Ellen Burstyn won an Oscar for her portrayal of a widow, who, in search of a new beginning, hits the road with her pre-teen son and ends up working in an Arizona diner. The film inspired the 1976 sitcom, Alice. Actor Vic Tayback played the diner's owner, Mel, in both the film and TV series. In the film, actress Diane Ladd played Flo, the role famously played on TV by Polly Holliday. Ladd later joined the CBS series as waitress Belle Dupree.