A True Belle: Loving & Remembering Dixie Carter

Actress, author, singer, and true Southern Belle icon are just a few labels that could be used to put Dixie Carter in a category or box.   After having caught Dixie live in her one woman cabaret show in NYC I realized Dixie Carter could not be held by one category let alone a box.   She was a sheer cool sensual force of nature.   She gave life to lyrics when she sang that would give the 3D technology being used in movies today a run for its money.   Rarely in my lifetime have I came across a performer on stage that goes beyond performance and enters an ethereal type realm that hits like a silver bullet to your heart, soul and spirit.

I believe that kind of special spirit and force is what gave Dixie's legendary TV role as Julia Sugarbakker on the hit sitcom Designing Women such a wallop.  Julia was more than just a sitcom character she became her own iconic women's lib, gay rights, HIV/AIDS awareness, race relations megaphone.   Dixie Carter herself was a brave woman who broke convention in the late 70's by leaving the New York City theater/Broadway community after a painful divorce and becoming a single mother of two teens for the fickle show business world of Hollywood.   Though this journey may not sound that daring, you have to realize she was 40 when she made this whirl wind life changing decision.   Friends literally cried and begged her not to go out of fear of Dixie being broke emotionally and financially by Hollywood's well known infamous disregard for women in their 40's.   At this time in Hollywood history only a handful of true strong willed women had been able to sustain any sort of prolific star and work power.   Dixie with her true Southern Belle grace and grit took Hollywood by its big "H," and turned its head around.   Nothing came easy, even though Designing Women was a huge TV hit it was initially canceled in the first season.   Dixie Carter and co-star Delta Burke having received many fan letters from women and gay men respectively decided to go on a crusade to save their then "little," sitcom.   They got their second season after bringing in the fans and thank GOD!   Whatever would we have done without Julia Sugarbakker speaking her mind, tossing her hair, enunciating big ten dollar words the only way Dixie could, and crossing those legs in elegant disdain on que with hands on her hips gesturing full on battle engagement.   You may not have always agreed with Julia's politics; but she firmly established a tone and debate that was hard to de-construct.

Dixie brought such grace to every character she gave life to.   Her Emmy nominated guest turn on ABC's Desperate Housewives showed us just how deep, dark, and varied Dixie Carter could go to tell a character's story and to entertain the public.   Whether Dixie was delivering a three punch monologue such as her iconic and legendary "The Night the lights went out in Georgia" speech as Julia Sugarbakker on Designing Women to cooing and sensually slithering her voice across lyrics by John Wallowitch in her one woman cabaret show Dixie Carter brought the grace, style and true grit of her Southern heritage to Hollywood, the stage, and beyond.  

There is one episode of Designing Women in which Dixie's character must sing a very daunting version of the gospel song, "How Great Thou Art."   That episode always stirs me deep within and I believe that she has joined the angel choir and is undoubtedly singing lead as only Dixie Carter could on "How Great Thou Art."