Mother Dexter
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Sally Dexter, best known as Mother Dexter, was a fictional character on the short-lived 1970's sitcom, and spinoff of the Mary Tyler Moore Show, Phyllis. She was played by actress Judith Lowry.
[edit] She hated Phyllis!
Sally Dexter was the eighty-seven year old mother of Judge Jonathan Dexter (Henry Jones), who had married Audrey Lindstrom (Jane Rose), the former in-law of oblivious busybody Phyllis Lindstrom. She lived with Audrey and Jonathan in their apartment in San Francisco, California. Although she had a wonderful relationship with her son, and his wife; she thoroughly hated Phyllis.
In fact, of everyone who had seemed to put down Phyllis, (and that was practically everyone) she was far and away the best of them all. Since Phyllis was beginning to get into the work force, after being a spoiled doctor's wife for many years, this was one of the main reasons that she put Phyllis down.
In one episode, Mother Dexter was rude to a man who came to the door to see Phyllis. Phyllis explained the situation by saying, "She's my late husband's mother's second husband's mother -- we're only related by death."
However, even though she loathed Phyllis, she seemed to have a wonderful relationship with Phyllis' daughter, (and Audrey's granddaughter), Bess Lindstrom. She actually cared for Bess, who she felt was taking care of Phyllis, and it needed to be the other way around.
Sally had married Arthur Lanson, a man who was in his nineties (and played by actor Burt Mustin), and then moved out of the Dexters apartment, where she had lived until her marriage. During Sally and Arthur's wedding, Phyllis was to have driven Sally to the church, but (as she had done at Rhoda's wedding a couple of year earlier), Phyllis forgot to pick Sally up, leaving the bride to take a taxi to her own wedding.
[edit] Trivia
Elderly actress Judith Lowry, who played the character, became ill shortly after the wedding episode was filmed; she died before it was aired.
