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2 unusual facts about Designing Women


David Trainer

He is perhaps best known for directing every episode of the Fox sitcom That '70s Show except the pilot "That '70s Pilot" (which was directed by Terry Hughes). He also directed the first two seasons of the television show Boy Meets World (also a supervising producer) and over 60 episodes of Designing Women.

John Wallowitch

During the 1960s he met three women who would become his greatest champions: singer-pianist Blossom Dearie for whom Wallowitch's song "Bruce" is a favorite standard; Dixie Carter of Designing Women who recorded a collection of Wallowitch songs in 1984; and Joanne Beretta.


Beah Richards

She made numerous guest television appearances including recurrent roles on Beauty and the Beast, The Bill Cosby Show, Sanford and Son, Benson, Designing Women, The Practice, The Big Valley and ER (as Dr. Peter Benton's mother.) She was the winner of two Emmy Awards, one in 1988 for her appearance on the series Frank's Place, and another in 2000 for her appearance on The Practice.

Lorna Patterson

(In a bit of irony, Lorna worked with Ginty's first wife, Francine Tacker in the short-lived sitcom Goodtime Girls in 1980, which also starred a pre-Designing Women Annie Potts and Georgia Engel).

Priscilla Weems

Later, she had a recurring role for five seasons as Claudia Shively, daughter of Mary Jo (Annie Potts), on Designing Women.

S.A. Griffin

Notable television guest star credits include Perry Mason, Matlock, Alien Nation, Designing Women, Melrose Place, Las Vegas, Dexter, Days of our Lives and appears as Dr. Osiris in the ride film In Search of the Obelisk directed by Douglas Trumbull at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada since 1992.

Steven Chorney

In 1987 his work on the popular television series Designing Women won First Place in The Hollywood Reporter Key Art Awards for Television.

Teachers Only

Redgrave and Fell were already established names when this show aired, but two of the supporting stars in the second season, Jean Smart (she played Shari, the principal's secretary) would go on, three years later, to play her best known role, that of interior design studio receptionist Charlene Frazier Stillfield on the long running show, Designing Women.

William Winckler

In the 1980s, Winckler appeared as an actor in TV series such as Remington Steele, Knight Rider, Murder She Wrote, Doogie Howser, Designing Women, The Fall Guy and Short Ribbs starring Billy Barty.


see also

Roger Clinton, Jr.

Clinton, Jr. developed his singing career under the direction of Arkansas' music impresario Butch Stone (manager, Black Oak Arkansas, Krokus) where he developed his chops singing the warm-ups for the studio audiences for the Designing Women sitcom and playing lounges.