While this was probably titled for Blanche's story rather than Rose's because of the presence of young Charles Hill as the muscle bound Dirk whom Blanche thinks wants to date her, the more serious story involves veteran actress Jeanette Nolan in her one time appearance as Rose's mother, Alma Lindstrom, a feisty country woman as old as Sophia whom Rose treats as a child out of concern for her health. Yes, Alma did break a hip, but as she claims, it was from ice skating. She also knows how to play cards, a gift taught to her by her old boyfriend, a younger man with a prison record who also taught her how to make a gun out of soap. ("Nook!", to imitate the ever feisty former "Dirty Sally" of "Gunsmoke.")
Nolan, who had been around for decades, played a very dramatic Lady MacBeth opposite Orson Welles in the 1948 version of the Shakespeare play and had a variety of character roles which often cast her as women much older than Nolan herself. (She played Kaye Ballard's feisty Sicilian grandmother on an episode of "The Mothers-in-Law") Alma quickly is furious over Rose's treatment of her and threatens to pack and leave because of how Rose babies her. Sophia notices this and quickly comments to Dorothy about how she never feels that Dorothy treats her as if she is old, although in some later episodes, Dorothy obviously does. Rose has to face several facts about how she degrades her mother, and that leads to a touching reunion that gets the final freeze frame over the closing credits.
As for the Dirk story, young Hill certainly is handsome and charming, but what Blanche sees in him is never made clear other than the ego that makes her think a young man her son's age (she had two, only one seen later on "Golden Palace") would be interested in her. Hill isn't a bad actor, but the condescending manner in which his real feelings are revealed would get walked out on by anybody with sense, especially when he tries to show off his deltoids by lifting up the restaurant table. There are funny moments for this story (particularly Sophia's retorts at Blanche's expense), but it is not one of the better stories for her presented on the show. There would be a lot of stories involving Rose's family over the years, but Alma was never mentioned again outside a few obscure references to Rose's parents.
Nolan, who had been around for decades, played a very dramatic Lady MacBeth opposite Orson Welles in the 1948 version of the Shakespeare play and had a variety of character roles which often cast her as women much older than Nolan herself. (She played Kaye Ballard's feisty Sicilian grandmother on an episode of "The Mothers-in-Law") Alma quickly is furious over Rose's treatment of her and threatens to pack and leave because of how Rose babies her. Sophia notices this and quickly comments to Dorothy about how she never feels that Dorothy treats her as if she is old, although in some later episodes, Dorothy obviously does. Rose has to face several facts about how she degrades her mother, and that leads to a touching reunion that gets the final freeze frame over the closing credits.
As for the Dirk story, young Hill certainly is handsome and charming, but what Blanche sees in him is never made clear other than the ego that makes her think a young man her son's age (she had two, only one seen later on "Golden Palace") would be interested in her. Hill isn't a bad actor, but the condescending manner in which his real feelings are revealed would get walked out on by anybody with sense, especially when he tries to show off his deltoids by lifting up the restaurant table. There are funny moments for this story (particularly Sophia's retorts at Blanche's expense), but it is not one of the better stories for her presented on the show. There would be a lot of stories involving Rose's family over the years, but Alma was never mentioned again outside a few obscure references to Rose's parents.