was right and didn't take no stuff off no-damn-body is gone from us, and we are the poorer for it. Goodbye, Miss Dixie, and thank you very much.
Although she played many roles in a long and busy career (see Wikipedia's page on her), Dixie was most famous for originating the role of Julia Sugarbaker, the matriarch and guiding force of her family's eponymous interior-decorating firm in one of my all-time favorite TV sitcoms, CBS' Designing Women. She was the glue that held that show together for seven years, 1986 to 1993 (along with the impeccable writing and production of its creators Harry and Linda Bloodworth-Thomason), through the not-always-peaceable departures of main cast members, changing times and the political involvements of both stars and creators. Together with co-stars Annie Potts, Jean Smart, Delta Burke, Meshach Taylor and the rest, she made that show true "appointment television" in the days before downloads, online streaming and TiVo.
My heart goes out to her husband and colleague Hal Holbrook, two daughters and all her other fans, as well as friends and co-workers. A grand old lady who stood up for what was right and didn't take no stuff off no-damn-body is gone from us, and we are the poorer for it. Goodbye, Miss Dixie, and thank you very much.
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Date: 2010-04-11 07:03 pm (UTC)