Alice(1976–1985)

The Second Time 'Round

A suspected flasher and Flo's third ex-husband (Rod McCary) stir things up at Mel's Diner.

The Indian Taker

A Native American who claims Mel's diner is built on sacred ground refuses to leave.

86 the Waitresses

Mel incites his waitresses to quit by giving a new waiter better wages than theirs.

Alice by Moonlight

Alice's moonlighting job as a nightclub singer is taking its toll on her waitress job.

Single Belles

The girls accept an invitation to visit a new singles bar.

The Sixty Minutes Man

Alice suspects that a diner regular is really an incognito mobster.

That Old Back Magic

Mel can't be moved after his bad back flares up at Alice's place.

Love is Sweeping the Counter

Endearments replace the insults in Flo and Mel's relationship after they attend an out-of-town game together.

A Semi-Merry Christmas

Alice and friends are snowbound en route to her cousin's for Christmas.

Oh! George Burns

When George Burns stops into Mel's, Vera believes that he's actually the Deity he played in the movie Oh, God!

The Eyes of Texas

Flo's vanity keeps her from getting the eyeglasses she obviously needs.

Love is a Free Throw

An amorous high-school basketball star starts putting the moves on Alice.

Close Encounters of the Worst Kind

Hostility rages at Mel's after the workers decide to vent their petty grievances.

The Pharmacist

A pharmacist protesting food additives threatens to take his life in Mel's Diner.

Love Me, Love My Horse

Flo fixes up Alice with her bronco-busting brother (Burton Gilliam).

The Reporter

An investigative reporter seeks refuge in Mel's Diner.

Florence of Arabia

Flo is courted by a rich Arab (Richard Libertini) who, unknown to her, already has three wives.

The Cuban Connection

Alice mediates a squabble between a womanizing photographer (Desi Arnaz)and his fed-up wife (Janis Paige).

Mel's Big Five-0

To Mel's disappointment, the girls take him at his word when he says he doesn't want a 50th-birthday party.

Don't Lock Now

Mel wants to know who's stealing food and making long-distance phone calls from the diner.

The Star in the Storeroom

Because she once baby-sat Jerry Reed, Flo is hounded for tickets to the singer's concert. Jerry plays himself.

The Bus

Mel and the staff prepare for a bus load of hungry customers.

Mel's Recession

Mel considers firing a waitress to save money.

Bet a Million, Mel

Mel borrows $10,000 against the diner to bet on a 90-to-1 nag.

Guinness on Tap

Determined to leave her mark on the world, Vera sets out to break the tap dancing endurance record.

Comrade Mel

A towel boy from the Russian ballet takes refuge in Mel's storeroom.

Alice's Halloween Surprise

On Halloween, Alice's latest heartthrob asks her to shepherd his four kids for the evening.

Alice's Big Four-Oh!

It's Alice's 40th birthday, and for the milestone she gets a millstone, a visit from her meddling mother.

Mel's Cousin, Wendell

Smooth operator Mel teaches his shy cousin, Wendell, how to score with Vera.

Vera's Bouncing Check

Against Mel's orders, Vera cashes a check for an old flame, who's nowhere to be found when it bounces.

After Mel's Gone

Mel becomes despondent when he realizes he has no heirs.

Mel's Christmas Carol

The ghost of a partner past gives Mel the dickens on Christmas Eve after Mel fired Alice, Jolene and Vera.

The Wild One

Alice's spirit inspires a biker to recruit her as his ""old lady.""

Alice Calls the Shots

Alice blows the whistle on Tommy's basketball playing when his grades start to slip.

Not with My Niece You Don't

Mel gives Tommy advice on how to charm the ladies, which Tommy promptly applies to Mel's niece.

Queen of Soaps

After getting hooked on soap operas, Vera becomes a washout at work and later quits.

Sharples vs. Sharples

Mel has a beef with his mother who wants to publish his secret chili recipe in her new cookbook.

