Carrie Sharples

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Carrie Sharples was a fictional character in the television series Alice. She was played, in typically loud-mouthed fashion, by the late Martha Raye.

[edit] Mel's boisterous mother

Carrie, at first, a semi-regular, often blew unannounced into Phoenix, Arizona to see her son, Mel Sharples whom she often called "Chubby". When she came in, she was always bound to be loud, and boisterous.

Carrie got along well with most of the waitresses, most especially Vera Louise Gorman-Novak, and Alice Hyatt. She had a bond with Alice whom she affectionately called "you little dickens you!" She also got along great with Alice's son, Tommy Hyatt. In fact, she once stayed with Alice and Tommy in their apartment.

Carrie was a whiz at cooking, unlike her son, whose cooking skills left a lot to be desired, and when she took over the stove at Mel's, business boomed. However, the selfish, greedy and extremely chauvinistic Mel often cut down his mother's attempts, and in several occasions drove her to the competition, mostly Barney's Burger Barn or Bennie's Beanery. More often than not, however, she would relent her rash decision and return to Mel, usually not without him eating a lot of crow, because she really did love her son, and blood was thicker than water.

She was married to a considerably young man, named Robbie, and obviously was not happy, since she did divorce him. Mel made quite the fuss when she announced the engagement: Robbie was younger than Mel!