A Remembrance of Dixie Carter April 12, 2010

A Remembrance of Dixie Carter

By Guest Contributor
April 12, 2010

Actress Dixie Carter passed away over the weekend.

She played an actress on the show “Designing Women,” and in one particular episode from 1988, her character Julia Sugarbaker ran for a seat on a local board of commissioners.

Here’s her taking part in a debate where a question comes up about whether children should recite the Pledge of Allegiance in school:

How great was that?

Hopefully, the other remembrances of her will be similar to the one in the New York Times, which described her as “an accomplished actress who gave strong, opinionated Southern women a good name.”

(Thanks to Joe for the link!)

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  • False Prophet

    The viewpoints of Dixie Carter, registered Republican, and her character, liberal firebrand Julia Sugarbaker, didn’t always align. But she seemed to hold staunch libertarian views, notably as a strong supporter of gay rights, so I like to think she would have agreed with the sentiment of her character’s speech above.

    In any event, the world has lost a gifted, passionate and compassionate actor and human being, and is poorer for it.

  • You’re aware she and her character aren’t the same person?

    Somewhat odd you include this as a sort of tribute to her. Really, you’re celebrating the writers behind those scripted lines.

    How about you give the actual woman her acclaim based on her own words and actions.

  • Epistaxis

    Look at that hair in the audience!

    Oh, great rant, too.

  • ML

    She was amazing, what an actress, such passion. I think of Vivian Leigh when I see Dixie.

  • littlejohn

    I’d never heard of her, but then again I don’t watch broadcast TV, and haven’t in 25 years.
    The black guy in the audience with the flat-top haircut looked familiar, though. Am I just confusing him with someone else, or is he someone prominent? Anybody know his name?
    I apologize for my ignorance of pop culture.

  • synergy

    OneSTDV: If, as False Prophet states, she was a registered Republican, then what better way to tribute her than to show what a talented and open-minded actress she was than post a scene where she pulls off beautifully a monologue of something she may have not believed in at all? My opinion…

  • “Passed away”!!!

    Did you, an atheist, say “passed away,” as if you believed that Dixie had been on a short trip to Earth? Yikes! I hope you’re not going to tell us next that you’re praying for Dixie’s soul.

  • No, Dixie wasn’t Julia, and Julia wasn’t Dixie. But it is how many saw her, and with the loss of Dixie, in away, comes the loss of Julia.

    Her rants were great!

  • That was a fun way to start the day!

  • Heidi

    Dixie was a big enough star on that show that she didn’t have to say anything she didn’t want to say.

    @littlejohn: That actor is Meshach Taylor.

  • Julia was my favorite “designing woman.” She was such a great character: Smart, sophisticated, and classy. I don’t know anything about Dixie Carter personally, but I hope that Julia was a little piece of herself. I’m sorry she’s gone so soon.

  • I think she played a designer on Designing Women, rather than playing an actress. ;-D And I believe that she said at some point that she had never met a happy atheist. But regardless, Dixie was definitely more to the social liberal side of things, and her character massively influenced my thoughts growing up.

    More than anything, I miss Diane English-style comedy. Strong women like the Sugarbakers & Murphy Brown were amazing role models back in the day.

  • And totally unrelated, it’s quite unnerving to see ads for Newsmax at the top of this blog. Serious fail there, google ad bots.

  • David D.G.

    I detest most sitcoms, but I became rather a big fan of that show, and of all the actors in it, when I was introduced to it in syndication — and I also liked Dixie Carter when she played a feisty lawyer on a dramatic show later on. Whether she agreed with the values of the character she played is almost irrelevant; if anything, her acting ability becomes even more evident if she did not hold those beliefs herself!

    However, I do know of one thing that she and her character had in common, since they used the same voice: they could both sing incredibly well, and Dixie’s/Julia’s rendition of the classic hymn “How Great Thou Art” was a magnificent conclusion to one episode. If the actress was religious, I hope that her family will show that clip so that she can sing it at her own funeral!

    ~David D.G.

  • Nancy

    Mr. Flattop is Meshach Taylor. After that, he was in the show “Dave’s World”, which starred Harry Anderson.

  • Jerad

    Sorry to pursue a tangent, but Alise, I love when newsmax or some other silly ad is at the top of the site. I click it a few times to get Hemant some cast at the expense of people I’d like to see not have as many funds.

  • QrazyQat

    Dixie did do things like support gay rights, and even gay marriage. But then as a DailyKos diarist pointed out, at GW Bush’s inaugural celebrations, she did a long rant about how evil anyone who ever voted for Clinton was. I liked her on Designing Women; as a person it seems I would have had some things I’d admire about her and others I’d be appalled by.

  • muggle

    This is sad news!

    I love Dixie Carter, before, during and after “Designing Woman”. And she did that monologue excellently so I can’t find fault with it. May we soon hear a Christian candidate speak up like that! It is sorely needed. I remember cheering it the first time it aired! Thanks writers and thanks Ms. Carter for giving their words real life!

    Any other “Desperate Housewives” fans? Was she great in that or what though definitely not as lovable as Julia Sugarbaker?

    I’ll also second the notion that we need to bring some strong female characters like Julia Sugarbaker and Murphy Brown back!

    Not a sitcom but we currently do have Lilly Rush. Love her too.

  • sideliner

    Dixie Carter said, “I’ve never met a happy atheist…”.
    The rest of the quote goes on to say, “I believe in separation of church and state, but I think we have gone so far over in the other direction of separating church and state.”
    Whatever that means? You believe in separating church and state until it happens then you want to call a stop to it? Not sure what she meant by that.
    Anyway, great actress but…as an atheist myself, not too big on her as a person. I’m happy! Most of the time. To be happy all of the time is to be either drugged or mentally ill.;)

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