Valentine's Day Massacre

Valentine's Day promises anything but hearts and flowers for the diner staff, who all quarrel with their dates.

The Best Little Waitress in the World

A book on building self-confidence inspires Vera to become ""the best little waitress in the world!"" Later, Mel leaves a newly confident Vera in charge of the diner.

Alice and the Acorns

Alice is visited by a high-school chum who's still suffering from her teenage inferiority complex.

Jolene Hunnicutt, Dynamite Trucker

To help Jolene's exhausted good buddy, the girls drive his rig to a mining town, blissfully unaware that they're hauling dynamite.

Mel Wins By a Nose

Mel considers getting a nose job while undergoing surgery for a deviated septum.

Give My Regrets to Broadway

Alice's actress friend from New York persuades Tommy that he has a brilliant future on Broadway.

Vera's Reunion Romance

Vera returns from her high-school reunion with stars in her eyes and a sparkler on her finger.

Monty Falls for Alice

A jilted acquaintance flips for Alice on the first bounce and when she doesn't reciprocate his feelings he threatens to jump from the Mel's Diner sign.

Spell Mel's

To counter a competitor whose contest is drawing customers, Mel launches one too and ups the ante to $3000.

Mel and the Green Machine

An automated bank teller accidentally spews out $24,675 to an astonished but delighted Mel.

Dog Day Evening

After his safe is stolen, Mel rents the services of two very efficient guard dogs.

Vegas (1)

Robert Goulet makes an appearance when Vera wins a free trip to Las Vegas and Alice, Mel and Belle tag along to try their luck.

Vegas (2)

Mel may get his diner back if Belle can get Robert Goulet to perform for a Las Vegas casino owner but when it seems she can't get him, Alice steps in and impersonates him.

Vera's Aunt Agatha

Vera's Aunt Agatha, a freewheeling sexagenarian, makes a pit stop in Phoenix while motorcycling to Mexico. This prompts Vera to make a life altering decision, whether or not to ride off into the sunset with her aunt.

Tommy's T.K.O.

Against Alce's expressed wishes, Mel secretly teaches Tommy how to take care of a school bully.

The New Improved Mel

The sparsely attended funeral of a buddy persuade Mel to become Mr. Nice Guy and ensure a decent turnout at his own burial.

Carrie Sings the Blues

Mel's mother is singing the blues because her husband of six months has just left her.

Henry's Bitter Half

Henry's convinced that his wife of 20 years is suddenly being nice because she's having an affair, so he tells her he's having one too, with Alice.

Alice Locks Belle Out

As the new manager of her apartment building, Alice has the unenviable task of locking out a delinquent fellow tenant, Belle.

Vera Goes Out On a Limb

Vera goes out on a limb to save a century old tree in front of the diner from being cut down for a road-widening project.

The Jerry Reed Fish Story

The waitresses cut up a huge fish they find in the refrigerator, unaware that singer Jerry Reed had left it there until he could have it stuffed.

Bye Bye, Birdie

Mel gets into a nose-to-beak yelling match with Vera's new pet parrot.

Alice's Son, the Drop-out

Tommy is cutting classes to pursue a singing career and his first job is singing at a juice saloon.

Carrie Chickens Out

During a visit, Carrie plans to help out at the diner and cook but a fed up Mel kicks her out and she goes to work for a competitor.

Macho, Macho Mel

When, Mel recounts the story of the little old lady who mugged him, the old lady becomes four thugs.

The Great Escape

A trucker chooses Mel's Diner as the place to tell her amorous driving partner to hit the road.

Alice Strikes Up the Band

Alice thinks she has found her main chance when she lands a gig singing at a big banquet with a 1940's theme and an influential audience of restaurant owners.

Who's Kissing the Great Chef of Phoenix?

Mel suddenly takes a romantic interest in Vera, who doesn't realize it's just a ploy to make his girlfriend, Marie, jealous.

Sorry, Wrong Lips

Debbie Reynolds plays an actress whose torrid memoirs convince Mel he's the one she remembers as the greatest kisser in her life.

