Tribute: Dixie Carter
Posted on April 11, 2010 at 8:27 am
Dixie Carter, the lovely and elegant star of Designing Women
Carter played the oldest of the group, Julia Sugerbaker, sister of the self-involved beauty queen played by Delta Burke as Suzanne. Carter was known for her outspoken rants on liberal subjects, though Carter herself was quiet and conservative. Her real-life husband, the distinguished actor Hal Holbrook, played her boyfriend in many episodes. Here is one of my favorite moments on the show, where Julia, despite her misgivings about the superficial and undignified aspects of beauty competitions, comes to her sister’s defense.
Some of my other favorites included the women’s impulsive trip to Graceland and the time they came up with an exceptionally clever way to stop the local construction workers from taunting and insulting them as they walked by. And I quote this line quite often:
Carter was also a cabaret performer and appeared on stage. I was privileged to meet her once at a Broadcast Film Critics Association event and it was an honor to be able to tell her how much her performance on “Designing Women” meant to me. She was every bit as gracious and kind as I could have hoped.
So sorry to lose a great talent and a great woman with the passing of Dixie Carter! We just loved “Designing Women.” It was truly a one of a kind show with a wonderful cast. Lots have tried to imitate, but you just can’t successfully duplicate something so terrific. And I agree totally about the “crazy” people in the South lines! Just great, I’ve used these lines myself–crazy people in the South–crazy Italians–not much difference! Maybe just a bit louder.
Thanks for the great tribute. Dixie Carter was one of the last ‘class acts’ both as a woman and an actress.
Ciao!
M
Great comment, Mary, thanks!
I, too, adored Designing Women. One of the episodes I appreciate most was the one where the women tackle the issue of women ministers. I thought they handled both sides of the issue nicely and Dixie Carter sang “How Great Thou Art” at the end. I also had a chance to see her in the play “Master Class” which was a really intimate theatrical experience. She will be missed.
my favorite will always be the night the lights went out in georgia monologue, but for some reason, when she sang How Great Thou Art has always stuck with me. she truly was magnificent.