Beth Howland, Vera on the Sitcom ‘Alice,’ Dies at 74

Sad to hear about the passing of Beth Howland, who played the accident-prone Vera on the long-running sitcom "Alice." I was only a casual fan of the show -- it struck as a bit one-dimensional in the age of "All in the Family," "Maude," "Mary Tyler Moore" and even "One Day at a Time," but it did tickle me to see my middle-of-nowhere new hometown, Phoenix, finally getting some attention from Hollywood -- and who didn't LOVE that theme song?! The cause was lung cancer, Howland's husband, actor Charles Kimbrough, said, adding that she had not wanted a funeral or a memorial service. “It was the Boston side of her personality coming out,” Mr. Kimbrough said. “She didn’t want to make a fuss.” Adorable. Read her New York Times obit HERE.