Do You Take . . . ?

Mel tries to outdo an old buddy who shows up boasting a track record of fast living and sporting a blonde on his arm as proof.

The Secret of Mel's Diner

There's gold in them there walls, or so Mel reckons after learning that the eccentric who built his diner left $20,000 stashed in another building.

Alice at the Palace

Joel Grey offers his services gratis as the leading man in a musical revue bankrolled by Mel and featuring Alice. Mel, however, has never heard of Grey and gives the role to his bookie.

Joel Grey Saves the Day

Joel Grey walks out after producer Mel turns a revue about New York into a desert musical with tunes like ""Two Tootsies from Tucson"" and ""Ramona from Arizona.""

Alice's Turkey of a Thanksgiving

Alice's meddlesome mother knocks the stuffing out of her daughter's Thanksgiving dinner.

Carrie on the Rebound

Carrie is slow to come out of a depression after a quickie divorce.

Jolene's Brother Jonas

Jolene's brother pays a surprise visit, but the surprise is on him, he gets an icy reception from his sister.

Alice Sees the Light

Everyone takes with a grain of salt Alice's claim that she saw a UFO.

Vera the Virtuoso

Vera, whose cello playing can reduce a virtuoso to tears, is asked to play in a local string quartet.

Alice Faces the Music

The waitresses pit their musical knowledge against that of three plumbers on a TV quiz show.

Tommy, the Jailbird

Alice fears that freshman Tommy is abusing his new freedom away from home by majoring in extracurricular activities.

Jolene and the Night Watchman

Jolene can't bring herself to bruise the tender feelings of a bruiser who saved her life and now considers her his girl.

Mel's Dream Car

Mel is stripping his gears over his jazzy new Porsche he purchased for a measly $20.

Come Back Little Sharples

Mel has had it up to his keister with the way things are going so he absconds to his apartment for a beer and pizza binge.

Vera, the Torch

Vera wishes her landlady the worst for evicting her pets then feels responsible when the old crank's apartment catches on fire.

The Grass is Always Greener

In role reversals, Mel becomes an employee by accepting an executive position with a catering firm, and the waitresses become owners by buying his diner.

Tommy Fouls Out

Afraid that he's lost the ""right stuff,"" Tommy quits the basketball team.

Vera on the Lam

After Mel decides to have the waitresses bonded, Vera owns up to a criminal past and takes it on the lam.

Mel's Cousin Wendy?

To steal a competitor's secret sauce recipe, Mel persuades his cousin to pose as a woman and apply for a job as a Burger Baby.

Sweet Erasable Mel

Mel's experiment with a computer goes well until Vera enters a transaction and erases every trace of Mel's financial existance.

Tommy Hyatt, Business Consultant

Using Tommy's marketing advice, Mel increases his business but also learns he's heading for bankruptcy.

Romancing Mister Stone

Jolene and Vera play Cupid for a dateless Alice by putting an ad in a magazine's personals column.

Space Sharples

Mel gets a little spaced out after he thwarts a bank robbery while he's dressed up as Captain Galaxy for Halloween.

Big, Bad Mel

Mel gets an F for buying a day school to raze for a parking lot.

Houseful of Hunnicutts

Jolene loves her family, but finds it too much of a good thing when her father, five brothers, grandmother and family dog park themselves in her one-bedroom apartment.

Tommy's Lost Weekend

Alice is worried that Tommy's partying is leading to a serious drinking problem.

Undercover Mel

At Elliot's suggestion and lured by a $5000 reward, Mel goes undercover to smoke out rustlers selling stolen beef.

Footloose Mel

Mel 86es a group of ""hoodlums,"" unaware that they're the break dancers expected to perform at the diner as part of an arts festival.

Vera's Anniversary Blues

Vera yearns for a romantic first wedding anniversary, but it gets off to anything but a romantic start and goes rapidly downhill from there.

Kiss the Grill Goodbye

Jolene's appearance on the ""Working Women"" talk show does nothing to boost business at Mel's Diner.

