Marsha Warfield: Remembering Roz in “Night Court”

Marsha Warfield as Roz Russell in "Night Court".
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She was a steadying influence on the screen and off, stepping into a role that seemed cursed.

When I watched “911” recently, the actor who played Hen’s mother, the only who called her Henrietta, sounded familiar.

It took a minute but then it all came back. It was Marsha Warfield, who was best known for her role as Roz on “Night Court”.

Tragedy
“Night Court” was a durable comedy set in, well a night court. It took us into the lives of the judge, lawyers, and bailiffs with hilarious effect. It could also be touching and poignant too.

Harry Anderson played Judge Harold T. Stone; John Laroquette played district attorney Dan Fielding; Markie Post played public defender Christine Sullivan, replacing Ellen Foley who had played Billie Young and Paula Kelly who had played Liz Williams; and Richard Moll played bailiff Bull Shannon.

Selma Diamond played the other bailiff, Selma Hacker, who was a chain-smoking, raspy-voiced, wise-cracking mother figure to everyone, especially Bull. She had some of the best lines in the show.

Then, after season two, she died.

She was replaced by Florence Halop, who played the new bailiff, named Flo Kleiner. She was similar to Selma, wise-cracking and close to Bull.

She died after season three.

Into this situation, stepped Marsha Warfield.

Here to stay
Warfield would stay the duration of “Night Court”, playing a tough, no-nonsense bailiff, and providing a dead-pan sense of humour and so much more.

There is one episode I remember clearly.

Judge Stone is having a bad of time of things. The staff knows he loves Mel Tormé. It is an on-going joke in the show. They try to cheer him up by getting an autographed picture of the singer for him. However, what they do is forge it, and give that to Harry.

He is taken aback by the kindness of the gesture. Then he reveals the truth. He knew instantly the signature was not real. How, someone asked. On the “e” in Tormé, they used an accent grave, when it should be an accent aigu.

Bull and Roz are standing next to each other after this transpires.

“I told you it was aigu,” Roz said without changing expression at all.

It was so funny.

Guest star and beyond
Through the ‘80s, Warfield had guest-starring roles in “Riptide”, “Family Ties”, and “Cheers”. She kept on acting right through the ‘90s in a variety of guest spots as well as 50 episodes in the comedy “Empty Nest” as Dr. Maxine Douglas. She also reunited with John Laroquette on his show of the same name for a guest role in 1994.

She continues to act to this day, with her most recent role on “911”.

Parting thoughts
What I will always remember most about Marsha Warfield was that dray sense of humour. She may have played the tough, no-nonsense bailiff but that only made the jokes funnier when she cracked them.

It must have been hard stepping into a role that two actors died playing. Yet, she made a seamless transition and, ultimately, made her mark in that role.

It is good to see her back on the screen. Once again, she is stern and serious, but I keep waiting for her to crack a joke.

Just like Roz would.