8/22/2019 I've Got All My Sisters With Me (feature on TV-series sisters)

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Twin peeks: Mary-Kate, left in both, and Ashley Olsen in their"Full House" days and all grown uP'

Dixie Carter, left, and Delta Burke were a sisterlypair of Georgia peaches in "Designing Women."

Marge Simpson is a hair different from sisters Patty and Selma.

I've got all my sisterswith meBY FRANK TOVECESpecial to Newsday

isterhood is differentfrom brotherhood. "Lordhelp the mister, whocomes between me and mysister," sang Rosemary Cloon-ey and Vera-Ellen in the 1954movie "White Christmas" -adding, "And Lord help thesister, who comes betweenme and my man!"In the sorority ofTV sisteracts, here are 10 of the mostfamous:Betty lo, Bobbie to and Billielo Bradley on "Petticoatlunction' (CBS, 1963-70) -The bucolic beauties wereplayed by successive combina-tions of six actresses, all moreor less interchangeable exceptfor Linda Kaye, who playedyoungest sis Betty |o through-out the run. Well, sure -she was series creator PaulHenning's daughter. There'salwavs a favorite.Cindy, lan and "talcia, tarcia,talcia" Brady on "The BradyBunch" (ABC, 1969-74) -

Susan Olsen, Eve Plumband Maureen McCormick,respectively, played the young-est-to-oldest girl siblings in thesix-kid clan. The pigtailedOlsengot a2OO4 TVLandAward nomination for "mostmemorable mane." McCormickwas nominated last year for"most beautiful braces."Rhoda and Brenda torgensternon "Rhoda"(CBS, 197 4-7 8) -Rhoda (Valerie Harper) hadbeen frumpy and funny asMary Richards' sidekick on"The Mary Tyler MooreShow" Married and got-it-to-gether on her own series? Notso classic. At least "Rhoda"gave us ]ulie Kavner as frumpyand funny younger sis Brenda- her first of.four top TVsisters. (See "The Simpsons,"below.)Julia and Suzanne Sugarbakeron "Designing Women' (CBS1986-93) - With Dixie Cart-er's fulia as the voice of femi-nist-intellectual series creatorLinda Bloodworth-Thomason,and comically vain, former

See SISTERS on C16

8/22/2019 I've Got All My Sisters With Me (feature on TV-series sisters)

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Three very lovely girls: Eve Plumb, left, as Jan,Susan Olsen as Cindy and Maureen McCormickas Marcia on "The Brady Bunch."

'All my sisters'SISTERS from Cl5Miss Georgia World younger-sis Suzanne (DeltaBurke) as one ofher partners in an Atlanta decorat-ing lirm, the show proved that Bloodworth wasthicker than water.rne* Tanmt g&ls on rFtil House' (A8C,,L987-95> -Most critics thought the saccharine "Full House"needed a royal flush, but fans thought D.I. (Can-dace Cameron), Steph (Iodie Sweetin) and littleMichelle Elizabeth (twins n4ary-Kate and AshleyOlsep) were aces.Dadene and Becly (and Roscanne and taclh) onoRoseanneo (ABC, 1988-97) - Sisterly love-hatepush-pull rarely got realer than with the two eldestConner kids, Darlene (Sara Gilbert) and Becky(Lecy Goranson, then Sarah Chalke, then Goran-son, then Chalke). The same can be said for theadult-sib relationship between their mom Rose-anne (Roseanne Barr) and their aunt Jackie Harris(Laurie Metcal0.Patty, Selma and tarye on "The Simpsons" (Fox,f989- ) - Animated-series creator MattGroening told vocal actress |ulie Kavner thatMarge's sisters were "utterly joyless" and "suckthe life out of everything they see." Why? justbecause they're chain-smoking co-workers at theDepartment of Motor Vehicles who live at TheSpinster Arms?The Reeds of 'Sisterso (NBC, 199l-96) - EldestAlex (Swoosie Kurtz), a wealthy wife; Teddy(Sela Ward), a free-spirited fashion designer; re-sponsible mom Georgie (Patricia Kalember);and business exec Frankie (|ulianne Phillips) sup-ported each other through men, marriages, kidsand the tragedy of all having guys' names. Like"Charmed" (below), the family eveniually includeda half-sister, Charley (]o Anderson, then SheilaKelley).Buffy and Dawn Sumnerc on "Buffy the UampireSlayer" (WB1997-2001; UPN 2001-03) - Buffy(Sarah Michelle Gellar) didn't even know shehod a sister until Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg)appeared in the season-5 premiere as ifshe hadbeen there all along - the result of mysticallyimplanted false memories, since Dawn wasn'tactually human. In other words, pretty much whatall eldest siblings think.The Halliuell sisters of "Charmed" (WB, 1998-2006)- The Power of Three meant all was well for theHalliwells - three sorcerous siblings in SanFrancisco

-until Prue (Shannen Doherty) got

killed at the end of season 3. And abracadabra,Piper (Holly Marie Combs) and Phoebe (AlyssaMilano) discover half-sister Paige Matthews(Rose McGowan).