Vera, the Nightbird

Vera's secretly moonlighting as a sultry deejay called Nightbird and she's turning on all the males in Phoenix in the process.

Alice Doesn't Work Here Anymore (1)

A country singer takes a personel as well as professional interest in Alice and begs her to join his band on the road.

Alice Doesn't Work Here Anymore (2)

Whether Alice likes it or not, and she's not sure, country singer Travis Marsh gives her a chance to reach for the stars in a performance with him.

The Night They Raided Debbie's

Answering a room-to-rent ad, Vera and Elliot's pushy landlady pushes herself and her kitschy furniture into their home and lives.

One on One

Mel is a taskmaster in training Jolene for tryouts with a pro basketball team.

Vera's Grounded Gumshoe

After getting shot accidentally with his own gun, Elliot quits the force and looks for a career more suited to his meager talents.

Pilot

Alice gets her hopes up to be a big star when a talent agent comes to town.

Alice Gets a Pass

Alice falls for an ex-football player, who is now an actor.

A Piece of the Rock

Alice meets her late husband's beneficiary.

Pay the Fifty Dollars

Alice is mistakenly picked up by the five-0 for prostitution when she is performing in a nightclub.

A Call to Arms

A sleepless night of obscene phone calls prompts Alice into considering packing a piece.

The Last Review

A famous food critic dies in Mel's Diner, which freaks out everyone.

Sex Education

Alice feels that Tommy is learning about sex too early when she finds a picture of a naked woman in Tommy's wallet.

Big Daddy Dawson's Coming

When Alice helps Flo get a man, the Man tries to help himself to Alice.

Good Night Sweet Vera

Alice and Flo try to keep Vera from O'Ding on sleeping pills.

The Dilemma

Alice is proposed marriage from an old boyfriend from the old neighborhood.

Who Killed Bugs Bunny?

Alice is thrilled that Mel is taking Tommy camping, until she finds out that it involves hunting as well. Alice refuses to let Tommy go, but he runs away to go camping anyway. It isn't until he shoots an animal that he realizes that his mother was right all along.

Mother-in-Law (1)

Rose Hyatt comes to visit Alice and Tommy, much to Alice's chagrin. And now she's talking about staying there....

Mother-in-Law (2)

Alice does all that she can to stop Rose from becoming a permanent Phoeniz resident.

Vera's Mortician

Vera's boyfriend might very well be a married man.

Mel's in Love

Mel falls in love with a young nature hiker from New Jersey.

The Accident

Mel leaves Alice and Flo his car when he goes on a trip, but Flo gets it totalled in an accident that is spread out over several blocks. Will they fix it in time before Mel gets back? Nope, Mel comes home early and finds out about his car from an angry Hispanic neighbor!

The Failure

A robbery heist gets messed up when the cash register is stuck. The robber thinks he is a failure, but he gets a chance to redeem himself when he helps a lady deliver a baby in the diner.

The Hex

A fake Gypsy is caught stealing the silverware by Alice, and she puts a curse on the gang.

The Pain of No Return

Alice might be in trouble with Uncle Sam when she learns that her recently decease husband never paid his back taxes.

The Odd Couple

Flo's trailer is stolen, and Alice has the heart to let her stay at her house for a spell. The spell is broken when Alice finds out that Flo is an all-out slob and have unwelcomed visitors (Flo's latest boyfriend, not roaches).

A Night to Remember

Alice and Flo try to find Vera a man.

Mel's Cup

Alice unknowingly donates Mel's old Navy Trophy to a rummage sale.

The Bundle

A Bag full of money is found in the diner, and Alice is the only one who wants to find the owner.

Take Him, He's Yours

Alice takes Mel up on his boast that he can raise her son better than she.

Car Wars

Mel sells the girls a car that won't start.

Citizen Mel

Mel identifies a holdup man who has a record for assaulting a previous witness.

