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, who had married Audrey Lindstrom, the former in-law of busybody Phyllis Lindstrom. 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 so long, this was one of the main reasons that she put Phyllis down.

However, even though she loathed Phyllis, she seemed to have a good 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, (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.