I cringe every time Mr. B's sister Deirdre was in an episode. Hazel had the patience of Job to tell with a crabapple like that. Thank God Mrs. B and Sport were so nice because Mr. B wasn't that different from his annoying sister.
She was definitely a snob and if I had the ability to fast forward through her scenes back in the day, I would have. I always thought George was a snob too, just not as bad as Deirdre.
I guess I'm the only one who enjoys the Deirdre episodes. It's always so much fun to watch Hazel put her in her place. As for Mr. B, I never thought he was anything like his sister. He's just a guy who doesn't like all aspects of his life controlled by his maid. In many episodes he showed genuine affection and respect for Hazel.
"Fasten your seat belts! It's going to be a bumpy night!"
Deidre is meant to be annoying,snobby,self-centered and not very understanding of the way others feel about things.
Many rich people used to be just like that. Their world,and only their world mattered. Probably a few like that stil but not like over 50 to 100 years ago.
Poor people? Let 'em get a job.
I like the very first one with Deidre (regarding Deidre's daughtr dating Hazel's nephew. She & Hazel (Lewis & Booth) really bring home a good dramatic perormance in that one.
Love rules & hate's for fools. (MR.) happipuppi13 *arf,man!*
I love Deirdre and Cathy Lewis, the actress who played her. Yes, she was snobby but the conflicts she had with Hazel often ended in Hazel's favor and Deirdre understood that. The episode in which Deirdre acts in a play as the maid and has to take lessons from Hazel is particularly touching.
As an aside, there is one and only one episode (in season 3 IIRC) in which Ms. Lewis's hair is all grey. I was shocked to see that on the DVD and thought that's the way it would be for the rest of the seasons but the next time she was on her hair was once again auburn.
pd3145: "I cringe every time Mr. B's sister Deirdre was in an episode. Hazel had the patience of Job to tell with a crabapple like that. Thank God Mrs. B and Sport were so nice because Mr. B wasn't that different from his annoying sister. -----------------------------------------------------------------------
She was supposed to peculiarly insert conflict into the storyline, but yea, it seems like eventually it should have just been, oh, no, it's that sister and everyone would know to assume the worst.
Deirdre was a snob, but she was simply tired of Hazel being so nosy and opinionated on matters that didn't concern her. The Baxters didn't make Hazel stay out of their family business the way they should have. I wouldn't have put up with Hazel hanging around for family conversations either.
If the Baxters did as you suggested (eliminated Hazel from the family issues), there would have been no television show. Hazel's constant "butting in" was its essence.
There was continual conflict between Hazel and George Baxter re her personality, but she was ultimately given wide latitude because she really was a member of the family as opposed to being just a servant. The conflicts with Deirdre however provided contrast as the latter was generally depicted as an unlikable character.
Deirdre Thompson was a grade-A bitch, snob, and control freak. And although by each episode's end, she was put in her place (usually by Hazel), she never really learns anything about true kindness and compassion. By the next episode, she's the same social-climbing snob she was before.
I might have liked Deirdre better had she been played for laughs (like Mrs. Drysdale on THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES), but actress Cathy Lewis played her straight, making her even more despicable. I don't know if that was Lewis' idea or the director's.
And I feel sorry for her wimpy, hen-pecked husband. Although I deplore domestic violence, I think I could understand if Harry finally lost it and belted that insufferable bitch right across her big mouth!