Carlene Dobber

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Carlene Dobber (born Carlene Frazier) is a character on the television series, Designing Women. She was played by Jan Hooks.

[edit] Charlene's Sister

Carlene is the sister of Charlene Frazier Stillfield and is a lot more naive and innocent than Charlene ever was. She, like Charlene, is the daughter of Bud and Ione Frazier. Carlene was married at a young age to Dwayne Dobber, a used car dealer. Before working at Sugarbaker's, she worked at Ray Flatbeau's Used Furniture Store in her hometown of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, so she had some knowledge of decorating.

After she and Dwayne were divorced, she arrived in Atlanta to help her older sister to take care of her niece, Olivia, as Bill Stillfield, Charlene's husband was in England. At the same time as Carlene arrived, Julia Sugarbaker's obnoxious and infuriating cousin, Allison Sugarbaker came to town.

Carlene has a naturally sunny disposition which is pleasant to a lot of people, but most annoying to Allison. When Allison gets mad at her, she snappishly calls her "Mrs. Rogers". She becomes the new office manager when Charlene and Olivia move to England to be with her husband.

Charlene's best friend, Mary Jo Shively, takes Carlene under her wing when Charlene leaves, knowing that she can easily protect her from Allison and Julia's combined wrath.

However annoyed she may be with her, Allison takes Carlene on in a mentoring capacity, and becomes somewhat close to her. Carlene remains on during the show's last two seasons. She goes to school, even after Allison goes back to New York City.

Carlene is also a song writer, as well as a scoutmaster. She sees things in a simple way, but she is open-minded enough to date a guy who dresses as a woman. She sees what it is like, however, when she turns the tables on him and dresses as a man.