Lorna Thayer's Chicken-Salad Days
Lorna Thayer with Jack Nicholson and Karen Black in the fabled diner scene.
Actress Lorna Thayer died recently, at 86. She had suffered from Alzheimer's disease. She made a career of minor roles, but she left a lasting impression as the by-the-rules waitress who served a rebellious Jack Nicholson's character Bobby in the 1970 film Five Easy Pieces:
Bobby: I'd like an omelet, plain, and a chicken salad sandwich on wheat toast, no mayonnaise, no butter, no lettuce. And a cup of coffee.
Waitress: A #2, chicken salad sand. Hold the butter, the lettuce, the mayonnaise, and a cup of coffee. Anything else?
Bobby: Yeah, now all you have to do is hold the chicken, bring me the toast, give me a check for the chicken salad sandwich, and you haven't broken any rules.
Waitress: You want me to hold the chicken, huh?
Bobby: I want you to hold it between your knees.
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