Vera's Popcorn Romance

Vera meets a new boy friend at the movies, but refuses to bring him to the diner.

Block Those Kicks

The diner personnel try to kick their bad habits.

What Happened to the Class of '78?

Flo's night life interferes with her night-school studies.

Better Never Than Late

While Mel is sleeping in the storeroom, Alice is robbed at gunpoint at the counter.

Mel's in a Family Way

Mel mistakes Alice's intentions when she invites him for a family dinner.

Who Ordered the Hot Turkey?

Mel unwittingly buys stolen turkeys for a Thanksgiving dinner he is having for orphans.

The Happy Hoofers

Mel is unhappy because Alice's second job — delivering singing telegrams — makes her late for the diner.

A Slight Case of ESP

Despite his skepticism, Mel tries to find a way to exploit Vera's knack for foretelling the future.

The Principal of the Thing

Tommy wants Alice to stop dating his school principal (Gary Collins).

What're You Doing New Year's Eve?

Flo finds herself without a date on New Year's Eve.

Sweet Charity

Alice's date gets two extra tickets to a celebrity ball and everyone wants to go.

The Fourth Time Around

Flo and Mel's brother (Carmine Caridi) decide to take a chance at marriage — even though it's the fourth time for each.

Tommy's First Love

Alice is angry when Tommy conducts his first romance on her telephone.

Mel Grows Up

Mel's pushy mother winters nearby, and Mel's not sure that he'll make it to spring.

Vera's Broken Heart

Vera is heartbroken after her boyfriend tells her that he's marrying someone else.

Alice's Decision

Alice's long-awaited break, a chance to fill a vacancy in a traveling trio will break her heart if she has to hit the road without Tommy.

The Last Stow It (1)

Mel tells the girls to ""stow it"" for the last time, then sells the diner to a humorless martinet.

The Last Stow It (2)

Unable to buy back his diner from the new restaurateur, Mel opens an eatery in Alice's apartment.

If the Shoe Fits

Alice and Vera vie for a role in a production being cast by an attractive director(Fred McCarren).

My Fair Vera

Acclaimed as ""brilliant"" in her role as Cinderella, Vera is asked to audition for a part in a supermarket commercial.

Has Anyone Here Seen Telly?

Telly Savalas gives star-struck Vera a thrill when he stops by the diner while she's working there alone. When no one believes her story, she quits in a huff.

Mona Lisa Alice

Alice's sour reaction to Tommy's matchmaking efforts threatens Mel's new promotional gimmick which is free meals to customers if his waitresses don't smile.

Mel Loves Marie

Mel gives a big engagement ring to his girlfriend Marie, but the sparkle quickly fades when he insists that she sign a premarital agreement.

Vera Robs the Cradle

Just one dance lesson and Tommy falls head over heels for his instructor, Vera.

Flo's Chili Reception

Mel is convinced that his chief competitor is romancing Flo just to get the recipe for Mel's Texas-style chili, rated by a food critic as being ""the best in the West.""

Little Alice Bluenose

Vera's boyfriend objects to her sketching nude males in art class.

Carrie Sharples Strikes Again

The return of Mel's domineering mother does nothing for his ego because after his back goes out, the customers flock in, for his mother's cooking.

Mel's in the Kitchen With Dinah

Things get hotter than Mel's chili when Dinah Shore invites Mel to prepare his recipe on her show and bring along one, but only one waitress.

Cabin Fever

Mel, his girlfriend and the waitresses spend the weekend packed like sardines in a fishing cabin.

My Cousin, Art Carney

Vera asks Art Carney, a sixth cousin on her father's side, to endorse Mel's chili, so it can be marketed frozen as Chili con Carney.

Mel, the Magi

A yule tale (with a touch of O. Henry's ""The Gift of the Magi"") finds the girls pooling their meager resources to celebrate Christmas at the diner.

Good Buddy Flo

Flo takes the wheel herself when she learns that her trucker beau has a female partner.

Alice in TV Land

Tommy stirs up trouble by candidly discussing his elders on a TV talk show.

Alice Beats the Clock

Mel installs a time clock which prompts the waitresses to demand overtime for the Sunday cleanup they used to do for nothing.

Carrie's Wedding

Mel is delighted that his mother is planning to remarry until he meets his prospective stepfather.

My Funny Valentine Tux

Tommy has his heart set on taking his girl to a formal Valentine's dance and he needs a tuxedo.

Auld Acquaintances Should Be Forgot

Mel plays host to a buddy whose wife has just left him.

Flo's Farewell

A wealthy Houston restaurateur offers Flo a job she finds hard to refuse.

For Whom the Belle Toils

Mel hires Belle, a Mississippi belle who rings Mel's chimes as ""one of the best waitresses I've ever had."" However, Belle is now aiming for lusher pastures as a country-music writer.

One Too Many Girls

The new waitress Belle is making big points with her old boss Mel, but she's scoring zero with Alice and Vera.

Vera, the Vamp

Heartbroken over her boy friend's sudden lack of attention, Vera begs Belle to transform her into a sex goddess.

Profit Without Honor

Mel signs a profit-sharing agreement with the girls just before learning he'll get a tidy sum for letting the city condemn his property.

Cook's Tour

Mel is receptive to an infatuated tour guide, as long as she keeps steering tourists into his diner.

Mel is Hogg-Tied

Boss Hogg and Deputy Enos of ""The Dukes of Hazzard"" pay a surprise visit. Up to his usual low tricks, Boss makes an offer to lease the diner that Mel can't refuse but should.

Vera's Secret Lover

A secret lover is sending Vera everything from poems to balloons.

Jolene Gets Her Wings

Everyone's up in the air over Jolene's maiden flight as a part-time stewardess.

Alice's Blind Date

Alice's dinner date with a high-school flame who's now blind turns into a delightful trip down sensory lane.

It Had to Be Mel

A popular singer stops for directions at the diner and ends up proposing to Mel.

The Over-the-Hill Girls

Both Carrie and Alice are turned down as singers by a supper club owner who thinks they're too old for the job.

Vera Gets Engaged

Who would have thought Vera would find love in a greasy spoon? Especially with a cop who just ticketed her for jaywalking.

Vera's Wedding

After a whirlwind courtship, Vera walks down the aisle with her intended.

The Robot Wore Pink

After Alice quits in a huff, Mel replaces her with a very efficient and popular robot named Blanche.

'Tis the Season to Be Jealous

Working undercover as Santa Claus, Vera's new husband spots her kissing her former fiance.

Tommy Goes Overboard

Vera, the Horse Thief

No one can corral Vera after she discovers that a miniature horse is being mistreated by its trainer.

Jolene Throws a Curve

Trophy winner Jolene throws Mel a curve when she won't pitch on his softball team.

Lies My Mother Told Me

After 40 years, Mel learns that his mother lied when she told him his dog was a war hero.

Alice and the Devoted Dentist

When Alice chips a tooth eating Mel's chili, he sends her to his dentist who takes one look at her X-rays and falls madly in love.

Alice's Hot Air Romance

Alice gets a ride but hardly a rise out of a sexist ballonist whose hot air isn't confined to his balloon.

Dollars to Donuts

After a winning first day at the track, Tommy bets he'll score in the betting business.

My Dinner with Debbie

By proving she's a better cook than Mel, Vera's acerbic landlady may have found the elusive way to his heart through his stomach.

Vera's Fine Feathered Friends

Vera takes a tumble trying to rescue a nest of baby blue jays from the diner sign before Mel gets to them with a broom.

Jolene is Stuck on Mel

Jolene has second thoughts about marrying a TV game show host especially after a dab of permanent glue bonds her firmly to Mel.

Don't Play It Again, Elliot

A gift piano comes between Vera and Elliot when she can't pry him away from it.

Mel Spins His Wheels

Mel disdains accommodating the handicapped until two sprained ankles give him a different view, from a wheelchair.